Jeffrey Wright on ‘What If…?’ and the “Brilliant” ‘The Batman’

To Jeffrey Wright, his What If…? character, The Watcher, is not only the biggest MCU fan, but he’s also the voice of Marvel fans around the world. Similar to Rod Serling’s role on The Twilight Zone, Wright’s character introduces and concludes each episode of Marvel Studios’ first animated series, which explores MCU history through the lens of one moment or choice being changed. But even though he oversees the altered stories taking place across the newly established multiverse, The Watcher cannot and will not interfere in any of these events. Despite being a voice role, Wright developed the character in the same fashion as his live-action characters.

“I tried to find out as much as I could about the character to some extent. Who he is, what he is, what he does, and what he’s capable of, in this case,” Wright tells The Hollywood Reporter. “So I tried to find a voice that reflects all of that. Because he’s this uniquely powerful, all-seeing, sagely presence, I wanted to find a contemporary voice that was fresh but also my version of American, specifically. As Americans, when we look back at films or shows that involve mythology, we tend to think that the voice needs to sound like some Oxford-educated, old, fusty guy in a tudor parlor somewhere. So I wanted to make sure that The Watcher’s voice was not that and was my own.”

Wright is also looking back at the prolonged production of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, in which he plays Gotham City PD’s James Gordon. And while he’s immensely proud of the film itself, he’s just as proud of the cast and crew for taking the necessary precautions to protect each other during the ongoing pandemic.

“It was gothic. It was sleuthful if that’s a word. It was mysterious, and it was tricky. It was tricky because of the conditions that we were working in,” Wright shares. “It was isolating for those of us who were away from home, out of the country, over in London. I experienced more quarantines than I would wish on anyone, going back and forth over the last six months. So it was a pretty dogged one to try to pull off. But what I will say about it too is that it was really gratifying because we all unified around that purpose of doing our jobs, making this film, protecting one another, and getting through it together. And we did. I think we made a brilliant movie, and we did it as a collective that came together as one.”

In a recent conversation with THR, Wright also teases the possibility of The Watcher appearing in live-action MCU projects, and then he reflects on his past projects that have led him to ask the “what if?” question. Plus, he teases Westworld season four, which is currently in production.

So The Watcher is What If…?‘s Rod Serling, as your narration opens and closes each episode. Even though it’s voiceover, did you still approach this character like a live-action character?

Well, I appreciate the Rod Serling reference because that was the one reference that I had in mind. Rod Serling is to The Twilight Zone as The Watcher is to What If…?. Beyond that, yeah, I tried to find out as much as I could about the character to some extent. Who he is, what he is, what he does, and what he’s capable of, in this case. So I tried to find a voice that reflects all of that. Because he’s this uniquely powerful, all-seeing, sagely presence, I wanted to find a contemporary voice that was fresh but also my version of American, specifically. As Americans, when we look back at films or shows that involve mythology, we tend to think that the voice needs to sound like some Oxford-educated, old, fusty guy in a tudor parlor somewhere. (Laughs.) I don’t know why. So I wanted to make sure that The Watcher’s voice was not that and was my own. We talked about trying to find my rhythms and musicality, while making it classical and dramatic. So we talked about all of those elements that would be expected, but doing it on my own terms.

Prior to What If…?, did you and Marvel have any conversations over the years?

No, this was the first invitation, and it was an interesting invitation. So I opened it, I read it, and I RSVP-ed. (Laughs.) I said, “OK, we’ll be there.”

The premise of What If…? is quite relatable since we’ve all wondered how our lives would’ve turned out had a key moment or choice gone differently. In terms of your career, is there a particular moment or turning point that’s made you ponder the “what if?” question?

Not relative to my career, no. I like what I’ve done, I like what I’ve been doing, and I like what I will be doing. I’m all good with that. But maybe outside of my career, there are a couple of things that I might have liked to have steered differently. (Laughs.) Maybe as regards to some other personal choices, but career is all good. (Laughs.)

You have one of the best voices in Hollywood, and even though you were born with this gift, did you still have to learn how to maximize your voice at some point?

Yeah, definitely. It was a combination of things. Early on, working in the theater, the voice is the primary instrument, and that allowed me to build up some muscle and capacity. It really required me to explore what my voice is and what it might be able to do. So there was that, and then there was whiskey and cigarettes when I used to smoke. That probably added some layers to it. (Laughs.) I don’t smoke anymore, but whiskey still adds some notes here and there. (Laughs.) But it’s something that I view in the same way that a musician or singer views their instrument, even though I don’t sing. I have sung in a show or two here and there, but just in terms of playing the written word, particularly in strict voice work like this series, I try to find the music within the character and the music of the language. So it’s a challenge that I dig, and to be able to center it inside my rhythms and my notes is really gratifying when I can pull it off.

At this morning’s press conference, you addressed the possibility of The Watcher appearing in live-action MCU movies or shows. So for the readers who weren’t there, would you mind repeating your answer once more?

(Laughs.) My answer to that is what if? So we’ll see what the multiverse holds.

If you could apply the What If…? premise to one of your existing characters, whose alternate reality would you like to see most?

Oh, wow. Maybe it’s a character that I played in an Ang Lee movie called Ride with the Devil. It’s a civil war movie that I did in 1998; it came out in ’99. And the what if of that is: “What if the studio had actually supported that movie upon its release?” (Laughs.) That was a beautiful film that was entirely abandoned for a couple of odd reasons by the studio at the time. So what if they actually released the movie properly? I could say that one about Basquiat as well. What if they actually kept it in the movie theaters?

Since Disney loves when we ask Jim Gordon-related questions…

(Laughs.)

Can you spare a few adjectives that describe the experience of playing that character in The Batman?

It was gothic. It was sleuthful if that’s a word. It was mysterious, and it was tricky. It was tricky because of the conditions that we were working in. It was isolating for those of us who were away from home, out of the country, over in London. I experienced more quarantines than I would wish on anyone, going back and forth over the last six months. So it was a pretty dogged one to try to pull off. We were working in the teeth of the outbreak, and we were trying to protect ourselves, one another and the production. So it took a lot. But what I will say about it too is that it was really gratifying because we all unified around that purpose of doing our jobs, making this film, protecting one another, and getting through it together. And we did. I think we made a brilliant movie, and we did it as a collective that came together as one. I wish we would do a bit more of that in this country right now to get through this thing. But at the very least, I know we did it on that film set, so I know it can be done if the will is there.

Are Jonah [Nolan] and Lisa [Joy] putting Bernard through the wringer again on Westworld season four?

Of course! (Laughs.) We all get put through the wringer, working on Westworld. And weirdly, we all love it. So it’s a journey every season, and we’re in the middle of this fourth journey now.

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What If…? premieres Aug. 11 on Disney+.