ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with Spy x Family: Code White stars Tyler Walker, Phil Parsons, and Lindsay Seidel about the anime film. The trio talked about the anime‘s popularity and how the film differs from an episode of the series. Spy x Family: Code White is set to premiere in theaters on Friday, April 19.
“He’s a spy. She’s an assassin. Together, Loid and Yor keep their double lives to themselves while pretending to be the perfect family,” reads the film‘s synopsis. “However, their adopted daughter Anya, a telepath, knows both of their exciting secrets unbeknownst to them. While under the guise of taking his family on a weekend winter getaway, Loid’s attempt to make progress on his current mission Operation Strix proves difficult when Anya mistakenly gets involved and triggers events that threaten world peace!”
Tyler Treese: Tyler, you play Bond, so you’re paid basically just get paid to bark — that’s a dream gig if I’ve ever heard of one. What’s been most interesting about approaching this non-human role where you’re just doing all these different variations of dog noises? That has to be such a unique experience.
Tyler Walker: Honestly, it rocks, you know? I mean, what can I say? I’m very acquainted with and into the show. I’m the script supervisor on the series, and I’ve written or adapted most episodes — about 90% of them. So I know the show pretty well. When I saw Bond in that episode, I started begging the director, “Please let me play him,” and that worked out, and it has been so good. The way I approach it — actually, I think of my old big dogs that we used to have: Bayou, who was a Pit Bull, and Cosmo, who was a giant Catahoula, and he was very vocal and had unique vocalizations.
And so I try to think of how they would approach something. I listen to the Japanese voice actor — I don’t want to go too far away from that. The directors help me out if the sound needs some timing or there were a couple of cues in this particular movie that were very hard to figure out at first — some action cues and stuff. There’s a lot that happens. Bond has some action in this one. It’s a dream role.
Phil, your character is hilarious. You spend most of this movie going after a small child, but you’re also this goofy guy talking about lucky colors and going off. He’s very eccentric. How was it finding your voice for Dmitri?
Phil Parsons: Yeah, I remember my first line reading was much lower and more villainous, and the director, Cris George, was like, “No, no, Parsons. Higher!” And he sort of characterized it. These guys — Dmitri and Luca — he thinks of as the bad guys from the Home Alone series. They have real menacing intent, but they just can’t stop getting in their own way. So we went a little higher and reacted as the ridiculousness ensued.
Lindsay, Nightfall has a really fun role in Spy x Family: Code White. We see her helping out Loid, there are some clear moments where she’s trying to ramp up the dependency and the romance there. What was most exciting about seeing what she did in this movie where it’s not just a background cameo or popping up?
Lindsay Seidel: I was just excited to find out she was in the movie at all, and then to find out that she actually played a fairly significant role was extra exciting. I loved seeing that we continue to get to see the two juxtaposing sides of her where she is, outwardly, very cold and serious and almost emotionless. Then we do get to hear that internal monologue that she has where she’s just completely unhinged and crazy about her overwhelming love for Twilight.
Bond has become such a fan-favorite character, and I see a lot of like TikToks of people actually dressing up their big white dogs as Bond and paying tribute in such fun ways. How has it been interacting with the fan base and seeing this psychic dog really just get a whole life of his own?
Walker: I love it. And to be honest, it makes signing very easy because someone doesn’t come up to you with a paragraph that they want you to quote. [Laughs]. You’re like, “Borf,” you scribble your name, you know? It’s great. I’ve always wanted to play the mascot type character, and I think for a really behind-the-scenes person like me … I directed for like 15 years and I’ve been writing for like almost as long, so I’m always very behind the scenes, and this is a perfect — I don’t know — cameo for that kind of person, you know? I’m not supposed to carry the drama and all that kind of stuff. I come from a director/writer’s perspective. This is what I do. I’m the dog. It’s great. [Laughs]. And he’s very cute. I haven’t seen these TikToks though. I’ll have to.
Phil, you’ve been a part of some major series in the past, but Spy x Family has really exploded. What does it mean for you to get a part in its first movie and to have this fun role in a series that’s really blown up over the past couple years?
Parsons: Oh, it’s always exciting to get to be a part of something that’s appreciated by a lot of people. When you do voiceover work, you’re in a booth and it’s very isolated. I remember being shocked when I did my first convention years ago, and just had no idea this many people even watched this, let alone how much it means to them. So it’s humbling and exciting and thrilling, and I’m glad to be part of the unit.
Lindsay, how do you feel about the intense shipping debates online? Some want to see Loid and Fiona together, some are more on team Yor. How’s it been being a voice actress in the trenches here?
Seidel: I think I do a great job of just not involving myself in the shipping and the arguments that go on with that. [Laughs]. I am just happy to get to play the character and get to see how it actually plays out in the series. But it’s always fun when I go to conventions and do appearances there to hear what people have to say and what their takes on things are. That’s always pretty funny to hear. [Laughs.]
Tyler, there are so many highlights in this movie. What are you most excited for people to get to experience with Code White? It really feels like it is definitely bigger. There are more action scenes, and it’s more than just an extended episode.
Walker: Yeah, occasionally in the series … in the Anya Castle episode, there’s that intense fight choreography, and then in the second season on the boat, there’s a big fight, and then we have an even more epic scene in this movie. It is so rad that it’s going to be on the big screen and I’m not watching it on my laptop. I’m seeing it there and it’s going to be big and it’s going to be loud. I think this is a great opportunity to really have that box office bombast that this movie is like definitely going for.
Phil, one of your most famous roles is Nappa. He’s so iconic even though he’s not in that many episodes. He dies in the first arc, but you’ve gotten to reprise that role for decades and have continued to play him in different media. How has that journey been to be this very short-lived character, but getting the chance to play him for such an extended amount of time?
Parsons: Oh, it’s great. Every actor that’s been in Dragon Ball always says that it’s the gift that keeps on giving because every six months, another video game comes along. I think I’ve done Nappa’s death scene at least five or six times over the years, so I hope I’ve got it down by now. [Laughs]. But yeah, it’s nice to make an impact. I get a lot of guys — and then maybe because they’re at my table at a convention, they’re trying to be nice — but they say, “Nappa’s my favorite Saiyan,” or, “He’s one of my favorite characters.” And I’m always like, “Come on, he’s in, like, part of a season.” But again, just like I said before, it’s humbling to be a part of anything that’s made such an impact and it’s awesome.
