At the premiere of Reign of the Supermen at Paley Center we managed to get a quick interview with Jason O’ Mara, an Irish actor that is well-known for his roles in The Man in the High Castle, Terra Nova, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and now the voice of Batman. In interviewing him, we asked him about what he thinks of his character in the film along with some philosophical talk and heart felt advice to aspiring voice actors.
We got a glimpse of how Jason sees the today’s world as he shares his view of what Superman would have to deal with if he were here in reality. On top of this, throughout the interview Jason keeps himself humble about his role as Batman by emphasizing that the film was not about Batman and the Justice League; all while wearing a Batman shirt and jacket. While Jason may be an honest and humble person playing the role of the Dark Knight, we find out that just maybe he would like to play someone not so honest and humble in the DC world. We see Two-Face in the cards… How about you?
Host: Hi everyone, Machelle Noel here from GeekRockTV at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills talking to the cast of Reign of Supermen.
Host:I’m Machelle from GeekRockTV.
Jason O’Mara: Hi Machelle!
Host: Nice to meet you. I got you a microphone.
Jason O’Mara: Oh, Ok. Yeah, let’s do it.
Host: I figured…you know…might be really comfortable with that.
Jason O’Mara: It’s like MTV back in the day.
Host: Seriously. I mean, I’m trying to bring old school back, but…
Jason O’Mara: Yeah, it’s old school.
Host:You know, everybody wants to do all the other weird gadgets. I’m like, OK sure.
Host: Machelle Noel with GeekRockTV over at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills. Joining me right now is Jason O’ Mara who plays Batman over at the Reign of Supermen. Thank you so much for being here Jason. Such a huge fan of yours.
Jason O’Mara: Thanks for having me. Thank you.
Host: Awesome. What do you think Batman, as a character, adds to this plot?
Jason O’Mara: Not much really.
Host: Really?
Jason O’Mara: Yeah, there’s so many Supermen. Look at them all, like, there’s not much…
Host: I figured…I mean where are you here?
Jason O’Mara: There’s not much screen time left. And I’m wearing my double…vested…Bat shirts…which is probably…I’m probably, sort of, over egging the pudding as they say in the UK and in Ireland.
Host: It’s a shameless plug.
Jason O’Mara: Well, because, yeah, because, I’m not…you know…Batman and the Justice League…They’re not…It’s not what this movie is about.
Host: Right.
Jason : But they do feature. And I love at they feature because, you know, this is a movie that is not about those guys. But, it is really important, I think, to have the continuity of those characters through these movies.
Host: Yeah that’s true.
Jason O’Mara: I mean we’re getting on to…I don’t know…10 or something movies now in this new 52, sort of, universe.
Host: Yeah, that’s a lot. I mean, the obsession of Superman, it’s just unbelievable. It’s amazing.
Jason O’Mara: Yeah.
Host: Which of the Supermen do you think Batman would keep around?
Jason O’Mara: Well, come on, he loves Clark. I mean, he knows that Superman causes a lot of issues in terms of…power and what could happen to that power in the wrong hands. But…you know…that’s who he really wants. But aside from Clark’s Superman…I don’t know…
Host: No comment.
Jason O’Mara: You got the kid there, you got the eradicator…
Host: I must be his living nightmare. Pretty much.
Jason O’Mara: The eradicator is pretty cool.
Host: The Eradicator is pretty cool. I would say.
Jason O’Mara: Cyborg Superman. He’s pretty awesome. And then steel. Probably Steel. He’s kind of badass right?
Host: And he’s kind of like, I’m not going to mess with you…you have your space and I have my space. That’s awesome.
Jason O’Mara: Yeah. He’s probably…he’s probably the most relatable; I think.
Host: True. If Superman existed today, given the climate condition that we’re in in 2019, do you think he would be as welcome versus how he was in the 80s and 90s?
Jason O’Mara: That’s a really…philosophical question. Would he be welcomed? I mean, I certainly would like to think so…But I think there’d be a lot of…I feel like the world has got more cynical.
Host: Yeah.
Jason O’Mara: And I think he would have a lot of haters.
Host: Yeah.
Jason O’Mara: Which is hard to believe.
Host: Isn’t that sad though?
Jason O’Mara: But I think it’s true. I think he would. And I think he’d might struggle. And there’s something…there’s something quite Boy Scout about Clark…that Bruce Wayne doesn’t have. He’d be a little more cynical, probably; a little more world weary…But I think Clark might be somehow taken advantage of in this cruel cynical world.
Host: I remember in Superman 3 and 4, when that first came out, like how many people were just like, oh my god what was that? It was like…to…superman…and now thanks to you guys it took us 20 years to get another Superman movie right?
Jason O’Mara: I know. I know.
Host: Whatever.
Jason O’Mara: I agree.
Host: What aspect of your performance do you hope future voice actors will take note when they are voicing Batman.
Jason O’Mara: Oh, gosh. I hope none of them try to learn from me.
Host: Oh god, come on. Seriously?
Host: (Batman voice) : I’m Batman.
Host: Gosh, that’s a tough question. I mean…look…here’s my attitude to voicing Batman or really an approach to any well-known role. Like, a role that’s already been established or maybe you’re playing the role of someone who’s well-known in real life, or something like that, you have to find your own way in. And you have to find your own authentic version of that Character. As long as it’s authentic and it’s yours and it’s truthful; it’ll probably work.
Host: Yeah.
Jason O’Mara: So I tried to make this as authentic to myself as I can. It helped me that I’m also a father in real life just as Batman is to Damian in these movies. But, yeah, I would…I just try to bring…bring as much of yourself to it. And…and that way, I think, you’ll stand out somehow.
Host: Regardless of all the variations, and everyone has their own little personal favorites, it’s true.
Jason O’Mara: And maybe those difference are subtle by the way. You know, it’s not like, Batman is going to show up…like…I could use my Irish accent for example. I couldn’t use some sort of smurf voice, but there’s a certain sound…you know…range of sound that you have to create for Batman. But at the same time…yeah, just to subtly make it your own. Yeah.
Host: I know you won the Jack Pot playing Batman, but is there any other voices you would love to voice in the DC world?
Jason O’Mara: Oh gosh, I’ve always wanted to voice some of the classic villains.
Host: Let’s send it out. Let’s do it.
Jason O’Mara: Yeah. I’d love to do…
Host: I bet you would make a good Joker.
Jason O’Mara: I’d love to do any of them. Yeah. Yeah. Or Penguin. Yeah. I used to, as a kid, I used to love doing strange and funny voices.
Host: I can see you as two face for some reason.
Jason O’Mara: Oh I’d love to do two voice…Two Face.
Host: Ok. Alright. Ok, I’m putting it out there. I called it first. Yes. Well Jason, thank you so much for joining us.
Jason O’Mara: Thank you.
Host: Cheers to you and we wish you continued success.
Jason O’Mara: Cheers.
Host: Thank you so much.
Eddieson Burkhalter | Writing Contributor
B.A | Japanese | San Diego State Univ.
My name is Eddieson. I’m an open minded dreamer that likes to look for new opportunities, experiences, and challenges in life to make things a bit more interesting. After graduating from San Diego State University with a Japanese degree and minor in Business, I landed an office job in Shinjuku, Japan where I dealt with online marketing matters as well as content creation. Though I come from an international business background I could never escape the alluring call of an emotionally manipulating story, regardless of the medium, that could turn the toughest body builder into a two year old child watching The Muppets and eating “pig newtons”. So long as the story is well done it doesn’t matter to me whether it’s presented as a comic, video game, anime, book, movie, or even an interpretive dance with bananas and jello. After some intense independent study I have not only been more than inspired to join the industry, but brought to a point where I wonder why I gave up pursuing this stuff in college and turned to a course of pulling my hair out before each exam. Regardless, I love stories and hope to be presented with the opportunity to tell my own; most likely through writing. With a fire in my heart and goals set I am actively gaining skills each day to hopefully one day help others in their endeavors as well as achieve my own dreams. |Instagram @BlaEddieBla| View My Blogs
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