Exclusive Interview: 'Batman Unlimited"s Roger Smith!

Doing voice work for Batman projects puts an actor into a pretty elite pantheon. From Mark Hamill to Kevin Conroy to Bruce Greenwood, there are some pretty amazing people who’ve worked behind the scenes for the Cape and Cowl, but that doesn’t deter Batman Unlimited star Roger Craig Smith.

"Of course it’s intimidating. When you think about landing a role like Batman you think to yourself ‘man oh man, I don’t know if I’m good enough for this’. But I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I did unless I knew I deserved to be there."

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Smith started out as a stand up comedian and broke into the world of the Caped Crusader by being cast as the voice of The Bat in Batman: Arkham Origins, the prequel to Arkham Asylum. It’s an expansive world to live in, but Smith knows what he’s getting himself into.

"Anytime you’re getting to do something with 75 years of history…it’s always a little risky and challenging. I wasn’t a comic book guy, but as I got older I played through the Arkham games and thought ‘how does someone get so lucky to get this gig’? You don’t have to be a comic geek to think these characters are cool."

Since there’s no Batman cartoon on TV currently, Batman Unlimited is DC Animated’s attempt to reach a younger audience. That doesn’t mean, however, Smith thinks that his films are just for kids.

"This is making Batman introductory to a family friendly audience. Bruce Timm told a friend of mine ‘there should be a Batman for everybody’. From Batman: The Animated Series to Tim Burton’s films to what Christopher Nolan’s done, they’re all fundamentally the same character. We want parents to watch these with their kids and say ‘see, this is why I love Batman’."

When I asked him about Geek Culture taking over the mainstream, he echoed a similar sentiment.

"Now there are more opportunities to find a direct audience…When I go to a convention, it’s such a blast to see a family – little kids – cosplaying along with mom and dad. You think to yourself ‘how cool is it we’re all into this stuff?’. Now it’s like, if you don’t know about this stuff people look at you like you’re weird."

I know the feeling.

You can see (or hear) Smith in Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem, out now on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD.

"ROGER CRAIG SMITHStandup comedian turned voice actor Roger Craig Smith is the voice of some of the most recognized characters in film, television, radio, and video games today. Roger’s voice work includes: VIDEO GAMES: Dying Light [“Kyle Crane” – released January 2015], Batman: Arkham Origins and Cold, Cold Heart [“Batman”], Assassin’s Creed [“Ezio Auditore da Firenze”], Resident Evil [“Chris Redfield”], Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal and Rise of Lyric [“Sonic the Hedgehog”] TELEVISION: Cartoon Network shows “Clarence” [“Belson” and “Percy”], the Emmy Award-Winning series “Regular Show” [“Thomas the Intern” and various other characters], “Sonic Boom,” and “Transformers: Robots in Disguise,” guest roles on Disney Junior’s “Sofia the First,” Nickelodeon’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” and the upcoming Nickelodeon series “Breadwinners” FILM: “Batman” in the Blu-Ray/DVD of BATMAN UNLIMITED: ANIMAL INSTINCTS, BATMAN UNLIMITED: MONSTER MAYHEM (3 film series), “Sonic the Hedgehog” in Disney’s WRECK-IT-RALPH, “Ripslinger” in Disney’s PLANES."

Exclusive Interview: ‘Batman Unlimited”s Roger Smith!

By Skip Harvey | Sep 2, 2015

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