At the Missouri Comic-con convention this last weekend, your humble “Anime Superhero” reporter…was pressed for time. I wasn’t able to attend Comic-Con on Sunday, and was only there for a few hours on Saturday afternoon. As outlined in a previous article, I was able to attend a few panels and wander around the convention floor. And one person I did take time to meet up with, ever so briefly, was voice actress Grey DeLisle. I wasn’t going to be able to attend her panel on Sunday, but when i spotted her booth on the floor, I knew I had to meet up with her and ask her some burning questions.
As I stood in line waiting to speak with her, I watched her interact with others. Whereas other celebrities would remain sitting behind their tables, Grey DeLisle was standing in front of her booth, hugging those who stood in line to meet with her, and bubbling over with warmth and making every single person she spoke with smile and laugh. When it became my turn, she immediately gave a warm “Hi!!!” and hugged me. I explained I was with AnimeSuperhero.com and asked if I could just ask her a few questions (to which there was no pause, she immediately said “Sure!”).
Here’s my transcript of my “Rapid Fire” interview with her:
Q: “What was your favorite of the Scooby-Doo animated movies?”
A: “‘Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase’, as that’s the first one where I got to voice Daphne.”
It struck me that Scott Innes had earlier that day said that “Zombie Island” was his favorite, which was his first role. Something about getting to join the “Scooby” franchise for the first time, I think, must make for an amazing experience.
Q: “What’s your favorite of the various Scooby Doo shows you’ve been a part of?”
A: “Mystery Inc., Because that’s the one where Velma a girlfriend! It was past time for her to get a little romantic action!”
This is in reference to “Scooby-Doo, Mystery Inc” creator Tony Cervone revealing (around 2020) that his intention was that Velma and character “Marcie Fleach” (aka “Hot Dog Water”) were a romantic couple by the series end.
It’s official! The SDMI writer/director/creator confirmed that Velma and Marcie “Hot Dog Water” Fleach were a couple in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. Velma’s def one of ours 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/B0QaDEDHR5
— luigi (@luigimelekrause) June 10, 2020
Q: “So then, what’s your favorite episode of Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated?”
A: “Hot Dog Water!” (she immediately responded, which made me laugh, as the way she said it was kind of like “Well, of course!”). As the character appeared in multiple episodes, I’m going to assume she’s referring to either “The House of the Nightmare Witch”, in which “Hot Dog Water” joined the team (and the start of her being truly developed as a character for the series), or “Come Undone” (the series finale, which ended with Velma and Marcie hinted as being a couple in the reset timeline).
Q: “What do you like more, voice acting for dramas or comedies?
A: “Comedies, obviously, as they compliment my personality.”
Q: “With your personality, when you’re being brought on board as a voice actor for a series, do you get to help shape the writing, or do they write for you?”
A: “I don’t do any of the writing, but I’ve had a really great friend Mitch Watson (Producer and Writer on “Mystery Inc”), who helped shaped that version of Daphne and allowed us to explore her more. The writers also allowed me to lean more into my “stand up routine” with Daphne in “Be Cool, Scooby-Doo”.
As I didn’t want to eat up too much of her time (and as there were others waiting behind me in line), I thanked her profusely at this point, and she gave me another hug. She slipped a sticker with a QR code (linking to her Spotify music page) into my flannel pocket, saying (“Be sure and check out my music!”) and then posed for a selfie with your humble reporter.
After that, I did step away, but I still stuck around to watch her interact with others (and to review my interview notes). I watched her continue to be charming (without pause) for the next several minutes, before I eventually had to leave. Grey Delisle was among the friendliest celebrities I’ve met to date, and if you’re at a convention where she’s in attendance, it’s definitely worth meeting up with her.
