| All Batman and DC Universe characters and merchandise are property of Warner Brothers, Dc Comics, or their subsidiaries and licensors. This site is for fan and educational purposes only. Legions of Gotham and all information, logos, pictures and features are property of Matt MacNabb (c) 2003-2008 |
| All Batman and DC Universe characters and merchandise are property of Warner Brothers, Dc Comics, or their subsidiaries and licensors. This site is for fan and educational purposes only. Legions of Gotham and all information, logos, pictures and features are property of Matt MacNabb (c) 2003-2008 |
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| "....we respect the Batman legacy.." --Diedrich Bader, voice of Batman on Batman: The Brave & the Bold |
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| Welcome to our EXCLUSIVE interview with Andrea Romano Romano is the casting director for the upcoming Batman: The Brave and the Bold Cartoon. Andrea was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to chat with Legions of Gotham regarding this new show.... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LOG: You were the casting director on Batman: The Animated Series, the show that cast Kevin Conroy in the role of Batman and Mark Hamill was the Joker. With these now classic portrayals, does it ever become difficult to re-cast these characters, or are you able to treat each show as a unique entity? ANDREA ROMANO: I always try to treat each new series as its own separate entity. At the same time, I’ve had to cast and recast a lot of the main DC comic characters many times. It’s always an awesome responsibility and very difficult. Somebody told me not long ago that I’ve recast Batman at least seven or eight times, which astounded to me! I’m looking forward to doing it yet again for another upcoming project and it’s daunting. I always try to meet the challenge and utilize all the sources that I have, which include ex-students, ex-clients from when I was an agent, going to all my agency friends and asking everyone who they’ve got that would want to come out and play. I read TV Guide and keep track of who the hot actors are. I read the trades and see what movies are out. I’m not afraid to approach any actor. The worst that can happen is that someone turns me down, but more often than not, I’m lucky. People just say yes - especially when dealing with such iconic characters. Who secretly doesn’t want to play Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and so on? Even though these actors may have theatrical credits, often their children are too young and can’t watch the projects they’re working on. However, they can certainly watch a Batman series or direct-to-home video from Warner Bros. Animation. All of this adds up to one giant talent pool of people who love the characters and want to join the DC Legacy. LOG: If you can, tell us a little bit about what type of involvement you have with each show you work on. They must have to bring you into the loop on what they're striving to achieve, so that you can accurately cast the actors AR: When I first sign on for a project, I meet with the producer, the animation director(s), character designers and any other creatives who have input into how the show will be presented stylistically. I want to get as thorough a sense of what the show is going to be like as possible. I read the show Bible and if there’s a first episode or pilot script ready, I read that. I request a cast break down that includes character art, character description and audition copy that’s indicative of how the character will be portrayed. This way I have as much information as possible to both cast and direct the series in a way that’s novel and entertaining. This sets the stage and makes things interesting and stimulating for everyone involved. LOG: Do you have any memories of some unique casting experiences when dealing with the Batman shows? Did anyone surprise you upon reading in the past? How often does someone read for one role, but get cast for another? AR: A perfect example of someone coming in to read for a role that ultimately gets cast differently is the Superman series. We brought in Clancy Brown to read for Superman. Clancy did a wonderful reading. But when he got three lines into the copy, Bruce Timm and I looked at each other and we just knew we had to have him read for Lex Luthor. Clancy asked, “Will I ever get to play a good guy?” As delighted as we all were to have him be submitted as Superman, it was the perfect fit for him to play Lex. It made me so happy when Clancy, historically playing a bad guy, was finally cast as the voice of Mr. Crabbes on SpongeBob Square Pants, which I now direct. There have been so many instances over the years where actors have wonderfully surprised me with their versatility- their ability to do multiple voices, their gift to read against type, so I like to give the actors something different to try each time they audition. I ask them to take a risk, go against the grain and be contrary to doing what they’re known to do. I’m astounded daily, especially considering I’ve worked with some of these people for many years. For example, Rob Paulsen who I’ve worked with for over twenty years did a voice for me on a Green Lantern project. This voice was so unlike anything I’d ever heard him do - it blew me away. It made me so proud to have thought of him to come and play the role in the first place. Here’s the same guy who played Pinky and Yakko Warner, and no one will be able to recognize him. He’s just brilliant. LOG: How did you approach your casting for Batman: The Brave & The Bold cartoon? What research went into the decision-making process? AR: It was fun to cast Batman: The Brave & The Bold because although it’s still the Batman persona, this is a slightly lighter take than I’ve ever personally worked with before. We needed a Batman who is not necessarily a funny character, but allowed to have a sense of humor. He sees the humor in a situation and verbalizes it in voice over. We see something happen on screen and hear Bruce Wayne’s thoughts. This allows us to see that he understands the humor in the situation. It’s not a big yuk-yuk laughing Batman, nor is it huge, broad and silly. It is a different take on the character and required a bit of a learning curve. My temptation with Batman was always to go towards the darker side and I had to fight against that urge. When I look at a line of dialogue, there may be ten different ways to interpret it. With this incarnation, we pushed for the lighter edge. I’m not making Batman: The Animated Series, so there’s slightly more color to it, it’s just a brighter series overall. LOG: You cast Diedrich Bader as Batman. What kind of Batman can we expect from Brave? AR: What’s so wonderful about Diedrich is he’s got this wonderful natural depth to his voice. He is so talented that we are able to achieve the threatening and exciting feel, while maintaining the lighter tone of the show. The villains still have a reason to be nervous that Batman is on the scene and that he’ll fight for the common man. When we hear Diedrich speak in the voice-overs, we realize that what we’re hearing is Bruce Wayne’s inner thoughts. It’s a slightly different tone of voice, and yet the same guy. We hear how he perceives what’s going on, which is kind of fun. For example in the first episode, this gives Batman a way to share his history with Green Arrow. The rivalry and camaraderie are defined by the stories and ironic situations where they’ve ended up tied, bound and back to back with one another. In addition to creating these two distinct voices, his versatility has led to him playing multiple characters in the show. This is very encouraging to me because his brilliance only reinforces the idea that he is exactly the right actor for this job. LOG: If someone wanted to get into voice acting, or even voice casting, what kind of advice would you give them? AR: They are two totally separate businesses. In voice acting, the most important aspect is ACTING. I strongly suggest taking acting classes- several, in fact, not just one. Next, sign up for voice-over classes. They are available in most major cities, such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Houston. In fact, there is a Voice Over Resource Guide site (www.voiceoverresourceguide.com) that has links to commercials, promos and animation opportunities. These are all paths that support development of someone’s voice acting career. You will learn microphone techniques, how the whole business works and during the classes, you will create a demo. The demo is essentially your calling card for voice over work, just like a picture and a resume are the calling card for on-camera work. Especially in LA, you will send that out to the agents listed in the Voice Over Resource Guide, and animation casting directors. Once in a while, we find demos that aren’t submitted through agents and we’ll give them a chance. Once you’re selected, we sign you with an agent, you go on auditions, start taking big beautiful jobs and become a famous voice-over actor! As for voice casting, it can be a bit trickier. Casting directors tend to come from other aspects of the entertainment industry. For example, many voice-over casting directors were once agents or agent’s assistants. It’s similar to agents starting in the mailroom and becoming a high powered agent. It doesn’t hurt to start by being a voice-over agent’s assistant at a talent agency, and keep in mind that every talent agency has a recording booth. When an audition is set up, the talent will audition in those booths. The booth directors then help direct people through these auditions and send off the talent to casting directors. Booth directing is an excellent training ground for casting directors, it leads naturally into casting and then directing. The best voice directors tend to be actors themselves because they understand the terminology and direction. The route I personally took was actor to agent’s assistant, then an agent, a teacher, a casting director and now voice director. LOG: Do you have anything you'd like to say to the parents, fans and readers at LegionsofGotham.org regarding your new role as Batman? AR: I hope that I supply the fans with something new and different from what they’ve heard before. This show continues the legacy and quality they’ve come to expect from the shows that I’ve worked on at Warner Bros in TV animation and direct-to-home video. I’m very excited for Batman: The Brave & The Bold and I hope everyone will be too. The crew of this show, will be watching your reactions, so be sure to join our message board and post your thoughts on the new show as its aired! Click HERE to visit our message board, bookmark it, and join today! |
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| October 2008 - Andrea Romano (the casting director ) |