With that question, “What is the experience like?” hanging in the air, Tim Daly made a joke about voicing Superman that had “Today” show anchor Al Roker doubling over in laughter during their interview. He explained:
“I said, well, a lot of it is just these fighting sequences where I make these grunting, straining, groaning noises. And I said, come to think of it, it’s a little disconcerting to think the children of America have a pretty good idea what I sound like in bed. And so Roker fell off his chair laughing and this woman from Warner Brothers was like, ‘Cut. Uh, Tim?’ And they sent me a nice letter telling me, and I said, ‘I’m so sorry, you know, I just, I was, it –- it was a joke, and I didn’t mean it that way, I don’t want to offend anybody,’ but there is a kernel of truth there.”
While Daly’s joke might not seem all that offensive at first, it sounds bad out of context and could be interpreted in a very inappropriate way. Years later, current DC Studios co-chair James Gunn would briefly be fired from his job directing the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies for Marvel Studios when similar old, inappropriate jokes he had made in tweets resurfaced online.
Studios clearly want to keep a lid on anything that might be bad for public relations, and that extends to risqué humor. When casting for “Justice League” took place, Daly was also involved in a one-season TV remake of “The Fugitive,” and this further complicated his availability to return as the voice of Superman. However, he did return later for animated movies like “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies,” so all’s well that ends well.