Funan

Funan Movie Poster

Back in 2019, I got a special opportunity. I saw a listing on a Film Festival page about a film that was looking for Cambodian American Voice Actors. I had tangentially heard of this movie- Funan. It was by a Cambodian French Director, Denis Do. There had been a handful of movies about the Cambodian Genocide, but I hadn't seen any that were animated, especially to this quality.

I auditioned on a hot summer day- and I was kind of in a rush. I sent samples, and immediately heard back from the film's English Voice Director. I was stunned when I saw the email- it was from Stephanie Shieh. For those who don't know, she's a prolific voice actress- including being the English voice for Sailor Moon!

She sent me a list of roles along with slides to try for. I did my best, auditioning for a number of different roles. I didn't expect much, but I had to hurry because I had to leave to go visit my family in Maine.

To my shock, I was cast! I was set to play Sok- who according to Stephanie, was the most complex character in the entire movie. He is someone who buys into the Khmer Rouge's regime- initially. He believes in the power of revolution, and when confronted with the reality of what he's signed up for, he begins to question his beliefs. I had my work cut out for me, especially since I had to figure out the logistics of this project.

This movie is GORGEOUS

It was a whole ordeal. Firstly. since I live in Boston, the closest dubbing studio that Gkids used was in New York. I didn't wanna be late, so I figured I'd book a hotel nearby. It was costly- but I wasn't gonna blow it. I took a bus to NYC and met up with my friend Jamie. She wanted to show me around, but after hours on the bus, I was exhausted.

I didn't really know what to expect when I got there. The Gkids dubbing studio was smaller than I expected, but I met the folks that worked there. Clark, being the studio head, and Matt the engineer. Stephanie was going to video call in from LA. I was so nervous, and it must've shown.

I was led into a small booth, and given an ipad with the script on it. There was a monitor and I could see different clips lined up for me. This was incredibly intimidating.

The Film's Main Characters

It was a tough, challenging role. I wasn't used to the dubbing process. Something about keeping the lines in my head while also waiting for the 3 beeps- was a little alien to me. I struggled with matching my words with the lip flaps- and I was super worried when they (Stephanie and Clark) talked about having to have me for a second booking when they initially only planned on one. They wanted me to return the next day, but I had only booked my hotel for one night, not two. I had to return next week.

I felt like I had let Stephanie down. Maybe it was just me, but I could just FEEL the frustration in Stephanie's voice. She told me that when I came back, she wanted me to be prepared. To be ready.

I had dinner with Jamie and told her my feelings on it. As I took the bus back home to Boston, I started making plans. I began looking up as much acting videos as I could. To prepare myself even further- I went to the Luna Theater in Lowell to watch Funan- (it was already out in limited theaters, albeit in French) to see how my French counterpart handled my role.

I have to admit, the French version of Sok has a much deeper voice than I do.

Still, when I returned to NYC, I felt a lot more comfortable. I think everyone else could sense the change in the air- and all went a lot more smoothly. I finished out my recording with some walla (crowd noises) and got to yell a bit- I feel like that really released the tension that I had built up.

I felt relief.

I was excited to show my family, especially my Grandfather. We had always talked about more Cambodian representation and I more than anything wanted him to watch it and tell me how proud he was. Unfortunately, I never got the chance. He fell ill and was confined to his hospital bed. I had just received my copy of the movie on Blu-ray, but he was gone.

I grieved, and I grieved. He was my hero. We all took it pretty hard.

I didn't show my family for a few months.

I wasn't sure how they'd react. They were Genocide survivors. Would they be upset? Would it trigger anything? I wasn't sure. Asian families are always impossible to predict. There were immediate criticisms- namely that it was in English- and NOT Khmer, that it was a cartoon, and that I wasn't the main lead. My dad even fell asleep at one point.

But none of that mattered to me. I had already lost the person I wanted to show, and I had finally been cast in a professional animated movie. Many folks don't get to ever be part of a movie this beautiful, or important- and this got to be my first role. How lucky can a guy be?

Below a snippet of my character, followed by the Official Trailer. Funan is available on all major platforms, and on Blu Ray and DVD from Shout! Factory.

A snippet of Funan- featuring my voice as Sok. I'm the one doing the beating.