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Backstage - Interviews - Will Friedle
WF:
Hello, Will! James Harvey from The World’s Finest
(hopefully you’ve heard of the site) here! To start us
off, tell us how you came into the voice-acting
profession! How did you land the role of Terry McGinnis?
By luck! Bruce Timm, the executive producer of “Batman
Beyond”, was casting the role of Terry McGinnis and his
wife was a big “Boy Meets World” fan. She’s the one who
pushed him to “bring in Will to read for the part” so
that was my ‘in’! My best friend, Jason Marsden, is big
in the voice-over industry so I’ve always been aware of
this world.
WF: Did you ever think that Batman Beyond,
particularly the character of McGinnis, would resonate
so much with the fans?
I had an idea that it would be popular, but not nearly
as popular as it was. Just because it’s the character of
Batman, and also a younger Batman, I figured the younger
viewers would really enjoy it but ultimately, the huge
success of the show definitely surprised me.
You had the opportunity to play McGinnis again (a
couple times) in Justice League Unlimited. In one
particular episode, “Epilogue”, it seems to bring
McGinnis’ story to an end, yet leave the possibilities
open for more. Do you have any thoughts on the
controversial “Epilogue” episode, and any thoughts on
returning to the role?
“Epilogue” was actually one of my favorite episodes
because I’m a big fan of mythology, so the origins of
characters are always important to me. As for doing it
again, I would love to play Terry again. That’s the fun
part of working with the different Batman and Superman
incarnations. These characters continue to come back!
Having played the role of Batman in multiple series (Batman
Beyond, Justice League Unlimited, The Zeta Project,
Static Shock), you must have amassed some great
experiences from it. Any stories to share about your
time under Batman’s famed cowl?
One of my favorite memories was working with Mark
Hammill in “Return of the Joker”, that was definitely
very cool. I also remember vividly the first day I met
Kevin Conroy. His physical stature exactly matches his
voice. When this very large man came into the room and
opened his mouth, you knew this strong commanding voice
would follow. It was a perfect match to my expectations
of how Bruce Wayne should sound.
Now,
let’s get to why we’re here - Batman: The Brave and
The Bold! You play Blue Beetle, a character with a
semi-regular recurring role. What makes this role
different from anything you’ve done before? Why
gravitate toward this character?
Normally when I’m doing a comedic sidekick, it’s someone
like Ron Stoppable, who is the comic relief of the
entire show and was written in to be funny. In Brave &
the Bold, Blue Beetle still gets to be the hero, save
people and have a cool suit all the while cracking jokes
and finding his way in the world as a fledgling super
hero.
You played Batman before, but now you’re somewhat a
sidekick to the Dark Knight. How does that dynamic play
into how you play your role?
Being a sidekick is always fun. I think there’s less
pressure on the sidekick to solve the crimes and he
definitely has room to explore secondary storylines and
provide another perspective for the viewers.
Batman Beyond was a dark series, yet
Batman: The Brave and The Bold is considerably
lighter. You even worked on the incredibly violent and
dark Batman: Gotham Knight. Do you have a
preference between the darker roles or the more
light-hearted ones? Why?
I don’t have a preference. The people that are involved
with the Batman series have such a love of the character
that the scripts are always amazing. The other actors
are also just incredible so being involved in any
version is a huge honor. Batman is one of those iconic
multifaceted characters that is always exciting to work
on.
Will we be seeing you take on other roles outside of
Blue Beetle on Batman: The Brave and The Bold?
What’s next for ol’ Blue?
There are a couple other projects I’m currently working
on. I do a show called “Secret Saturdays” which airs
after “Batman Brave & the Bold” on Cartoon Network. I am
involved in several video games and have a couple other
cartoons coming down the road. As for Blue Beetle, there
is a lot of fan interest and it would be great to see
him move forward in another project. We will have to
wait and see what they have in store for him.
Now,
you do more than voice-acting, in fact, you have a
considerable fanbase from your time on Boy Meets
World. Do you have plans to continue your acting in
front of the camera on top of your heavy voice-acting
roles?
I don’t have any immediate plans for returning to
on-camera work. I’ve been working in front of the camera
since I was 11 years old, and I’ve had a wonderful time
doing it. Right now, I really want to focus on other
aspects of this industry, particularly the voice over
side.
Are there any other projects you’re working on that
you’d like to let us in on?
I can’t let you in on certain things yet, but be on the
look out for some fun stuff!
As we wrap this up, you’ve become a major player in
the DC Animation world, thanks to your role on Batman
Beyond and your current role on Batman: The Brave
and The Bold. Do you hope to keep your feet in the
DC pool for the foreseeable future?
I love the DC characters and everyone I’ve worked with
in that world. I’ve been so honored to be part of the DC
family and I’d like to continue voicing characters for
as long as they will have me.
Any final thoughts you’d like to share on Batman:
The Brave and The Bold as we bring this to a close?
I really hope everybody enjoys the show! As a huge
animation fan myself, I can tell you this is one of the
most visually exciting cartoons I’ve ever seen. The
style and the stories really add up to a great
experience for the viewers. It’s always nice to be
involved with a show where you can’t wait to get the
next script. Be sure to tell the readers that we are on
Friday nights at 8pm on Cartoon Network!
Thanks, Will!
[ Back to Backstage ]
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