For years, hard-core anime fans have waited for the release of Excel Saga in the States. But why did it take so long? One big reason was the lead role of Excel. It wasn't a role you'd just hand out to the first actress that could read the script. It would take someone special. Someone with remarkable range, talent and dedication. Someone with a slightly twisted sense of humor and a vivid imagination. Someone who is like . . . well, like Excel! Who you gonna call?

Jessica Calvello!

With the perfect combination of talent, wit, and just a hint of insanity, Jessica Calvello (Yuri in Dirty Pair, Mink in Dragon Half and Cutey Honey in Cutey Honey) truly shines in what could possibly be the most insane anime ever created.

Jessica was kind enough to take up a chair next to me and chat for a while about her trials and tribulations in bringing Excel Saga to the English-speaking world.

Gerry Poulos: Here we go! Jessica Calvello is here for Akadot!

Jessica Calvello: Hello, Akadot! I love Akadot!

GP: How did you first hear about Excel Saga?

JC: My friend Nicky Folberg first told me about it three years ago. She said, "There is an anime called Excel Saga. You have to see it and you have to play Excel." She recorded the first twelve episodes on to a CDROM for me. I heard about it from her. That's when I first heard about Excel Saga.

GP: For those that don't know, Nicky Folberg is a gifted costumer who regularly attends cons and often does panels on cosplay.

JC: Nicky Folberg is an extremely gifted costumer. She's a cool hippy chick. Dig'er. Love'er. And, she was like my cheerleader for Excel Saga. She was like, "You have to play the role. You have to play the role." She called Matt [Greenfield], she called me, she called the people at ADV and harassed them. She called me and harassed me, but I couldn't be harassed.

She was really adamant about me playing this role. As a costumer, Nicky has no sort of pull when it comes to casting for ADV but man, she didn't care. Shortly after Nicky told me about Excel Saga, Matt called me about it.

GP: Did you have to audition?

JC: No. Shortly after Nicky introduced weird anime Excel Saga to me, quack experimental anime, [messed] up Excel, [messed] up Saga, love it, love it, love it. Matt Greenfield said, "There's this role that I really want you to play. I don't know when we're going to record it, but I would really like you to do it."

That was two years ago and ever since then I'd ask every once in a while "Hey, when you going to record Excel Saga?" This was actually before I even started watching it. So he did not make me audition for it. What does that mean? You have this really perverse chick, and you automatically cast someone for it not even making them read for it. Like wow. That's cool. I'm happy with that.

GP: How did you feel upon getting the part and being told that it would start recording?

JC: That filled me with joy and fear. At that point I had actually seen some of the episodes and I was so disturbed. I was like how in the world am I going to find a voice for this chick. She tears her skin off, she dies, she tears her hair off, she's got this weird chick with blue arms, and I was very nervous. When I heard that it was going to happen, I was really very excited. I had been waiting for two years. Just waiting to dub this for two years. I was very excited.

GP: Excel talks extremely fast. I mean extremely! How tough was it keeping up that voice during a day's shoot?

JC: It was really, really hard. I mean, never in my life have I had a part that was so challenging - and then having to maintain it for so long. I will compare Excel Saga somewhat to Cutey Honey in that they're both high energy. But only when Cutey Honey is fighting though. Her fight scenes are so strenuous. Cutey Honey did have some downtime though.

It's extremely hard. I've had to quit early before like in the third hour going into the fourth hour. I'd have to say, "I'm sorry, I am not feeling well." Sometimes I can go for four-and-a-half hours.

If we went for four hours, rarely could I do the ending credits.