Veteran voice actor Fred Tatasciore is having a prolific year with several high-profile projects from Warner Animation steadily releasing throughout 2021. From bringing a tragic sense of humanity to the undead supervillain Solomon Grundy in both installments of Batman: The Long Halloween to embracing the brutality of Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat: Battle of the Realms, Tatasciore's performances have run the emotional and moral gauntlet.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, Tatasciore discussed bringing gravitas and menace in his portrayal of Shao Kahn, explained the joys of bringing Solomon Grundy to life, and teased his upcoming superhero role as Captain Atom in the animated adaptation of Injustice.
With Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, you get to play the franchise's big bad Shao Kahn, a warlord that revels in bloody violence. How was it taking on such a major role in the animated film?
Fred Tatasciore: Playing anything iconic is insane. I was shocked and couldn't believe I got the part -- I was so thrilled.
He is an absolute showman, warrior, blood-lusting guy who has an agenda. The key there was to not only play him as juicy as he could get with his villainy but what his point-of-view was and what he's trying to do, his frustration. I equate him to Megatron in a lot of ways, [saying] "The things that should be done are not being done!" It's really fun to play an otherworldly, demonic battle guy. He's a really wonderful warrior.
I feel like the first Mortal Kombat animated film is probably the goriest project you've done yet.
Next to horror movies I've done, absolutely. I would say so.
After seeing the level of violence in the first movie, did that inform your performance coming back for this?
Yes and no, I knew that we were going there. I already sort of knew how the first one was going to be so I knew we had to dig in deep. It informed me what the world was going to be but I still would have played it the same, just give the role some real gravitas and some fear. It was okay to go there and drink some blood and be comfortable with this guy and to live in his skin. [laughs] I knew we were going for a certain vérité.
In addition to Shao Khan, you got to be a different hulking figure as Solomon Grundy in The Long Halloween, who is violent but really more misunderstood. How do you find the Frankenstein in that monster?
I appreciate that and actually prefer that.
I've always enjoyed the humanity of monsters: we call them monsters because they don't have a better name. He was once Cyrus Gold, a dude who was not necessarily a morally right dude but he fell in with some bad folks and ended up being abused and utilized by every villain since then. He really just wants to be left alone in some sense. I felt like I connected to that than somebody who is pernicious. I identify more with that kind of Frankenstein and I love playing those kinds of characters. They really resonate with me. I don't know what it is but there's something sad about Solomon. He's a really unfortunate being and that just gives me license like Of Mice and Men or anything that lets me play it as far as I can go. The fact that he actually has an understanding with Batman is huge and that Batman understands.
I'm a huge Mass Effect fan and it reminds me of your role as Saren. A lot of people see him just as a final boss but he's a guy that didn't know he was being played all along and there's a tragedy in that.
I think you have it exactly right. People have misunderstood [him] for years. He is someone where you have to see the humanity -- I mean, he's alien -- but he's somebody that could've been the good guy. Both Solomon and especially Saren should have been good guys. Saren has been taken over and he's more akin to a Hannibal Lecter that should've been good. He's smart and the tragedy with Saren, he was the first video game character I played with that kind of complexity where I couldn't really call him a villain. He's a boss and an enemy but he definitely had a point-of-view and had to play it out the best way he could and with two ways it could go at the end of the game. One way, he realizes he realizes it's too late, with the great line, "Is submission not preferable to extinction?" He has a lot going on with forces way over his head.
They can check my math but I think, of all the people I've spoken to, you've worked with voice director Wes Gleason the most.
I love that guy! That guy is so much fun and so good at what he does. We have a shorthand in the way we work together and he is just so good and the way he respects what the writers are trying to do -- that's always first. He also knows how to work with us crazy actors. He really is quite exceptional.
You get to play a bonafide superhero in Injustice as Captain Atom, another tragic figure in a world gone horribly, horribly wrong. How was it getting to play that role?
I know! I love playing this guy. There are so many different iterations of him that he has to go through but he takes a side, and he's very efficient.
In siding with the Pentagon and working with Batman and, not giving away too much, it is very strange fighting Superman. I understand the story and I understand why but, in my head, I'm always like, "Oh no!" [laughs] If anything, that's the biggest acting thing for me of all, trying to muster up anything against Superman.
How is it getting to getting to paint with the darker colors as you explore that side of the DC Universe?
It's great because you know the license -- you're just doing cinema vérité. I can draw from these colors now, just like when I'm working on a kids' show. I'm working with primary colors. It's safe but still funny and getting to work with different hues. When I'm working with some shady stuff, now I can bring out certain levels of humanity or inhumanity that was previously covered up. It's great from an acting point-of-view because it's bringing a certain vérité that really works -- cinema vérité into complete surrealism. [laughs]
Batman: The Long Halloween, Parts 1 and 2, and Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms are available now on Digital HD and Blu-ray/4K UHD. Injustice: Gods Among Us will be released on Digital HD and Blu-ray/4K UHD on Oct. 19.