ACTRESS GINA TORRES ON JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS


ACTRESS GINA TORRES PUTS A

SEXY SPIN ON EVIL AS SUPERWOMAN IN

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS

Gina Torres mixes equal parts evil, sexy and powerful of conjure the

hypnotic voice of Superwoman in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths,

an all-new DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movie arriving TODAY,

February 23, 2010 from Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros.

Animation.

In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, a “good” Lex Luthor arrives

from an alternate universe to recruit the Justice League to help save

his Earth from the Crime Syndicate, a gang of villainous characters

with virtually identical super powers to the Justice League. What

ensues is the ultimate battle of good versus evil in a war that

threatens both planets and puts the balance of all existence in peril.

Torres plays Superwoman, the evil doppelganger to Wonder Woman and one

of the leaders of the powerful Crime Syndicate.

Torres had an unanticipated assist in bringing about the powerful, yet

sultry voice of Superwoman, coming into the booth in the final days of

a bad flu that slightly lowered her vocal range and added a smoky

sexiness to the outstanding performance. Even more impressive is her

perfect match with the voice of Owlman, James Woods – considering the

two actors recorded on opposite coasts, weeks apart, and have never

met each other.

She is well known throughout the fanboy realm for her standout roles

in Joss Whedon’s Firefly/Serenity and Angel, her performance at Cas in

The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, as well as 28 episodes

in Cleopatra 2525. Torres has since been a mainstay across primetime

television with recurring roles on 24, Alias and Standoff, in addition

to guest appearances in CSI, Without a Trace, Boston Legal, Bones, Eli

Stone, Pushing Daisies, Criminal Minds, Dirty Sexy Money, The Unit,

FlashForward, Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries, to name just a few.

Torres has also spent some time in the animated world, working with

Warner Bros. Animation as Vixen on Justice League.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is an original story from

award-winning animation/comics writer Dwayne McDuffie (Justice

League). Bruce Timm (Superman Doomsday) is executive producer, and

Lauren Montgomery (Wonder Woman, Green Lantern: First Flight) and Sam

Liu (Superman/Batman: Public Enemies) are co-directors. The

full-length animated film will be distributed by Warner Home Video as

a Blu-Ray™ and Special Edition 2-disc version DVD, as well as single

disc DVD, On Demand and For Download.

Torres spent a few minutes after her recording session – and last week

during the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Paley Center for

Media – to chat about her performance as Superwoman, the importance of

strong female role models, the acting strengths of Whedon alums, her

childhood obsession with Wonder Woman, and the fun of allowing her

evil side to come out and play. Listen up … or else.

QUESTION:

As you stepped into the sound booth to voice Superwoman, were you

actually feeling wickedly sexy, delightfully cruel and ultimately

powerful … or was that all just acting?

GINA TORRES

I’m so glad they called me to do Superwoman, (she laughs) because I

was in the mood to get back in there and be a badass. Superwoman is

one of those super heroes that knows her power, and is very

comfortable in her power. And it’s all cat – it’s no mouse with her.

She likes to bat around her prey and she really enjoys what she’s

doing.

In the booth, you sort of have to become this person. When you’re not

on stage with other actors and you’re not on camera, you really get to

free up your body and do all kinds of things that maybe aren’t as

pretty on camera. You get to have a good time getting your whole body

involved in the interpretation.

QUESTION:

Have you ever had a relationship with comic books?

GINA TORRES

Do the Archies count? (laughs) I was a big Archie fan. I love Veronica

– I want to look like Veronica. Betty was great, but Veronica was the

girl. And that whole “Sugar, Sugar” (singing) thing was great. I’m

telling my age – I’m really only 28. My sister is older (laughs). I

was listening to her 45s.

I don’t want to disappoint any comic book fans out there, but I’m a

girl so I really wasn’t reading the super hero comic books much. But

it’s done great things for my marriage. The husband loved the idea of

me playing Superwoman. And my girlfriends said, “Well, that’s just

kind of you every day, isn’t it?” So I’m happy.

QUESTION:

So there was no super hero role playing games when you were a kid?

GINA TORRES

I absolutely played Wonder Woman when I was a kid. I had the lasso,

the whole bracelet thing, I even had my twirl down. I just knew that I

was going to be taken back to Paradise Island, because that’s really

where I belonged. I was this small little Amazon just waiting to

express myself, waiting for my true mother to come and get me.

(laughs)

QUESTION:

Can you give me an idea of what Superwoman’s motivations are in this film?

GINA TORRES

Let’s see. Superwoman is motivated by power and money and sex, and sex

and money and power. Who can’t relate to that?

QUESTION:

Good answer. Not that Superwoman is a role model, but do you feel like

women have enough super hero representation these days?

GINA TORRES

What do you mean Superwoman is not a role model? Isn’t she a role

model? She rules the world (laughs). She’s Superwoman! (laughs). What

I love about super heroes, and Superwoman in particular, is that in

that comics world they’re all curvaceous. There aren’t really any

skinny bitches in the world of comic books. They’ve got muscle. I like

that. I appreciate that. They’re strong. And it’s important to have

strong images of women out there, women who aren’t afraid of

expressing themselves, women who aren’t afraid of taking chances,

women who aren’t afraid of their own power. Unfortunately, being a

woman in society means that sometimes you have to sort of quell what

is instinctually broad and magnificent and magical about you. I think

a lot of people feel that way. I don’t know if that’s necessarily

relegated to being a woman, because we’re all so worried about fitting

in and not sticking out. So what’s great about this whole genre is

that it’s all about sticking out. It’s all about being magnificent to

the highest power.

QUESTION:

You’re a terribly nice person by everyone’s perception. What’s your

trick for turning on the villainy in a performance?

GINA TORRES

Oh, there is no trick to capturing villainy. (laughs) The rumor is

that I’m a nice person. I love that rumor. Everybody has different

sides to them. Everybody has that inner villain that you want to break

out and express. It’s a good time going out there and letting her come

out. Lock good Gina in the closet … and have evil Gina come out and

play.

QUESTION:

You’ve been in this universe before, most notably as Vixen for Justice

League. Do you have an attraction to the medium or just when the

situation presents itself?

GINA TORRES

I love voiceover work. It’s wonderful, it’s expressive. It’s a way of

using a part of my instrument that I’m comfortable and familiar with.

The voice is such a vital part of crafting a character. I’m so pleased

that I have the kind of voice that prints well and that people want to

hear. I’ve had friends actually say, “You know, I was in the kitchen,

and the television was on and I heard you.” I love hearing that

there’s something familiar about my sound, and that to some people

it’s soothing.

QUESTION:

The DC Universe animated original movies have been blessed with

numerous members of the Joss Whedon alumni association – from Adam

Baldwin and Nathan Fillion to David Boreanaz and James Marsters, to

name just a few. Is there something about the Joss experience that

lends itself to this universe?

GINA TORRES:

Joss has an attraction to a certain kind of actor. Obviously, we’re

all so very different in our own way. But when he’s choosing a world,

he really does inhabit it quite completely. I mean, it is an entire

universe. It is a Whedonverse, which is why I believe he’s so

successful when he creates these worlds that one can get lost in.  All

the inhabitants in it require, without sounding self-serving, a kind

of intellectual whimsy. You have to understand where you are and be

true to it and at the same time let it go and let it fly and enjoy it

for what it is – for the maniacal, for the fantasy, for the tragedy of

it. I think all of these actors have lent themselves to these kinds of

projects because we’ve been in that place. And so we can come here and

say, “Yeah let’s have fun. I know where we are and let’s just go and

have a good time.”

QUESTION:

You’ve got significant sci-fi fantasy experience. Is that by choice or

happenstance?

GINA TORRES

I would say that I was dragged into the sci-fi genre. (laughs) I

wouldn’t say kicking and screaming. I actually went willingly. But it

wasn’t something that I sought out. I grew up in New York, born and

raised, and cut my teeth in the theatre. I did a lot of off-Broadway,

and some Broadway. Sci-fi was certainly not where I thought I’d be

making my bread and butter for this period of time. It’s been a

pleasant surprise, certainly. I find that it’s a niche that I’m

comfortable with. What else are you going to do with a strong, almost

six-foot girl? Give her a gun. Give her superpowers. (laughs) And you

give her a hefty belt with things attached to it. Yeah!

QUESTION:

Can you quantify the passion of the fanboys out there?

GINA TORRES

That passion of the fanboy is immeasurable. And it is priceless. And

it is necessary when you’re doing these things because you don’t quite

realize while you’re doing the work that you’re in a bubble. And it’s

not until you’re released into the world that you realize that you’re

making an impact and that you’re making somebody’s day brighter and

someone’s universe broader. It is great fun to be confronted with

these guys and gals.


For more information, images and updates, please visit the film’s

official website at www.JUSTICELEAGUECRISIS.com

Below are links to an all-new clip from Justice League: Crisis on Two

Earths that features Superwoman and Batman:

http://raincloud.warnerbros.com/wbol/us/whv/med/justice_league/crisisontwoearths/clips/jlcote_batSW3_500.asx

http://raincloud.warnerbros.com/wbol/us/whv/med/justice_league/crisisontwoearths/clips/jlcote_batSW3_qt_500.mov

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