Exclusive Interview: ‘Spy x Family Code: White’s’ Megan Shipman and Natalie Van Sistine on Bringing Soul & Suspense to Anya and Yor’s First Cinematic Adventure

A lot of popular anime have come along in the past few years, but 2022’s Spy x Family immediately found a passionate audience that’s only continued to grow. Spy x Family taps into something truly special through its spy-based shenanigans that adeptly mix action, heart, and humor. Spy x Family takes a page out of other successful spy series like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Mission: Impossible, and Alias, but still cultivates a unique point of view that celebrates and respects its characters above everything else. Yor, Anya, and Loid Forger have quickly become some of the most popular anime characters of the decade and their first feature film, Spy x Family Code: White. Megan Shipman and Natalie Van Sistine, the voice actors for Anya and Yor, get candid about Code: White’s production, why their characters resonate so strongly with audiences, the upcoming Spy x Family video game, their favorite desserts, and what they’d like to see in a future Spy x Family movie.

 

Daniel Kurland: Were either of you aware of Spy x Family’s massive success and reputation as a manga before you auditioned for it?

Megan Shipman: We kind of had an idea. I had seen pictures of Anya around the Internet, so I knew it was one of the new things that people were starting to get into. You never really know when you audition for something — or when you start a project — how big it’s going to be. Or how far-reaching the anime will be in terms of, “Is this going to stay in the ‘anime people’ bubble or will this go beyond that into the next level of ‘everyday people?'” How far is it going to reach? So we were kind of anticipating that it would be big, but we had no idea of just how big it would become. It’s been a pleasant surprise.

Natalie Van Sistine: Yeah, it was popular enough that we had acquired Volume 1 on the shelf, which had gone unread. I had thought that it was basically “anime Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” which sounded fun and I decided that I would eventually get to it. Now, I’m eternally kicking myself that I didn’t get on board even sooner. The minute that I picked it up and read it, I was like, “This is really good! I love this!” I remember when I first got the audition I was like, “Ooh, this is a Weekly Shonen Jump show! Maybe if I book this then I’ll be able to go to a convention every once and awhile! That would be really cool!” 

Daniel Kurland: Are you the types to read ahead in the manga and see what’s ahead for your characters? I know some voice directors encourage that, while others don’t want that influencing the actors’ performance?

Megan Shipman: Yeah! Honestly, I didn’t read much of it before I auditioned. Once I got the part, I went and bought like all eight or nine volumes that were out at the time. I bought all of those and read them all. It was genuinely so funny and I just wanted to read more! Now, I don’t keep up on the manga app, like Natalie does. She’s even further ahead than me, but I’m a book girl. I just buy the books and read them as they come out. I see little chapter spoilers online, but it’s like the one show that I actually take the time to read, watch, and want to see what’s coming. 

Natalie Van Sistine: I normally don’t read ahead beforehand. It’s pretty rare that I have the time to do that, even when I’m cast in something. However, I think that Megan and I were kind of like ships passing in the night and we both went to the same store to buy all the manga!

Megan Shipman: We sure did

Natalie Van Sistine: That’s where I started, but then I got sick of waiting. So I bought a subscription for the manga app and when a new chapter drops I’m usually there within a day or so!

Daniel Kurland: You’re both also voice directors on many anime, including Spy x Family for you, Megan. How has that helped inform your understanding of the Spy x Family world, and your characters, and are you both interested in doing more of that?

Megan Shipman: Yeah, I honestly love directing and I was so grateful that I got to assistant direct on Part 2 of Season 1. I know that I directed Natalie on her drunk Yor scene from Season 1. It was so fun for us to do that together. We always joke that it’s a good thing that we like each other because we spend so much time together that it’d be pretty awkward if we didn’t like each other. So yeah, it was really fun to do that. I love directing and I would love to do more directing in the future. I haven’t had the chance to because we’re so busy going to conventions — I also just had a baby this past October. Every minute I’m not working I’m home with a baby. Eventually though, I want to get back to doing more directing. It’s a really fun process. Once you direct a show and learn what goes into directing, then it really helps open your “acting brain” up to the bigger picture. You’re not just looking at what you’re doing, as an individual. I love directing. It’s one of my favorite things, other than voice acting.

Natalie Van Sistine: I have directed significantly less than Megan. Most of my directing is actually as an audio engineer. I’ve been an audio engineer on a number of different titles. When you’re an audio engineer and you have enough experience, it sometimes leads to the director being like, “I don’t have the ability and I need to get a session in. Can you direct this?” So I’ve accumulated some directing credits where I’m juggling both hats at the same time. It’s a little daunting sometimes. I’ve never had my own show. I feel like that’s something that I’d like to eventually try, but I’m not rushing into that yet!

Megan Shipman: It’s kind of addicting, so just be careful!

Natalie Van Sistine: Maybe someday! There are some manga that I’ve read where I’m like, “If this ever got a dub, then I’d love to contribute to it!” It’s not something I’m launching myself out to do any time soon, because it is a lot! It’s exciting, but it’s also a lot of responsibility. I want to make sure that I do it well and that I’m ready for it.

Daniel Kurland: One of the things that I love the most about this movie is that it hinges on baking the perfect dessert and it kind of becomes a cooking competition anime for the movie. If the next Spy x Family movie were to indulge in a different anime genre–horror, science fiction, a sports anime–what would you like to see spy missions get mixed together with?

Natalie Van Sistine: So, this is me tipping my hat towards how I’ve read ahead in the manga. There’s this little mini-arc that they just had that’s kind of like a murder mystery. It was a little shorter — I was kind of hoping that it’d be more in-depth! It was very good, but that definitely gave me a taste of like, “More of this, please!” I’d love to do one of these.

Megan Shipman: Yeah! That sounds good! I’d like to see maybe more of a “whodunnit” story. I think there’s a lot of shenanigans that the three of them could get into with the variety of skills that they all have. So yeah, like a Scooby-Doo whodunnit would be fun!

Daniel Kurland: Spy x Family has such fun individual missions and stories, but do either of you have favorite episodes from the show’s two seasons?

Megan Shipman: We always say that we love the castle episode [“Will They Pass or Fail?”. The animation is so great and the episode really excels when it comes to taking a really short section of the manga and expanding it into a really beautiful episode. It’s lengthened in the right kind of way in order to make it a fun and engaging story. I know there’s a lot of fun stuff that’s coming up that I’m excited for. I really love the cruise ship episodes, too [“Cruise Adventure Arc”]. I was really excited to see Loid put on all of those stupid clothes for Anya. That was really fun. I was excited to see that poor man dress like a fool. It was great!

Natalie Van Sistine: Season 2 really delivered for me in terms of all my favorite highlights from the manga. The adaptation work, every time, blew me away. The manga-to-anime pipeline is just so tight. Anything that the anime adds is so great and inevitably works so well. I loved the first episode of Season 2 [“Follow Mama and Papa”] where Yor gets shot in the butt and then Loid thinks she’s mad at him because she’s in pain, so then he tries to take her on a date. The comedy in that one is just non-stop. I love it so much. I also really like the cruise ship arc. Yor has her John Wick moment, that I was really excited for. The animation there was just so spectacular. Those are my big highlights.

Daniel Kurland: It was also so exciting to see that Yor versus Chun LI from Street Fighter animation and then the series’ collaboration with each other. However, there’s a Spy x Family video game that’s out in June. You both have experience voicing video game characters, but can you say anything about that and being a part of a game where you can play as your characters?

Megan Shipman: As far as we know, there’s no dub for the game yet! I would love to do that. Any time that we get to crossover and do a collaboration it’s always a lot of fun. My My Hero Academia characters was DLC in one of the My Hero games, so that was really fun to record. I have my fingers crossed on this one. We’re always the last people to find stuff like this out, but I’ve been like, “Please, please, please!” I’m going to play it either way, when it comes out, because it looks so cute and adorable. I’d love to be a part of it though! 

Natalie Van Sistine: We’d love to be involved, but we don’t know anything yet. We’re hopeful!

Megan Shipman: Please, please, please!

Daniel Kurland: The latest Crunchyroll Awards voted Anya as their “Protect At All Costs” character. Were you aware of that? Were you surprised to hear that?

Megan Shipman: No, I was not surprised, but that’s just because Anya is so cute! To me, of course, why would it be anyone but her? I’m just glad that people who watch the show — whether it’s in English, Japanese, or any other language that it’s been adapted in — I’m just glad that these characters can universally connect with audiences. We can all be united over our love for a character and agree that if you hurt her then you must die! So yeah, I love that!

Daniel Kurland: Spy x Family has such a great cast of characters. Who are your favorites outside of your own characters?

Megan Shipman: I always say that I have a top three because it’s honestly so hard to pick! Every character is written so well and they all fit into this nice, little puzzle piece slot in the bigger story. If I have to pick though, then I’d go with Bond, Franky [Franklin], and Damian [Desmond]. It’s so hard to pick one over the other because they’re all so good. 

Natalie Van Sistine: Yeah, Bond and Franky over here! Bond looks so huggable and Franky just elevates the series’ comedy to greater heights whenever he’s in an episode. Anthony [Bowling] is just so funny playing him, too. It’s great!

Daniel Kurland: Code: White makes a fancy dessert a major plot point. What are your favorite desserts?

Megan Shipman: Ooh, that’s a great question. I love anything with chocolate mousse. Just chocolate, really. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. 

Natalie Van Sistine: My brain immediately went to kringles. My family has a really great kringle recipe. It’s like a strudel pastry German dessert.  German bakery for me is a very quick win. 

‘Spy x Family Code: White’ is now playing in theaters.