Michael Ironside has always sought out multi-layered and unique projects, bringing a sophisticated approach to each role he’s played — just don’t call him a fan of method acting. The Toronto native told /Film’s own Steven Prokopy, that what he looks for in a script is, “depth, something that has more than one layer or one message.” And when it comes to voiceover work, he’s applied that same approach, explaining how he breaks down a character to find “six to eight levels of emotion.” Speaking about the “Splinter Cell” video games, in which he voices protagonist Sam Fisher, Ironside said, “If they’re violent characters I base them on fear.”
That approach is evident in his performances as Darkseid, who he plays with a palpable air of menace. But behind the scenes, it turns out he was actually having a ball. As he told Collider:
“It is kind of fun to get in a room with a bunch of other actors and have the freedom of not being watched so you can sort of take risks with a character like Darkseid or the Sam Fisher character in those ‘Splinter Cell’ things. It’s fun to work. It really is. It’s not all just hit your mark, take your money, and go home. It’s fun. It’s creative. It’s challenging. You get to meet great people.”
It’s becoming more and more evident that not all actors can make the switch from physical performance to voice acting, and often trying to shoehorn celebrities into films by having them do voice work is a terrible idea. But for Ironside, it was just another challenge to overcome, and he proved the extent of his talent by not just delivering affecting performances over multiple years of the DCAU’s run.