i am Rufio & Prince Zuko... AMA!

yo, i just peeked over to the emmy rossum ama and there was a question about me having a crush on her at the top of the list!!!! i'm a little embarrassed now!!! what the hell you guys, you're blowing up my sh*t... you're going to wreck my rep...

well she answered... she was sweet though... look what you guys got me into! reddit.

i can't believe i'm doing this at the same time as emmy rossum... i mean, she happens to be my celebrity crush...hahaha...

You should show up in her AMA thread and ask her a question.

now i have to think of a good question!

ask her on a date?

no... i just left a comment on her page... embarrassed about it all... reddit... jeez!

dude, you're goddamn Rufio. Walk the fuck in there, crow like you mean it, and claim your prize. (with her permission)

you just made me laugh...

"Hey, I just met you and this is crazy..."

That's not a question!

come on you guys, we can come up with something better than that!

Ask her who she shipped on TLA! If she mentions Zuko/anyone, you're in!

yeah... i like that! hahaha...

How often do people you know make "honor" jokes?

ummm... hello, zuko here... j/k. here we go... yeah, a lot of "honor," jokes... especially online. more "rufio" chants in the streets... but i dig the "honor" thing, I mean its a cool word and good thing to have, it's a little weird thing when someone comes up to you in the streets and yells honor... i'm sure to people around us, they think were crazy. i do find myself snapping pics of myself next to anything that says the word, though...

What did you think of The Last Airbender movie by m night shaymalamadingdong?

believe it or not... i've never saw it! i had lunch with mike and bryan, the creators of avatar... they told me to never see it! hahaha... i don't know, i'm still curious. i think i should get together with some fans, either in real life or online and watch it together...

In the food fight scene in hook, what was the multicolored stuff made out of? If it was something, edible, was it delicious? It always looked delicious.

it was like a thick cream... yes edible, and colored with food coloring. everyone talks about that scene and how fun it looked, but if you remember, i was being all sour during that scene and arguing, my whole memory of shooting that scene was i was in a bad mood and i had to argue with robin, who was improving the whole time, just killing it... it just wasn't as enjoyable for me as it was for you...

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congratulations... i'm glad, i, in some cosmic way helped you get hooked up!

hey man, i'm sure it was all you... but that story is classic... i kind of want you to shoot a you tube video re-inacting the whole chain of events!

Bangarang!

yo... she answered me... she was sweet. look what you redditors got me into!

How well did you get to know Mako before his passing? What was he like?

mako played my father or uncle several times in my career, i got to know him pretty well over the years, he seemed to be a mentor type figure in my professional life... just to talk to him and here his stories. it truly has been an honor to work with him. actually after he passed, which was emotional for myself and the whole avatar crew, he remains as an inspiration. he helped me understand i'm apart of this lineage of asian american actors, he really help to inspire me to create kinetic films... see he started one of the longest running asian american theatre company's, east west players, here in los angeles.

How often do you get recognized in public when you talk?

more than i would actually think it's possible... i mean, all the cartoons i grew up watching... i don't think i would recognize anyone's voice outside of optimus prime's!

but a lot of people come up ask me... i mean, once i was even ordering a latte at starbucks and the checkout girl had her head in the register and when i placed my order, she looked up quick and said, "you're prince zuko!"

What do you think about the pairing of Zuko and Katara? Do you think they could have made it as a couple? As a side note, my brother and I used to run into rooms shouting Bangarang and tackle whoever happened to be in the room. Hook was very influential on our childhood.

i am on record being zutara... now i know people get crazy about their ships... but i honestly thought they would have been good if they ended up together... also, i loved working with mae whitman... we did both avatar and american dragon together... in both shows, our characters just didn't make it together in the end...

and thanks for digging hook... big part of my childhood too!

Love your work in Avatar! Do you have a favorite episode?

i like the episode when zuko goes on a date... different color for him...

That's fantastic! Thanks for replying. My brother got me hooked on the show one Christmas break when I was home from University. I thought the episode with the Ember Island Players was pretty hilarious.

Did jet just... die?

i'm not sure if he died or not... but did he remind you of rufio... i mean, like a little?

Hello! Thanks for doing this AMA! Two questions:

1. Will General Iroh II return in Book 2 of Korra?
2. Similarly, will Zuko ever show up? He's still alive, after all.

1: i don't know... 2: & i don't know...

or maybe i do and i'll get in trouble if i tell you...

If you were on an airplane, at the window seat, and you needed to go to the bathroom, upon passing the person to your side, do you face them with your butt, or crotch? Why?

i usually do but...i feel it's less invasive... especially if we haven't really talked or anything... we can kind of both pretend this isn't happening.

now of course its a cute girl and we already had some witty banter... i'll go crotch, just to switch it up...

Honestly, do you know what happened to Zuko’s mother?

mike and bryan said they'll reveal it in some cool way... they didn't even tell me! probably cause they know i have a big mouth.

There are comics out that expand that story.

Well, not yet. The Search is coming soon though.

yes... hopefully it will all be revealed in this.

Would you rather want to fight 50 turtle-duck sized ostrich-horses or one ostrich-horse sized turtle-duck?

i think i would stand a better chance at the 50 turtle-ducks...

Hey Dante! Huge fan (as I am sure everyone here is, lol). Anyways, ill keep this short, here are my questions!

1: Which character that you have played do you like the most as a character?

2: Which Role was the most fun to play for you?

3: Which development are you most proud to have been a part of? What work that you have been in do you just look back at and are like, "Remember _____? I was a part of that!"

4: Who is your favorite person you have ever worked with? It could be an actor, director, hell, maybe you just worked with a really really cool sound guy

5(and most importantly): If you were ever int he Portland (Oregon) area, would you let me buy you dinner? That would just be fucking amazing.

Thanks for the AMA! I really appreciate you giving us your afternoon!

1: have to say zuko... i got to play him for a few years and his story arc was amazing... even though i just voiced him... he has got to be one of the greatest characters i've ever got to play. 2: they're all fun for different reasons... of course, rufio, for the sword fighting and stuff. but before i was an actor, i was a dancer, so dancing in "take the lead," was like a dream come true. 3: I did a film called, "The Debut," after being an actor for over 10 years, it was the first time i got to play Filipino (which is what I am) It was great to be apart of that film and really represent my community and family like that for the first time. 4: every project is different, so many great people on every project, hard to pick one. it's like every time out, you become a family for the the length of that time... right now, i'm just going to say antonio banderas. 5: dinner, drinks... whatever... we can hang if i get out there...

As a fellow Filipino, I gotta ask, what's your favorite filipino food? Also, are you fan of the band, Rufio?

my mother's lumpia... yeah, i know the band rufio. they're good. i kind of want to just show up at a concerts of there's when they come through LA, just to meet them.

I'm sure you've been asked this before, but I'm curious because I've never seen an answer that I can remember: how has the popularity of Homestuck and the references to Hook and Rufio impacted your current life? How much of a resurgence of recognition has it given you?

yeah, the homestucks got to me... after a bunch of people told me to read it, i just started reading it. my tumblr went crazy when i started live blogging my thoughts as i read... it's been kinda crazy, it's like i got inducted into this whole new crazy world! I still don't exactly know how rufio got into the comic, i'm thousands of pages in and i'm not entirely sure what's going on all the time... but it's been amazing reading it... somehow being apart of the whole experience... yeah, there's a bunch of new kids that are meeting rufio for the first time through the comic, they've never even seen hook! i think it's cool... shout to all my homestucks!

This will get hidden, but feels good to write...

When I was little, my dad took me and my family to go watch Hook at the cinema. We must have gone to a preview or special screening, because we got a Hook poster (the famous one from Dawson's Creek :P). I was able to convince my dad to give to me instead of any of my three brothers. My dad, a pilot, had a crazy resemblance to Robin Williams, and so the movie made me think maybe my dad was Peter Pan. I hung the poster in my room, and it took a lot of damage over the years. My dad continuously quoted the movie as the years went on. In the morning as he left for work, he'd say "Have to fly, have to fight, have to CROW" and would then crow like a rooster before leaving to fly helicopters for the day.

It was hanging on my bedroom wall when my dad died when I was 16 when he was getting ready for church one Sunday. It was... traumatic for me to say the least.

I still have the poster. It's torn and crumbled from moving with me to college, and on to many apartments after but I can't bring myself to throw it away.

I can't watch Hook without crying because it reminds me of how lucky I was to have a dad like that, especially in the scene where you meet your end and tell him your happy thought. It's bittersweet, because I know what that feels like at that age.

I just wanted to say thanks for being a part of something that reminds me of my dad and the great times I had with him.

that story really touched me...

i love that you still have that poster... but i happen to have a brand new poster, rolled up in my closet, now it's not the one from Dawson's Creek, i think that was the one with just the hook (don't why i know that) it's the theatrical release one... but i want to send it to you...

please, go to my tumblr and contact my ask box. rufiozuko is my username. i would love to send that to you.

thank you for your story.

What was your favorite line of Zuko's?

that's a rough one, buddy...

Amazing hanging with everyone today... wow! my first time on reddit and some interesting things happened... hell, i had a great time. And you guys aren't so bad... I was all nervous for nothing.

Thanks for all the love... you can always keep up with me at dantebasco.com and please support my new flick hangloosemovie.com

Bangarang from the Fire Nation!

Hey Dante,

Knowing that you're a partner in Kinetic Films, I was wondering what you think is the best way to promote Asian Americans in the media. What do you think can be done to get more representation, or to minimize 'whitewashing'?

As a side note, I was wondering if you do talks at colleges and how to make this happen?

I appreciate your time! :D

it's to just keep making movies... keep getting ourselves out there, not rely on mainstream media to define our community. it's on us to keep making product and ALSO for us as a community to support that product... i don't want to critique what's getting done, especially on this indy level, it's so hard to get any movie done, i give props to any one who can get it finished and get it out there. We as Kinetic are doping 4 a year, we completed 3 and i'm writing the 4th now... Hang Loose is just the first we released. We are apart of this new movement... and a movement is not one film or one company... it a bunch of people making art... movies, music, dancing everything... it's mot all going to be good, but if we do a lot, the really good stuff is going to rise to the top... the best way to get out there is to just get out there and stay out there... let's just keep doing work... thanks for the question, go check out the film... hangloosemovie.com it's only 5 bucks. thanks for the support.

Of your all work, what have you been the most excited about in the sense of being a fan?

i loved the thundercats growing up! i still do...

Extreme Days? Am I right? Anyone?

Yes... you saw this? I love this movie... I had the best time filming. one crazy memory... you know, it was a christian film, or at least made by a christian film company... anyway, one day, on the a mountain during the snowboard scenes, we got all over casted, i'm telling you, thick clouds! any way, were stuck on the side of a mountain in the snow and it looks like are day is wrecked... Well, then, the director start to pray... yup... pray... and I swear to you...the friggin clouds parted and we continued shooting... Extreme Days!

Dante,

What was it like, having Andrew Hussie makeout with your corpse?

Also, we at UC Irvine would love a visit from you!

yeah, making out with hussie in homestuck... very. strange. situation.

it's cool though, it's like somehow being apart of this sect of pop culture. it's definitely stirred things up. i think he's a genius... can't wait to meet him in person... so many homestuck questions i have to ask him about! We're trying to make a little meet up a con somewhere...

and UCI... let's bring Hang Loose there!

Can I call you Don Tabasco?

Also have you spoken to Andrew Hussie at all, in person or otherwise? If so, what do you think of 'im?

funny... real funny.

So..... who was your favorite VA to work with? Do you like watching other animated shows? On a scale of one to ten, how awesome was Mako ("your" uncle, not the new whiny one in Korra).

i love grey delisle... she's amazing... probably has the sexiest voice and she's crazy in the booth... the things she says sometimes...

mako was simply amazing.

1. How do you feel about the large female fanbase you have in your role as Zuko in at;la?

2. What is your favourite Zutara fanart?

1. it's cool... flattering even... you know, i would never of thought i would get this much love from doing and animated character... it goes to show that you never know in this business... there are girls in love with zuko!!! and my voice... i'm thinking about it right now and it's kinda funny... never i thought i sounded particularly special.
2. I've seen some amazing stuff... during Zutara week, the best stuff on deviant art... i've even added a song for it!

Dante! Big time fan, been following you on Tumblr for quite a while now. I know you're way big into poetry, and I feel like that's a side of you a lot of people don't get if they only know your voice-acting work. So I gotta ask:

What's your favorite topic to write poems about? What is it about writing poetry that you love?

thanks for digging my poems... i'm either writing about girls or trying to figure out what's going on with me... and then i slip in a few political, trying to save the world poems... it's just a way for me to digest my life and all the things going around me in the world. i actually wrote my first play going up in downtown LA next month called, "Midnight Makeout Session," and all the monologues are spoken word pieces.

What, in your honest and humble opinion, is the greatest hot sauce of them all?

i can't say what is great and what is not... but i can say for everyday use, i am partial to tabasco... it's what's in my kitchen now.

1. Do you know of/browse /r/thelastairbender

2. What are your feelings/opinions/possible news on Tokka? My OTP ( had to be asked)

3. Who was your favorite person to work with when working on either A:TLA or the legend of Korra? (cast or crew)

Even if you don't answer my questions (bummer) Thanks for doing this cool AMA, and sorry I only asked about Avatar.

1: i just clicked over to it... do i just browse through? can't leave a comment or anything... so new to reddit. 2: Tokka... you know what... I'm down with that, I'll cosign that. 3: Grey Delisle was my fav, i mean, probably cause she's sexy and funny and we had the best scenes... but also, we didn't see her all the time, so when she showed up, it was like a great surprise.

Hook was/is one of my favorite movies growing up! I have a two part question. First, how was it working with such an amazing cast of both young and older actors? It looked like it would have been such fun to do such a role with people like Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts and Bob Hoskins. Also, how often do you get asked if you can crow?!

working with those actors was like the acting class of a lifetime! Robin-master improv, maybe the greatest ever Dustin- living legend, like being in the presence of a god, an acting god Julia- a starlet at the time, beautiful, could of sworn she was flirting with me Bob- more amazing than most know... brilliant!

And I can still crow... and sometimes do when asked.

What was it like when you were on the set of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?

you're going back to the classics now... well, will was cool, so cool... we talked about his budding film career, we actually talked about six degrees of separation and i told him how amazing he was in it... he said, "not really, dante," he told me he was surrounded by such great talent, stockard channing, donald sutherland, anthony michael hall... he said being around that calibur of talent, he just had to show up and he came off looking amazing... now i think he was just being humble, he was amazing... and his film career after that proves it. also, had a crush on tatyana ali at the time so it was cool to play her boyfriend.

How many times do people ask you to do a Prince Zuko impression on the daily?

i get asked alot... but here's the thing, it's not an impersonation, i didn't change my voice or anything for it... it's just my voice. so when people are like, do the "Prince Zuko" voice... i kinda chuckle inside and then just say something...

Hello Mr. Basco, I have enjoyed your work for quite some time. As for the Question: What is the craziest thing you ever had happen to you in your line of work?

there's a lot of crazy things that have happened in my line of work... how crazy are you thinking? remember... i grew up on these sets and spent a lot of time as a teenager up to no good in trailers with other young actors!

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i love it too...

honestly, initially, i didn't grasps the epicness of it all! i thought it was some weird anime Nick was trying and I was the bad guy...

Somewhere in the middle of the 2nd season... it blew my mind!

Are you wearing pants right now?

yes... levi's skinny 511's.

One of my favorite shows was American Dragon. I was so disappointed that it changed hands and was canceled so soon. do you know what was supposed to happen in season 3?

you never saw the 3rd season?!?!?!?! i loved this show too... it http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/17ybeo/i_am_rufio_prince_zuko_ama/ the first time i really did animation.

well, me and rose end up teaming up to fight the dark dragon and we win... and something about her dad is the big villain or something... i guess i forget too, but she loses her memory and... we'll we don't end up together... but we save the day...

i don't think there are spoilers in there... i don't even remember too well.

How do you feel about being referenced on the webcomic Homestuck? Have people ever tried to contact you or do something random like that because of it?

you know... homestucks have been nothing but kind to me... i mean, i'm a homestuck now. they kind of took me in as one of them... well, sometimes, i feel like i'm a favorite pet of theirs... but i guess that's ok.

in any case, homestuck has not just entertained me, it's definitely inspired me too. i did a song, i posted some of the art in a youtube vid of mine... i'm actually going to shoot something cool with some LA homestucks soon.

look out... i'm rolling with the homestucks.

were doing this man

where making the homestuck questions HAPEN.

...Yeah. How much of Homestuck have you read so far? (I'm pretty sure the whole of /r/homestuck would wanna knoiw)

thousands and thousands of pages... think i need just under a thousand to catch up... i haven't met rufioh yet!

OH SHIT! I was drunk as shit at Ben's Chili Bowl after going to a show on U Street and I SAW YOU THERE! I was quietly freaking out as my friends were telling me that it wasn't Rufio I was seeing and that I shouldn't bother you, but I knew it was. Then I asked and you acknowledged it.

I just wanted you to know that seeing you there is easily the best childhood flashback I could have ever gotten.

RU-FI-O! RU-FI-O! RU-FI.. OOOOOOOOOOO!

i remember you and your friends... you guys were cool.

ben's chili bowl is the shit... can't wait to get back to DC!

I don't have a question, I just want to respond to the less friendly among your followers:

http://imgur.com/eVKfHlX

Seriously, welcome to reddit and such. You should get along just fine here. Bangarang, I guess?

bangarang for sure...