Tonight’s episode of the Cartoon Network’s Thundercats features the long-awaited return of fan-favorite character Panthro, and playing him is prolific voice actor Kevin Michael Richardson. How many others can say they’ve played Cleveland Jr., Wolverine, G.I. Joe’s Roadblock, Kilowog, Tombstone, The Joker, Bishop, The Martian Manhunter, Jabba the Hut, Barney Rubble, and one of the most powerful Thundercats?
We were able to speak with Mr. Richardson earlier this week about the return of Panthro, and if this interview doesn’t convince you to tune in at 8:30 tonight, then… you just must not be into the Thundercats.
Please do not reproduce this interview onto other websites; instead, just place a link to KSiteTV! Questions to Mr. Richardson are posted in bold; his answers are not.
This isn’t the first time you’ve played a very iconic role that was portrayed by someone else in a previous generation. Is that a challenge for you, and do you still try to give it your own flair while being true to what we’ve seen before?
It definitely can be a challenge, because unless the producers want you to imitate exactly what the person did, but yeah, there’s definitely a challenge, hoping that they’d like what you do, or whatever your choices are for the character.
That definitely can be a little bit challenging, but that’s worth it, because the payoff, especially if you get the role, is that you get to play this guy. You definitely earned it. You didn’t try to come up with something exactly like someone previously did it.
What kind of approach were you told to give with Panthro, or what approach did you choose to take?
They basically said “give us your take on it.” And I said “okay.” So I decided to go with a no-nonsense, very serious, gruff, authoritive type, but not yelly… not too yelly all the time. He has a very subdued way of delivering his lines. That kind of thing. I just wanted to give him that gravitas without just being a typical “get in here and do your homework!” sort of thing. I just wanted to give him a little bit of a control to him. He’s definitely a no-BS type of guy, and after reading the dialogue – I can’t remember exactly what the words were – it just kind of flowed through me, and that’s the voice I came up with for him.
What kind of situation is in Panthro when we first see him again?
It’s definitely one of those “nick of time” situations, where the team definitely needs him. It’s not just him. He’s got his nunchuks and his Thunder Tank, which I must say, is bad ass. It’s going to be one of those entrances that’s going to be quite memorable.
Were you surprised when you got the early scripts only to find that your character didn’t come around until the fourth episode?
That’s probably why they didn’t send me the earlier scripts! [laughs] I was in – was it the second or the third one, where he comes in but he’s really disguised? That was a little bit of a teaser. So, I didn’t know what was going on. I was told “Hey Kevin, you’re Panthro. By the way, you’re not going to be recording for a couple of episodes.” I was like “Oh! Okay… I hope that’s not a bad thing.” But it was definitely worth it, how they slowly bring him in. Because you’re not sure if he’s dead. What’s going on? Is Mumm-Ra really playing to be him the whole time? So, it’s definitely worth the wait to see how they introduce him.
Were you aware of the fan outcry that happened on premiere night on Twitter, when everyone thought Panthro had died in the first episode?
No. I heard rumors, but I had no idea.
What is it about Panthro as a character that works for you?
He’s cool, man. Panthro’s a cool guy and he’s a good guy. I love playing good guys. People always ask me to play monsters or creatures or play the tough guy or the bad guy, but I really love playing the good guys. I like playing the heroes, and to me, Panthro’s a hero. He’s tough, he’s got his edge to him, he has nunchuks, he drives a bad-ass tank…. what’s not to like?
What is the usual Thundercats recording session like for you?
It was great. Will Friedle, Robin Atkin Downs, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Matt Mercer, just a high-powered cast of characters… these actors that are just so talented. I think Will does a great job playing Lion-O. Will has actually written a couple of scripts, too, so he’s a very talented young man. It’s just fun to see these folks. There are shows that I’ve done where you just kind of want to go to sleep. There’s no energy. Once in a blue moon that’ll happen, but this is completely the opposite with this cast. It’s a lot of fun. Their energy is great, and they’re fun to be around. Really nice folks to be around.
Is Panthro older than the other Thundercats?
I think Panthro is a little more battle-ridden, if you will. He has more battle scars than the other Panthro. He’s been through the sh*t, if you will, a lot moreso than the original one has, and you can see it through his battle scars, and definitely his attitude. So they might have put a couple of years of ’em.
Does that mean we’ll be seeing him in any of the flashback stories that the writers have made references to?
Yes. Absolutely. Yes. You’ll see a few. I don’t want to give away too much, but you will definitely see him in some flashback episodes.
You’ve mentioned the Thunder Tank twice now. What is the new Thunder Tank like?
Oh, man. While being respectful and very close to the original, they definitely pimped it out. It’s faster. It’s badder. It’s got more juice. And it just looks sweet, man. It’s very sweet. It definitely has a lot more kick. It’s nice looking. It’s just really nice looking, and it’s basically an upgraded version of the original. I guess you could say it’s the original Thunder Tank on steroids.
You seem to be doing a lot of recurring voice roles right now. Is that ever hard to juggle or schedule?
Yes. Sometimes, especially with recurring characters, once you do a character on a regular basis, like say Cleveland Jr., it’s easy to come back week to week and remember what you’re doing. So if you’re doing a recurring role on different shows, sometimes maybe you’ll do three episodes consecutively, and then you won’t be there for a month or two… [then] I tend to forget what exactly I sounded like for the role they cast me in.
So they make you listen to it again?
Right. Sometime they’ll play it back, and I’ll remember, and I’ll say to myself too “Wow. I played that?” I know it’s me, but I’ll completely forget that I did the voice. Sometimes I don’t believe it’s me! But it is, and I just recreate it, and come back and do it. That can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, especially if you have a busy schedule, but that’s a quality problem, if you will.
Are we going to have any more Martian Manhunter coming up on Young Justice soon?
Yes! That’s what they said. They said they’re bringing me in, and I think I was playing Green Lantern on that as well, and some other characters. But yeah. I think there will definitely be some more [Martian Manhunter] coming in.
You’re also doing Kilowog in the upcoming Green Lantern animation, is that true?
Yes. Yes, I am.
If there’s someone who hasn’t seen Thundercats yet, or perhaps they’ve been holding out to see Panthro… why should they tune in on Friday?
I say to tune in because it’s a very cool episode, and Panthro’s entrance is definitely pretty cool. And if you don’t like it, you come to L.A., tell me where you are, I’ll buy you dinner or something. A pizza. Chicken wings. Anything! Just watch the episode!
See a gallery of images from Panthro’s return episode here at KSiteTV!
