DESPITE his magnetic presence onscreen, Joshua Garcia admitted that he was nervous when he was tapped to lend his voice to Lance Slashblade in the Filipino dub of “Inside Out 2.”
The actor was revealed as the voice behind Lance Slashblade, a macho yet insecure video game character whom Riley had a secret crush on when she was young. The superhero — armed with a massive sword — harbored a lot of inner doubts which initially stopped him from fulfilling his destiny.
If Garcia could liken his thoughts to the film’s Emotions when the opportunity was offered to him, he could relate to Fear and Anxiety.
“Kasi hindi ko alam paano ko [ito] gagawin. Tuwing nakakapanood ako and nakikita ko siya, lalo na sa mga Japanese anime, wala pa akong idea paano mangyayari at the time. Nakakapagod pero nan’dun ‘yung excitement, so may Joy pa rin,” he said at a recent launch event in Taguig.
One of the differences that Garcia noted in voice acting was the need to be “more expressive” in the recording booth, compared to the subtlety he usually shows in films and TV shows.
“Akala ko madali lang. Ang hirap pala niya para siyang may kailangan kang hawakan habang nilalabas mo ‘yung emosyon mo para maging mas expressive ka,” he said. “Mas subtle ‘yung acting [sa movies at TV] pero ang laki ng emosyon rito. Ang gandang experience kasi doon ko nakita na hindi madali ang maging voice actor. Napakahirap niyang trabaho.”
Garcia found himself relating to Lance despite the character’s “more makata-like” nature throughout the process. From the outside, Lance is the picture-perfect superhero but he doesn’t see himself as such.
“Sa mundo nila, isa siyang sikat na [hero] so I think, dun ako nakaka-relate sa kanya, as an actor na nilo-look up ng maraming tao,” he said of his character.
“Inside Out 2,” which will be available for streaming on Sept. 25, centers on Riley entering high school. Her brain’s console containing her personified emotions — Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger — are joined by Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui.
The animated coming-of-age film is currently the highest-grossing film of 2024. (Hannah Mallorca © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
