Furry Corner: Interview with Alesia Glidewell

by Rune the Ferret
(He doesn’t use these cool parenthesis.)

An interview with Alesia Glidewell, V.A. for Krystal (Star Fox Assault) and Model for Chell (Portal).

How does it feel to have a community of people adore your characters?

Surprising. I had no idea when I got hired that the game or character were so popular. The gig was not only fun to do and exciting in and of itself, but it’s awesome that it’s such a cool and popular game.

What was it like doing VA for Star Fox Assault?

Since it was one of the first video game voice-overs I ever did, I was pretty nervous but everyone was very nice and overall it was a lot of fun and went fairly quickly. Also, I really enjoyed being able to watch some of the animations as I went along since that’s not usually the case.

How’d you get into the business of Voice Acting?

I had a taste of the VO biz in Miami when I was twelve but hadn’t really thought about it as something I could ever realistically make a living at. I moved to Seattle in 2001 and started doing a bit of commercial acting as a side job which led me to voice over. After a couple of animation voice over classes I was hooked and decided to make a go for it.

Have you played of the Starfox Games before your role?

Nope. Around the time the first Starfox was popular I wasn’t really into playing video games much except maybe a little Zelda and House of the Dead at the arcades.

What do you do to prepare for your character voices?

If I’m able to get the script ahead of time and have a good idea of what the client is looking for I just practice at home and sing a few songs in my car to warm up my voice. But, usually, I don’t get the script ahead of time and don’t know too much about the exact vibe the client wants from the character until I get to the studio the day of the session.

With all the face modeling, Do you think essentially you were the main character in Portal?

Valve hired me specifically for the Chell character so I got to spend a day in an orange jumpsuit with people taking photographs and measurements. So I guess it’s pretty much me but with cooler shoes and a rockin’ Portal gun.

Do you think the newer Star Fox games (Like Assault or Adventure) are as good as the original or Star Fox 64?

Don’t know, I haven’t played the original.

Do you feel you lived up or surpassed the previous Krystal’s voice actor?

I’ve never really listened to the previous voice actor’s version of Krystal but have read that many critics strongly prefer one of us or the other. It’s all perspective I guess.

Do you have any favourite games yourself?

Resident Evil has always been one of my favorites. I just finished the Umbrella Chronicles on the wii and had a blast. Baldur’s Gate, D&D Heroes, and Champions of Norrath are also among my favorites.

“How do you work on developing your voice, for the roles you play?”

I watch a lot of cartoons, take a lot of workshops and practice in my car.

How does it feel to work in the Video Game business?

I absolutely love it. I definitely prefer the freelance lifestyle to a 9 – 5 job. I’m still doing other freelance work to make ends meet but, hopefully, I’ll get more video game work in the near future.

Did you ever expect to or wanted to go into this kind of business?

In my wildest dreams. And I really mean that. I just hope that I’m able to keep doing it and some day be exceptionally good at it.

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