Aaron Dismuke

If Aaron Dismuke's name seems relatively new to you, you'd be right. A new and upcoming star in the voice acting industry, Dismuke is proving that age is never a barrier when it comes to delivering great lines—in fact, it probably helps, especially when you're voicing a teenager. Starting with roles such as young Akio and Hiro Sohma in Fruits Basket, the young actor is wowing audiences with his latest project: Alphonse Elric from Fullmetal Elric. Many have noted that Al's voice sounds spot on as a young boy, which is no surprise since Dismuke is only 12 years old. Definitely someone to keep an ear on, he's taken some time out of his busy schedule to tell us what it's like playing one of anime's most popular characters.


What's it like voice acting in a popular series running on TV like Fullmetal Alchemist?

Pretty cool. Knowing that I am heard on TV is awesome and I am still living a regular life. The idea of having fans is totally awesome.

What do your friends and classmates think about it?

Most of them don't believe me, but whoever does wants me to get them on a show. Everyone of course says it's really cool.

You must be really busy with all of this work. How do you fit this into your daily life, along with school and friends?

It's actually pretty easy. FUNimation works around my schedule so I can record at night and weekends. It's pretty rare for me to miss something important.

Growing up, did you ever think that you'd end up doing voices for anime series?

No way. I had no clue that I would become a voice actor.

How did you stumble upon this opportunity?

I suppose that Justin, my cousin (Yusuke Urameshi), hooked me up with an addition and I managed to do a good job. I started doing small parts: Boy1, laughing child, etc., and slowly progressed to larger parts.

Do you have any plans to take this experience and go into live-action acting?

Actually, no. I think that appearing on TV would be too much stress for me. I just want to enjoy what I have.

Were you at all familiar with anime before you started voice acting? What kind of shows did you enjoy watching?

Dragon Ball Z for a long time and Yū Yū Hakusho for a longer time. After I started voice acting, I started to like Fruits Basket and a lot of less violent shows. Of course, also Fullmetal Alchemist.

I heard that in order to give Alphonse Elric's voice a hollow ring to it, you had to record your lines inside a metal box. Is this true? If so, what was it like?

It was a bowl and I of course managed to kick it into the mic over and over again, producing an ear piercing, deafeningly loud noise that was the formula for me nearly getting fired. Other than that, it was really cool.

Do you have any brothers of your own?
Yes, my little brother Jake is 18 months old. We have a ten year age difference.

What is it like recording alongside Vic Mignogna, someone much older than you?

Age has never changed the way that I was treated at FUNimation and so I always have fun with
Vic as well as the other adults.

I loved your voice work for both Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist, and I look forward to hearing any future projects. Good luck on all your future pursuits, and thanks for taking the time out to chat with us a bit!