“I remembered it giving me chills”: Kevin Conroy Went God Mode in 1 Tragic Batman Scene That Made His Co-Star Get Goosebumps Witnessing Greatness
Ever since Batman: The Animated Series premiered, the fandom has not stopped singing its praises while hailing Bruce Timm as one of the best animation showrunners for DC. From the casting to crafting every scene with intense thought, the show is perfect from every angle. What followed was a great movie by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm, called Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.
Kevin Conroy reprised his role as Batman and gave the voice performance of his lifetime. Nobody could have emulated the iconic Caped Crusader better than the legendary actor. After multiple rounds of auditions, a trick of fate joined the paths of Conroy with Timm who eventually found the perfect Batman.
Kevin Conroy’s Chilling Performance as Batman
In one of the scenes of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman has to kneel before the Wayne gravestones and struggle with the conflict of his vigilante mission and his love for Andrea Beaumont. The scene was so intense that Kevin Conroy had to totally transport himself to an emotional point in his life to deliver the lines well. After he recorded the monologue, he left actor Dana Delany and casting director Andrea Romano awestruck at his performance.
In a conversation with Empire, casting director Romano claimed,
“I put my arms around him after he recorded that scene. And said, ‘I don’t know where you went in your emotional history to find what you needed for this scene. But thank you for going there, because it’s exactly right.”
Andrea Beaumont was voiced by Delany, who further agreed with Romano and added,
“I remember it giving me chills. You knew that there was truth happening. It was really beautiful.”
Bruce Timm’s Batman: Mask of the Phantasm charts an emotional journey for Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, as he processes the loss of his parents, transitions into the mighty Caped Crusader, and even finds a love interest who makes him question his purpose in life. The animated movie has been heralded as one of the best Batman stories to date.
Andrea Beaumont was written just for Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Beaumont’s character is not one we find recurring often in the Batman comics. Reportedly, she was written specifically for this movie to show the turning point in Bruce Wayne’s life as he rethinks his vigilante mission and comes to terms with the truth of his life. Moreover, this was Delany’s first major acting role that she enjoyed thoroughly. She expressed,
“I went in kind of naive about the whole thing, but the writing was so good. And I remember just getting simpler and simpler and going deeper and deeper. Until you didn’t feel like you were doing animation.”
After the animated movie garnered massive success and acclaim, Delany went on to voice Lois Lane in future DC animated projects. Fans miss that era of DC animation where every story had unique perspectives and every voice actor was perfectly cast in their respective roles. The animated projects since then have not been the same.
