Black History Month Highlight: Ogie Banks
Welcome to our next installment of interviews highlighting the cast of Daughters of DC in celebration of Black History Month!
Today, we’re featuring Ogie Banks who plays Adrian on Daughters of DC. Keep reading to dive more into details about himself and the character he plays in this exclusive interview between Ogie and EEP. (And spoiler warning, if you aren’t caught up!)
Stay tuned for more blog highlights for Black History month, and in the meantime listen to the political drama of Daughters of DC – all 12 episodes of the podcast are available now for free!
Einhorn’s Epic Productions: You play Adrian, the love interest of our main character, who also moonlights as underground hacker Onyx Raider. How did you approach balancing those two aspects of your character? Was either part of the role easier or more difficult to play?
Ogie Banks: Balancing playing Adrian the love interest and Onyx the underground hacker was definitely a bit of a challenge. Onyx has a lot of mystery and confidence intertwined into him while Adrian is more of a cool kid with a bit of shy sprinkled on top. Playing both aspects of the character I found myself treating them as two different but close guys, sort of like two brothers in a family. Now I will say Onyx was a little more of a challenge in finding the balance of being “cool confident guy” and not “cocky overly confident guy you wanna hate”.
EEP: Have you acted in any audio dramas before? How was the experience different or similar to the more typical day-to-day of being a voice actor?
OB: Yes I have acted in an audio drama before. I played a young deputy in a small town. A very different character then the one I play in Daughters of DC. I can definitely say that the experience I had with this show was incredibly different then other VO projects. The number one reason is that we recorded the show during the Covid pandemic and although the world was going through a change I felt like we all came together in a close way on this project. Another big thing is that everyone involved was like fully invested and the love for the project I believe just came through in all the performances.
EEP: A lot of your work is targeted at a younger audience than Daughters. How did you adapt to playing Adrian for a more mature audience?
OB: Okay that so made me laugh, great question. Yes now that I think of it I do work on a lot of younger targeted audience projects. I can say that for me to adjust to a more mature audience took self discipline. Not only that but I also grounded myself immensely and was able to really incorporate a lot of me into the performance.
EEP: What does black history month mean to you?
OB: Black History Month to me is a time of reflection. Looking at all that has happened to the world, the good the bad and the ugly. A time to reflect on our brothers and sisters and come together to better ourselves and the world.
“Black History Month to me is a time of reflection.”
– OGIE BANKS
EEP: Did you have a favorite episode or scene?
OB: My favorite episode is the first episode. I just love the way the show kicks off and the energy in the first episode. My favorite scene would have to be Adrian trying to talk to Jaymes at the party scene. With the music being so loud we had to shout flirt to each other, hilarious and real.
EEP: What would you want the Daughters to tackle in future stories?
OB: In future stories I would love to see the Daughters tackle the relationship with Adrian and Jaymes in a deep deep way. Maybe even a spin off. LOL, I like to think I’m funny.
EEP: How vital is it to have diverse voices in audio drama/podcasting?
OB: I think it’s important to have diverse voices in audio drama/podcasting. I know for me it helps to fully feel and imagine the surroundings. It adds those extra Gummy Bears and Cotton Candy that sounds sweet to the ear.
EEP: Who is your favorite voice actor of color?
OB: My favorite voice actor of color is a hard question to answer. Honestly I get such a rush working and listening to fellow black VO artist that for me to limit it to just one would just be insanely difficult for me.
EEP: What first got you interested in voice acting?
OB: I first got interested in voice over years ago when I was in the music business as a solo recording artist. I got a taste of radio commercials and how they helped with promotions. From the music career I jumped into acting and eventually found my home in voice over.
EEP: What’s the best advice you’ve received about acting?
OB: Hmmm… the best advice I received about acting would be to bring as much of yourself to the character as you can. Don’t play or be a character of anything unless it’s like a period piece and you’re playing in like a true story kind of thing.
“… the best advice I received about acting would be to bring as much of yourself to the character as you can.”
– OGIE BANKS
EEP: What’s your latest project?
OB: I have a few projects coming out on Disney channel soon but because of NDA’s I can’t go into details. You can always hear me on Spotify, I’m the guy talking on a lot of their commercials. It’s cool having that job because I get to know when all the deals are coming out by reading the commercials. Ha! Again, I think I’m funny.
EEP: Who are some of your inspirations? Any talent you’d love to shout out to?
OB: If I’m inspired by anything it would have to be hard work. Growing up watching both my parents work there successful jobs everyday with long hours yet still showing me attention along with helping me grow by showing me the world is pretty amazing when I think of it. Being a single father I recognize that and respect hard work and family. So a big shout out to those out there working hard and being there for your family.
