DC’s animated shows have garnered widespread acclaim, captivating audiences with their diverse narratives and exceptional performances from the cast. Much of the credit for assembling such an outstanding ensemble, including luminaries like Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, goes to Andrea Romano the legendary voice director renowned for her uncanny ability to match actors with their animated counterparts.
When asked about her ability to consistently select the ideal actors for each role, Romano revealed her preference for actors with stage experience when casting for animation projects, asserting that they possess a unique potential to excel in voice acting.
Andrea Romano Revealed Her Casting Secrets For DCAU
In a conversation with Bleeding Cool, Andrea Romano opened up about the casting process for the animated shows, sharing that she looked for actors with genuine talent and the ones who were willing to take risks to push boundaries.
“The first thing I look for, and I always look for, is good actors,” she said before adding, “If the can do multiple voices and manipulate their voice to do something different, that’s a bonus.” Romano also sought performers, who can bring energy and life to their performances.
She stated that animation requires larger-than-life expressions to translate effectively on screen. And Romano believed that the stage actors had the ability to bring such narrative more effectively, noting that they often transition well into voice acting.
![Batman: The Animated Series [Credit: Warner Bros. Animation]](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/22112136/Batman-The-Animated-Series-Credit-Warner-Bros.-Animation-1.jpg)
“You think of an on camera actor, they work very small because the camera picks up so much. So you have to think about being on stage, and that’s more like the energy that we use in animation. It’s a little broader, speaking to the Ist row. It’s a little bit bigger. And I found that actors that had experience doing stage work often into animation voice acting better.”
While casting for Batman: The Animated Series, Romano took the same approach and auditioned multiple theater actors instead of traditional voice-over performers. After going through numerous auditions, they eventually cast Kevin Conroy, despite the actor having no prior experience with voice acting.
How Kevin Conroy Landed the Role of Batman in The Animated Series?
Andrea Romano has shared that one of her friends recommended Kevin Conroy for the role of Batman in The Animated Series. Conroy, however, was not very popular at the time, as he had only had recurring roles and appearances in multiple TV shows.
Conroy, a trained stage actor who graduated from Juilliard’s drama division, had also performed in various contemporary and classic theater productions, such as Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Lolita, during the early to mid-1980s. His Broadway credits included roles in productions like Eastern Standard.
So when he learned that Warner Bros, was specifically seeking theater actors for their new show, he decided to audition for the role of Batman. “You could see the stress of casting washed from our faces,” Romano reflected on Conroy’s audition in an interview with the New York Times.
Paul Dini also stated that Conroy quickly grasped the distinction between Bruce Wayne and Batman, employing different voices for each character. The late actor has since become a legendary figure in DC adaptations, delivering outstanding performances in numerous TV shows, movies, and video games.
Batman: The Animated Series is available to stream on Max.
