The DCU has officially launched with help from Max’s brilliant new animated original series Creature Commandos which quickly captivated audiences and has ushered in what promises to be an exciting new chapter in DC Comics history.
Fittingly, James Gunn’s first foray into the vast collection of iconic DC Comics characters comes via the assembling of a ragtag group of misunderstood misfits led by Rick Flag Sr., whose name likely sounds familiar to DCEU holdovers as he’s the father of Rick Flag Jr., who played a pivotal role in both Suicide Squad and Gunn’s The Suicide Squad as the team’s leader. It seems only right that Rick Flag Sr. picks up where his dearly departed son left off by leading this new group of super-powered misfits, though Rick Sr.’s team is made up of actual monsters – though as audiences have quickly discovered, there is a lot more to these so-called monsters than meets the eye.
The same goes for the team's leader, who adopts a surprisingly empathetic approach to leading the team and, much like his son, views the team he’s tasked with leading as equals rather than simply disposable figures. He’s also not opposed to mixing business with pleasure and doesn’t follow blindly, making for some incredible storylines and dynamics to be explored across the season.
Bam Smack Pow had the chance to catch up with the voice behind Rick Flag Sr., Frank Grillo, to discuss the complicated dynamics of the show (including one surprising dynamic we didn't anticipate) and the transition from animation to playing the character in the live-action DC Universe.
You’ve played a variety of tough, complex characters over the years. So I’d love to start by asking how Rick Flag Sr. stands out for you among the rest, and what aspects of him you’ve enjoyed exploring through the character.
I've rarely gotten to play that, [a character in a place of authority], and so with that comes a lot of responsibility and a lot of decisions that have to be made as the character, that I don't necessarily agree with as a person.
It's been really fun and complex getting to dial this in and deal with what's going on around me in the circumstances. And they always are different, like from Peacemaker to Creature to Superman. It's always kind of a different circumstance.
We, of course, also know you’re going to play the character in live-action via Peacemaker season 2. Was this something you and James Gunn discussed prior to beginning work on Creature Commandos, and if so did knowing you’d be playing the character in live-action inform or change the way you approached the voice work for Creature Commandos?
I didn't [know] when we were doing Creature, which was the first thing we've done. All the scripts were written, you know, it was just concentrating on that.
And then James [approached me about playing the character in live-action]. I really didn't have expectations. I've learned in Hollywood that you shouldn't have expectations because anything can change at any time, but James made it very clear that his plan, him and Peter [Safran], was to keep the same actors throughout live-action and animation.
So I hadn't thought about it and, you know, look, it's when you work with Gunn, everything is on the page. You go in there and you just do your work, it comes out really good, if not great. Then when I got the Peacemaker scripts, the circumstances were different, right? I was in a different world now with a different guy and I had to kind of adjust how I was gonna play it. It's been a real challenge in the best of ways.
Diving into the show. Right out of the gate in episode 1, we see how Rick approaches working with the Creature Commandos team and there’s a great scene where he basically reminds them, “Hey, we’re on the same team.” What do you think motivates him to adopt a more empathetic approach towards them compared to Amanda Waller’s more ruthless methods?
I think there's a bit of creature in him. I think he understands the outsider, the one who doesn't necessarily fit. I also think, and I use this, having lost his son. There's something about these creatures that are vulnerable and a little bit sophomoric, and I think he quickly grows this affection for them like they were his kids. Not the Princess, obviously, but the Creatures.
Speaking of the Princess, Rick has quite a complicated storyline with that character across the episodes. We’ve seen him mixing business and pleasure and blurring those lines a little bit. Talk me through that relationship and how it shapes his overall arc this season.
I mean, you know, I think it challenges him ideologically and challenges him as a man morally and ethically. All the things that we are challenged with as men in our daily lives in society, things that have been spoken about since Seneca and Marcus Aurelius have written about them. So for me, it's fun.
It is almost kind of like biblical, like it's, these are the challenges that God gave us as human beings. And you know, Rick is not impervious to them.
So that's what made it fun.
Do you remember your reaction when you got to that twist in the scripts? Was there an, “Oh, this is where we're going with the story?” moment for you?
Yeah, I did. I really did. I'm like, son of a bitch, I didn't see this coming.
Well, that dynamic eventually puts him in kind of conflict with Waller and leads to some fun dynamics as the season unfolds. We kind of get to see him as a leader who is very level-headed but doesn't necessarily follow blindly, which influences his direction as the season continues. What are you excited for fans to see from that storyline and from Rick, in general, through this storyline?
Yeah, I think that's a great question and I think if we've done our jobs correctly, you'll see a guy who you had an idea about and like I did, when I read the scripts have an aha moment about him.
I think that's what's great about movies and television shows that I watch is that I'm surprised, you know what I mean? It's not just so predictable and a lot of times in this superhero kind of genre, things get predictable. A lot of times even when they're unpredictable, you kind of know what's gonna happen. But I think here it's not so cut and dry and [same with] Peacemaker. The way it ends. It's like, wow, that's really not what I expected, but it's gonna be cool.
So that's the element I think that makes the character interesting and hopefully again, are done, our jobs being done. You're following it and feeling the same thing.
I definitely can you’ve achieved that. As I was watching, I didn't expect to get emotional in some of the scenes. The way the show intertwines these emotional arcs and stories with these over the top action sequences is done so perfectly.
Yeah, it's great that you said that. First of all, I thought the animation was fucking great. It wasn't over CGI, and it was real animation and I found myself, I'm sitting in my house in the dark watching these things and I start to get emotional. I'm like, “Am I gonna cry watching the cartoon?” and the answer is yes.
You know, there's a lot of stuff too with Frankenstein. He just wants to be loved [and I think] there's a part of in all of us, right? Like I don't wanna be this Cosmic Orphan II, I just wanna be [loved], why can't someone love me? And I was emotional. I was like, “Oh my gosh!”
It really is quite a ride. Speaking of Frankenstein, in the back half of the season, we get to see a fun dynamic between him and Rick when they strike up this unexpected partnership and it's so fun to watch. I know you've spoken about getting to work with David Harbour a bit in the recording booth. What was it like getting to just a play off of one another and how did they kind of inform your performance? Because I feel like when you're doing voice work and you get to work with the actors in the same studio, it just is a different dynamic.
Yeah, it's, it's absolutely true. I know David a bit. We did End of Watch together many years ago. I've been a huge fan of his, you know we've been friendly since we worked together. The minute we got in the booth together and started reading, it was there and that happens with actors. Either there's no chemistry or immediately you get each other's vibe. And that happened with David and me in the booth and I think James recognized that really quickly.
So we were off to the races immediately and I felt, he said something about the Harry met Sally relationship. I felt that thing where we had a rhythm. If it was music and I was playing an instrument, we were immediately in sync with each other and I love watching these two guys together in this show.
It's such a fun dynamic that I didn't expect it heading into the season and it really is fun to watch as a fan. These two characters, you wouldn't have expected to kind of be thrust into these circumstances and the way they interact and kind of balance each other in different ways. It's really fun.
Well, as we begin to wind down, I'd love to just ask a general question. What are you most excited for fans to see as they watch the show and what do you hope they take away from the show?
You know, I'm most excited for the fans to see how well done it is and how serious, that James and Peter, the people at DC and we've taken this effort, and how great all the actors are. I just want them to see how original it is and how watchable and fun it is.
I became a fan of it as soon as I watched it because I'm not looking at myself, I'm looking at [Rick], right? I became a fan of it. I watched it several times and I'm excited for people to experience it.
Since you mentioned not seeing yourself but rather the character when watched the show, what did it feel like when you did get to step into the character portraying him in live action? action.
Yeah, I mean, you know he looks a bit different in live-action for many reasons. It was a matter of me finding again that element that made me sound the way I did because it wasn't, it's not just about your voice, it's about your body and your composure. It was interesting to kind of then put him into me and then have me be representative of Rick Flag Sr.
So it's, it's really been fun. I keep saying this over and over, and it’s so cliche to say it, but we really are a family. The DC world that James and Peter have created really is a very close-knit group of people. It's a family. So I love it.
Creature Commandos is streaming now on Max with new episodes releasing weekly on Thursdays.