Anthony Ma

The Filmmaker Behind God & Buddha Are Friends

Episode 247

Anthony Ma is an award winning actor, filmmaker, and voiceover artist from Arcadia, California whose career spans television, film, animation, dubbing, and directing. On screen, he has appeared in series including Scandal, S.W.A.T., This Is Us, Mom, Dear White People, NCIS: LA, The Mentalist, Castle, Shameless, and more. Beyond acting, he has built an impressive voice career across animation, Korean and Japanese dubbing, video games, and audio dramas.

In this conversation, Anthony shares the journey behind his work as a storyteller and creative whose mission goes beyond performance. His voice credits include Blue Eye Samurai, Her Blue Sky, Marry My Husband, Bloodhounds, Pachinko, and First Love, showing the range and adaptability that have made him a sought after talent across multiple mediums. As a filmmaker, he also wrote and produced Chinese Antique, created the feature Elevator, and was part of Staycation, which premiered at the final LA Film Festival and received the LA Muse Fiction Award.

A major focus of this episode is Anthony’s directorial debut short, God & Buddha Are Friends, a film inspired by childhood experience that explores faith, family, culture, and identity through a distinctly San Gabriel Valley lens. The short won Best Narrative Short and Best Short Screenplay at the Studio City International Film Festival and also screened at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, CAAM Fest, and HAAPIFEST.

Anthony also talks about community, representation, and his work co founding and leading the Taiwanese American Film Festival from 2017 to 2019. At the heart of everything he does is a desire to tell bold, human stories about the many layers of Asian American life, with honesty, depth, and humor. This episode is for anyone interested in acting, filmmaking, voiceover, Asian American storytelling, and what it takes to build a creative life with purpose.

Anthony Ma Takeaways

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Music Credits

Intro
Euphoria in the San Gabriel Valley, Yone OG

Stinger
Scarlet Fire (Sting), Otis McDonald, YouTube Audio Library

Outro
Euphoria in the San Gabriel Valley, Yone OG

Picture of Anthony Ma

Anthony Ma

Simbala

Shin Sen Gumi

Chef G’s on 4th