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If you are a gamer, chances are you are familiar with Analesa Fisher whose voice can be heard in important franchises such as Honkai: star lane, Cookie Race: Kingdom, and many others. They are no strangers to projects in front of the camera with roles in notable projects such as the Netflix film. Lords of metal. Additionally, as a member of the autism community who also lives with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Fisher is also a strong advocate for disability rights and continually strives for authentic representation in the entertainment industry.
Stylist: Styled by LMC @styledbylmc
This week sees the release of his latest project. rise and shinea feature film about the experience of a neurodiverse teenager with a developmental disability. We had the opportunity to chat with Fisher not only about rise and shine but other recent projects include Edgerunners Cyberpunk 2 also available this week and much more.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Taimur Dar: It’s no exaggeration to say that this is a big week for you with the release of the film. rise and shine. The entertainment industry has a history of neurodiverse representation that, while well-intentioned, often seems tone-deaf. How did he do it? rise and shine Avoid that problem and what was your experience working on the film?
Analesa Fisher: What initially attracted me to the project was when I read the script. There’s a lot of history between my character and the main character as best friends that boils down to childhood. It has nothing to do with the fact that [the characters] are disabled or neurodivergent. They’re out there living their lives, trying to get pledge dates, going to the mall. We didn’t really get to see that. Usually when we have representation, only the difficult parts of our lives that we deal with are highlighted. We are complete human beings with hobbies. That was number one.
Number two, our director. Laura Somers I was so determined to get this right. I think I changed four or five lines in the movie. I approached our director and said, “I don’t like the sound of this. I think it’s infantilizing us or it sounds weird.” Before even finishing the sentence, she would say, “Then don’t say it. What would you like to say?” I’d give her a couple of ideas and she’d say, “Let’s do it.” She was very accommodating in that regard and I was very grateful for that. I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to be the voice for an entire community of autistic girls. We have very little representation. Have High distress on Netflix and another show that has authentic representation of autistic girls. For the rest, what is also important is the predominantly male representation of autism. I was afraid to be that voice for that entire community. Looking back, I feel really honored to have been able to do that and to have taken it so seriously.
Taimur Dar: Before we move on to your other new project this week, I have to mention your role in the Netflix movie. Lords of metal. That movie actually caught my attention because James Gunn mentioned in the Pacifier podcast how much he loved it.
Analesa Fisher: Wait, really?
Taimur Dar: Yes! James Gunn loved Lords of metal So much so that it led him to hire its director Peter Sollett to participate in season 2 of Pacifier. I’d love to hear about your experience on the film working with Sollett.
Analesa Fisher: You are the first person to tell me that. James Gunn saw a movie I was in and he liked it. That is a crazy phrase. I’ll process that later. Pedro was amazing. I loved Pedro. Peter and I had a good working relationship and I was very nervous. I was the fourth character in a giant Netflix movie that the game of Thrones producers. Every day I was afraid that I wasn’t doing the right thing and afraid of saying the same thing. So, as an autistic individual, of course I scripted what I was going to say to this man before I walked on set. I always told myself, “You’re going to say something you like about his outfit. Really look at it and pick something you really like.” At the end of filming, it got to the point where he said, “I get dressed in the morning thinking about what you’re going to say. It makes my day.” He was a great director. Very open to hearing what we, as young people, would actually do in certain scenes. I’ve been very lucky to work with incredible directors and Peter is one of them.
Taimur Dar: When this interview is published, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 have been released, so hopefully you can talk about getting into the anime.
Analesa Fisher: It was a dream come true for me. The first season of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is one of my favorite animes of all time. I think I’ve seen it seven times. I did the first round of auditions for the main characters and didn’t get any. As they recorded, they kept sending out more auditions. The character I play, Omi, was the last audition I had. I wasn’t even at home with my home setup. I had to record it in my mom’s car in Portland because I was visiting. I was like, “There’s no way I’m going to get this, but I have to try because it’s one of my favorite anime.” When I got it, I was impressed. I didn’t think I was going to be on this show and I didn’t know what an important role it was. [Omi] juice. You’ll see how integral she is to not only the story but also D’s story specifically and her relationship with him and how it’s a different path than what he’s trying.
Taimur Dar: As we have mentioned, you work both in front of the camera and with voiceover. I’m curious about when you first started acting, whether voiceover was an intentional path or something you discovered over the course of your career.
Analesa Fisher: My first jobs when I was young and in Portland, Oregon, acting, were voice-overs. I was auditioning for on-camera things, but being in Portland we had like two shows that would play and film there and maybe a movie every eight years. The number of roles and opportunities for young women was limited. But we have radio and local ads. My manager had put me in it pretty young because the acting studio they taught us in was right across the hall from one of the voice-over studios in Portland. I had always done them together, which was strange for me moving to Los Angeles and discovering that people were one or the other. I get asked a lot if they influence each other. Absolutely, but I’m not sure I can articulate how because I’ve always done them at the same time. I’ve always approached any form of acting in exactly the same way, whether on camera or voiceover. I think there’s something magical about that. I try to get my friends on both sides to dive in a little. I tell my friends on camera that they will learn new things about their acting and their instincts if they try it. The same goes for my voice-over friends who want to go deeper in front of the camera. It is difficult and not for the faint of heart, but it is very fun and exciting.
Taimur Dar: You became part of the Miraculous Ladybug franchise recently voicing the characters Aglaé and Sublime. It’s quite surprising how big Miraculous The fan base has grown. Obviously, it wears its influence from anime like Sailor Moon on its sleeve and still has a deep emotional narrative. Is it emotionally meaningful for you as an actor to participate in Miraculous Ladybug?
Analesa Fisher: A lot of it is like that. I think interacting with the fans is what made me appreciate that more. I knew how big the show was cognitively, but I never watched it. I didn’t even audition for the roles. they offered [the roles] me. A producer from the show reached out: “Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to be a part of this dub.” I said yes to everything and was like, “Hell yeah! I love working and having the opportunity to perform.” When I received the contract and it said Miraculous LadybugAnd I thought, “Wait! This is too big. I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”
But the fans have been very welcoming and I’ve been able to talk to them at conventions. Some of them are 21 or 22 years old now and they were 11 years old when they started watching the show. It amazes me because they really grew up with this and continue to be very welcoming of new characters and excited about new stories even well into adulthood. We don’t see that on television or in movies anymore. There is no longevity in things. The shows maybe have two seasons if we’re lucky and Miraculous just keep going and find new generations of kids who are discovering and loving it. It is a real honor for me. Since connecting with fans, I’ve tried to do my due diligence to be a part of the community because I think it’s because of how iconic it is.
Taimur Dar: Although I am a bit of a video game fan, I have knowledge and appreciation for games like DC: Dark Legion that introduced you as the voice of Supergirl. Did you ever imagine you would play Maiden of Might?
Analesa Fisher: Never. I didn’t even have it on my radar as something that anyone would see in me. My two typecasts are “Kendall,” who is outspoken and angry at everyone. Or the awkward nerd. What I knew about Supergirl growing up is that she’s like Clark Kent. She is very calm, sweet and kind. I never thought I could do that. When I got the audition for Supergirl I tried to do that. I actually got a call from the director: “I want you to remake this. I want you to take this. Give me Analesa’s opinion.” I was like, “Are you sure? That’s not how I know Supergirl.” And he said, “Just trust me.” So I walked into the booth, gave him that option and booked it. this was before supergirl came out. this before Superman He even came out. Believe [Superman] It was coming out in two weeks when I first went to record. So they were talking to me about Woman of tomorrow and milly [Alcock]Supergirl’s performance and what they were doing with it and why they wanted that take that was more edgy and angry at life. It was really cool to get that inside information long before anything was made public. I felt very special. Milly’s Supergirl was fantastic. She was born to play that role. I had the honor of playing a small part of that in the video game.
Taimur Dar: Apart from acting, you are also a writer and I heard you wrote a teen thriller called Wake up. Anything you can say about that project?
Analesa Fisher: All I can say is if you love Obsession and Backrooms and Internet terror, you’re going to love this.
Taimur Dar: Finally, anything you want to promote or communicate to our readers?
Analesa Fisher: I’ll just say go see rise and shine on October 23third in AMC Theaters and then check it out at Angel Studios when it releases in November. and go look Cyberpunk: Vanguard Runners Season 2 on Netflix. There are many things you can see me in.
