- I wanna go to Anime Expo next year,
I've missed it for like two years in a row.
- Would you go in cosplay so that you don't get recognized?
- We'll see, next year maybe you'll
catch me as Sasuke or something--
- Maybe I won't catch you because you'll be a ninja.
- Yeah, maybe you won't you know, I'll be hidden, yeah.
(mellow music)
- Welcome Marcus Scribner, I'm so excited to have you here.
So you have literally been acting
since you were seven years old?
- Yeah.
- That's nuts.
- It's been a while.
When I started off I was obviously very young, seven.
I didn't really have any hobbies,
very into school and reading and things like that,
usually like Eragon or Harry Potter were just my jams,
so my parents were like, "Try an acting class."
like it kind of vibed and aligned with
the whole character-based situation I was really into,
ended up enjoying it and just pursued from there, so...
- And you also started gaming as a kid right?
- Yeah, very young.
- With your sister?
- Yeah when I was like 10.
- Did playing games help you connect
with other kids your age?
- Yeah, I think definitely not going to school
but being able to connect with my friends
every night when I got home and
be like, Tyler I'm getting on homie!
- Because you've always been online, haven't you?
- Yeah, exactly.
- You are a youth! (laughs)
- Yeah, exactly, so I was like
let's get on, let's play some games,
and so we'd play Destiny, Destiny 2
were big games for us for a while,
so yeah, we'd grind all those, yeah.
- League of Legends is your thing.
- Oh, League of Legends is my jam.
That's me right there, I'm grinding back to diamond
this season, might get another account to diamond,
I'm currently leveling it up, so yeah.
- How do you have that much time?
- I don't.
(laughter)
Luckily, I'm a one trick, so I'll play one character.
So I've just gotten really good at Katarina,
and that's allowed me to climb super high, so yeah.
- I'm a no trick.
- A no trick, okay.
- Can I pour you one?
It's just Sprite and tummy-time tea,
but it'll get you there.
- Get me where?
- Your role on Black-ish as Andre Jr., he's also a big nerd.
- Yeah.
- As well.
- Yeah.
- Was that something that was built into the role,
or how much of you came into that role
when you started playing the part?
- It definitely, the role came like that in a way
because I remember we found out that
Kenny and Anthony were from Los Angeles, walked into
the room, and my 13 year-old self said West Side!
And it was just the most awkward thing ever,
and they were like, oh he's meant to play Andre Johnson Jr.
So the character was made to be that way, yeah.
- Okay.
- Grandma, I think I may be a piece of ass.
- What?
- [Simone] You play Bow.
- [Marcus] I do.
- On She-Ra.
- Yeah.
- Which is a wonderful wonderful show.
Have you watched the original?
- It's She-Ra, on the moon!
- I've watched a couple of episodes of She-Ra,
especially when I was preparing for the role,
because I was like, all right I'm gonna go in here,
I know exactly how the character sounds
and what's going on, and then I saw the character art
and I was like, oh this is totally re-imagined.
- It's nuts!
- Yeah, I should probably just be myself on this one.
Old Bow was like super swole, middle-aged white male,
and it's like--
- May I leave now?
- Such a contrast to how new Bow is,
so it's kind of cool to see the difference,
changes and they're really reflecting real life
with the new She-Ra, yeah.
- That's what I love about that show.
Like imagining seeing that at as a kid.
- Yeah.
- Which is something that I didn't have when I was a kid.
I imagine it's the same with Black-ish too.
- Yeah exactly, representation.
It's very important for people to be able to see
characters who look like them,
who talk like them, who act like them,
have the same friends as them.
Because it lets you know that it's okay
and that you're doing the right thing
and to stay on that path.
- I wanted you to take a stand but...
I didn't think about the consequences.
This is all my fault.
- Kind of.
- [Simone] So what was the first anime that you watched?
- First anime, I think it was Sword Art Online.
- [Simone] No!
- The first season, because I was just getting into it,
and really I liked it.
Now I know that I wasn't actually
a huge fan of the show, I just kind of liked it,
and there are a lot better anime out there.
- I don't think anyone is.
- Yeah, I mean especially second season,
like why did we have to bring guns into the equation?
I liked it when there was a fantasy theme
and all that stuff.
Yeah, Sword Art Online was my first,
Naruto was the first one that I definitely
just fell in love with.
Watched all 720 episodes and Boruto now,
I just finished that.
- So you watched through the filler seasons.
- The filler, yeah.
- Seasons?
- Seasons, all of them, you have to...
If you don't watch filler I feel like
you're not a true fan, I'm not gonna lie.
- Why?
- Because--
- Explain, defend yourself! (laughs)
- Filler, it gives you the backstory on the character
and it allows you to grow closer with the characters.
I feel like if you're just watching
for the main plot lines, it's like, ooh big fight scene!
Which I love the fight scenes obviously.
Madara Uchiha vs. the Shinobi Alliance
is like one of the greatest fights in anime history.
- I have to ask you, so when you are watching anime,
dubs or subs?
- If I'm being honest, I have to do sub.
Because as soon as an anime drops,
that's when I want to watch it.
Like, the last season of Attack on Titan,
I had to watch it subbed.
Sometimes if there's dub available
and I'm texting, I'll watch it,
but it just throws the characters off for me sometimes.
So usually I'm a sub elitist.
- I remember vividly, because I started watching
Yu-Gi-Oh when I was in middle school,
and watched the horrible dub, the 4Kids dub.
They'd Photoshop guns out of characters' hands
because children can't see those things!
- Right, I know they did that with Dragon Ball too.
They totally censored that show, yeah.
- So when you were becoming an actor,
did you ever feel like you had to hide
the geeky part of yourself that likes anime and video games?
- I think it's very cool because
I feel like people like me are able to
put that on a platform and show
that we're normal people and we do the same things
that everybody else does, so I never
really felt the need to hide it.
- Well, do you want to play a game with me right now?
- I am so down, let's do it!
- Yes!
All right, so we're playing Jump Force.
- [Marcus] Woohoo!
- [Simone] It's gonna be some anime nonsense.
- [Marcus] Oh, I'm excited!
- [Simone] We're now playing on--
- [Marcus] Whoa, look at this character!
- [Simone] Don't look at her! (laughs)
- Look at that character!
- I made her so that she would look like...
Her name is Gon's Mom.
Gon is the main character of Hunter X Hunter.
But she also looks like Hisoka,
who is one of the villains in Hunter X Hunter.
She's an abomination.
(Marcus laughs)
- [Marcus] I like the cargo pants.
- I'm going for an entire Hunter X Hunter lineup
with Jotaro.
- All right, I got you, all right.
I will go for a Naruto lineup.
(groans)
Yeah!
Let's run it!
- [Simone] Where should we go?
- Let's do with...
We can go to Hidden Leaf, we can go to my home town.
- [Simone] So you're the home team.
- Right, home turf.
My heart is racing, I'm so excited.
- [Simone] No crap talking.
- Sasuke said stay out of his way,
so I didn't say anything, he said it.
- I will not.
(laughter)
I don't take orders from ninjas.
- [Marcus] Okay so here we go.
- Oh man.
Oh, but I blocked it.
Wait, where'd Naruto come from?
Oh no!
- [Marcus] Gotcha.
Whoa, with the shadow clones!
- Oh my God.
It's time for Hisoka.
- [Marcus] Oh boy.
- [Simone] It's always time for Hisoka, unfortunately.
Even though he's the worst.
No!
- No, you interrupted!
Oh, that was a good play.
- [Simone] No no no no no!
- [Marcus] There we go, there we go!
- [Simone] No!
No no no no!
- Yeah!
Yes!
- [Simone] Oh no, I'm too far away.
- [Marcus] Yes.
- [Simone] That was embarrassing!
No!
- [Marcus] Oh no, time's up!
- The timer is going up, this is nuts.
- Okay, let's run the timer back, okay.
- [Simone] Okay, do you wanna answer the question
once and for all, Goku vs. Naruto?
- I'm ready, bijuu mode Naruto vs. ultra instinct Goku?
Naruto will take the cake.
- [Simone] We'll do it in New York City.
- All right.
- My home turf.
- Whoa, look at that, your home turf.
Goku's from New York.
(laughter)
Goku in New York.
- He's one of the most famous New Yorkers of all time.
Goku, oh man.
- [Marcus] Oh boy.
Oh!
He started off the jump.
- It starts strong.
I'm gonna skip this though.
We gotta get to the fighting.
- [Marcus] Get out of here!
- [Simone] No, stop it!
- [Marcus] No, what?
- I'm doing shame.
It's in the name of--
- [Marcus] Whoa, I countered you!
- [Simone] No, I hate that!
I hate that about you!
- [Marcus] Resen shuriken beats kami blast.
I guess we've settled it.
All right, let's switch to Naruto.
Oh, I got Gaara.
- [Simone] Oh my God!
- [Marcus] No, Gaara's so whack!
No!
- [Simone] Sorry Gaara.
- Where's the ultimate defense?
I thought that was his whole thing?
No way.
- [Simone] It's time.
- [Marcus] No way.
- [Simone] It's finally ready.
- [Marcus] I got the block, I got the block going.
- [Simone] No please, if I miss with this
I'm gonna be so embarrassed.
- [Marcus] Please.
- [Simone] I think I missed!
- [Marcus] Yeah, I think I blocked it!
- [Simone] No!
- Yes!
(laughter)
Yeah!
- Okay, but listen, on the real Dragon Ball
you can't block that.
- [Marcus] Oh, this is all over.
- [Simone] No, you blocked it!
- I blocked it, yes!
Yes!
- You absolute madman!
- Yes, get him Gaara!
- No, no!
- No, you dodged it!
No!
- [Simone] Please!
- [Marcus] Oh yes, yes!
- [Simone] Oh my God, it was so close!
- Oh, I thought you countered that for a second, woo!
- Oh my God, I wish I had countered it.
- Look at that, Naruto beats Goku in the end.
Look at that gang.
- [Simone] We finally answered the question.
- We answered the question for all of you
Goku Stans out there, game's over.
- Suck it.
- Yeah, suck it.
- Naruto's better.
- Naruto's on top.
(mellow music)