Romi Dames
is probably best known to her fans as Traci Van Horn, the super snobby socialite (with a voice to match) on Disney’s “Hannah Montana.” She recently resurrected her popular character for a comedic video that went viral across multiple social media platforms, gaining over 20 million views. Nickelodeon’s “Winx Club” fangirls know her as Musa, the tomboy fairy of music, and “DC Super Hero Girls” viewers know her as the hilariously unhinged villain, Lena Luthor. She’s been hired to do both character voices and voices with character. Romi was raised on an American army base in Tokyo—she is a multi-ethnic “JAP squared”: Half Japanese, Half Jewish American Princess...both of which she will happily exploit for comedy.
Show Notes:
Part 1: Actress and flirtatious muppet princess Romi Dames (Hannah Montana, Winx Club, D.C. Super Hero Girls) shares her journey from Japan to Hollywood, her musical background, auditions, and of course hijinks galore!
Part 2: In part 2 of my chat with actress and flirtatious muppet princess Romi Dames (Hannah Montana, Winx Club, D.C. Super Hero Girls), Romi gets honest and spills the tea on pushing the envelope for comedy, being in class and doing your research, and dealing with anxiety.
Resources:
Music:
Loopy by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)
Romi Online:
Run Time:
Part 1: 23:05
Part 2: 34:51
Cover Art:
Alejandra Reynoso
PART 1:
PART 2:
Notable Quotes:
Part 1:
“I sang ‘Happy Birthday’ as my audition song because I didn’t have anything prepared! And they cast me as the role of Molly in this community theater production on the army base and ever since then that was all I wanted to do!”
“Technically, Musa is from another planet. She’s not Asian [...] she’s from Melody.”
“Every single day I was like ‘Oh my God they’re talking about me, and they hate me...they’re going to fire me!’ [...] I was so terrified afterwards [...] I think every actor feels that way in that situation, until you get to know the people.”
“I mean I’ve always wanted to be a muppet, this is nothing new [...] I want to be a muppet princess!”
Part 2:
“When I go in for Japanese roles now they’re like ‘Ooh, can you bring down the Japanese accent?’ [...] Which is why I loved doing We Bare Bears because they did not make me bring it down. They were like, ‘It’s authentic, you go for it!’”
“Coming from a comedy stance, I’m okay with caricatures [...] The question should be: ‘Is it funny?’ and if it’s funny and people laugh, then it doesn’t come across as racist [...] if it’s inappropriate and not funny, then oof that’s bad!”
“It's such a great way to get to know a culture–through comedy!”
“[Imposter Syndrome] – That’s a huge thing with actors, especially because we are all imposters. That’s our job! [...] Of course, we’re all worried! Are they going to catch us pretending?!”
“I surrounded myself with really crazy, impulsive characters because next to them [...] I seemed really square.”
“Play your age! I wanted to be grown up so badly that I was always trying to be older than I was [...] I was nerdy and younger and I should have worked that angle because it was so much more natural to me.”