With Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, DC’s animated universe concludes the ongoing story of that has been building over the last six years of films by bringing together a huge ensemble cast for the final battle.
Out now on digital platforms with a phyiscal release planned for May 19, this enormous team-up is anchored by Superman, Constantine, and Raven, the latter being voiced by successful film actor Taissa Farmiga.
Better known for her roles in films like The Mule, her Broadway work with Ed Harris in Buried Child, and her stint on American Horror Story, Farmiga has provided the voice of Raven for DC for several years of animated films. She’s also currently cast in HBO’s highly anticipated project The Gilded Age.
Newsarama talked to Farmiga to find out more about her voice work as Raven, why she accepted this role amid her live action work, and what readers can expect from Raven in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.
Newsarama: Taissa, you have quite a following as an actress in films and TV series, but a lot of people aren’t aware that you do this voice work for DC’s animated films and are surprised by it. With such a successful acting career, what drew you toward doing voice work and playing a superhero like Raven?
Taissa Farmiga from ‘The Nun’
Credit: Warner Bros.
Taissa Farmiga: I mean, truthfully, it’s surprising to me too sometimes. I kind of forget, because … you know, voice acting and filming a live action film are so different. You know, when I went to go film The Nun, I was in Romania for two months and I filmed almost every day. You’re putting in those 14- to 16-hour days, and you can feel it. You have to live through it.
And when I go to record the dialogue for Raven, usually, the first ADR session is just a seven-hour session where I record all the dialogue. And then I don’t hear from anybody for about a year, until they want me to come back and start doing things like, you know, fix a few lines and make all the punching noises and the grunts and all the movement noises and stuff like that.
So it’s funny to remember, oh wait! I’m a superhero? Damn, that’s pretty cool.
Nrama: And Raven is probably one of the coolest.
Farmiga: I think so!
Nrama: So when you started, did you know much about her?
Farmiga: When I was a kid, I loved watching Teen Titans on Cartoon Network. So I grew up loving Raven. She and Beast Boy were my favorite characters.
I kind of grew up with Teen Titans. I didn’t really read the comics or anything like that, so I’m not too knowledgeable in that field. But I do remember loving Raven as a character.
So when I got the offer to play her, five or six years ago – to voice her – yeah, I was in shock. I couldn’t believe it. I was like, wait, no! This is surreal! They’re not actually asking me.
But you read the script, and then you have to do a little bit of research to figure out what the backstory is.
A few actors have gotten to voice Raven over the years, and for me, I really wanted to go in there and take what I love about her – her black-and-white outlook on life and her sarcasm and her quick wit and her intelligence – and take that in, but I didn’t want to mimic anybody. I didn’t want to try to recreate anything.
I was excited to go in and just kind of see what happens. And luckily, I got to work with Wes Gleason, who’s been the voice director for all three films, and he’s just so wonderful. He knows how to give a guiding hand and get you exactly where you need to be, where you feel good about the character.
Nrama: What is Raven’s role in this film?
Farmiga: In this movie in particular, Raven takes on a bit of a leadership role. Clark Kent finds her in the nick of time and they join together to try to figure out how to take down Darkseid, after the first war went … not in the direction they were hoping, and the Earth has been decimated. There’s kind of a hopelessness looming over the world, and they’ve got to figure out what to do next.
So Raven comes in and takes her realist approach to it, and she’s like, this is what we have to do. And she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get the world back on track.
Nrama: That’s a message we could all use right now. But as you play Raven as a voice actor, have you ever thought about becoming the live action version of her someday? We’ve seen it with other actors, going back and forth from live action to voice. Would that be something you’d like to do?
Farmiga: Oh, man, absolutely! I feel like that would be the ultimate Halloween costume, but you get to live in it for months! I would be so gung ho to do that.
Nrama: But with the state of the world right now, I would assume voice work is probably able to continue somewhat, where live action has taken a break?
Farmiga: Well, I can’t speak for the industry. But I think a friend of mine, I actually saw that she said she was kind of, like, recording at home. They sent her a set-up and she was recording some of it at home.
But you know, I think in this day and age, and with everything going on, I think we’re going to have to find some creative solutions to make it all work.
Nrama: I think this situation will probably delay The Gilded Age, the series set in New York that you’re doing for HBO. I know a lot of fans of Julian Fellows are looking forward to the series. How was The Gilded Age affected? Was it put on hold?
Farmiga: Yeah, actually, I had been in New York, and we got through a month of pre-production. And we were just about to start filming, and then everything with COVID-19 and the pandemic halted everything.
So we didn’t actually get to start filming the season yet, which is actually, I think, a blessing in disguise, because whenever we do go back – knock wood – we’ll kind of get to start all over again together.
Nrama: Anything you can tell people about The Gilded Age series?
Farmiga: I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say, but I will say that I think the audience – if they loved Downton Abbey, they’re just going to get everything they want from The Gilded Age.
Nrama: Then to finish up, is there anything else you want to tell fans about Justice League Dark: Apokolips War?
Farmiga: I feel extremely grateful to be able to be a part of it. I know I’m just a tiny piece of the puzzle, but it’s nice to do my part and do what I have to do, just like Raven does.