Last week at the premiere of “Justice League: Throne of Atlantis,” I got a chance to talk to some of the cast and creators of the upcoming DC animated film. I had the privilege of interviewing the film’s star, Matt Lanter (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), who voices Arthur Curry aka Aquaman. I asked him a few questions about the film and I also asked him what his thoughts were on Jason Momoa playing the live-action version of Aquaman.
Q: You’ve voiced Anakin Skywalker, Venom, Flash Thompson and now Aquaman. What is it like to play the king of Atlantis?
“It’s pretty incredible. I mean, he’s a superhero. It doesn’t matter what superhero it is, anytime you get to voice a superhero, it’s freakin’ awesome. So uh…yeah, I’m really pumped that this is Aquaman’s origin story and hopefully this helps bring Aquaman to a place with fans, that the people all loving seeing. I think that people have a bit of a craving for Aquaman and I hope that this quinces that and facilitates them wanting to see more.”
Q: What can we expect from Aquaman in the film?
“Well, a lot of this film is really more about Arthur Curry than it is Aquaman in this point. Obviously it’s his origin story, so a lot of the film we see him as Arthur Curry, a normal guy. We see him then kind of be approached with this idea of being a superhero and being very unresponsive to it in a way, a very realistic response. So, we see a lot of that and just kind of towards the end, we see him become Aquaman and who he might be in the future. I just think it’s really exciting. It’s a realistic approach. It’s not first minute he’s wearing a cape and he’s a superhero, it doesn’t go like that. I really like that about it.
Q: Why do you think that Aquaman gets such a bad rep? Though, he’s starting to get a little respect now.
“I really don’t know. I mean, I think that on paper, maybe his powers do not seem as cool as let’s just say Superman, but I think that that’s up to us to show him in a way that ‘no, no, this guy is awesome.’ He can be freakin’ awesome and he can hold his own with these other guys, these other superheroes and he’s an asset to the Justice League. And I think as soon as people see that, then they’ll be on board.”
Q: So now they are supposed to be making a live-action Aquaman movie, how do you think Jason Momoa will do as Aquaman?
“I don’t know. I mean he’s a talented actor, I really like him as an actor. I love him in ‘Game of Thrones.’ I think he’s amazing. It’s a pretty odd departure from what Aquaman traditionally looks like but I don’t know. I can see it working…it’s maybe a much grittier choice, which seems to be a trend in the last several years with superhero movies. I’m excited for it.”
Own “Justice League: Throne of Atlantis” Jan. 27.