Andrea Romano has worked on an impressive array of animated shows, from “Ben 10” to “Animaniacs,” and from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” to “Spongebob Squarepants.” But her work on Bruce Timm’s animated shows is perhaps her most significant, if only for how much she helped shape the final products.
For the 25th anniversary of “Superman: The Animated Series,” DC looked back on the show that reinvented the Man of Steel for the ’90s, gathering voice actors Tim Daly (Superman), Dana Delany (Lois Lane), and Clancy Brown (Lex Luthor) to reflect on the show’s impact. Alongside the cast, Romano was on-hand to provide her insights — she praised the voice actors for their willingness to “put themselves on the line the way they do for every audition,” and recalled how she would tell the cast that she “would not let voices go out sounding bad. I wouldn’t allow them to be embarrassed by the work we were doing.”
Romano, who has voiced minor characters in various shows herself over the years, is clearly a champion of voice actors and has real respect for the work she oversees. That led to a supportive and fun recording environment, particularly on “Superman: TAS.” As Romano recalled: “There was such comradery in the recording studio, that the reputation got out. Agents heard from their actors, who said, ‘I heard that it’s really fun to be on a Superman episode, would you please submit me?’ It all worked out so very nicely that way. We ended up with a bunch of fabulous actors who had a good time, and that’s always fun.”
So crucial to the success of the show was Romano, that the voice actors “all agreed that [she] was the lynchpin that held everything together.”