Romano, Davison Talk 'Justice League: Crisis'

Warner Home Video has issued another press release [via toonzone.net] for Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (on DVD and Blu-Ray Feb. 23rd) that includes an interview with voice director Andrea Romano.

Romano discusses what it was like working with Hollywood actors James Woods (Owlman), Mark Harmon (Superman), Gina Torres (Superwoman), William Baldwin (Batman), Chris Noth (Lex Luthor) and Bruce Davison (President Wilson). Here’s an excerpt:

QUESTION: Did William Baldwin have any trouble mastering Batman?

ANDREA ROMANO: I thought he did great – I love the texture of his voice. The performance is spot-on. The only issue was that William hasn’t done a lot of voiceover work in this genre. We do a lot of impact sounds that come with this kind of an action piece, and being the method actor he is, he insisted on actually striking his own body physically when he had to do “umphs” and “ohs” and impacts. By the time he was done, he must’ve been bruised. We were a little worried for him. When we brought him back in for ADR, we asked him to please not hit himself, and we showed him how to do those grunts and ughs In this film, Batman wasn’t a big role, but it’s an important role, and I think William really filled it well. Someday I’m going to get all the Baldwins in the same room.

Elsewhere, WHV interviewed Bruce Davison (via WorldsFinestOnline) on his first-ever animation role as the voice of President Wilson. Here’s an excerpt:

QUESTION:How did you enjoy your maiden voyage into animation voiceovers?

BRUCE DAVISON: I’ve done books-on-tape, including a Stephen King book and a few other things. But it’s really interesting to be a character that will then be created as opposed to trying to fit in. I’ve spent a lifetime voicing over (looping) myself in films over the years. But it’s a lot easier to just create something and then let the animators put it together. Oh, and it’s just a blast doing the recording – it’s like being six years old again.

QUESTION: Did you learn anything from your first animation voiceover experience?

BRUCE DAVISON: I learned it’s a lot of fun. It really is. And you just have to sort of wing it with the other actors. You do have to work within the iambic pentameter of the technical world of the medium. You can’t pop things and you can’t get too close to the microphone and you can’t get too breathy. You really have to sort of create a character vocally within a framework of technology. So you can’t step out of it in order to do something that maybe you would do as an actor on film or on stage. When you’re on stage, even a whisper, you have to reach very far away. In film, you can be much more intimate. But just using your voice, you have to create something that’s somewhere in the middle so that it paints a picture and yet it’s not intimate enough to get lost.

World’s Finest also has a complete listing for the voice cast, adding to those mentioned previously:

Brian Bloom as Ultraman
Josh Keaton as Flash
Vanessa Marshall as Wonder Woman
Nolan North as Green Lantern
Freddi Rogers as Rose Wilson
James Patrick Stuart as Johnny Quick
Carlos Alazraqui as Breakdance
Richard Green as Jimmy Olsen
Jim Meskimen as Captain Super
Andrea Romano as Watchtower Computer
Bruce Timm as Uncle Super
Kari Wuhrer as Model Citizen
Cedric Yarbrough as Firestorm

Trailer (released Nov. 2009):

Sneak peak (released Oct. 2009):

Related post: 12.18.2009 — Baldwin, Noth Talk Justice League: Crisis