• Hey, It's That Voice! #6: Susan Egan



    Hello again, and welcome to "Hey, It's That Voice!" That wonderful article where I tell you the voice behind your favorite Steven Universe characters and what else they have done! Today, we will be talking about the former leader of the Crystal Gems. The rebel, the wife, and the mother, Rose Quartz!


    Rose Quartz is a character that folks absolutely love, and it's hard not to! We've seen her as a very lovely individual who is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. Slowly, we are seeing more and more layers to Rose Quartz with each flashback we get, learning as much as Steven does each time. But who voices, who I affectionately call, Big Mama Rose? That honor belongs to Susan Egan.

    "This world is full of so many possibilities...."

    Susan Farrell Egan was born February 18, 1970 in Seal Beach, California. Ever since she was a child, she wanted to be on stage and perform for others. This was quite evident, as she spent most of her time taking ballet and singing classes, and even trained as a competitive figure skater for some time. However, as she attended high school and college at UCLA, she began her career touring with the performance group The Young Americans. This was a stepping stone for Egan, as she then was she was cast as Kim in the 1990 U.S. tour production of Bye Bye Birdie and the tour of the musical State Fair. With her biggest break, Egan was cast as the coveted role of Belle in the original Broadway production of Beauty And The Beast, playing opposite to Terrence Mann. Her performance as Belle, she was nominated for the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for 'Outstanding Actress In A Musical'. For those interested, the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Beauty And The Beast has been released.

    Egan as Belle during the Broadway production of Beauty And The Beast.


    When Beauty And The Beast moved to California, Egan kept the role as Belle but continued to partake in other stage productions in her home state. Other productions she took park in included The Sound of Music in 1996 as Maria, The Unsinkable Molly Brown in 2002 as the lead role, and Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2004 as the lead role. Needless to say, Susan Egan feels at home on stage.

    But, while all of this is very impressive, I think there is one role that she is most known for....

    "I'm a damsel. I'm in distress. I can handle this. Have a nice day."


    That's right, Susan Egan voiced Megara in the Disney animated film, Hercules. Egan herself has said it was a role she actively was trying to pursue, but revealed that "Alan Menken [composer of the film] initially blocked me from going after that part. He said that the female lead in Hercules was supposed to be this cynical smart-ass, sounding nothing at all like sweet, innocent Belle." (In fact, it should be noted that Egan had auditioned for each animated feature since Beauty And The Beast.) Against his original wishes, Menken allowed Egan to audition for the role. While auditioning, Egan read her part with a microphone while being videotaped, while Menken, Beauty and the Beast musical director Michael Kosarin, and the filmmakers sat at a table with their eyes closed. Nine months later, after the results test animation was used with her audition, Egan won the role. Along with supplying the voice of Meg, Egan also supplied her signing voice:


    Easily my favorite song from the film.

    Other roles that Susan Egan has lent her voice to include two English dubs of Studio Ghibli films. She voiced Madame Gina in the Disney English dub of Porco Rosso and Lin in the Disney English dub of Spirited Away. Egan has also provided singing voice of Angel in Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure and had a bit part in The Twisted Tales of Felix The Cat Also, Kingdom Hearts fans will be happy to know that Egan reprised her role as Megara for Kingdom Hearts II.

    Gina from Porco Rosso (left), Lin from Spirited Away (center), and Angel from Lady And The Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure

    As for live-action roles, Susan Egan is known for smaller roles. While appearing in all but one episode of the sitcom Nikki as Mary, she has done mostly small roles or small productions, such as Mei Ling in Aladdin (1990 Disney Channel film), Earth Angel, Deuce Coupe, Men Don't Tell, Man Of The Century, Galaxy Quest (in deleted scenes), 13 Going On 30, Partners, Almost Perfect, Party Of Five, The Drew Carey Show, NYPD Blue, Numb3rs, House, and most recently, Modern Family.

    Hard to believe that she isn't a bigger celebrity.

    Susan Egan has also dabbled into the world of music. She has released six studio albums and a single live album. Her music dabbles into a mixture of pop, rock, and cabaret. Egan's albums include So Far..., Coffee House, All That & More, Winter Tracks, Susan Egan Live!, The Secrets Of Happiness, and Softly.



    I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks Susan needs more roles as Rose Quartz. After all, Rebecca Sugar has stated that she handpicked Susan Egan for the role of Rose, much like most of the cast of the show. So, here's hoping for more episodes with Rose in the future.

    And for the record, this doesn't count.


    That will wrap up this week's edition of "Hey It's That Voice!" Join me next time were we look at the voice of Steven's best friend and the best human sword fighter in Beach City!