June 4, 2009
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Perennial movie tough guy Michael Madsen (below with Andrea Romano) provides the voice of Kilowog, the enforcer with a heart, in GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT, the next DC Universe animated original PG-13 movie coming to DVD on July 28, 2009.
Madsen has been cast as the heavy throughout his busy career, gaining widespread acclaim as Mr. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. His lengthy list of credits include roles in films like The Natural, Thelma & Louise, both volumes of Kill Bill, Wyatt Earp, Free Willy, Die Another Day, and Donnie Brasco. He drew rave reviews for the hit cable television series Tilt as poker player Don “The Matador” Everest.
In GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT, Madsen brings to animated life the brawny alien character Kilowog, trainer of all Green Lantern recruits.
Here are a few blurbs from Madsen about voicing Kilowog and GL:FF…
* On portraying Kilowog: “I liked the idea that Kilowog was forceful, yet has a gentle nature. I’m often thought of as playing villainous characters in movies. Everyone forgets that I was the father in Free Willy – they only like to remember that I cut off a policeman’s ear in Reservoir Dogs. There’s me in the middle somewhere and I think that’s kind of like Kilowog, He’s dangerous, yet he has a heart. That’s what attracted me to the part. Also, I was quite humbled by being asked to play Kilowog in the first place. I don’t often get asked to voice animated characters, and I’ve always wanted to do something like that – it’s great fun for me.”
"I don’t want to go off here into another planet, but when I was younger, I read a biography of James Cagney and he said that if you ever play a dark character, you need to find something noble within that guy; and if you ever play someone who’s very noble, you need to find something dark within him. Otherwise, your character’s going to be one-dimensional. I knew exactly what he was talking about, even though I was probably about 14, and it’s always stuck with me. Having a character with duality always appeals to me – I never like to do something straight down the road."
* On the term poozer: “I’ve heard that it’s closely associated with somewhat of a bungler or a misfit or someone who’s annoying … to put it mildly (laughs).”
* On this voice-action job compared to others: "I used to think when you came in to do a voice, you had to make up something with your voice. For this film, I was just myself. I brought my Michael into it. It was a lot easier and it made more sense, and that made the entire experience more natural and I was a little bit more comfortable than I have been in past sessions. For the video game recordings, they always want the tough guy, and there’s nothing fun about it. It’s just one-dimensional. This was work, and I appreciate that. I take acting seriously, and I had a good time working on this film."
* On which comic book character he'd like to play: "I’ve always thought I’d make a great Batman. Batman needs to have a light side and a dark side. I think I’d bring a duality."
GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT comes to DVD on July 28, 2009. Visit the official site at GREENLANTERNDVD.COM.
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