In this second installment of Sailor Moon interviews, I interview Toby Proctor (voice of Tuxedo Mask). If I recall correctly, I think I’ve met Toby the most times out of the cast, including riding the elevator with him at Unplugged Expo 2. Everywhere I bump into him, Toby is always appreciative of his fans back and always a pleasure to meet again and again.
I have also transcribed the video for a text format interview…
Can you introduce yourself to those who may not be familiar with Sailor Moon?
My name is Toby Proctor and I played Darien and Tuxedo Mask, the Moonlight Knight, and Prince Darrien on a show called Sailor Moon. I was lucky enough to voice those characters and here I talk to you about 20 years after the fact. (Referring to a picture…) That’s me there. Tall, dark and handsome. Not bad, huh? 🙂
Do you have any favorite memories working on Sailor Moon?
The funny thing is my favorite memories are actually starting from about current day because I’m having to relive the show just because we’re going to do a lot of these conventions and there’s been a lot of media attention about that. I’m actually getting to spend time with the cast that I haven’t been able to really before because we used to do it singularly. I’d go inside the room by myself and I would voice the character and I’d leave and then someone else would come in — so it’s nice to actually share our stories now with each other because before, it was really just you go in a room, say a few words and you walk away and then later I got to see it on television. It was a very rewarding experience to see.
How does it feel to be recognized as Tuxedo Mask?
To be known or recognize as Tuxedo Mask is an honor. I certainly didn’t know it would ever become this (big) and largely known and become kind of embedded in pop culture. It very rarely happens to anyone in a career and the fact that it did happen to me, I feel like it’s a lottery I won. I mean, sure, I try at what I to be good at what I do and I believe luck was manufactured, but I was lucky… I’m a lucky guy.
Are you surprised by the fanbase?
I’m definitely surprised by the fanbase. The fact that I can be talking to organizers in Australia or Dubai or Hawaii or all over the (United) States. Anytime that I touch down somewhere and I mention Sailor Moon at all, immediately people know what that is and somehow know who I am. That’s really neat that I can basically go — I have yet to go anywhere in the world where people don’t know Sailor Moon. So that goes to show that it’s probably global.
What are your thoughts on the new Sailor Moon anime dub?
I’m ecstatic. I think it’s great. I would hope it would be me — it probably won’t be because it’s US-owned I think now — but I would like to pass the torch onto whoever gets that chance to be as lucky as I am to do this job. It still makes Sailor Moon relevant because otherwise maybe Sailor Moon would fade away after a while, but the fact that they’re going to remake it just gives attention to the old one because their first serving of Sailor Moon might be this new one and then they might want to go back and see the original. That’s only going to do us well for people to know who we are and what it might be all about from the beginning. And to be any part of this, I’m grateful.
Do you have any projects that you’d like to share or promote?
I just voiced an animated feature called Daisy: A Hen Into the Wild. It was originally called Leafie and it was a Korean film that won at Cannes and they asked me to voice the North American lead, one of the lead ducks, and my name’s Willy. I get to play a big mallard duck, get to fly and rebel against my mother. And then it’s a happy ending but yes, that’s what I’m doing. It’s called Daisy: A Hen Into the Wild.
Well, it was nice meeting you again for the fourth time and getting to spend lots of time chatting with you this time.
Thank you so much. I appreciate your time.