Jillian Nguyen.
Following standout performances in Ivan Sen’s Loveland, the Paramount+ series One Night, the ABC surfing drama Barons, and this year’s critically-acclaimed Shayda, Jillian Nguyen has now lent her celebrated talents to the world of voice acting.
In the highly entertaining and inspiring animated feature film, Scarygirl, Jillian brings to life the film’s fearless lead character, Arkie.
When her world is threatened by a loss of sunlight, Arkie must overcome her fears and journey to a fantastical city, save her father from a mysterious scientist and prevent the destruction of her planet.
In this interview, Jillian discusses the making of the film.
“If you don’t lose your inner child, then these animated characters remain part of your life. It’s like they’re a part of your imagination.”
Interview by Matthew Eeles
Watching Scarygirl brought back so many fond memories for me of watching cartoons as a kid with my family. Do you have any favourite animations that you used to enjoy watching when you were younger, or even today?
I watch animation all the time. Some of my favourites are The Little Mermaid, Mulan, all the Ghibli heroines, especially Spirited Away. Toy Story. I love anything by Pixar. I love Up and the old man with the balloons. I love him. Those are the favourites for sure. You watch these films as kids, and that’s when you first fall in love with them, but I don’t think that love ever really goes away. They’re part of your childhood. If you don’t lose your inner child, then these animated characters remain part of your life. Because they’re animated, you feel even closer to them in a way. It’s like they’re a part of your imagination.
When you watch these animated films now, are you transported back to any particular time during your childhood?
Totally. Back in the day, our vintage version of Netflix was going to the video store. My Disney era was within my first five years of being in Australia. I came to Australia as a baby, so my mum would buy me all the Disney movies on videotape. I can even remember the living rooms I watched all the Disney films in. It takes me straight back to the nineties. What a happy time. What a simpler time. [Laughs].
Scarygirl is based on a mega-popular franchise, which includes toys, games, and books. Was this film your first introduction to the Scarygirl franchise?
For me, it was, yes. I couldn’t believe that the creator, Nathan Jurevisius, has had this universe for twenty years. Nathan is like an Edward Cullen. He’s like a vampire. He looks so young. It’s insane. Arkie is named after his daughter. I’m definitely aware of the cult following that Scarygirl has.
Did you spend time with Nathan to learn more about Arkie?
We had a bunch of meetings together. He wasn’t there during the recording sessions. He is just an absolutely beautiful, brilliant, radiant, and really down-to-earth human being. But as I was saying, he’s so young-looking that it kind of throws you off. He’s like a wizard. I know that he was involved very intimately with the whole film. Everything you see, Nathan was there to build that. He’s also the film’s storyboard artist. I think with every project, it begins with leadership from the top, and he just empowered everyone. I always felt that even though I wasn’t always with him. He’s amazing. I have so much love for him.
What did you like most about this character, Arkie?
Well, thinking about all the other heroines I mentioned growing up, who I loved, they all went on extraordinary journeys. But Arkie is really different. I loved how she loves life, and she never stops creating, even if it’s in secret. And she’s so brave. Also, I love some of the parallels that I have to Arkie as well. I was born in Malaysia at a refugee camp on a peninsula, and Arkie’s dad, played by Rob Collins, has a funky mustache, and my dad had a big funky mustache as well.
I love that mustache!
[Laughs]. I was like, “Oh my God! It’s actually me and my dad!” [Laughs].
Are there any other parallels?
I guess every person will find parallels between themselves and Arkie. When you’re young, you often have a lot of dreams, and so most children are often quite fearless when they’re little, and then that starts to change as they get older. What I see in Arkie is what I saw in me when I was little. I’m still like that, I guess. And I hope Arkie grows up to be like that, but she’s such a dreamer. She’s always living in her dreams, but she’s also realistic. She’s creating and inventing, and she never stops.
Did the fact that Arkie is named after Nathan’s daughter put extra pressure on you while bringing this character to life?
Oh my God, of course. [Laughs]. It’s so funny. I’ve never met an Arkie. I didn’t realise it was actually a real person, so that added heaps of extra pressure. But it also made me want to give this role everything I could. The real Arkie is much older now. She’s in her twenties, and she lives in Canada.
Jillian Nguyen voices the character of Arkie in Scarygirl.
Is this your first experience as a voice actor?
I’ve done audiobooks, but that’s not the same. This is my first animated role. Audiobooks are like voice Olympics. You’re just reading and reading. It’s not inhabiting in a different way. It’s so different from this. It feels more methodical, I guess. It feels more like a presentation. For this one, even though it’s not live action, I did learn a lot about using my whole body and creating different emotions with it. Even though you’re just saying the words, it’s actually really intimate and visceral. You can’t just say the lines; you have to really give it your all physically as well. You really have to empathise with where the character is at. And when I first watched it, I was really emotional. It was like I gave birth to Arkie. That’s how it felt. They chose me, and she can’t exist without my voice.
Did you discover anything new about yourself as an actor throughout this experience?
Yeah, for sure. The whole team really helped me find my voice. I guess actors have the opportunity to explore voice work to find their most grounded voice. This whole experience did that for me. With Remy Hii, they heightened his voice so it was higher pitched to suit his character. For me, they kept saying, “We just want you to sound like you.” But I didn’t know exactly what my voice was. Then I actually realised that even though I’m very bubbly, I do have quite a deep voice. So that was a really transformative experience for me as an actor.
Is there training involved in this kind of work, or is it fairly straightforward?
I did work with a voice coach a few times, doing warm-ups and stuff like that. It’s not easy. I thought it’d be easy, but nothing should be easy.
Did you get to work with the other actors in the recording booth, or was it just you?
Only the directors and producers. I would have liked to have worked with the other actors, especially during the bigger scenes with a lot of characters involved. It would have been great to bounce off each other.
What do you hope younger people, in particular, take away from Scarygirl?
I think it’s a really intelligent film. I think one of the biggest messages with this film is to not change for anyone. You have to love yourself, and it’s okay to be different.
You have another film out at the moment, Shayda, which was recently put forward for consideration at the upcoming Academy Awards. How proud are you of that film at the moment? It really is enjoying some great successes at the moment?
I’m so happy for the Shayda team. I am just happy to be part of the ensemble, and I really feel like it heralds a new era in Australian film where there are so many more stories that are being told authentically, fearlessly, and with sensitivity. I really hope Shayda paves the way for more stories like this that we haven’t seen come out of Australia before. I’m very proud of it.
Scarygirl is in cinemas October 26. Shayda is in cinemas now.
Cinema Australia 