'Batman: Caped Crusader' stars Hamish Linklater, Jamie Chung and Minnie Driver sat down with THR at San Diego Comic-Con to talk all about their new animated series. The cast reveal what drew them to joining the 'Batman' universe, working with Bruce Timm and more.
00:00I think there are some universes that need to remain untrespassed upon.
00:09Beautifully put.
00:10That's it. I love how I just threatened an entire audience.
00:15There's all these development execs there going,
00:18dang it, we wasted all that time.
00:20Cancel mini-driver quick.
00:25Hi, we're the cast of Batman, Caped Crusader.
00:28Here talking to the Hollywood Reporter at Comic-Con 2024.
00:34What was your relationship with Batman?
00:37Did you like him as a kid?
00:39What did he mean to you?
00:41Go through, Jamie, your character, Harley, and Minnie's mystery villain as well.
00:47What did these characters mean to you?
00:49I have a two-part answer for you.
00:52Look, Batman was sort of, you know, my dad.
00:58My God, my hero, and Kevin Conroy was the voice of all three of those.
01:04That's the Holy Trinity right there.
01:06He was all of those things to me.
01:08I had the part two answer is, I had this lady who lived next to us for a little while,
01:17and she was a colorist for Marvel.
01:19And every month, she got every comic book that Marvel put out that month and gave me the box.
01:26So I had all the marks, and I still, I was like, I never need to read another comic book.
01:33But I paid out of pocket for Batman.
01:35He was my one DC guy.
01:37I needed him.
01:39Harley was, you know, originated in the animated series Bruce Timm created her.
01:44So, yeah, when did you become aware of Harley?
01:46Did you grow up with her?
01:47I mean, it was in 1992.
01:48Oh, yeah.
01:48Oh, sorry.
01:49It was 1992 when Bruce Timm's Batman, the animated series came out.
01:53I mean, every Saturday, I would pray that it wasn't a different, it wasn't like the same episode rerun, you know?
01:59And I would stay back from Korean school just so I can watch it.
02:02But, you know, Arlene Sorkin was, is a legend.
02:07And she really brought this character to life, and it's, it means a lot.
02:11Because I think in this version, Harley Quinn is her own person.
02:15You know, she doesn't have an association with the Joker.
02:17She's an independent, working woman.
02:21Villain.
02:22Yeah.
02:22She's a working, independent, working villain.
02:25Villain.
02:26And Minnie, getting to play a villain, you know, which we're not saying right now, but, you know, maybe you could say what that character meant, meant to you.
02:36I mean, it's a cool character.
02:37Well, I mean, you know, look, all of the villains in the Batman universe, all of the villains that visit upon Gotham are extraordinary and strange and beautiful and part of this extraordinarily imaginative world.
02:55And, yeah, I play a pretty iconic villain.
03:00And I loved it.
03:02I love, just say it.
03:04I'm not going to say it.
03:05It's, it was a, it was a profound pleasure.
03:10They are really evil.
03:12Dark, noir-ish, like the chef.
03:16So, when you go into the booth, who are you playing against, right?
03:19I mean, did, did you have a producer who would read against you?
03:24Were you listening to audio of your co-stars?
03:26Who, who laid down the most stuff that you were playing against?
03:29Or was it just solo?
03:31I didn't hear anything.
03:32I didn't hear anything.
03:32Yeah.
03:34So, oh, go ahead.
03:36I just felt Bruce Timm's eyes.
03:38Oh.
03:38Yeah.
03:39I just felt Bruce Timm's eyes, like, not judging, he's very supportive, but I was just terrified, terrified that I was in the session with the legend.
03:48I think that Bruce Timm, you know, defined the character, you know, obviously, we had, in terms of, for the screen, right?
03:56We had Tim Burton, but then it was Bruce Timm.
03:58So, did his, when you end up meeting somebody who you probably heard about before, did he kind of, how was he different?
04:05How was he the same to what you expected somebody like Bruce Timm to be?
04:09I think, yeah, the expectation was, oh, my gosh, he's got these lines in his head, these scenes, he knows exactly how they should look and sound.
04:23But then it was actually quite relaxed.
04:26And he would be like, yeah, I liked A and C, and I also liked the B take as well.
04:33Well, keep all of those.
04:34That's good.
04:35Or he would be like, just A.
04:37Yeah, yeah, and, because you do like three, three, or at least that's what I, I would do.
04:42You did three?
04:43Oh.
04:43You did.
04:44I usually did it in the, I'm only kidding, of course, in multiple.
04:50But actually, yeah, it was surprisingly, surprisingly chill.
04:56And, you know, I love, you mentioned Kevin Conroy, Arlene Sorkin, who were great.
05:01Um, I think that you, you didn't really go back to Kevin, um, you, he was in your head, the back of your head, but you didn't necessarily study, because you needed to do your own thing.
05:12Um, what about Arlene, uh, how did you find your, your voice?
05:15I mean, they gave me zero description of how they wanted this character to go.
05:19Um, they made a, they made a lovely offer, and I was like, wait, are you sure, they know how I look like, and they know how I sound.
05:25So, um, I watched, you know, I watched Arlene's work, um, and I studied that, and I was like, well, if they, if they want it as energetic, or with a New York, you know, vibe, like Arlene did.
05:37Um, but I went in, and I, I, I tried to imitate Arlene, and he was like, no, absolutely not.
05:43That's not the direction that we want to go, and we kind of went from there, so.
05:49Yeah, and, um, and what about, what about you?
05:52Because, like, like, I, I think I read that you were thinking of Kevin, but you didn't necessarily need to study him, because you needed to do, make it your own, right?
05:59Well, I just, I loved Kevin's Batman so much, and, uh, I mean, I didn't even know there was a Kevin, I just knew there was a Batman, and he sounded like that, which it turns out was Kevin.
06:12So, uh, I just wanted to, you know, have there be more of this content in the world, like, I just loved the show so much, and I wanted, as an audience member, to have more of this,
06:26and to, to not bump on it.
06:29I mean, sometimes there's, like, a new Kermit the Frog voice, and I'm like, where are you, Jim Henson?
06:36Um, I'm sure the new Kermit is really good, too.
06:41Uh, but I, I wanted to, you know, I want, I, I don't want there to be a bump on Kermit.
06:47Uh, I don't want there to be a bump on Batman.
06:49I want, you know, as an audience member to have this, and, and I think it's like, uh, I'm one of those,
06:56I mean, maybe not Adam Driver-level, self-loathing actor, but, uh, like, he doesn't like watching himself,
07:05uh, and I don't care to watch myself, either.
07:09I mean, I like myself, but sometimes I have an idea that's a little bit...
07:13You know what?
07:13Batman's a vibe, and you were that vibe, in the way that Christian Bale is that vibe.
07:18Michael Keaton was that vibe.
07:21Val Kilmer was that vibe.
07:22Ben Affleck was that vibe.
07:25You know, you catch it.
07:27You catch the vibe.
07:28It's Batman.
07:29You can't, like, there's, there's always going to be, like, this is, this is, this is also the,
07:34what's iconic about this role is that many, many people have played it, and there's an essence to him,
07:38and I think you have that, and it's in the depth of his voice, and in the depth of his, dare I say it, tragedy.
07:45You're saying I'm tragic?
07:49Yeah.
07:50I like it.
07:52Well, we're going to get to the popcorn bucket now, if you could, uh, take a question, uh, each, reach in and, uh, answer the question.
08:01What is this?
08:02So there's, there's secret questions in there.
08:04Oh, do you know what, this is, that's Wolverine's mouth.
08:08Oh, just joking.
08:09Oh, your hands are too big.
08:10Okay.
08:10Do you know that's how you catch a raccoon?
08:13You put a, a thing, and they grab the treat, and then they can't get their fists out.
08:17It does.
08:18Because they want to let go.
08:20Okay.
08:24And I ask a friend this question?
08:26Uh, you answer that.
08:27Oh, I answer this?
08:28You answer it, yeah, yeah.
08:29Uh, what would your superhero name be?
08:32Well, my stripper name was Fluffy Kiki Root 7.
08:35Um, and my, uh, uh, superhero name would be Captain Humility.
08:45Okay.
08:46Uh, Jamie, yeah.
08:49All right.
08:50Would you mind holding me, please?
08:53Come on, Hugh.
08:54If you could cosplay as one character, who would it be?
08:59Um, I mean, I'm so infatuated with Jean Grey, but, like, as the phoenix, and I said that
09:04yesterday, but today I will go with, hmm, I think it'd be nice to have, like, a female
09:10Deadpool, but without the mask, you know?
09:15Yeah.
09:16Kind of, like, disfigured and badass and funny.
09:21Oh, God, I'm dreading this now.
09:23Oh, it's actually disgusting putting your hand through that rubber thing.
09:27Um, I didn't have a problem with it.
09:30Ugh, right.
09:31Giving it to me.
09:34Oh, what is your all-time favorite cinematic universe?
09:39Oh.
09:40You guys, I mean, it's, it's Star Wars.
09:44It's Star Wars.
09:46It really is.
09:47Like, I was very little when the movie, the first movie came out, which was, what number
09:53was the first movie, actually, whatever it was.
09:55Four.
09:56Very well.
09:57Um, that's how obsessed I am with the universe.
10:00Um, yeah, it's part of my, it's part of my, um, it's part of my whole imagination as a kid.
10:08I even like Jar Jar Binks, but, like, like, with a, all lowercase.
10:14Yeah.
10:15What about, like, The Princess Bride?
10:17Couldn't that, shouldn't that be a universe?
10:19If anyone touches The Princess Bride, let me look into the camera here.
10:23If anyone decides to make a remake of that film, I will find you, and I will stop you.
10:28No one, no one can remake that movie.
10:32No?
10:33No.
10:33I just feel like we've still got Mandy Patinkin.
10:38We've still got Wally Shawn with us.
10:40Shouldn't we take advantage of them?
10:42I just don't, and Carrie Elwes, and Robin Wright, I mean, I, I still, no, I think there are some
10:48universes that need to remain untrespassed upon.
10:55Mm.
10:57Beautifully put.
10:58That's it.
10:58I, I love I just threatened an entire movie.
11:01Wow.
11:01Well.
11:02There's all these development execs there, going, dang it, we wasted all that time.
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