Matthew Moy [Interview]

I am very excited to share this interview with you fine folks, and not only because it may be the last one we get to share with you all for a short while. I’m very excited about it as this turned out to be one of those amazingly sweet surprises to enter the TWS world. I have always thought Matthew Moy was a funny guy as I watched him on the hit TV show 2 Broke Girls. But I was generally unaware of what the rest of his career has had to offer us. And since getting to know a bit more about Matt, I have become increasingly more impressed with what he has given to the world and even more excited about what he will give in the future.

Matthew Moy is an extremely sweet human being and we are so excited to share some amazing words from this extremely cool dude. So lest we forget that this is all about Matthew, I shall end my rambling, and let Matthew speak for himself. With that, please enjoy some amazing words from the brilliant Matthew Moy!

When did you first discover your passion for the world of acting? Was it something that started at an early age? Or did you just sort of land into this world?

I discovered acting when I was a sophomore in high school. I noticed a lot of my friends were in the theater program, and I wanted to do a fun extracurricular activity with them. But after high school, I didn’t do much acting at all. I majored in Japanese and minored in Linguistics in college. Eventually, however, I became unhappy in my Japanese major and decided it wasn’t for me. I finished the major, but in my senior year of college, I asked my mom for her advice on my next career path. She recommended voice acting because I loved animation and had previously liked acting and had been good at it. I followed her advice and fell in love with voice acting and studied intensely. I worked for a year at a pet hospital and saved all the money I could. Money in tow, I moved to LA in 2008 with the intent of being just a voice actor, but I wasn’t making enough money to sustain myself as a voice actor even with the money saved (LA will eat you alive if you’re broke), so I decided to diversify myself with my remaining funds and learn on-camera as well. I’m glad I did!

The first time I expected to see myself on screen was in a skit on a show called Mind of Mencia. My roommate I were on the couch, giddy and excited to see my first performance on television. Then the skit came on, and I was nowhere to be found. My roommate and I thought, “Maybe I’m at the end of the skit!” But then the skit ended and cut to the title sequence of the show. I was so disappointed (mainly at myself), and that’s when I decided I needed to take on-camera acting classes. My actual first time on TV was on a game show called Cha$e. It was like a game of tag where “agents” have to “catch you,” and you could win up to $50,000. I said I would buy a hypo-allergenic cat if I won, and I got tagged out first. It was such a silly show. Good times.

You had a long run in an absolutely brilliant role on the sitcom 2 Broke Girls. I am curious to know what the atmosphere was like while you were on set as a part of a very talented group of individuals? Was it as fun to work on as it was for so many of us to watch?

2 Broke Girls was such a big part of my life, and will always be. I learned so much since it was my first sitcom and series regular role, and I had so much fun, and all the cast mates and crew and writers are like family to me. Kat Dennings is a genius and sometimes I’m convinced she has a near photographic memory. Her ability to memorize changes on the spot was insane. Beth Behrs is so adaptable in any situation.  Jennifer Coolidge is a magical being that would make me break in laughter almost every time I had a scene with her. Garrett Morris is electric and has so many jokes and stories. Jonathan Kite is an amazing impressionist and comedian and one of my best friends. Every single person was so talented in different ways—I always compared us to being like a great football team, where every person had their specific part to play and was damn good at it. I just had lunch with Garrett last week and am flying to New York to see Jonathan in a play. We keep in touch a lot.

You have worked quite a bit in the world of voice over gigs as well as on screen work. We’ve spoken to several folks who have worked in this world, especially when it comes to video games. And I am always curious to know how an actor enjoys this gig over on screen work? What would you say are the pro’s to voice over work to being on screen?

Well, I moved to LA with the intent of just doing voice over work! That is what I was trained to do and had gone to school for. I love voice over work, and I love on-camera work—both for different reasons. Voice over work can stress out your voice occasionally if you’re doing a lot of video game gigs that have you screaming, but normally it is the most laid back job ever where you can finish recording within four hours. Then you get to go home and have nachos, you know? Don’t get me wrong, though, you still have to be prepped and disciplined at any job you do—so I’m saying it’s laid back if you are reliable and a disciplined hard worker! On-camera work can have you working 12 hour days and then you have to do the same routine the next day, but the people you meet, the experiences, and the pace you work at is fast and fun. Both careers have stretched my mind so far now that I love doing both! And it’s a great feeling that I’m able to do what I moved to LA to accomplish!

What does a guy like Matthew Moy do for fun? When you find yourself not hard at work, what would one find you doing for a little “me time”?

Most of the time I am fixing stuff around my house, but I like to draw, go to painting class, cook, work out, go to spin class, hang out with friends and eat sushi…occasionally I’ll travel, but most of the time I like to be at home! Me time is the best!

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to share with our readers?

Well, I’m filming a guest spot for The Guest Book on TBS soon, and you can still hear me as the voice of Lars on the animated show Steven Universe. I am part of a new Marvel show called New Warriors that is still in production. It’s Marvel’s first half hour TV comedy! I play Zach Smith aka Microbe on it who has the powers to talk to bacteria and germs. It’s always fun being a super hero. I hope to produce and write more in the future, but we’ll see!