For close to two decades, Yuri Lowenthal has voiced some of most iconic characters in television and video games. From Ben Tennyson in the Ben 10 series to Sasuke Uchiha in Naruto, Lowenthal has worked hard to provide his talents to hundreds of characters. He recently took on the role of Harvey Dent in the Warner Bros. Animation film, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. The film pits Jack the Ripper against the Dark Knight in Victorian-era Gotham City.
At last week’s Los Angeles premiere, Blast Magazine had the opportunity to briefly speak with Lowenthal about his experiences working on this unique Batman tale.
Blast Magazine: You’ve established yourself as one of the top actors in the voice-over field. What was it specifically that attracted you to this film?
Yuri Lowenthal: I’m a big Batman fan from way back. I was familiar with the graphic novel and had read it a while ago. Whenever people say Batman, I always say yes. I’d never gotten to play Harvey Dent before. I’ll always jump at a chance to play an iconic character from – well, I was about to say my childhood, but since I still read comic books, my life. I really love this one in particular. I love pieces set in the Victorian era and this was a fun retelling of a character we all know but may not know in this specific way.
Blast Magazine: In the film, you voice Harvey Dent, who you mentioned is an iconic character. He’s been played by multiple people in the past in a variety of storylines. Did you feel any concern about voicing such a well-established character in this film?
Lowenthal: 1000%. I feel all the pressure. There is the pressure for the fans and there is the pressure for me as a fan. It’s tough. I’ve had to find a way as an actor to not let that pressure affect me because if I just listened to the pressure, I wouldn’t even show up to work. I have to trust that I’ll bring what I’m going to bring and the producing and writing will all sort of work together to bring something that people like. I’ve given up on trying to please everyone because you know that us nerds are always going to complain about something. I know there are going to be some people who are going to watch this movie and say that it’s the worst Harvey Dent they’ve ever seen. That’s okay because I’ve said that about stuff in the past and I get it. These characters are very dear to our hearts but I think it’s fun that we get to show them off in a different way.
Blast Magazine: You stated that you were familiar with the graphic novel going into this project. Did you re-read it once you accepted the role to get a better sense of the character?
Lowenthal: I did. I went back and read it again. I have to say that I love that Jim [Krieg, the film’s screenwriter] fixed some of the problems that I had with the original source material. What he’s come up with is great. I did re-read the graphic novel once I accepted the role and then I got to read the script. Once I read the script, I then went in and talked about it with the producer and director to make sure we were all on the same page moving forward.
Blast Magazine: You’ve voiced a number of characters in the superhero world in the past. Do you have a favorite superhero of your own?
Lowenthal: Growing up, it was always a struggle between Batman and Captain America. I actually had both costumes growing up. Once, I even crossed them and became Captain Bat.
Blast Magazine: For fans who are interested in seeing the film, how would you describe it in three words?
Lowenthal: Dark, tasty, operatic
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight is now available on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD courtesy of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
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