Are you ready for Batman’s next mission? The iconic story The Long Halloween, written by Jeph Loeb with art by Tim Sale, is coming to your screens in a brand new animated feature. The twist being that the full story has been split into two parts. Part one of The Long Halloween is officially out now and we had the absolute priviledge of talking to Julie Nathanson who voices Gilda Dent- Harvey Dent’s troubled and mysterious wife.
Without going into too much detail. Can you tell me about Gilda Dent and where we find her in The Long Halloween?
“Gilda is married to Harvey Dent. And when we find her in the story, you know, I think even the first moment that we see her it’s pretty clear that she’s holding on to something and feeling some pain. And we find this woman who is desiring connection with her partner, at the same time that she is guarding herself, or perhaps even somewhat walled off. Pretty helpless. And to me there’s something very real and very human about that. I know that as a human being myself, I have certainly experienced that desire and connection and that self protection or even no response to pain or trauma. I see her in her struggle to want to connect with Harvey and bear in the middle of Gotham and all that Gotham has to offer with regard to a heightened reality and heightened experience.”
Have you read Batman: The Long Halloween?
“I have read The Long Halloween, but I did not allow myself to read it until we were finished principal recording. I usually lean on any drop of research I possibly can to ground a performance, ground a character for me to really feel clear about history abd any iteration and depiction of the character. But something told me to do it differently this time. And I think because I knew that this story is so beloved by fans, and so important in the Batman chronology and canon. I actually really wanted to live in Sheridan’s script. And, like, feel the importance of that material, knowing that of course, it was an adaptation. I think that helped me let her be a person if that makes sense.”
“So many of these characters have, you know, different generations and iterations. Wanting to make a character, you know, pay homage to every version of every story. But I just had this gut feeling that I needed her to be human. So I actually immediately ordered and read the long Halloween source material, the original, just pretty soon after we finished recording so that by the time we were doing ADR, I had read it and all it did was make me feel even more connected to Gilda and to the story. And I feel that what Tim has done with it, and what the entire team has done with this incredible story is magnificent.”
Was there any pressure on making it faithful, but also allowing that freedom that you wanted so you could create Gilda in a light that you saw fit?
“I mean, I certainly didn’t feel pressure from anyone, other than myself wanting to make sure that when I read the story, I kind of had my fingers crossed, that I wouldn’t then feel Oh, gosh, there’s something else I should have done. But it didn’t feel that way, especially since the nuances that come with the character really let her come to life in it in a nuanced way that is appropriate for a moving picture. No, I’m always aware. how passionate fans feel about these stories. All I can really control is how connected I feel to the character. And hope that the rest of it just clicks into place.”
“And when I watched, I was absolutely blown away by how many beautiful pieces clicked perfectly, and Naya Rivera who is just so fantastic and Catwoman and such a huge loss and so incredibly sad that she isn’t here anymore. She was such a brilliant, brilliant actress and a wonderful choice for that character. Being able to hear Josh Duhamel as Harvey Dent and the spectacular Jensen Ackles as Batman. No, there are so many marvelous performances and then even just looking at the artistry. Everything from the lighting to the artwork itself. It’s just really tremendous and the sound design too which was quieter than I imagined. Which to me really clicked with reading the story since it has a lot of space for moments to land.”
I haven’t actually read the long Halloween. So I was actually fully in the dark on what was going on. So there’s that element of surprise where I’m kind of desperate for more now.
“And you’ve only seen part one, right? Well, good for you. And I’ll be so curious to hear what you think. Obviously, I’m really excited for everyone to see this movie. We’ve been holding to the secrets of being in this story for three years. I know, we’re getting so close to everyone being able to experience the story that we all love and worked hard on and I just can’t wait for everyone to experience it.”
I didn’t realize it was that long of a process. And do you think splitting into two parts helped with that kind of element of suspense and mystery?
“I have a feeling it will have a little extra suspencse and a little extra mystery. Absolutely. And I also think that’s another way in which the team honor the original story, you know, to take everything from the long Halloween into one movie probably would have meant skipping many moments that would be important to so many people and really to the storyline. So that’s why I say that the idea that it’s a little bit quieter. Because it’s split into two there’s a little bit more room to actually experience the story itself. So I would say yes, it does build the suspense and mystery and add to the entire delicious meal.”
This isn’t your first time voicing characters from the DC Universe. So what is it about the DC world? Or comic book characters in general that entices you?
“What Isn’t there? you know, I always look at most of us who find ourselves in creative occupations, and perhaps specifically with performers. You know, it’s make believe, play, pretend. And many of us got into this work, because it was fun. And it is a return to the sandbox. It’s a return to make believe as a child, and know what better way to return to that childhood fun. That childhood imagination and aspirations and to play in the world of superheroes and supervillains. Just like we did as children. So there is something about honoring the genesis of getting into performance by playing in the universes that we love.”
I’ve always been fascinated by voice acting. I just find it absolutely brilliant, what some people can do, and how people can change their voices. But because you’re not acting on a physical stage or in a physical place, how difficult it must be to turn on those emotions. Were you with some of the cast members when doing your recording?
“No, and even when I watched the scenes between Gilda and Harvey, even I find it stunning that we weren’t in the same room”
“I would say it’s a testament to the writing, the directing and, you know, Josh Duhamel’s performance together to really create, you know, those moments that feel like we are just standing together. We really hit on something that I loved about voiceover. And that is it challenges and require my imagination in a very different way. No, you’re right, I have to imagine other people standing, I have to imagine that I can see Harvey in front of me and I can see our home and I can see the lights and I can smell the smells around me. And I can hear a car going by. And none of those things are happening in front of me and I can’t even hear my scene partner.
“But with Wes Gleason one of the things that I really appreciate about the way he moves through scenes is that often times he will lead me in, he’ll read the lines of the other character, not trying to act or do any kind of performance match, but hold the tone. And for some of these more intense scenes we would just stay quiet. it’s like a conductor. You know, it sort of makes sense that a director would be like that. I can walk through doing that, and I stay in that moment. But back to your original question. Yes, it is a unique set of skills that we have to call upon to be voice actors. But that set of skills bring a lot of joy, and I’m incredibly grateful.”
Don’t forget that the film hits Blu-ray, DVD and Steelbook on June 21st. The digital being released on June 22nd. If you’re a long-time Batman fan you definitely won’t want to miss out on The Long Halloween Part One. Part Two will be released very soon so make sure you keep your eyes peeled.
Batman: The Long Halloween features an all-star cast including Jensen Ackles as Batman, Naya Rivera as Catwoman, Josh Duhamel as Harvey Dent and Billy Burke as James Gordon. Also starring are Titus Welliver, David Dastmalchian, Troy Baker, Amy Landecker, Julie Nathanson, Jack Quaid and Fred Tatasciore.
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