Sunil Malhotra is a talented stage, television, and film actor who has appeared in everything from Cold Case to Fair Game, but we must admit to being quite partial to his voice. Sunil can narrate anything and everything beautifully. He and Gabrielle first worked together on a very challenging audiobook called Censoring an Iranian Love Story, in which he spun a mesmerizing tale of love and deceit. In addition, those vocal chords have inhabited a penguin in Happy Feet 2, more than a few characters in more than a few video games, and the fictional world of Jhumpa Lahiri in The Lowland, which was recently nominated for The National Book Award. This versatility enables him to play the bully as well as the ally, and so we took advantage of both sides of the coin, casting him as both in EGA. Sunil plays Alai, Ender’s trusted confidant, and Stilston, the schoolyard bully who eventually sees the sole of Ender’s boot, and not in a good way, and in both cases, he just plain succeeds.
Here’s Sunil working his magic in the studio:
EGA CAST LIST
Andrew “Ender” Wiggin………………..Kirby Heyborne
Valentine Wiggin…………………………..Susan Hanfield
Peter Wiggin…………………………………..Paul Boehmer
John-Paul Wiggin……………………………Arthur Morey
Theresa Wiggin…………………………..Gabrielle de Cuir
Mazer Rackham……………………..Richard McGonagle
Chamrajnagar/Fly Molo/Pol Slattery……Vikas Adam
Jayadi………………………………………..Samantha Eggar
Colonel Graff……………………………….Stefan Rudnicki
Doctor/General Levy…………………………….Theo Bikel
Nurse/DeeDee………………………………………Janis Ian
Dap………………………………………………………Rex Linn
Bean………………………………………………Emily Rankin
Alai/Stilson………………………………….Sunil Malhotra
Mick……………………………………………….Kathe Mazur
Kathe Mazur is another actress who has graced both stage and screen—dozens of them, we might add, though you might recognize her most recently as no-nonsense D.D.A. Andrea Hobbs from both Major Crimes and The Closer. We here at Skyboat have had the distinct pleasure of working with the Audie Award-winning Kathe for years, as she’s narrated over a hundred audiobooks, several of which were produced here in our studio. She and Gabrielle first worked together many moons ago on Hilary Clinton’s unabridged audiobook Living History, where they perfected the art of name-dropping and became fast friends. We knew we wanted her to be a part of EGA, and we couldn’t help but think her perfect for that of Mick, a character who only appears in one scene and yet plays a pivotal role. Mick is the first person to offer kindness to Ender when he first arrives to Battle School, and yet at the same time, Mick is the future self that Ender could be in danger of becoming if he isn’t careful. In this way, Mick is simultaneously a friend and foe, and in just a single scene, Kathe manages to capture both, making us giggle and tear up all at once.
Stay tuned as the EGA CAST SPOTLIGHTS continue leading up to the complete cast list of ENDER’S GAME ALIVE!