Obviously with something like this, so much of the story is told visually. We can bring what we can bring to it. I thought what I can bring to it is a sense of character with the voice that can hopefully go on that journey with the audience. They’ve got a relationship to this character. I just wanted to make him fun. Honestly I think the fight in him is a lot of fun. His violent “never say die” attitude. I will kill anyone I need to kill to get the justice I need to see – that’s a fun character to play. That’s got a lot of diesel behind him.
When doing the voice work, did you ever get to see any early animations of Thragg in motion? How does that help inform the performance?
I did a lot of my recording for this season [early] and then we don’t come back until much much later. I see how it came together and do a little bit of cleanup. But I researched the character and came in prepared so I had a sense of what I wanted to play. I also very much put my hands in Kirkman and Simon. I wanted to give them all the options they need to play the character. I’m gonna do it like this, I’m gonna do it like that, I’m gonna try to give you every color you might want to use to work with it.
When you have the other actors you’re playing with, the rhythm, the speed of the scene, the intention of the character – all those things are what you’re working with as an actor. In a situation like this where you’re alone in a booth I thought the best I could do was give them options. But now I’ve seen my voice with the animation and I think, going forward, there is a definite sense that I’ve learned something about it – that I’ve settled into the character.
Having now seen Thragg in action, are you surprised at how still he is? I think maybe that’s why Kirkman thought of you for the role: the ability to express power with little kinetic motion.
One thing we talked about, which I enjoyed seeing expressed in the animation, is that he’s a pretty cool customer. He keeps a lid on it. And he has for a very long time. He’s playing a very long game. When he loses his temper, he really fucking loses it and becomes a sociopathic, rageful beast. Until then he’s very clever, he’s very strong. He understands the power he holds. Because he’s earned it. I think the stillness communicates a lot. The calmness I wanted to bring to these beginning scenes is in line with that. We’ve got a long way to go with the character. I want to pace it. [Editor’s Note: The interview then made a “You want to Lee Pace it?” joke that Mr. Pace politely chuckled at. I am so sorry.]
