Netflix has genuinely made itself into a force in the world of animation with exclusive anime releases like Ultraman to brand new series streaming exclusively on the site like Transformers: War for Cybertron: Siege. One of the longer running animated shows on the service has been Castlevania, a series that is based on the hit game franchise of the same name.
As of now, the animated series has released three seasons, with a fourth on its way and is helmed by coming book writer Warren Ellis. Telling the story of the third game, at first, the series follows Trevor Belmont and his crew as they attempt to end the tyranny caused by Dracula and his cohorts.
The animated series boasts some amazing voice actors that include Richard Armitage and James Callis as Trevor Belmont and Alucard. Rounding out the trio is Sypha Belnades, voiced by the relative newcomer to the industry, Alejandra Reynoso.
Recently, we were able to catch up with Alejandra over at Comic Book Movie to see what she had to say about the process it took to land the role and bringing her character to life! Make sure to give it a look below, and don't forget to give the audio interview a listen!
Joe: How have fans responded to your portrayal the character of Sypha in Netflix's Castlevania?
Alejandra Reynoso: With something like Castlevania, I was working on the project well in advance to any fans being exposed to it. And with the case of Sypha and Castlevania, there was a huge outpour of love for that character which I really appreciate.
Joe: Do you feel like you're more comfortable in a live action role or when you lend to your voice to something like Winx Club or Castlevania?
Alejandra Reynoso: Well, I think in terms of comfort, a lot of that is based on experience and exposure. So, I feel like I really know how voice-over and remote working in voice-over works because I've done it, so it's really about the amount of exposure you have. So I think right now I'm more comfortable with voice-over work because I have more experience in it.
Joe: I'm curious when you first decided to pursue a career in acting?
Alejandra Reynoso: Well, I grew up in LA. so I kind of grew up being exposed to this industry in a lot of ways or at least knowing from a young age that it exists. I started out doing commercials in high school and that's when the opportunity to do voice-over presented itself, and that's when I started working on Winx Club.
That was a huge part of my life and my education in this field but I did want to do the four year University thing and I wanted to have that experience in my life. So I did take a break from acting to go off and do academia and it was coming to the end of those four years and coming to graduation and the voice in my head was nagging that I couldn't let this opportunity and this moment pass me by or I would regret it later.
My parents were really supportive in that sense because I was teetering in between going to take the traditional 9-5 job offer that I had or if I should go to pursue acting, and my parents told me that because it is what I wanted to do that I could always choose to follow the career path but that I should take the time and the opportunity to figure it out.
Joe: Oh, that's awesome and I'm sure that support goes a long way.
Alejandra Reynoso: Oh, it really does. In a lot of ways I was always the one pushing myself. I think a lot of people have those external pressures from family that say this isn't a smart move and to say to go take the job offer and I was more willing to be that voice in my head, but my mom was the one who told me that because it is something that I really love that I should take the time to do it.
I was about three months out to graduation and I got the e-mail to audition for Castlevania. And I think it was the week before graduation that I got the e-mail with the offer for the role of Sypha. And I just kind of kept my head down and kept working and have sort of been working non-stop ever since.
As an actor, you go where they let you tell stories. So I felt like voice-over was a good place for that but I also see that Artificial is a great opportunity because this is an entirely different way to tell stories.
Joe: It's clear that you're very passionate about what you do. Are there any actors or voice-actors that you look to for inspiration?
Alejandra Reynoso: I mean, there are so many people that I admire. And the thing is as an actor and creative you try to expose yourself to more art and stories and shows and film and so it's great to see things you're watching and get inspired. So I feel like that comes from so many places and depending on what I'm watching I can point out this person and that person are so great. In voice over in particular there are so many talented women who are absolutely killing it. There's one person in particular that I'd like to highlight especially because there's been so much toxicity around this and it has nothing to do with the person and everything to do with the high calibre of their talent, but Laura Bailey.
Joe: I knew that's where you were going!
Alejandra Reynoso: Yeah, I mean she's absolutely a force. She's done it all and she's been grinding for years and it has been amazing to see her career grow and expand. Kari Wahlgren, Tara Strong, Christina Vee, I mean I could be listing forever. But I also want to give a big shoutout to Amy Gross and Romi Dames who I worked on Winx Club with because they were two of the people I worked with early on that were so inspirational and they were a big catalyst for me to grow and expand in this industry.
For Sypha, when I auditioned because I usually had a Spanish accent, the accent itself isn't super modeled after this but to get the idea I would look to interviews with Penelope Cruz because she is Spanish and just to try to get some of that cadence initially. My dialect in particular is the Mexican dialect so I definitely looked up her style and other things that came into play.
Joe: Out of curiosity is Spanish or English your first speaking language?
Alejandra Reynoso: Well they kind of both are. I spoke both growing up. I would say that I probably used English a lot more growing up with the school system, but I definitely used them both. But my mom never wanted me mixing those two so I always had to either speak English or speak Spanish.
Joe: Usually the projects you're involved in have a lot of diversity in them.
Alejandra Reynoso: Castlevania in particular is very international, especially in the latest season. They have been recording people from Japan, New Zealand, Germany, the U.S., and really almost every corner of the globe. Also, the characters in the show are very diverse as well, and it's been really awesome.
Joe: You've mentioned Winx Club a couple of times. What would you say you learned from your experience on Winx Club that helped with your performance in Castlevania?
Alejandra Reynoso: I mean I learned how to work as a voice actor primarily, just because like I said a lot of being comfortable in your work is also just exposure to the craft and to working in professional environments and getting that practice and getting your reps in. So I think that being exposed to something like that at such a young age was great. So many people came through there as recurring or guest characters such as Dee Bradley Baker, Kari Wahlgren, and lots of other actors.
What do you make of Alejandra's comments? Make sure to share your thoughts in the comments below, and don't forget to give the full interview a listen on LiteraryJoe's Inner Child Podcast!
Every story has a beginning. Elle, Sebastian, Ruby, and Justin begin the new journey of the AI to be named. Catch up on the story, and jump in.
Artificial is a Live and Interactive Science Fiction series where the audience changes the story. It is the first original sci-fi series on Twitch and was the winner of the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for Innovation in Interactive Media.
Artificial: Remote Intelligence airs at 5 pm PST/8 pm PST every Thursday. You can catch the previous worldbuilding episode here.