This transcript has been slightly modified from the original recording.

BlackNerdProblems: Hello, my name is Mikkel Snyder. I’m BNP’s Filipino-American correspondent, and today I am talking with J.P. Karliack, who is currently voicing Morph on the critical darling that is X-Men ’97, but you may have heard his voice on the Netflix dub of Neon Genesis Evangelion as Kuzo Fuyutsuki, or as the Joker in Suicide Squad, Kill the Justice League, or one of a dozen other projects.

So how are you doing today, J.P.?

J. P. Karliack: I’m good. How are you?

BNP: I’m fine. It is hot, it is rainy, and we live in a capitalist hellscape, so, you know, usual things. Very excited to be talking to you today, though, excited about your course of work, and talking about Morph specifically, but let’s start with the broad strokes of your career. So based on what I was able to glean off the internet, you sort of got your start in video games and then pivoted into animated films and then series. Was the dream always to become a voice actor? Like, how did this all happen?

J. P.: Yeah, in a roundabout way, it was. I grew up loving cartoons. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was my first love, then Tiny Toons and Animaniacs and Batman the Animated Series and all those wonderful shows of the 80s and 90s. But I was under the impression that in order to be hired to do voiceover, you had to be a famous on-camera actor, and I blame Robin Williams for that belief, because it didn’t feel like a real job.

It couldn’t be a real job. It had to be a perk that you get for being famous. So that’s sort of the trajectory that I went on, was like, okay, I’m going to go to college to learn how to become an on-camera actor, and then I’m going to go to Hollywood and be famous.

You know, easy, three-step program. Luckily, I had a professor in college who also was an animation director, and he sort of disabused me of that notion, and he was like, I think you should just, you know, maybe take some classes, get an agent, and start from there. So I took a bunch of classes.

I studied with Bob Bergen, who was Porky Pig, and became my mentor, and then I got an agent, and I’ve been doing this for 20 years. So yeah.

BNP: So I have to ask, since it recently came out, but did you watch the He-Man movie that came out this year?

J. P. Oh, yes. Yes, I sure did.

BNP: I have not had a chance to watch it yet. It looked campy and wonderful, so I’m looking forward to watching that in the future.

J.P. It is certainly campy and wonderful, and I was pleased to say that Skeletor was the best part. So yeah, excellent. That’s what we can only hope for.

BNP: So you listed off a bunch of great animated series. Gotta ask, did you watch the original X-Men back in the day?

J. P.: I didn’t, actually. When I would, so it was on Fox Kids, and for some reason, I know some people saw it on Saturday mornings.

I remember it on weekdays, and I would get home from school, and I would turn on the TV, and I would see the end credits of X-Men as I was sitting down to watch the Power Rangers, which was my jam. But then once the movies came along, then I really got invested in those, and then as YouTube and Wikipedia came along, I was doing deep dives, being like, who’s that? What’s that? Tell me all about these things. So I sort of became a fan of the comics surrounding all of the media around it and lore diving and all of that.

And now when the audition came along for ’97, I went back and I actually rewatched, or watched for the first time, a lot of the series and was like, oh, now this all makes sense.

BNP: What was that casting process like? Did you just see an open call sheet for the audition and toss your hat into the ring? Did your agent help you out? What were the details there?

J. P.: It was an audition I got from my agent.

It was heavily codenamed, though it was, you know, they told me, they were like, so this character, you know, I think the character was Steve or Bob or something like that, but they were like, so this is X-Men and then the character is Morph and this is the direction they’re going in. And so I just, you know, I submitted an audition. I think I had a callback or two.

And this was all during lockdown. So I was just auditioning from this blue booth behind me, you know, and hoping for the best. And this is even where I recorded almost all of the first season.

BNP: Oh wow.

J. P.: Actually, no, all of the first season. So yeah.

BNP: Did you get a slightly bigger box for the second season?

J. P.: No, it’s still this box. But every once in a while we do, I do go in studio, which is nice, but we still all record individually, one at a time. And the coolest part of this is really getting to the premiere or the cast and crew screening and getting to see the credits and being like, oh, oh, this was this person. This was this person.

And then actually getting to hang out with the rest of the cast because we, during the making and recording process, we don’t ever meet each other or see each other. It’s only once the show comes out and we do conventions and events and stuff that we really get to hang out and enjoy each other’s company.

Like each of you has a piece of the puzzle and you don’t get to see the big picture until the very, very end of it all. And that’s even true of Morph because when Morph changes into somebody, somebody else is often voicing that.

So I don’t even know the complete picture of my character until the thing comes out.

BNP: Oh, goodness gracious. Well, pivoting to Morph, as someone who is also non-binary and was helped into that realization thanks to Young Justice‘s Violet Harper, I really appreciate the growing representation of the identity within media.

What are the challenges and the joys of playing a canonically non-binary character such as Morph insofar as trying to capture that identity within the 1997 context of the show and then also the greater 2026 reality that we live in?

J. P.: I mean, it’s not really hard for me to capture Morph, truly, because even from the moment I got the specs for the audition, this was a non-binary person who is figuring out their gender and sexuality in the 90s and using humor to push through past trauma. I was like, it’s me. Cool.

Which is why this is Morph’s voice. I don’t do anything additional. I just use my own speaking voice because we line up so similarly.

And I think there’s something really healing and restorative about doing this character now and thinking about how seeing this character in the 90s would have so helped me. It would have been so healing for that teenager to witness this character. So I think it’s a testament to the show and the team behind it that they found a lot of authentic actors for this iteration, like Holly for Jubilee or Isaac for Bishop, where we don’t have to so much think about what the authenticity means.

We live it, so we know it. And without having to focus on it, we can just focus on the missions, the friendships, the relationships, like all the other stuff.

BNP: To that point, the ’97 voice cast is the sort of mix of the original voice cast and then the new blood, so to speak. How did it feel stepping into this legacy role of this fan favorite character and then getting to put your own spin on it alongside other people doing a similar thing or in some cases doing the thing that they had been doing for decades?

J. P.: Yeah, it’s so cool. It’s such a weird once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience where we’re getting that point of view and perspective from the original cast while also forging our own pathways. And as I said, it is my favorite part because it is so much like the actual X-Men, just a weird little chosen family band of weirdos.

And everybody has some fascinating and interesting stories from their earlier years and day jobs and strange things that they’ve done all over. I mean, you know, like Lenore Zahn, who plays Rogue, was a Canadian MP in Parliament. You know, no big deal.

People were in rock bands, people have toured the country in theater, like done all sorts of stuff. So it’s fascinating to just enjoy all of that experience with everybody.

BNP: How much of your performance of Morph was sort of informed by your own authentic self and then also the original seedlings of that original depiction in the original series?

J. P.: I played a bunch of legacy characters and each of them, each of those casting breakdowns comes with their own level of how close they want you to be to the original.

Like when I played Boss Baby, they wanted an exact match. When I played Wile E. Coyote, because most people don’t associate Wile E. Coyote with a voice, I had a little more freedom and breathing room. And this one was similar to that in the sense that they weren’t so precious about me sounding exactly like Ron Rubin from the original show.

It was more about making it my own, especially now that his gender identity was part of it. And if anything, just capturing the laugh that Ron did, a little cackle. So it was a bit of a mix.

I really, I kind of just focused on making the character my own, but I certainly watched all of Ron’s performances from the original just to make sure I wasn’t veering way out into left field.

BNP: This is a question that I only am now thinking about, but how hard is it to replicate a laugh?

J. P.: It’s actually my favorite thing. I feel like it’s so, and I think it’s because of my love of the Joker, specifically Mark Hamill’s and how Mark would use…like his Joker has so many different laughs.

Some that make him zanier, some that make him darker and more sinister. There’s all sorts of different things. And when I played the Joker in the past, what’s been interesting for me, especially when I did it for Suicide Squad: Kills the Justice League, where it was an Elseworlds Joker, I was really using my laugh to pay homage to previous Jokers without making it be like, oh, I’m trying to do Mark’s Joker, Heath’s Joker, Caesar’s Joker, Jack’s Joker, whoever.

And so it was just finding all those little touches to sprinkle in there. And I do think that with Morph, that laugh is that hat tip to Ron and to the 90s series as like, never forget where we came from. None of this would be possible without the foundation that they’ve built.

BNP: All right. I’m going to talk more about ’97 now specifically. I’m going to avoid talking about season two, because as of this interview, four episodes have come out. I’ve watched three of them, and I don’t want to spoil that for anyone at all. And I’m not going to risk it.

J. P.: Great. I just watched four this morning, and I’m going to say nothing.

BNP: Favorite moments from season one, whether they are Morph related, whether they’re just sort of general plot points that you really enjoyed watching as they come together. What stuck out?

J. P.: Oh, there’s so many. I just, I mean, I had like seven just flashed through my brain. I think episode five, the “Remember It” episode, the Genosha episode is so powerful. And it really, it really went, it really took the show from being a good continuation of the X-Men thing.

Turn it, really making it like, this is more than just like a fun continuation of the X-Men. This is a deep and adult commentary on society and the things that underrepresented, marginalized people face. So that I felt was beautiful.

I love, I think one of my favorite Morph scenes is actually one that I did not portray. It’s when Morph changes into Jean Grey the first time in episode one and is sort of poking the bear and like teasing Logan about his hopeless infatuation with Jean. I think that really established their relationship and their friendship in a really, a really cool way that this is this guy with adamantium claws that could gush anybody, you know, in a minute.

Morph is one of the few people that can get away with really holding a mirror to Wolverine and being like, Logan, come on, get it together. Yeah. Those are the, those I’d say are the, also I got to change it to the Hulk, which was awesome.

BNP: The Hulk is one of the few times that you maintain the voice acting role, right? How was that, like pivot from sort of like this more casual to this more guttural, visceral type thing? How was that in the moment?

J. P.: I mean, I think we did it separately. I think we, I feel like I was doing my Morph lines and then we either went back or, you know, I did, I didn’t have to like snap into it super fast, but it’s fun to be able to put my own stamp on what that character sounds like, especially the Hulk, which I, years ago, I was in an episode of Hulk and the Agents of Smash, which was an animated Marvel show with Red Hulk and regular Hulk and Skaar and, you know, all just fighting crime and stuff. And I was Doc Samson.

So that was one of my very first gigs. So it was kind of nice to go full circle and get to put my own spin on Hulk. I mean, Morph Smash is the most requested quote that I do at autograph signings.

BNP: Now for something more abstract, what’s your ideal mutant power and what do you think your actual mutant power would be?

J. P.: Ideal would be teleportation. I mean, I’d never have to get on a plane again. That’d be awesome. Just go where you want. What is the power that I think I would actually get? Well, it’s the power that I believe I have, which is crafting an exceptional playlist.

BNP: Oh, what’s on said playlist right now? What’s currently on repeat on the JP radio?

J. P.: Oh, geez. So Madonna has a new album out and it’s the first time, admittedly, that I’ve been excited about a Madonna album in maybe 20 years. So I’m kind of revisiting the whole canon of Madonna music from way back in the 80s and just kind of working my way forward. So that’s been fun. It’s very nostalgic.

BNP: What else are you playing, watching, reading, or otherwise consuming in between recording? What I presume is season three at this point, maybe season four of X-Men and any other projects you’re working on.

J. P.: Yeah. Yeah. We have started four.

What am I watching? I’m catching up on a few things because I’ve been doing a lot of traveling. So I am catching up on Daredevil, which I love. Catching up on a few, actually, it’s a few Disney+ shows.

I’m catching up on Maul, the Star Wars show. I’m finishing up Hacks. And yeah.

Oh, and I’m trying to figure out a way that I can watch The Vampire Lestat without having to download another streaming platform. But it’s really good. I heard it’s real.

BNP: I loved Interview with the Vampire. So I’m so excited to be able to continue it. I’m sure we’ll get on to a more popular one than AMC+.

J. P.: Yeah, I didn’t watch it until it was on Netflix. And then I binged the whole thing. And so now I’m just like, any day now, any day, a couple months.

BNP: I ask this of everyone that I interview, what’s a piece of media you wish more people knew about? Not necessarily your favorite, but something you wish you had more people to converse with and was more in the public consciousness.

J. P.: I mean, it’s an animated series based on a series of books. And I feel like I come back to it a lot.

And that’s Dead End Paranormal Park.

BNP: I love that show.

J. P.: Yeah, that was really special.

Also, for those of you that are going to go to your comic book store, the comic book is called Deadendia. But the show is called Dead End Paranormal Park. As far as representation goes, it’s unparalleled. And it’s so authentic and so beautifully told. And it’s funny and silly and campy and a bit spooky. And it has such a rich lore that it builds. It was great. And the art style is just so cute. I just actually have a little stuffed Pugsley, the dog with the fins.

Yeah, I mean, I would happily own all of them as little stuffed characters, because they’re all so cute. Yeah, that was a great show. And I think the sad part is that that show, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and so many other really important and beautiful queer representative shows are now no longer. You can’t watch them anywhere. They don’t exist. And that’s really unfortunate.

Because media is a representation of our culture and our history. And it is the thing that people look back on. And we have the ability to pick up an old book or pull out a CD or a DVD. But when everything is just on digital, history is lost. And that’s really sad.

BNP: Here’s hoping for Blu-ray sets for all of X-Men ’97. I think they have season one. So we just need seasons two onward. Speaking of physical media, you have a lovely wall of goodies behind you.

Anything that you want to highlight specifically? I see a Morph action figure in the box still.

J. P.: Yes, so it goes in tiers. The top shelf are all my favorite Saturday morning villains.

Joker and Skeletor have places of honor. That second shelf, that’s all a tribute to my wedding, which also includes Skeletor and, I don’t know if you can see her, and Dolly Parton.

My husband is a huge fan of Dolly Parton. So those are our two avatars. The third shelf is basically my credits.

That’s my resume. So it’s Morph, it’s Boss Baby, it’s Joker, it’s Smurfs, it’s all of that stuff. The fourth shelf, I have some downed action figures because they fell off the top.

But these are all the Funkos of legacy characters that I’ve played. Okay. So any sound alike I’ve done.

And then the bottom shelf is just kind of my catch-all. It’s a good shelf. It’s a good shelf.

BNP: On that, I guess we can talk about season two in very abstract terms and senses. But to close out this interview, as the audience is watching week-to-week, as television should be consumed week-to-week, what do you hope they get out as they are watching season two and being excited about this X-Men story continuing onward for hopefully a long, long time to come?

J. P.: Okay. Well, I’ll start with specifically about Morph and then I’ll go to the broader show.

I think for Morph, I hope they get to see more dimension of Morph. I think Morph is… First season was Morph very much just trying to reintegrate themselves into this team. They had just rejoined at the end of the original series.

So there is that little bit of not wanting to rock the boat and just being funny. And I think this season, I hope people will really see a more three-dimensional Morph who’s not as afraid to speak their mind and be more serious and be a real active part of the team. And for the series as a whole, I think my hope is that the show always holds a mirror up to society and the importance of advocating for the underrepresented and marginalized people, whether they be mutants or queer people or whatever.

Yeah. So that’s my hope.

BNP: Based on what I’ve seen, and this isn’t a spoiler, I think it does do that. And I’m looking forward to seeing how it continues to hold up that mirror. And we live in a very interesting time, unfortunately. So that mirror is eerily accurate in ways that I wish it wasn’t. But it does give me hope that we have media that’s willing to address that type of stuff, even if it is in metaphor of mutants and whatnot. It’s still potent. It’s still powerful. I was more of a DC kid growing up. But this ’97, I’m saving watching so that way I can do it Saturday morning, because that’s the feeling. And that’s the best feeling in the world, honestly.

Before we close out, anything else you want to share with the audience, generically speaking?

J. P.: The thing that I always love to mention is I’m a co-founder of this organization, Nerds Vote. And we’re a nonpartisan organization to encourage cosplayers, con-goers, comic book readers, gamers, pop culture fans of all kinds, aka nerds, to get registered and get voting in every election, every time. So visit nerdsvote.com and get registered to vote.

Because the only way that we can fight the good fight that the X-Men are fighting and make sure that everybody is considered equal is if we get to the polls and vote.

BNP: As it goes sometimes. Thank you so much for your time.

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The post Holding Up Mirrors with J. P. Karliack, ‘X-Men ’97’s Morph appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.