Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Sun
Hi Emily, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up watching cartoons and anime, and became a fan of the Japanese voice acting industry when I was ten years old. Although live action shows and films never interested me as much as 2D animation did, I didn’t fully understood what voice acting was until I discovered the seiyuu industry. Since then, I dreamed of becoming a seiyuu, but knew that it was unrealistic since I wasn’t living in Japan and I didn’t have an acting background. So, even though it was fun to imagine my future as a seiyuu, I continued focusing on working towards becoming a doctor, which was my original dream and career aspiration.
In college, I had the opportunity to take a voice acting class for a semester as an elective and that opened my eyes to what a future as a professional voice actor could be like. Getting to physically be in a recording booth for sixteen weeks and PLAY instead of WORK made me realize that voice acting was what I truly wanted to pursue, rather than medicine.
After graduating from college, teaching English for a year in Korea, and spending the first year of the pandemic feeling lost and unsure of what to do, I began taking voice acting classes and putting all of my energy into learning what I could about the American voice acting industry. I immersed myself in anything and everything related to voice acting, and was fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time for several life-changing opportunities that jump-started my career more quickly than I could have ever imagined.
Now, I am lucky enough to be a professional voice actor for games and shows that I only could have dreamed of being part of as a child. I have made lifelong friends in the industry who mean the world to me. And I am slowly, but surely, making my way towards achieving a happy and fulfilling life doing what I love.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was difficult and scary, starting from scratch in a field where I honestly knew nothing and no one. I didn’t have a classical acting background and I was painfully aware of that in every class I took in the beginning. I knew that networking was a huge part of being successful in any entertainment field, so not having any connections made this an incredibly daunting endeavor.
It also didn’t help that my parents were not wholly supportive of my career switch at the beginning. They had invested a lot of money and effort into helping me become a doctor, and they didn’t understand why I felt the need to pursue voice acting instead. Science is their passion and the financial stability that such professions brought was more important than something like voice acting, which they believed I should keep as a hobby rather than make into a career.
Luckily, after I booked my first role, which was for a well-known video game company, they slowly began to realize how serious I was about voice acting and that I had the potential to succeed in the industry. Although my growth has been relatively slow, I could not have gotten this far without my family’s support and I am very thankful for every person that has taken a chance on me as I continue building upon my skills day by day.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a voice actor specializing in video games, and dubbing for live action shows and anime. I am most well-known as Clara in Honkai: Star Rail and Seo Jiwoo in Solo Leveling:ARISE.
I am also a casting director for indie video games developed through USC Games, the #1 game design program in the country. I am a huge believer in casting authentically and bringing together incredibly talented actors for a diverse cast.
I am most proud of getting to live out my dream career and make my younger self proud of who I’ve become today. Being part of the entertainment industry in some capacity was something I had always dreamed of as a child and now it’s become my reality.
I am also able to provide voiceover in multiple languages, such as Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. I grew up speaking Mandarin Chinese at home and watched many Chinese animated shows as a child. I took Japanese classes in middle school, high school, and college, and I now work production on several anime titles for a well-known studio. I also taught myself how to read and write in Korean since I am an avid fan of Korean music and entertainment, and living in Korea for a year allowed me to immerse myself in the language and culture even more.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I have been very lucky and fortunate to be in the position that I’m in, and I am doing my best to not squander these opportunities that so many people dream of getting. I am also staying cognizant of my physical and mental health, since I have an unfortunate habit of over-working myself, which stems from my high school and college years of pulling all-nighters to study for exams. Voice acting is a dream job that is not without its challenges and although I am pursuing it diligently every single day, I do not want the success to come at the cost of my health and well-being. Health is wealth and I would like to be doing this for a long time, which means pacing myself to prevent burn-out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://emilysunvo.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/emilysunnyville
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/emilysunnyville
- Other: https://twitch.tv/emilysunnyville
Image Credits
Jesse de Castro
Nicholas Leung
Molly Zhang
