Masters of the Universe: Revelation Interview with Tony Todd

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Masters of the Universe: Revelation Round Table Interview with MOTU Revelation’s Scare Glow, the legendary actor, Tony Todd

Tony Todd MOTU Revelation Interview

SCARE GLOW in episode 104 of MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: REVELATION Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2021

As Masters of the Universe: Revelation nears its premiere date, July 23, 2021, we get to talk more about the series. And what better way to talk about the series than with people in it. We were lucky enough to get to talk with the voice of Scare Glow, legendary actor, and the inspiration for my cousin’s favorite torture tactic of locking me in the bathroom and yelling Candyman two times, Tony Todd. Mr. Todd shares some insights on his role, his career, and life in our wonderful roundtable interview accompanied by some of our other media friends/colleagues. Be sure to like follow and subscribe for more exclusive Masters of the Universe Revelation content.

Masters of the Universe Revelation premieres on Netflix, July 23, 2021. Check out the transcript of our interview below:

Tony Todd

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: REVELATION (L to R) TONY TODD as SCARE GLOW in episode 104 of MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: REVELATION Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2021

Joseph Deckelmeier (Screen Rant): Hello, Mr. Todd, I’m such a huge fan of your work. You have such an iconic filmography behind you. But your character Scare Glow, he has elements of Pennywise the Clown and the Red Skull, from Avengers: Endgame, what did you want to bring to that role that wasn’t on the page?

Tony Todd: A sense of fun, a sense of joy- You know, the thing about playing villains is that you don’t want to hit the villainy head too hard. Most villains think they are completely correct. Whether they’re Darkseid, whether they’re The Fallen, and whether they’re Scare Glow, they are absolutely correct and you are in their way and you are wasting their time. So, when some kid will come up to me at a pop culture event and say ‘Can I just give you my imitation in your character?’

Go ahead. Let it loose, let that inner kid go! So, you know? Just having fun man.

Joseph Deckelmeier (Screen Rant): I love it.

Ray Flook (Bleeding Cool): First off, Mr. Todd thank you for being here. I just wanted to ask, in regards to your character… I’m always curious to see from an actor’s standpoint, how much were you able to bring into the character as opposed to what may have been presented to you? Given the character and connection to the original series, were you given a lot of room to really grow and make it your own?

Tony Todd: Thank you. And yes, particularly because the character wasn’t seen in the original series. We had a little bit less weight placed upon us. Kevin called me and said ‘Tony would you like to come play with this thing?’ I said, ‘Of course! Are you kidding me?’ It’s taken me, I’ve been doing voiceover for -I don’t know- five years. But it took me easily four years to get my first gig. It’s a competitive industry. Once you hit the ground running, hopefully, they keep asking you. I love this character. Scare Glow is great, and I think he’ll be seen continually.

Kevin Fenix (FanboyNation): As a master of fear in your performances, how do you use fear to fuel your performances?

Tony Todd: Through growing up Black in America as an only kid and avoiding gangs. I mean I’ve seen a lot of stuff in my time. Living in New York, growing up in Harbor Connecticut, living in Chicago, living in LA, -uhm- you kn0w- I’m a well-balanced guy. I got cats, I got fish, I got peace and solitude. Because of how I was raised and where I come from, that comes easily. I spend most of the time trying to suppress it because I’m not psychotic. As an actor, I can pull on these things, whether it’s a voiceover, a stage, a movie, or TV, I just choose, pick and choose, once a character speaks to me. Kevin had an original Scare Glow toy figures. He showed it to me, let me hold it, while I was recording. Once I felt his energy, I was able to let it go.

Laura Nowak (We Are Entertainment News): I was wondering since Scare Glow likes to elicit fear in other people, what do you think Scare Glow is afraid of?

Tony Todd: Scare Glow is afraid of being brightly lit.  Because he operates in the night, in the darkness, and in the stuff of nightmares. All you have to do to get rid of him in a crowded movie theater is let the lights come on. He’ll be the guy shrieking in the corner, covering behind his seat, ‘Just give me a cartoon please.’

Tessa Smith (MamasGeeky.com): I’m curious, how much room was there for improvising or was this basically all script?

Tony Todd: No. When you do voiceover, specifically for animation, it’s all script. You got a panel of people, who have been trapped in a writing room eating too many Krispy Kremes or whatever, they’re all jazzed up and the worlds are carefully selected and picked and anointed then given to you. Then when you’re in the booth, sometimes they’ll have alternative lines. But you’re doing lines until you find it, once you find it you do safety takes. The reason why the jobs are so coveted because usually the sessions are no more than an hour, maybe an hour and a half. It’s the best gig in the world. You get up, grab a coffee, get your donut on, and drive out to the Valley and do your thing. It’s a joy. Just like you and your decor [Tessa’s Marvel Pinball Machine], I’m a kid at heart. So, I just want to go and lay all my kid-dom down on the microphone.

Jenna Busch (Vital Thrills) – I would love to know. You’ve been in so many genre properties, and I can’t imagine this would be the first action figure you have. This was such a collectible action figure, it was awesome that Kevin had one. I’d love to know your thoughts whether you’re going to get an action figure and your thoughts on seeing the new version of the character for the first time.

Tony Todd: I can’t to see the new version. I got nieces and nephews that can’t wait. I think this will be, I’m not counting, but I got at least 23 action figures from different characters. So this one is going to have an anointed space in my collection. And one day when I’m in the actors’ retirement home I’ll be the guy who brings out his trunk and they’ll say ‘There he goes again. He’s playing with himself.’ NO! I’m playing with my action figures!

Joseph Deckelmeier (Screen Rant): Mr. Todd, Masters of the Universe has been around for nearly 40 years. Can you talk to me about your experience of the franchise, if you were a fan at all, or anything like that at all?

Tony Todd: When the original came on, I was a hustling actor in New York City. So, I didn’t really have time. I went through a phase when I got my Masters in Theater where I didn’t watch TV or anything related to TV for maybe five years. I was so busy studying and hustling and trying to live on $50 a week. But I was well aware of what pop culture is. Having done a lot of cons, I’ve met a lot of vendors, and I know how huge the toy market is. I’m getting ready to have my first Funko, finally, for that character that begins with a “C.”, I’m looking forward to that. So, yeah man. I appreciate each and every job I get. The thing about me, that keeps me working, is that I’m not jaded. When somebody sends me a script, I look at it as a gift. I don’t know what it’s gonna be, a gift I want to return, a gift I want to keep, or a gift that’s just for me. And so, I look at it like that. I open it and go ‘Oh my god!’ The chance to communicate the passion of a person, or a figure, or a cartoon, with the rest of the world and kids everywhere!

Ray Flook (Bleeding Cool): You mentioned before about being a kid at heart. In those rare moments of downtime between projects, what do you watch? What do you read? What are you listening to that gets you to ease your mind?

Tony Todd: I play guitar. I have a beautiful Gretz Guitar. I love music. I Paint, I write, I cook, and I’m always receiving scripts. And I rescue cats. I currently have two. Just do common things. I do all the anti-villainous things you could possibly think of. Because I am not a villain, I’m just good at playing them. Go figure.

Kevin Fenix (FanboyNation):: You mentioned you have around 23 action figures. Do you have any particular favorite incarnation of any of your characters, whether it be action figure, a mug, or even an oven mit or something?

Tony Todd: I guess the “C” character has gotten the most -What amazes me is that there are so many fan art interpretations of some of my characters and I love that. I’m currently my autobiography and I’m gonna start collecting all this stuff. Because, to me, those are the best homages you can get to your collective work. That and an 8-year-old child coming up to you and saying ‘You want to hear my imitation of you in The Fallen?’ Then I go, ‘Yeah, give it to me!’ Then they’ll take a moment and go [performs imitation]. Then I say, ‘You know what? That is the best version I’ve heard since I recorded it! So, thank you!’

Laura Nowak (We Are Entertainment News): You mentioned you’ve voiced and played a lot in action and horror genres. What excited you the most about playing Scare Glow in this series?

Tony Todd: Kevin Smith and I did a failed pilot a couple of years ago. We really just clicked and liked each other. He called me. And I know his level of excitement and passion. So, I knew it was gonna be something that’s just a knock-off. And look at where we are now. This massive universe of Revelation is widely anticipated and expected and beloved, hopefully. And so far, the journalist I’ve talked to, the people I’ve talked to, who’ve seen the show -appropriately- love it! I hope that continues to the rest of my kid family out there in the universe.

Tessa Smith (MamasGeeky.com): What actually drew you to this role, besides Kevin calling you? What made you go ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah! That one is for me!’?

Tony Todd: I love the name of the character, Scare Glow. It was the middle of the pandemic. So, instead of staying in my beautiful place all alone any opportunity to get out was a moment to clear my head and say ‘Okay, I’m not crazy. I’m not insane. There is humanity out here. There’s work and everybody is not disappearing.’ Because when you collect cats and rescue cats, you can talk to them but they don’t talk back… Just an opportunity to speak and be present in the world. Hopefully, on the 23rd of July when this comes out, the world will be more normal and less insane.

Jenna Busch (Vital Thrills): I’m always interested in how much of a backstory you get when you’re doing voiceover work. How much do you know of this character’s backstory or did you really work to create your own version.

Tony Todd: No, you have to have the back story. Those give you the clues to who and otherwise you’ll say or sound inappropriate. They sent me a bunch of scripts and I was able to piece together what he wanted, what he’s after, and what’s going to upset him if he doesn’t get it. Then we leave room for, hopefully, future seasons of Masters of the Univers Revelation presented by Mattel Television and Netflix, our friends over there at Netflix. Thank you, Netflix! And thank you all for asking me insightful questions, I appreciate your time.

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