Susan Eisenberg returns as Wonder Woman for JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM Popular voice of Amazon Princess to appear at February 16 West Coast Premiere of all-new DC Universe Animated Original Movie

Susan Eisenberg, the beloved voice of Wonder Woman in the popular

Justice League and Justice League Unlimited television series,

reprises her role for the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie,

Justice League: Doom.

Eisenberg will join several of her voicecast colleagues for the West

Coast Premiere of Justice League: Doom at the Paley Center for Media

in Beverly Hills on February 16.

The event is completely sold out. However, a very limited number of

VIP seats are still available to fans through the Los Angeles

Times/Hero Complex, as well as the Justice League: Doom Facebook page.

Fans should keep their browser focused on those two pages for details

of the giveaways.

The all-new, PG-13 rated Justice League: Doom will be available

February 28 from Warner Home Video as a Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD and

for Download. Both the Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack and DVD will include an

UltraViiolet™ Digital Copy.

Eisenberg has focused her career in voiceovers for animation, video

games and commercial use. In addition to her work for the past 12-plus

as Wonder Woman for Justice League and Justice League Unlimited

television series and the DCU films Superman/Batman: Apocalypse and

Justice League: Doom, Eisenberg can also be heard in a variety of

animates series, including Jackie Chan Adventures, Scooby-Doo! Mystery

Incorporated and The Super Hero Squad Show, as well as video games

like Star Wars: The Ford Unleashed – Ultimate Sith Edition and Command

& Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight. She is one of nine actors returning to

the booth to record their original Justice League roles for the film,

Justice League: Doom.

In anticipation of the West Coast Premiere, Eisenberg gladly offered

some recollections and thoughts regarding her years of voicing Wonder

Woman, including flirtations with Batman, her personal memorabilia

collection, and the real reason Wonder Woman flies an invisible plane.

Take a read …

QUESTION:

What do you recall of earning the role of Wonder Woman some 13 years ago?

SUSAN EISENBERG:

I can remember it vividly – because it was a big deal. It felt like a

real life-changer, so it’s a huge memory for me. It was 1999, and I

remember going to the call back and being with Andrea (Romano) and

Bruce (Timm). Even the dialogue is still clear in my memory. And when

I got the call that I got the role, it really had an impact on me.

Most jobs in voiceover don’t make you feel like they’re going to

change your life, but this one did. And in many ways, it really did. I

got to work for six years on a series, and I’d never done something

that long term. And I was chosen to voice this wonderful, iconic

character … and through these movies, I get to continue that role.

It’s been fun and kind of surprising – people obviously know Wonder

Woman, but it’s wonderful when they care that much that they actually

recognize and acknowledge your work as the character. I walk into

other jobs and people still say, “You’re Wonder Woman, right?” That’s

really a kick.

QUESTION:

What’s special to you about playing Wonder Woman?

SUSAN EISENBERG

Wonder Woman is truly iconic. Everyone knows her. There’s something

wonderful about playing a character who is recognized throughout the

world. And I love her strength. I love that she stands for something

and that she believes in what she believes. She’s very, very loyal

and faithful and, in the beginning, I got to play her more vulnerable,

and now I get to play her more adult and stronger. She’s a wonderful

character.

QUESTION:

You don’t have the benefit of weekly recording sessions to keep the

voice fresh in your mind. How do you jump back into this role without

a hitch?

SUSAN EISENBERG:

Working with Andrea and Bruce is a great because they were there at

the start – Andrea has always directed me in this role, so she knows

what she’s looking for. Listening to her direction is the first trick.

Reading the script a few times also helps, especially to find the

attitude and the voice. And as a refresher, I like to go online, check

out YouTube, and play some old clips, or watch some of my DVDs. That

helps to get me back in that space – and then Wonder Woman is right

there in my head. But honestly, it’s not a huge leap for me – she’s

pretty much in there all the time, anyway.

QUESTION:

How much of what you do with Wonder Woman is through a change in your

voice, and how much is really acting and attitude?

SUSAN EISENBERG:

A lot of it’s attitude. That’s why, if I’m speaking just normally,

it’s not as if somebody next to me would ask, “Do you play Wonder

Woman?” But then when I do the attitude and lower the register

slightly, you will see this smile of recognition on the face of a

little kid … or a true fan. And that’s always fun.

QUESTION:

Who recognizes you more – kids who watch cartoon, or the adult

devotees of the genre?

SUSAN EISENBERG:

Kind of both, and the reactions are different, but similar. It’s

really nice to have people who are so passionate about these

characters. So you get the 6-year-old child who has watched the

cartoon and their eyes get big when they recognize that you’re this

person behind the voice. But then you get the 40-something-year-old

who has been watching, and loves this world, and loves this universe,

and reads the comic books, and cares deeply about the genre. That’s

fabulous, too. Just to have fans is a very cool thing. No one can

complain about that. It’s good.

QUESTION:

Wonder Woman has some very long battles in Justice League: Doom with a

lot of physicality required in the vocal performance. How’d you handle

that?

SUSAN EISENBERG:

The initial recording session is pretty straight-forward – we save

most of the impacts and grunts and physical action for the ADR

session. But as I was reading the script, I just kept thinking of

Dwayne (McDuffie) and thinking, “You really layered it on me, didn’t

you!” I’m going to have to be electrocuted and hit over the head and

punched over and over and punch back over and over. You often have to

be physical to sound physical. So – that’s a truly exhausting day.

QUESTION:

What’s it like to have the gang back together again?

SUSAN EISENBERG:

You know, it’s thrilling because it’s a grand reunion. I get to be

reunited with Michael Rosenbaum and Kevin Conroy and Carl Lumbly and

that’s like having the League back together, if you will. I didn’t

that expect that to happen, and I could not be more thrilled. Driving

to the recording session, I was just so excited that we’d be in a room

together. It is just so comfortable coming back into this. It’s the

best gig in town. And anyone who does voiceovers would say that.

QUESTION:

What are the scenes that appeal most to you in this film?

SUSAN EISENBERG:

I always like the quieter moments. So I like my scenes with J’onn,

because those two characters really can relate to each other in so

many ways, and I also liked my scenes with Batman. In both cases,

those were some of the quieter moments with some emotional content. I

enjoy the scenes where I have to kick some butt, too. But I truly

enjoy the interplay with the other characters and the actors that play

them.

I’ve never been shy about my feelings with Batman and Wonder Woman

because, first of all, I love Kevin and I love working with Kevin. I

think he’s amazing as Batman. And I love Batman and Wonder Woman

together, and I think the fans do, too. You can go on YouTube and find

all these wonderful videos of the two of them – showing their romance,

put to music – so you know the fans love them together.

Playing Diana gives you a lot of different angles and emotions to

play. Diana is very serious – she’s not like Flash where she’s funny

and throwing out the one-liners. When she’s funny, it’s not

necessarily intentional that she’s funny. And so I love the other

aspects of her, when she gets to be flirty with Batman or when she

gets to be funny with Flash or more earnest with J’onn. I especially

like to play the flirty and hint at that romance between the

characters. That’s a lot of fun.

QUESTION:

How much equity to you take in this character?

SUSAN EISENBERG:

I’m enormously proud that I get to play her – it truly is a privilege

and an honor. People have definite, strong opinions of Wonder Woman,

and she’s known everywhere. She is this embodiment of female

empowerment, and that’s a thrill, too, because there are little girls

and little boys and they’re watching this and seeing that she’s so

strong and so tough and righteous. It’s great to be able to provide

that example of heroics through this character. I’m a guardian of

that, and I don’t take it lightly. And every time I get asked to

voice the role, I feel grateful – each and every time. I hope I keep

getting to do it.

QUESTION:

Has playing Wonder Woman changed you?

SUSAN EISENBERG:

In several ways. I think I’ve grown up with this part. I got this role

10 years ago, and just working alongside my fellow Justice League

actors and with Andrea and Bruce has changed the way I work. And

learning about this universe has changed me. You can’t have a part

like this and not feel changed by it, because it’s enviable to have

this job and play this character. There’s humility attached to that.

You know you’re lucky. And that changes you, also.

QUESTION:

What’s your attraction to voiceover work?

SUSAN EISENBERG:

I grew up doing radio commercials for my father’s business in

Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and I loved it. My father and my sister

worked together – they would write the copy for me, and I would do the

commercials for them. There’s something just so freeing about being

behind a microphone as opposed to in front of a camera. There’s no

worry about your hair or lipstick – on camera you get so

self-conscious. Sure, there’s a self-consciousness in a room

recording with other actors, because you want to be good. That’s just

performance anxiety. I’ll take that any day over that camera and all

those people staring at me. Some people are so natural with the

camera – the can just pretend it’s not there. I am so aware it’s

there.

QUESTION:

What Wonder Woman memorabilia do you have at home?

SUSAN EISENBERG:

I have a lot of pictures and some beautiful cels – all gifts from the

Justice League and Justice League, Unlimited. And some small things

that people have sent me – mugs and little toys and notebooks with her

on the cover. When we first started, we all ran out and bought our

own action figures, so that’s right at the forefront of my bookshelf.

Best of all, I have all the scripts from the series. I keep them in a

big bookshelf in my closet. I’m nostalgic about that stuff. It’s very

sentimental to me to. It was a big deal this job – it really does

mean the world to me. So I kept all the scripts.

QUESTION:

Wonder Woman can fly. Why does she need an invisible plane?

SUSAN EISENBERG:

Because she likes to go in style. And why should she always be flying

when there is a plane that can do it for her? I mean, why not have the

private jet if you can have the private jet? Right? You’re going to

begrudge her a private jet? I don’t think so.

Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros.
Animation, the all-new Justice League: Doom arrives February 28, 2012
from Warner Home Video as a Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack and DVD, On Demand and
for Download. Both the Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack and DVD will include an
UltraViiolet™ Digital Copy.