Dante Basco: Hot as Fire, Cool as Ice

Dante Basco was the hit of the Edmonton Expo. The ‘Avatar the Last Airbender’ and ‘Hook’ star sat down with our Editor-In-Chief TJ Zwarych.

byRyan Cortero

01/28/2023

Whether it’s in live-action or through voice acting, you may be familiar with Dante Basco. His breakout performance was the role of Rufio in Hook. Later on, he reprised the role in a short film titled Bangarang, developed through Kickstarter. Dante Basco also voiced Jake Long in American Dragon: Jake Long, Prince Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender. In addition, he returned to the Avatar franchise in The Legend of Korra as General Iroh II. He currently co-hosts a podcast with Janet Varney, the voice of Korra from The Legend of Korra, called Avatar: Braving the Element. The two stars deep dive episode-by-episode with special guests from the Avatar franchise.

On top of his voice acting feats, Dante has made various guest appearances throughout the television industry. Most notably, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Moesha, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Star Wars Rebels and Hell’s Kitchen to name a select few. Basco is clearly a talented actor with a wide range of projects that keep him booked and busy.

Dante Basco at the Edmonton Expo

Dante Basco as Prince Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Image Credit: Paramount Pictures.

Our Editor-In-Chief, TJ Zwarych, was able to speak with Dante Basco at the Edmonton Expo. He spoke about the Avatar comics that take place right after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender, specifically The Search trilogy that explained what happened to Zuko’s mother.

Dante also spoke about what future projects he’d like to see done at Avatar Studios, a production company headed up by DiMartino and Konietzko to produce new content in the Avatar universe, from series and theatrical films.

Perhaps a General Iroh II story? Dante has portrayed a calm and collected wise man, but as referenced in the series, Iroh has been through many challenges in his past. His life experience of course lead to him later being known as ‘The Dragon of the West’. Basco also shared an interesting idea for a new project that could feature a whole new character in the franchise, but you’ll have to watch the interview below to find out.

Author

Ryan Cortero

Social media guru, senior writer, and working towards editor. I'm a Filipino born and raised in the city where 'The Boys' is filmed. I'm passionate for all types of movies and shows, especially reality TV, superhero content, and indie dramas. Since the pandemic, I've started working my way through the world of anime, but I've always been a fan of DBZ and Pokémon. I love talking about pop culture to anyone willing and interested (almost to an annoying level). If someone brings up a movie or show as small talk, I can give a whole monologue behind it. Same can be said if the topic is on the Disney Parks. Currently visited 4 out of the 6 international Disney resorts, with Tokyo Disneyland/Disney Sea being my personal favourite. I graduated from Carleton University with a postbaccalaureate in Film Studies. Even though it was a tough process going back to school post-pandemic, I encourage those who have the means to pursue your passions to do so. You don't want to regret that decision when it's too late.