Alexander Polinsky Ohayocon 2022 Interview

We happened to do an Alexander Polinsky Ohayocon 2022 interview, while checking out a variety of video games, anime, and other pop culture voice actors at the expo.

On day 2 of Ohayocon 2022, we sat down with Polinsky to talk about his time in acting, upcoming projects, life stuff, and memorable life moments. One of the most notable upcoming projects is a Plushies line called Awsum Pawsums that is currently on Kickstarter and is set to have a cartoon adaptation. Now without further ado, let dive into Matt’s interview with Alexander Polinsky.

Beginnings

Matt: What originally got you into voice acting?

Alex: Voice Acting? What originally got me into voice acting? That guy over there (Jason Marsden).

Matt: He’s touching the lizard

Alex: Hey, are you cheating on me? Followed by laughter. I told him he couldn’t touch anyone else’s lizard but mine. That’s my bestie, Jason Marsden, and I was working in a toy design studio called Playworks back in the day. We were designing and making Polly Pocket toys. We were redesigning Uncle Milton’s Ant Farm.

We were making smokeys for Star Wars and I was in my mold shop in Simi Valley when he came to visit me. And he said, “This is great, your mold shop. You’re making toys.” I said, yeah, I want to be an action figure. He was like, okay, maybe if you went back to voice acting you could be an action figure faster. And I was like, oh, that sounds interesting. So I quit my job, got back into voice acting, and within six months, I was playing Control Freak on Teen Titans, The first series. And I got a little plastic figure made of me so I had my dream come true.

So it was really because of my best friend telling me, you know, you should go for it. I had been on a series called Charles in Charge for years and then I went to art school. I was a young man and I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. But eventually, I got back into acting and voice acting because of Mars.

Matt: So Charles in Charge was your first role?

Alex: Yeah, I was a theater actor as a kid and I got discovered by producers doing theater and they auditioned me. Yeah, so that was my first major role.

First Role

Matt: So was that the first role you ever auditioned for?

Alex: No, I auditioned for tons of things. I think I was 11 when I got Charles in Charge but I’ve been acting since I was seven or eight.

Matt: So what was the first role you got cast in?

Alex: The first role I ever got was a print ad. I think I was just a kid sitting in the back of a car for an ad. And then I got a commercial for, you know what Flan is?

Matt: Yes.

Alex: Have you ever eaten it?

Matt: Yeah, it’s okay.

Alex: See I had never eaten it as a kid but now as an adult I really like it. But as a kid, it was very slimy. So I got a commercial for this stuff called Flan, Duly flan and it was prepackaged and we had to eat it in the commercial. Every time I ate it, I was supposed to smile. And then they’d say cut and I’d spit/throw it out into a bag. The commercial was on tv but it actually got onto one of those bloopers and practical joke shows. So I was like a blooper kid. A kid who was spitting out flan.

Matt: Spit takes

Alexander Polinsky: Spit Flan kid. I might have gone viral but there wasn’t social media at that time.

Funny Moments.

Matt: Any horror stories or fun bombs?

Alex: When I was shooting Pumpkin Head 2. You know in horror movies in a lot of movies they use smoke machines and you know, what they do to bees, it calms them down, but they kind of like a swarm, and kind of go places when they add smoke. So they smoked up this room and they didn’t know there was a beehive in the next room and so in this one scene in Pumpkin Head 2 like nobody knows, but all of us were getting stung by bees in our hair.

So that was hellish, that was kind of hellish. Does that work?

Bombs?

Matt: As for bombs?

Alex: What’s a bomb?

Matt: So, you leave like a practical joke or something horrendous to surprise the other actor. Some directors will be like, say something funny or whatnot.

Alex: One time when me and Mars were on, Roughnecks, Starship Trooper Chronicles. I was so excited to have my best friend recording with me, that I took a big swig of water and I spit it at him.

Hey Mars, what did you say when I spit water at you on the job?

Mars (Jason Masden): Professional.

Alternate Careers

Matt: If you weren’t a voice actor what would you like to do or what would you be doing?

Alex: I’ve done almost everything I want to do. I was a clown in Cirque du Soleil. I was a toymaker. I was a reverend in a church. A real church with stained glass windows for like three years in Venice Beach. I’ve been a chef. It’s kind of like I was to do a lot of things and I feel like there’s no reason not to do them. So just do things.

So you just got to be your character. If that’s something that I really, really believe in. Like if you have something you really want your character to do and experience, you gotta do it before you leave. This is a limited-time party. Like we gotta do what we gotta do. Do what we want to do, right?

That’s my philosophy. Be your character, be your avatar. Collect all the things that you love. Whether it’s fantasy stuff, costumes, or like nothing is inherently bad. Be whoever you like. Your parents might not like it, but they’re not gonna live in your skin. You’re going to be away from them at some point. You know, put on a unicorn onesie and freak out.

Another Role

Matt: What’s one role you wish you could have been cast in?

Alex: Oh man, gosh, that’s a hard one. It’s like everything. A role, something like people know? Like, if I could play that role I’d love to?

Matt: That or something you auditioned for that you didn’t get.

Alex: Do you know what I just auditioned for a little while ago that I wanted but didn’t get was the house on Mickey’s Fun House. So I got really far. Whoever got that job, man, he or she must have really killed it because I rocked that audition.

I really, I’ve always loved Willy Wonka, the Gene Wilder Willy Wonka not that other guy.

Matt: Not Johnny Depp. I think they’re making a sequel or prequel for it

Alex: You’ve got to have that sparkle in your eyes. Johnny’s got that I’m going to hurt you, vibe.

Matt: The pirate vibe.

Alex: Whereas Gene Wilder had that I might give you a present or might fool you but he’s not got that I’m drunk and I’m gonna hurt you vibe.

Inspiration?

Matt: Who would you say your video or audio/voice acting senpai is? You can’t say Mars. Someone you drew a lot of inspiration from?

Alex: Billy West. So we worked together. He was so sweet to me. I’ve also had great experiences with Quenton Flynn. And James Arnold Taylor and Tara Strong.

These are my peers. These are people that I love that I work with but you know, you also can’t help but admit them and just be like wow. They’re so great. Like we all have our own skills, but obviously, there are some actors in this business that are so f’ing talented.

Matt: So I know Tara was, whenever the John DiMaggio thing came out about Bender, she was talking about how it’s not that he’s asking for too much it’s that the underselling him

Alex: I didn’t know about that.

Matt: For Futurama, apparently they were not going to bring him back because he’s asking for more money.

Alex: You can’t bring back John DiMaggio as Bender. I mean that is just like a weird thought you have for a second and then you give him the money, but I can understand because it is part of the animation.

Classically, a lot of times, every person, animation, regardless of fame, is given almost the same amount of money. Unless that’s the show goes for years and you become something very, very unique and special which undoubtedly John DiMaggio, maybe but you know, to each his own.

Upcoming Projects?

Matt: A project you are excited about that’s upcoming that you can speak about?

Alex: Okay, Awsum Pawsums. This is my project with this amazing artist, Sophie Scruggs who’s had covers from My Little Pony and she’s designed My Little Pony merch.

We’re doing a Kickstarter right now. In two days, we’ve got half of our funding. So we’re more than half of the way funded and it’s going to be a line of plushies and it’s going to be an animated show. Me and Sophie are creating it and I’m super excited about that.

I do have, Baby Shark. I play Costello in Baby Shark. So I’m super excited about that and I can’t say what it is but I have a show coming out in October and I play
a character that is already kind of well-known.

It’s gonna have toys and it’s going to be a cool project and I’m super excited about it but I can’t say what the heck it is!

Obscure Fact

Matt: A random obscure fact that people don’t know about you?

Alex: A random obscure fact that people don’t know about me?

Matt: So one of mine is, like, I’ve always been struck by lightning or four times, and I’ve had covid 3 times officially, possibly five times in general and I almost drowned in the Pacific Ocean from one of them.

Alex: What? I see dead people.

Matt: The Sixth Sense.

Alex: No, I’m kidding. The one thing that nobody knows is that I created a game philosophy called Avatarism. And it’s basically like a fun Philosophy for people to create their character. Get better at it. And then teach people whatever lessons. One thing people don’t know about me is that I get distracted by flashy shiny lights.

Matt: I can see that Laser.

Alex: So I just created this to help both myself and my friends, remember that the character we create, not the character that the world creates for us out of trauma, PTSD, and people that are mean to you. The character we create from the things that we love, best data streams, Daydreams, entertainments, fantasies possible. That is who we really are.

We don’t need to be who people tell us we are. Be who you want to be. People don’t know that I created this thing that you can find at Avatarism.net. You can look at it. You can make your own character sheet and I hope you have fun and hope wherever you are You learn to embody your character. Have a great time and enjoy your life. That’s what it’s for.

Matt: And to love yourself.

Alexander Polinsky: Yeah, love yourself.

Recreational Activities

Matt: Favorite recreational activities? That we can legally talk about.

Alex: I mean we’re not in California so I can’t talk about that one. No, I really like being in nature. I like camping. I like building things out of rocks. I like sitting by rivers without saying anything. I like swimming in rivers. I love the animal kingdom.

The animal kingdom needs to be respected and has as much of a right to be here as human beings. We really need to do something to make all of their lives better, happier, and more positive.

Who to work with?

Matt: Who’s one voice actor you’ve always wanted to work with? And one general actor you wish you could work with?

Alex: I’d love to work with Henry Winkler because he’s a living God. He’s just the best. I love Henry Winkler. As for a voice-over actor. I just like, have to say, I’ve worked with all of the ones that I love. I’ve got to work with everybody over the years. If I could bring June Furia or Mel Blanc back from the dead, I would love to work with them.

Hey universe, put me back in a studio with Jason Marsden so he can have a chance to get me back for that water spitting thing.

Cats or Dogs

Matt: Cats or dogs? If neither, then what kind of animal?

Alex: I’ve had both. I’ve had mainly dogs my whole life. My current dog, his name is Tonic. He’s a 20-year-old. He has many names. First Dr. PoopNStein, Mr. T.

Matt: What kind of dog is he?

Alex: He’s an amazing Terrier. Right now, my girl’s at home looking after him. He’s blind, deaf, and incontinent and I love him dearly.

He’s only been Dr. PoopNstein for the last few months because he started having seizures. They are like our children. I like all animals. I used to ride horses. Right now I’m trying to join a murder. By shaking a can full of peanuts outside my house and trying to lure crows in.

Favorite Pokemon

Matt: Favorite Pokemon. Favorite starter pokemon?

Alex: Jigglypuff

Matt: Favorite Starter?

Alex: What’s a starter? You’ve exposed me. I only know Jigglypuff because of my girlfriend who is slightly younger than I.

Matt: Examples are Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle.

Alex: Squirtle sounds great.

Villager

Matt: Favorite Villager in Animal Crossing? You were talking about how your girlfriend has exposed you to Animal Crossing.

Alex: It’s the dog with the Guitar. K.K.Slider. He’s pretty cool. I also just really like the fact that my girlfriend’s sister started like a racket with turnips. She literally collects everyone else’s turnips and sells them for them. She makes all this money. I feel like I could try to learn that and retire within Animal Crossing at some point. Just have enough.

I like the music, it gets played around the house. It’s like the background of my house.

Favorite Game?

Matt: Favorite game and Favorite game franchise?

Alex: Well, we play Crash Bandicoot and I like a little-known game called Nitrous Oxide or known as N2O. I’m one of those weird people who like games that don’t have a point. Like Flower.

You fly around making flowers bloom and when they bloom they make petals. Those petals join you so by the end of the game you are like a 90 foot long like snaking dragon of flower petals flying around a dead city trying to bring it back to life.