I am a professional actor and improviser living in Atlanta, GA. Before Archer I was the voice of Val and various others on Cartoon Network's Frisky Dingo. I'm on stage every weekend at Dad's Garage Theatre in Atlanta. https://twitter.com/ambercnash https://www.facebook.com/ambernashfans http://www.youtube.com/user/DadsGarageTV

Thanks reddit! I had a Super Dups blast. Bye!

Comments: 2353 • Responses: 60  • Date: 

goatboy19702119 karma

Amber, you and the cast/crew of Archer made my girlfriend a video get-well message after she was sexually assualted. It meant the absolute world to us, and I just wanted to thank you. She went back to work this week and updated S.A.D.P. with some new content! Thanks for being so supportive of your fans. You have no idea how much that made her smile.

ambercnash1559 karma

Ah, awesome. I am so glad to hear that. We love S.A.D.P.

50feetfromhome1151 karma

Do any of the voice actors have similar characteristics to their characters in the show? Also I love the show.

ambercnash2324 karma

Sure, Aisha is a beautiful and confident woman but I think she is more fun than Lana and Jon is just as much if not more of a smart ass than Archer.

OliRanson189 karma

Are you as depraved as Pam?

ambercnash727 karma

Not quite but I'm seriously working on it.

albinobluesheep833 karma

How many bear claws have you consumed for the sake of getting the right sound?

ambercnash1271 karma

I actually ate biscuits and it had to have been at least 3.

Davy-Grolton605 karma

Thanks for doing this, I'm a really big fan of the show. My question is who's idea was it to do Archer live and what has the experience been like so far?

ambercnash671 karma

The company that produces Archer Live is Mills Entertainment, I think it was their idea. It's been so fun. The best part is getting to hang out with the rest of the cast.

solidsnakeckw316 karma

Hi! I'm an Archer fan from Malaysia. I just want to tell you that Pam is my favourite character on the show. Since I do not live in the US, I just want to know will the Archer live show be available in the form of DVD?

ambercnash432 karma

I'm not sure if they have any plans to put Archer Live's on DVD. But I bet you could find some stuff online.

bookishgeek582 karma

Ms. Nash, I have been surrounded by people all my life who look like celebrities or "famous" cartoon characters, but being a plus-sized blonde with a feisty attitude I've just never seemed to find a character who fit me. Then I saw Archer and I just absolutely fell in love with Pam. She has so much heart and spunk, she's actually attractive, and it makes me happy to know that there is a character out there I can relate to like this. (also as an Atlanta native it makes me happy to know you do stand-up here so often!)

I don't even really have a question, I just wanted to thank you for portraying a plus-sized woman in an awesome, positive manner. I adore Pam, and you for giving her such vitality.

ambercnash481 karma

Hooray!

guillotine2089 karma

You play one of my by far favorite characters on the show, if not the most. I keep reading EVERYTHING you post here in her voice, and it's made me very entertained. What part of Atlanta are you from, if you don't mind me asking? I'm from Henry County, myself, and my best friend knows one of the animators from the show.

ambercnash140 karma

I grew up in Gwinnett but now I live in Little Five Points.

blackmatter615263 karma

for portraying a plus-sized woman in an awesome, positive manner

I dont think any of the characters on that show are displayed in a positive manner. Awesome? Yes! Positive? Not so sure...

Laterface110 karma

Agreed. Pam is a lot of things. Entertaining, hilarious, disgusting, a fierce sexual beast--who isn't on that show--but a role model she is not.

Killericon44 karma

But she's still portrayed positively. Everything you just listed is positive, and even her negative traits are similar to the other negative traits in the show in that they're a means to badassery/hilarity.

Laterface19 karma

I suppose that is relative to what you consider to be positive traits. Almost every person on Archer is a self indulgent representation of a human archetype. The mother, the former lover, the secretary, the scientist all represented as selfish individuals whose allegiances are based on what they can get from each other.

Look at Archer, would you say that he portrays tall dark and handsome in a positive way? I'd say he's a womanizing, substance abusing, self entitled, jackass, and he is so entertaining because his jackassery is constantly putting him in crazy situations.

That's not to say that the characters don't have any redeeming value. They all have positive attitudes about themselves, which is a good quality.

We all have selfish tendencies, which make the Archer characters easy to relate to. But I respectfully disagree that anyone on that show is portrayed in a positive manner.

ambercnash37 karma

Would you like to be my attorney?

srhine472 karma

Thanks Amber for doing this! Have you ever had ants... and if so, what was the cause?

ambercnash726 karma

I have had ants and it was horrible. When I was a kid I played fast-pitch softball and one year we were all dressed up in our uniforms for picture day on the field. I think I was 12 and chubby and had giant perm hair, it was terrible. So, I'm standing, posing and waiting for my picture to be taken and my leg is on fire and I look down and I'm standing in the middle of a giant fire ant hill. I wish I had a copy of that.

Arkhamina433 karma

Do you get recognized for your voice often? What's the most awkward/notable situation this has happened, if so?

ambercnash813 karma

Sometimes people recognize me but not a ton, it's usually at the theatre. The best thing that happened was a fan made me a stuffed bear claw and gave it to me at Dragon Con. Here is a picture of it...http://instagram.com/p/ZlEgshuDLi/

aerynmoo101 karma

I tried so hard to find you at D*C last year to get an autograph for my mom to surprise her but every time I went into the autograph hall you were gone! Pam is my mom's favorite. She changed her Facebook icon and cover photo to pictures of Pam, lol.

ambercnash122 karma

Oh no, maybe this year!

masteractor367 karma

What are your favourite moments from Archer, Pam related, and not Pam related?

ambercnash777 karma

I love when Pam gets to be a total bad ass. I love that she is a fighter, drift car racer and street artist. I think one of my favorite episodes was The Honeymooners this season, everyone had hilarious storylines and it all looked really good.

jason_steakums414 karma

Oh god, the voice you did in that episode - "Get in my big ol' vagina! I'm Lana!" - makes me crack up every time I think about it.

ambercnash598 karma

We laughed so hard that day, I was basically just doing Fat Albert.

locallyunscene144 karma

Does the increased badass-ness come from your influence on the character? Pam now is so different when compared to the first season.

ambercnash332 karma

I'd sure like to think so. I have a bugout bag in real life in case the world comes to an end.

pand4duck366 karma

Do you have memories of a favorite day at work?

Also, favorite food?

ambercnash875 karma

My favorite day at work was the day we recorded the episode that Pam is humping the gyro. Matt Thompson our exec. producer was outside of the booth doing all the humping while I followed him with humping sounds, it was hilarious. My favorite food is vegetable samosas!

bejean132 karma

I just watched that scene this week. My wife and I were dying laughing.

ambercnash508 karma

We actually did that scene for Archer Live, but we'd get a Pam "stunt double" from the audience and dress them up like Pam and they would come in specifically for the humping part. It was great. We used a buritto in Milwaukee and the audience member destroyed it.

sgtmattkind349 karma

Thanks for turning me on to heavy, sassy women.

ambercnash508 karma

Rawr!

savvystrider322 karma

I was surprised to find out that the actors record dialogue separately since you guys seem to have so much chemistry together when the show is aired. What do you think accounts for that?

ambercnash422 karma

I think that Adam writes and hears us all in his head as he does it, I think that helps and also we have amazing editors.

SINCERELY_SODOMY305 karma

Hey Amber! Thanks for doing an AMA.

My question is, which one of the voice actors is most like their character? Is Judy as nuts as Cheryl? Does Aisha have large hands? Is Chris a push-over? How about Lucky? Is he creepy yet loveable?

Love the show, can't wait for the new season!

ambercnash561 karma

Judy is not nuts but she is super fun and bubbly, I don't believe Aisha has large hands but she's tall so I mean they have to be kinda big right? Chris is not a push-over but he is a very genuinely nice guy. Lucky is indeed creepy and I guess he's kinda loveable.

yellowbumpercars276 karma

Do you prefer performing improv or scripted material?

ambercnash458 karma

I actually really love both. Improv is probably my favorite because it's where I started and it's so immediate and I get to screw around and try stuff and fail or succeed. Scripted work is much more challenging and I like it for that reason and the rehearsal process can be really rewarding as well.

Clandestine_fapping283 karma

Aisha Taylor is hosting the new whose line is it anyway. Is she gonna hook you up?

ambercnash694 karma

Hopefully :) I actually performed with Colin Mochrie this weekend too! He is the jams.

TehZchan258 karma

Is the majority of Pam's character based off your own personality or is it completely different?

ambercnash633 karma

I'd say about 50/50, I'm not nearly as awesome as Pam. I'm a little too self-conscious. Pam just don't give a shit which is why she's so great. I do have a horribly dirty mouth though.

blinkerfluid13212 karma

That's what I love about Pam. Her attitude is so amazing.

I also love her puppets.

ambercnash583 karma

This is on my bookshelf too! This is a prototype but they are gonna start making them for the FX shop. http://instagram.com/p/ZlF038ODNB/#

obscurepanda80 karma

...I am going to buy that puppet so hard that my money is going to fly into an alternate dimension.

ambercnash142 karma

They are only making a small batch of the blue ones, the rest will be gray. Also you can move the tongue.

ballerstatus89204 karma

Have you ever been able to drown a toddler in your panties?

ambercnash613 karma

Oh God how I've tried. Sadly not yet.

mantric_rambler251 karma

Please, for the love of Pete, tell us the origin of the phrase "shit snacks".

ambercnash338 karma

I think Adam just wrote it and it stuck but Jessica always calls them "shit cakes" and I think that's pretty hilarious too.

operation_hennessey191 karma

My boyfriend and I have found many of the jokes on Archer are very obscure and intelligent, and once we look into the reference, we realize it's hilarious. Are there any jokes that you find are commonly misunderstood, or deserve some spotlight? LOVE THE SHOW!!

ambercnash312 karma

Half the time I read the scripts I have no idea what half the jokes mean, it's like comedy archaeology. Also it's funny to listen to stories of Jessica asking Adam what horrible things in the script mean.

BenROFLisberger168 karma

Any chance we'll ever see more "Frisky Dingo" or even "The Xtacles"?

ambercnash267 karma

I dunno, nothing is in the works but you never know. I would love it. The good thing is that some of the great parts of those shows have shown up in Archer. Like Mr. Ford and there is an Xtacles suit hanging in Kreigar's lab.

LessLikeYou59 karma

Xtacles, more than you bargained for!

ambercnash108 karma

There was a character on Xtacles named after me...AMBR but when I read for it the network said that my voice didn't work for the character. Heh

supercore23159 karma

What is Lucky Yates like in real life?

ambercnash275 karma

He's great. I've known the guy for over a decade. He loves his dog and drives a jeep and loves the ladies.

ShutUpWalter80 karma

I recognized Lucky's voice immediately as one of the extras from Alton Brown's Good Eats. I think that guy is really underrated.

ambercnash173 karma

Don't let Lucky hear that he is already an egomaniac.

Weave27149 karma

I have a question for Pam. What do you think of Amber Nash?

ambercnash243 karma

She's alright, a little soft though.

JoeTango149 karma

[deleted]

ambercnash306 karma

He is a real pain in the ass. But that's what is so great about him.

MrX16135 karma

Marry Fuck Kill:

Krieger, Archer, Cyril

ambercnash255 karma

Hmmm, Marry Cyril, Fuck Archer, Kill Kriegar? Right? I mean that is pretty standard.

flarpy59133 karma

Hey, huge fan of Archer, I'd just like to know a but more information about how it is written. Is it really just one guy? Cause that would be "AH-Maaaaazing!"

ambercnash232 karma

Yeah it's pretty much just Adam Reed and he is an amazing, hilarious genius that locks himself away until scripts are done. Every once in a while there are other writers but it's rare.

sparklybarkly124 karma

Hi Amber! How was the character of Pam described to you at the audition? :-)

ambercnash291 karma

Actually, I went in to record some DVD extras for Frisky Dingo and Adam was like "hey I want you to see something" and they pulled up Pam's head on a monitor and there was my voice as Val coming out of Pam's head and they were like what do you think? Do you want to do this? And I was like uh for sure!

GIVES_ZERO_FUCKS_121 karma

What is the most ridiculous thing that has happened in the studio?

ambercnash347 karma

I ate a bowl full of cheese balls in the booth and it was disgusting.

splice42108 karma

Have you found that pieces of Pam's life and/or behaviour have made their way into yours? Is it a good thing?

ambercnash361 karma

Sometimes when I'm being real sassy I start to talk in Pam's voice. Not sure if that's a good thing or not.

Dailek97 karma

Do you have any plans to act in any future endeavors?

ambercnash167 karma

Ohh always, I'm always looking for new and exciting projects. I'd love to do more on-camera work but I haven't quite broken in to that arena yet. And I'm always on stage. In fact, Lucky and I just started rehearsals for a new stage show called Dementia Juice that we will do in Atlanta.

sharingtime88 karma

Do you see Pam's grossness as kind of empowered and awesome? I do.

ambercnash100 karma

Oh God yes.

V10L3NT87 karma

How much do you get to interact with Adam about plotlines or character development? Have you had a hand in any of Pam's major characteristics?

If you could create an ideal plotline for Pam in the show, what would it be?

ambercnash273 karma

I think Pam has developed over time a bit from Adam knowing me better and realizing that somehow Pam is able to get away with a lot of shit. The main thing that I get to do is write Pam's twitter feed @pamsgossiptrain and that is super fun, to contribute to that world. She is in a jug band now and works as a bouncer at a strip club named Crammers.

admh57481 karma

Do you ever regret joining twitter, or any other social network?

ambercnash149 karma

Not really, I'm not great at it cause I'm lazy but I think it's important in this business.

Alreiger81 karma

Did you enjoy voicing Pam during her soy allergy?

ambercnash181 karma

That was when I had to eat the bowl of cheese balls. The mic was covered in orange spit and my script was all greasy.

Number1AbeLincolnFan75 karma

[deleted]

ambercnash103 karma

I hope Pam is gonna do some more field work. We will for sure be at Comic Con this year.

MileHighCard74 karma

So, what was your favorite episode to do? Also, Pam has some pretty hellacious quotes. Is there anything written that you wouldn't say?

ambercnash220 karma

Nah, I'll pretty much say anything. The only one that made me cringe was "masturbate til my fingers bleed".

hollywoodh1774 karma

Hello Amber!

How close to your "real voice" is Pam's voice? Did it take you a while to find Pam's voice? Are other characters - Archer, Lana, Gillette - exact vocal replicas of their actors or are there some vocal gymnastics?

ambercnash138 karma

Most everyone's voice is there true voice, not Gillette. Mine is a bit ramped up a little higher and more mid-western. It came from the voice I do when I'm saying something as my Mom. Like "Amber are you really wearing that?"

Metifus69 karma

How much fun do you guys have recording the show?

Half of the stuff Pam says is freakin' nuts!

ambercnash142 karma

So much fun. We don't get to record together which would make it even more fun. I'm usually there with Adam Reed, Casey Willis and Lucky and we have a great time.

THROWAWAY293824769 karma

What is your favorite project to have worked on?

ambercnash204 karma

Archer for sure because it's so much fun. But I was also in a show at Dad's Garage called Invasion:Christmas Carol. It's Christmas Carol but every night about 10 minutes into the show, someone shows up that doesn't belong, like the A-Team or Paula Deen and the cast has to incorporate the radom element and try to keep telling the story of Christmas Carol. It's a blast. I was Ebenezer Scrooge the first year we did it at Dad's Garage and that was probably one of my favorite times on stage.

racedeno57 karma

First off, I absolutely love what they've done with Pam's character, and you do an awesome job at bringing her to life!

  • Could you elaborate on what "giving one side hell" means? I get the gist of it from the context, but I've never heard it used anywhere else before.

  • My folks are Dominican and I was just wondering if you knew what's the story on Adam's jokes (which I love, btw) and the DR? Like, Archer burying some Dominican guy's rooster, drinking two gallons of mamajuana while playing dominoes with a Dominican bike gang (or was it mahjong?), Troy and Sterling's training mission...

ambercnash82 karma

I'd never heard it before either and all I can imagine is a horribly crooked penis.

Tangeroo52 karma

What line gave you the hardest time getting just right? (Also, not gonna lie... you're on my laminated list, or at least you would be if I had a girlfriend and a laminating machine).

ambercnash103 karma

The episode when Pam is dressed up all Jamaican. They had me record all the lines in a Jamaican accent and it was so horrifyingly bad I rerecorded them all normally.

TheOtherCumKing48 karma

How much of the dialogue is improvised?

I just find the show to be extremely well written so as actors is there even any room for improvisation?

ambercnash91 karma

You're right. The scripts come to us so great we really don't need to improvise but we do sometimes. Adam is totally cool with it. Mostly, we will riff on a line and Adam will come up with new ideas on the fly.

bllewe29 karma

Are you as good in the sack as Pam?

ambercnash61 karma

I would hope so.

FrameItaly21 karma

Hi Amber! Any advice for young women in improvised comedy who are interested in comedy in film/tv/voice? How did you get started? Thanks!

ambercnash32 karma

Just get on stage as much as you possibly can and take tons of classes from lots of different teachers. Performing in front of a crowd is a great teacher. It can be a boys club but who cares, if you are funny you are funny. I got started by taking classes and just kept going. Also, it takes a lot of years to become a good improviser and a lot of work. People expect to be good after a couple of years and that just usually isn't the case.

ryanmcstylin13 karma

As an avid fan of Frisky Dingo for the 2 season it was out, I see a lot of references to the late show in Archer (ants, boosh, Archer/Xander). I think Archer is a better and more popular show mainly because of the plot but I still love the similarities. Do you mind speaking to the decisions process to canceling Frisky Dingo and starting Archer (obviously a great choice)? Also what kind of similarities do you see behind the scene?

Thanks, your characters are all like... ka-KOW

ambercnash30 karma

I'm actually not sure what happened with Frisky Dingo in the end there but I'll tell you it was a much different operation when we were making that show. In fact, they used to make the show out of an old house in East Atlanta. Mr. Ford was their neighbor who mowed the lawn and to record they would lock you in a closet, it was terrifying.

cmallard201112 karma

What are some other television comedies you've enjoyed? Do you ever take inspiration from them when bringing Pam to life? Holy shit snacks thanks!

ambercnash23 karma

I gotta say I think one of my favorite all time comedies on TV is The Golden Girls and it still totally holds up. I also loved 30 Rock and East Bound and Down... there are so many good ones.

alpoopy10 karma

Have you ever actually had sex with Archer? Not H Jon Benjamin but actually Archer as a disembodied voice

ambercnash23 karma

No but Jon and I are in talks about making our own sex tape.

sqwarlock7 karma

Amber Nash AMA? Sploosh. Or whatever the male equivalent of Sploosh is. Which I guess is just sploosh. Only with semen.

As for a question, is there a "hardest part" when it comes to voicing Pam? Any particular challenge in her mindset or delivery of lines?

ambercnash21 karma

Splirt?