I really liked Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. These shows impressed me with how well they portray the characters and all the adventures they went on. In the film Justice League Vs. Teen Titans fans got to see a darker side of this team and I loved every minute of this story. Recently I was able to interview Rachel Kimsey who voices Wonder Woman on Justice League Action. Here is everything I learned from her about this new show.
How did you get into voice acting?
Rachel Kimsey: I kind of fell (laughs), I always say ass backwards (laughs), but that’s not very polite into voice acting. Because I didn’t really realize that it was a job to do. But as soon as I started doing it I fell in love with it. I had been doing kind of commercial work for about seven or eight years before I started breaking into video games. And Justice League Action is my first cartoon. It’s kind of impossible to get more lucky on your first cartoon than to play an iconic character on a classic show. But having done now seven or eight games and doing Justice League Action I have to say voice acting is my favorite thing in the world. In a lot of ways it is even more fun than working on camera because there is so much imagination and so much creativity. That you get to create whole worlds and really play and explore which is what I love.
What are some of the characters you have played in video games?
Rachel Kimsey: Well, there are so many things I can’t talk about because of course production takes such a long time. But I played Rachel Kane in Call of Duty Black Ops 3, which was the game that came out in 2015. She is the CIA agent in the campaign. And what was really fun about that was I get to work over a year on that game as we did the motion capture and the performance capture and the voice work. And getting to do all of that stuff really makes you feel like you are inside and a part of the story. I have also gotten to work on a couple of other Call of Duty games as female soldiers or incidental characters. I’ve worked on a number of Anime games which is really fun. Like on Zero Time Dilemma, the Trails of Cold Steel franchise which is really fun. And sadly a number of games that I can’t talk about yet (laughs). Maybe in a year (laughs).
What was the biggest challenge in playing Wonder Woman?
Rachel Kimsey: You know, the thing that was really interesting about Wonder Woman is I was the little girl that used to dress up as Wonder Woman as a kid. It’s my icon character, you know from the time I was a tiny child. When I got the chance to audition for it I had this really strange experience where I was like “What does she sound like?” There have been such incredible actresses that have played her over the last 44 years. But what does she sound like? She doesn’t have an iconic sound. So I made this choice when I was reading for it I was like “Well, I guess she sounds like me when I feel like Wonder Woman.” So to be empowered by that where I was like “Okay, it is on me to feel like that and then that’s what I convey what we are trying to do” has been really, really fun and really effective. Because it turns out when I feel like Wonder Woman I’m kind of sassy and tough and I’m making jokes. So all of those things have come into play, a little bit of that hard soldier side of me and a little bit of that playful guys/girls side. To get to have all that has been a total joy because that’s what I feel like when I’m Wonder Woman.
Have you had a chance to meet some of the other Wonder Woman voice actors? And if so how was that experience?
Rachel Kimsey: What is really great is that the voice-over world is relatively small. So I’ve actually known Susan Eisenberg for almost ten years now. I have always loved her work and I adore her as a human being. So getting to do this feels like such a gift to get to step into those same shoes. I hope that I get to meet some of the other actresses. Grey DeLisle is an amazing Wonder Woman because she is one of those DC girls and she and I know each other. She’s just a voice-over god and she’s just amazing. And some of the other women like Keri Russell and Rosario Dawson who have done it. They have done such beautiful work that to get to meet them would be really exciting. But the thing that is really cool about it is it feels like this amazing club that I get to be a part of that nobody has ownership of it. Everybody is contributing to the way it all feels together which I love.
What are your thoughts on Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman?
Rachel Kimsey: She’s great. I loved her in Batman V. Superman. I’m not gonna lie, I totally cried when I saw (laughs) the trailer for the Wonder Woman movie. I think she’s doing a really beautiful job. I know the trainers that she worked with when she was training for the movies. So I know she’s as strong as she could possibly be. I believe that Wonder Woman should be an Amazon and she should be pretty buff and tough. So I know Gal worked hard on getting that done. But I think she’s proved to be a really elegant actress and really brave. I know she is taking on the role really seriously and I’m really excited about it.
Has there been a voice actor(s) that you have kind of fangirled over when you met them?
Rachel Kimsey: Okay, I just have to tell you that working on this show there was a day I was on a microphone between Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill and I was like “Keep it together! Just keep it together”. I mean meeting John Dimaggio I was like “What is happening in this room!?!” Getting to work with Tara Strong. I have been so lucky working on this show particularly to meet so many of my friends, idols and heroes and I have learned so much. I am a better actor now then I was when the show started because I learned so much from the people I worked with. The number of times I have been in a session room and I was like “Keep it together, just keep it together. You’re working with your heroes man. Keep it together” (laughs). It’s pretty exciting.
Why do you think people should watch Justice League Action?
Rachel Kimsey: The thing that is cool about this Justice League is because of the 15 minute episodes we have to jump right into the action. We jump right into the story. There’s a lot of inside information and jokes for the adults who have been fans of these properties and these stories and these characters for decades. And it is appropriate for kids at the same time. It’s not geared to the youngest audience. So there’s sophistication, the art is beautiful. And it’s a funny thing because those stories have to be so compact in 15 minutes they’re really strong. All of the fluff gets edited out so we get right into the meat of the thing and that’s part of what makes it such a strong show.
Justice League Action premieres on Cartoon Network on December 16, 2016. You can learn more about Justice League Action on this website. You can follow Rachel Kimsey on Facebook and Twitter.