Criminal investigation meets Greek mythology when current primetime
television stars David McCallum and Marg Helgenberger assume the
voices of Zeus and Hera, respectively, for "Wonder Woman," the next
entry in the popular series of DC Universe animated original PG-13
films.
CSI, NCIS STARS MARG HELGENBERGER & DAVID MCCALLUM BRING GREEK
MYTHOLOGY TO ANIMATED LIFE IN DC UNIVERSE MOVIE "WONDER WOMAN"
Criminal investigation meets Greek mythology when current primetime
television stars David McCallum and Marg Helgenberger assume the
voices of Zeus and Hera, respectively, for "Wonder Woman," the next
entry in the popular series of DC Universe animated original PG-13
films.
Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation are set to
release the all-new "Wonder Woman" on March 3, 2009, distributed by
Warner Home Video. The animated original movie will also be available
OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download day and
date, March 3, 2009.
McCallum, known to current TV audiences as Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard
in the hit CBS series "Navy NCIS (Navel Criminal Investigative
Service)," adds "Wonder Woman" to an animation resume that already
includes the DC Universe movie "Batman Gotham Knight" and TV series
"Ben 10" and "The Replacements." Animation is but a side gig for
McCallum, though, the actor having achieved legendary status for his
two best known roles – in film as Lt.-Cmdr. Eric Ashley-Pitt in "The
Great Escape" and on TV as super spy Illya Kuryakin in "The Man From
U.N.C.L.E." During his 62-year career, McCallum has played many
notable characters in fanboy TV favorites like "Jeremiah," "The Outer
Limits" (1963-64 & 1997), "Babylon 5," "SeaQuest DSV, "Alfred
Hitchcock Presents," "The A-Team," "The Invisible Man" and "Night
Gallery," to name a few.
Helgenberger is an anchor for the patriarch of CBS' current crime
lineup, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." The actress is approaching
her 200th episode as Catherine Willows, the series' female lead.
Helgenberger , remembered for her breakthrough, Emmy Award-winning
performance in "China Beach," is no stranger to the sci-fi genre,
having starred in "Species" and its sequel on the big screen. The 2005
People's Choice Award winner as "Favorite Female Television Star" has
been seen in a variety of roles ranging from feature films ("Erin
Brockovich," "Bad Boys," "Always") to top-rated TV series ("ER,"
"thirtysomething," "Frasier").
And now, McCallum and Helgenberger get to play gods. The two
highly-regarded performers answered a few brief questions during their
recording sessions for "Wonder Woman." Here's what they had to say …
QUESTION: You've played a number of interesting roles, but what's your
take on voicing a god?
MARG HELGENBERGER: Well, as the saying goes, behind every great man is
an even greater woman. I guess playing Hera means that I'm, well, not
only Queen of the Gods, I'm better than he is! [she laughs]
DAVID MCCALLUM: I played Julius Caesar in a Central Park version of
the Shakespeare play, and just before that I was the emperor in
"Amadeus" on Broadway. So when my acting friends heard I was Zeus,
they said "Ah, you're following your New York career."
QUESTION: You're fairly busy with a hit TV series, so what made you
say "yes" to recording for an animated film?
MARG HELGENBERGER: I think the cast was enticing. Not that I was
going to be playing opposite most of them, but just to be in their
company. And being married to Zeus was kind of fun – he is the god of
all gods in Greek mythology. Voicing acting is usually fun, though –
I've even asked my agents about narrating books on tape. I'm very
curious about that world. I'm a fan of documentaries, as well, and the
voice kind of makes it right. Mostly for me, though, it's all about
the acting –you don't have to get hair and makeup and the whole bit.
You just can have fun with the acting.
DAVID MCCALLUM: Radio has always been my first love, and this is as
close to that performance as you can get. One of my favorite things
when I was younger was to listen to radio dramas, and there are none
now. They would do three-hour plays on radio – this was before
television, of course. So doing these films is a lot like those
performances.
I love doing animation – mainly because you get to over-act. They're
always saying "more," "louder," "bigger," "huger" and you just turn it
lose. Andrea's (Romano) reputation proceeds her as Numero Uno so it's
always good to work with her. Plus, doing animation voiceovers, I have
learned so much, and it's always good in your career to discover
something you didn't know, and to learn to do things differently. So
it's been a fascinating experience.
Most importantly, though, I have a grandson who thinks this is the
greatest thing I've ever done. When I did "Ben 10," I really didn't
know anything about "Ben 10." But when I went back to visit my son
Pierre and told him what I'd just done, he said "You did a Ben 10?!?"
and then he started yelling out to my grandson, "Luca, Luca, come
here, Granddaddy did a 'Ben 10' show." You suddenly discover you're
gratte-cul with a five-year-old, and that's pretty cool."
QUESTION: Are you or were you a comic book fan?
MARG HELGENBERGER: The comic books I read when I was much younger
were the goofy ones like "Archie" and "Betty & Veronica." I think
there was one called "Nancy and Sluggo." I did actually date a comic
book artist briefly during the 1980s. I was living in New York and he
lived in my building. I'd bump into him in the elevator and he'd been
(awake) for three days straight, hovering over his drawing board. He
had this whole odd world in his mind, and it was pretty fascinating. I
was very impressed.
DAVID MCCALLUM: I think the comic books that I grew up with, The Beano
and the Dandy and Desperate Dan, I really loved those back in the day.
And during World War I, there was a detective comic I used to read in
the Daily Express or Daily Mail. And of course, I loved going to the
local Odeon on Saturday mornings for the show and they always had a
cartoon. Those are my memories of comics as a kid.
QUESTION: "Wonder Woman" offers a pretty strong female role model. Are
females represented enough on screen yet, or are we still building
that foundation?
MARG HELGENBERGER: Television is a medium that's incredibly strong for
actresses – far more than feature films. There are so many
opportunities for all of us to portray all different types of women –
particularly women of great strength, real women with wonderful souls.
But in terms of the action heroines, there's not enough of them. When
I think about all the action heroines in film, the ones that stand out
to me are actresses and roles and films like Sigourney Weaver in
"Aliens," and the French film "La Femme Nikita," and certainly Linda
Hamilton in the "Terminator" movies. I guess my son would probably
point out the "Resident Evil" films. But I think we need more of those
characters. Maybe now that we're into the 21st Century, there will be
a lot more of them.
QUESTION: Does working in this medium have any other special
significance for you?
DAVID MCCALLUM: It's fascinating for me because when I did "The Man
From U.N.C.L.E." it was over at Metro (Goldwyn Mayer). Right next to
where I had my little dressing room suite was MGM Animation, and just
to sort of walk by there every day and know that all those incredible
characters came from them was fascinating. I've always appreciated the
work that goes into animated productions and I enjoy being part of
that creativity.
Please visit the film's official website at www.wonderwomanmovie.com
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