Amanda Troop Talks 'The Death of Superman', Maggie Sawyer, and More

ON MAGGIE SAWYER and 'BATWOMAN'

ComicBook.com: You are the voice of Maggie Sawyer in The Death of Superman. The CW recently announced that they are developing a Batwoman television series for their Arrowverse of DC shows. As Maggie Sawyer has factored into Batwoman's story in comics, what are your thoughts on this upcoming Batwoman series?

Amanda Troop: I'm very excited to hear that Batwoman's story is coming to a major TV network—we're finally starting to see more inclusion in our entertainment; it's definitely time for the media we watch to reflect the diversity of our population. Sawyer was one of the first openly gay characters in a mainstream comic franchise. In one of her timelines, she even has a relationship with Batwoman. If Sawyer gets to be part of the new Batwoman series as a potential romantic interest, that would be awesome.

Have you seen Supergirl? What do you think of their take on Maggie?

I haven't seen Supergirl! I know I should fix that. There's so much excellent television these days, it's hard to keep up.

How did you prepare for your role as Maggie Sawyer?

I researched her character online and read "Metropolis S.C.U.,". I also did my typical preparation for voice role which includes breaking down the scenes, looking at relationships and environment, and thinking of how this character might react in a given scenario.

[Additional photo credits: Hair & Makeup: Allison Noelle, Clothing: Pin-up Girl ]

ON BEING PART OF VARIOUS DC ANIMATED PROJECTS

Your role as Maggie marks your second character in the general world of Batman as you were the voice of Gladys Windsmere in Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts and Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem. What is different (or the same!) about your experiences with these characters?

Fantastic voice director Wes Gleason cast me in all of these films — he's incredible to work with and I'm grateful that he's brought these roles my way. The characters themselves are very different. Gladys comes from old money, is a long time friend of the Wayne family and loves to gossip, she could not be more different from Maggie Sawyer. However, they are both strong and smart women, so they do have that in common! What is most different and significant is that Gladys Windsmere was a new character in the DC Universe. She was a voice that had never been heard before, but Maggie Sawyer has decades of history. It was the first time for me where I got to play a character that was older, or around the same age, as the version of the character I was portraying. Maggie first appeared in 1987 and I imagine her to be around 30-35 years old. There's an actual lifetime of history to honor and I tried to do so!

ON WHAT TO EXPECT FROM 'THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN'

Can you tell us a little bit of what about what fans can expect in The Death of Superman?

It's a beautifully animated film, with excellent acting, dynamic fight choreography and strong character development. The creators wanted to give the audience the chance to fall in love with Superman all over again, so when the defining incident of the film occurs you feel that loss more acutely. It's unexpectedly brutal at times, but also has great moments of levity to offset the heaviness threat. There's also a hilarious scene that takes place at a meeting of the Justice League— it's probably my favorite scene in the film.

ON BEING PART OF 'THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN

What was your favorite part about working on The Death of Superman?

One thing I've heard again and again is that Death of Superman was a first comic to many lifelong fans. It's an honor to be part of a pivotal and defining story.

With The Death of Superman being one of the biggest mainstream comic books of all time, did you feel any pressure in making the movie?

It didn't really sink in for me until after the fact. I always strive to be prepared, so there's a normal amount of pressure that I'm used to in order to perform at my best. When I went in to record I was excited to work and I was focused on the materials. At the time I wasn't thinking about the scale of the story itself and the impact it's had in comic book history.

ON BEING OTHER SUPERHEROES

If you could do the voice of any superhero, which superhero would it be?

There are a number of superheroes I love -- Rogue, for her ability to take on any power, Elasti Girl, because she's so capable and unflappable, but I'm going to go ahead and throw Hermione Granger into the mix here too, she basically saves everyone in the Harry Potter series. If I had to choose, it's going to be Squirrel Girl. She's funny and resilient, plus who doesn't love squirrels?! For an anti-hero, I would love to voice Harley Quinn someday.

If you could do the live action version of any superhero, who would it be?

My mind is exploding with possibilities. Part of me has always wanted to play Barbara Gordon, either as Batgirl or as Oracle. I do tend towards comedy on-camera though, so then I'm thinking Squirrel Girl. But it would be super cool to be part of a live action version of Saga (Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples). Even though that series is much more about survival than it is about heroes. Ultimately however, I want to be able to do magic, I love the theatre, so… Zatanna.

ON OTHER ROLES AND THE HARRY POTTER ALLIANCE

In addition to your voice work, you've also portrayed a parody version of Hermione Granger in The BAMF Girls Club and are involved with The Harry Potter Alliance. What drew you to get involved with the group?

I'm a pretty big Harry Potter fan (the books, more than the movies)… as in, I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. It's my biggest fandom! When I heard there was a group that was using the principles of the books in doing charitable work, I knew I wanted to get involved in some way. The Harry Potter Alliance believes the strongest power in the world is love, and they're all about building empathy and creating social change through literacy. I'm doing their virtual marathon again this year, where you run 26.2 miles within a month. The cause is Neville Fights Back, which supports maintaining net neutrality. I'm on team Blue and Bronze if you want to join me!

ON HER FAVORITE ROLE

What has been your favorite role?

Through voice work, I've had the privilege of playing all kinds of characters, from aliens, to zombies, to animals, creatures of all kinds. However, as mentioned before, I got to play Hermione Granger once and it was wonderful. I think of myself as a real-life Hermione, so playing her even in parody form, was a dream.