oon-In-Talk Episode 07: Interview with Ronald M. Banks

Hello and welcome to seventh episode of Fanboy Nation’s Toon-In-Talk, your rendezvous for animation interviews. Mortal Kombat X is the latest game in the legendary fighting series and Whitney scored a interview with the voice of the villainous Quan Chi. Ronald M. Banks is the extreme opposite of the villain roles (meaning he’s a swell guy) he tends to get cast for in his extensive musical and theater career. In this interview, he discusses his journey into voice over and how he plans to grow his career. Show Notes Ron’s famous voice over role as Quan Chi in the Mortal Kombat series: Mortal Kombat X, Mortal Kombat, and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. He also played Jafar in the Aladdin Musical Spectacular at Disney California Adventure. On stage, he is most famous for playing the king in the King and I as well as Sweeny Todd in Sweeny Todd. Ron loves playing the bad guy and finds it very cathartic. Ron describes Quan Chi as a sorcerer, who is evil but is not an epic villain. He used to be a gamer and his game of choice was World of Warcraft, but he found that he needed to devout more time to real life. When he voiced the role of Quan Chi, Ron is still learning what the character’s role in the game is. As Jafar, Ron understands the menacing sorcerer’s mind quite well. Whitney got the reference right (though it’s sweat, not silver blood). The game has over the top violence and he thinks players will find it more humorous than gory. Ron thinks that when CGI gets too real it won’t appeal to people. He’s also been in some movies: No Connection and Sentimental Over You. For Ron, when he acts on TV or in movies, he has to back off with his voice. He’s used to projecting his voice. Some of the challenges Ron faces is the newness of being a voice actor and keeping a show fresh when he’s on stage. It’s important for actors on stage to be in the moment to keep their role fresh for the audience. Ron is a vocal coach and he shares some advice on keeping your voice strong and healthy. Whitney wants to know some funny theater stories and Ron reveals a whopper. Both share their thoughts on Andrew Lloyd Webber. SPOILER ALERT! Ron explains Quan Chi’s fate. They discuss the wonders of technology and the trouble of finding silence in a house. (Whitney recorded this episode in her closet.) Voice acting is a very competitive market. During the day, Ron works as a Disney guest relations host, he teaches voice, and works with kids.