If you are a fan of adult superhero stories, few shows capture depth and unique concepts as well as Invincible. It blends complex characters, nail-biting action, and truly stellar animation to create one of the best shows currently on TV, animated or otherwise. Yet, without the cast giving the show their all, Invincible would not be as compelling or special. A fantastic cast brings the characters to life, making it easy to feel for them and empathize as their world starts crashing around them.
With this in mind, when CGMagazine was given the chance to talk to J.K. Simmons (Omni-Man), Steven Yeun (Mark Grayson/Invincible), and Gillian Jacobs (Eve), I jumped at the opportunity. These actors have had the unenviable task of bringing incredibly iconic characters to the small screen, yet they nailed it, making it hard to imagine another voice behind them. During our call, we got a glimpse into the process of making the show, why they are passionate about their roles, and a taste of their personal love for the medium of comics and animation.
So you’ve been with Invincible from the beginning. What can fans expect from this new season, and what has changed from your perspective?
J. K. Simmons: We can expect an unlikely, and I think highly entertaining and funny, partnership or relationship with Alan the Alien, with whom I find myself in a somewhat confined environment.
Steven Yeun: I think fans can expect more of what makes the show great: watching young people navigate difficult truths, come into themselves, and experience the drama that comes from that. Plus, there will still be plenty of fun beat-em-ups.
Gillian Jacobs: Yeah, and one of my favourite things about Robert’s writing and the way this show evolves is that everything that happens previously still lingers, and you’re still feeling the consequences of it. So, where we begin this season will feel connected to where we end. We’re still dealing with what happened in season 2, and the story will take off from there. You’ll know where we are when we start, if that makes sense.
Amazing. Invincible has a truly star-studded cast, but since it’s animated, you don’t have the same on-set dynamic. How has the camaraderie of the cast come together compared to other movies or shows you’ve worked on?
J. K. Simmons: More of a challenge in a way that certainly, at times, we did have during season one, the opportunities when I was in California more Mark and Sandra, and I were able to get together and actually record scenes together, which is rare in this kind of show. I never got into a room with Seth [Rogan] at the same time, and we interact a lot in season three. But even just having the recording after he has recorded is a fun advantage for me, really, to be able to go, “Okay, this is how the other character is responding.” You always sort of imagine the readings of all those lines.
I think that really helps, especially—well, maybe not. I was going to say, especially with comedy, but with whatever the scenes are, it’s always good to know what the other character is doing ahead of time. But yeah, there are aspects I kind of miss. It’d be fun to be doing this live-action, but there would just be so much work cleaning up the blood if we were doing it live.
Gillian Jacobs: Yeah, it’s really fun. There are people on this show I’ve known for so long, but maybe I haven’t worked with them directly before. I still don’t feel like I have, because of the nature of the show. Walton Goggins, for example, was one of the first people I ever met in LA, and Jason Mantzoukas and I have done so many podcasts together over the years. Even when we’re not recording together, you still have a sense of who they are as performers, and there’s that familiarity and excitement to be part of this group.
So, it’s definitely unique, recording by yourself, but you just know how talented the cast is. You trust that everything will come together, and it always does.
Steven Yeun: Unfortunately, we don’t get to record together as often as we should, and a lot of us are isolated in our own booths. But as Gil has said, the cast is really wonderful. I’ve known Gil for a while, though I don’t get to see her as often as I’d like. Whenever we drop in, it’s like, “What’s up?” There’s this shared understanding that we’re all contributing to something we believe in, and I think that’s what brings us together.
Fair enough. You’ve been part of many adaptations in the past. Did you have any favourite comics, animations, or video games before taking these roles, or did your involvement in them spark a new appreciation?
J. K. Simmons: Well, obviously, Omni-Man and Invincible in this universe are my favourites of all time—I mean, they really kind of are because there are just infinite possibilities. We’re in multiple timelines now and everything else. There are so many interesting and unusual characters and blends of kinds of characters that the possibilities really do seem endless. To be perfectly honest, and I’ve said this before, when I was a kid, I wasn’t a big comic book guy, but I had one cousin who was a total comic book nerd. He introduced me to Spider-Man, and full disclosure, Spider-Man was my favourite as a kid.
Steven Yeun: I’m a single-trade paperback kind of person. I enjoy one-off stories. For example, Pride of Baghdad is really good. I went through all the Locke & Key stuff. Criminal is really great. There’s just so much good stuff that I’m a fan of.
Awesome.
Gillian Jacobs: I worked on this documentary and learned about so many comics I had never heard of before, some of which had short runs. One character I really liked from a short run was Dakota North, a Marvel character. I’m a fan of that. I also got to interview the creators of Power Pack, which was an 80s Marvel series about a superhero family of siblings. It’s really sweet and cute.
Let me think… I’ve also had the honour of voicing Harley Quinn a few times. I loved Batman: The Animated Series when I was a kid. I watched Batman: The Animated Series all the time, so being part of that world in any way is really fun. Yeah, there are so many. Is that enough?
That’s good!
Gillian Jacobs: Okay.
Now, to wrap up, what about voice acting keeps you coming back, and how do you personally prepare for roles?
J. K. Simmons: Well, voice acting—you don’t have to shave. You don’t even have to shower, really. No time in the makeup chair. It’s a piece of cake. No, really, my favorite thing about voice acting, other than the simplicity of it, is the limitless possibilities. I’m not one of those geniuses like Tom Kenny, Billy West, Dan Castellaneta, Hank Azaria, or John DiMaggio who can do a thousand different voices. John DiMaggio joins us this season on Invincible.
I have a range from one to ten instead of one to a million, but it’s fun to explore and play characters that an average 70-year-old white guy wouldn’t normally be able to play. When you do animation, you can play pretty much anybody.
Steven Yeun: Voice acting is really different, but I enjoy it. I love being in the booth, isolated in my own experience. If anything, voice acting has taught me to embrace a level of shamelessness that I really appreciate. When you’re in front of the camera, it’s hard because you’re surrounded by people, and you don’t want to let anyone down. It’s difficult to ask, “Can I do that again?”
But in voice acting, you’re just throwing things out there quickly, with no shame about whether they’re good or bad. You’re just doing it. In that way, it feels meditative—not to get too esoteric about it—but you’re allowed to just say things and see how they turn out without feeling shame. That’s been really great about voice acting.
Gillian Jacobs: Yeah, it’s something I consciously pursued years ago. I decided I wanted to do it, so I auditioned for many things, most of which I didn’t get. But I find it really fun as an actor. It’s that sense of play and fun, which goes back to my original love for acting—doing theatre games and exercises in class. For some reason, voice acting feels like that to me, so I seek it out. I watched so many animated shows as a kid, and those performances really stay with you. Yeah, so when I was starting out, do you remember the show Aqua Teen Hunger Force? Did you guys ever watch it?
Steven Yeun: Oh, yeah, I love it.
Of course!
Gillian Jacobs: I was like, “Can I be on Aqua Teen Hunger Force?” And they put me in one episode. It was like, “Oh my God, I’m in Aqua Teen Hunger Force!” I watched so many Adult Swim shows, and maybe it’s that little kid part of you that gets excited—like, “Oh my God, I’m in an animated show now!”
Steven Yeun: The same way, totally.
Awesome, thank you all so much for taking the time to talk to us.
Gillian Jacobs: Thank you.
Steven Yeun: Thank you.
J. K. Simmons: Yeah, me too. Thanks.
