At ReVamp Magazine, we got to chat with Jacob Hopkins, an multi-talented American actor, best known for his role in ‘The Goldbergs’, as well as his voiceover roles in ‘The Amazing World of Gumball’ and various anime shows, and what his latest projects have in store for him. 

Hi Jacob – Thanks for talking with us! You seem to have made a name for yourself in the anime community with several of your voiceover roles – do you have a favourite anime series you enjoy yourself?

I don't mean to sound biased here, but I really do love To Your Eternity. I think it has such an impactful and beautiful story that will really make people think about the relationships they have with the people they love. The music is phenomenal, the animation and storyboarding are incredible, and the acting is top-notch (excluding myself, I want to judge this fairly!). The anime that really pushed me into getting into anime voiceover was Yu Yu Hakusho, which I love for all the same reasons.

Who would you say is your biggest supporter?

I wouldn't even have a career without my mother and father. They were actors before me and guided me through this crazy industry at such a young age. They've always been rooting for me and supporting me throughout my entire journey, giving me the guidance I needed, and have shaped me into the person I am today.

I heard that you’re going to be studying a course in Business Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Central Florida; what piqued your interest in doing this?

I want to open up my own recording studio! Voice-over is something I am incredibly passionate about, and I plan to do it for the rest of my life. So why not incorporate a business education with the career I already have to expand my horizons? My plan is to take management classes for my sophomore and junior years so I can learn how to manage and finance a business, and then I'm going to take entrepreneurship classes in my senior year so I can learn how to start up a business. I'm very excited! I haven't decided on a location to open it yet, but I can say that I'm really starting to love Orlando!

Considering your flexibility with the roles you take on, from being in The Goldbergs to doing voice-over in animated shows and movies, what do you do to fully immerse yourself into a particular role?

My approach to immersing myself into a character remains the same for theatrical work and voice-over alike. In my head, I like to develop backstories for the characters I play. What their parents were like, who their friends were, the relationships they have with certain people, even what their favorite color is. My technique is to make my characters not only three-dimensional but six-dimensional! I like to give them layers upon layers of emotions, thoughts, and actions. Basically, make them a real person with a real life, and then internalize it and step into their shoes.

Is there anything in particular that you seek out in the roles you take on, such as the characters’ personalities, or do you just enjoy a challenge?

I'm the type of guy who loves a challenge! The only specific thing I look for in a character is, "Is this going to make me better at my craft?" For example, Code in Boruto is a type of character I've never played before. He's almost like the anime version of Loki with his suave demeanor and a hidden layer of insanity beneath it. He's so carefree and has this almost aristocratic personality to him, but he loves to get his hands dirty and absolutely humiliate his enemies. There's so much to Code, and I learn something new about him and my acting abilities every time I record for him. He's quite unpredictable as well, so I myself never really know what he's going to do next!

Your career began very early on in your life – do you think acting was always your destiny?

Acting was never my plan for my life, considering I started acting when I was only five and didn't really spend my toddler years figuring it all out! But I always felt like I was very intuned with my artistic side. I love acting, drawing, drumming, martial arts, etc. My father was an actor and my mother was a dancer, and both are amazing artists (drawing, painting), so I guess it's always been in my blood! My 23-year-old brother is an insane guitar player and has been shredding since he was nine, so my whole family has always been on the artistic side. And I wouldn't have it any other way!