Q: How did you get the role of Depth Charge in Beast Wars?

A: I was asked to come in and audition for it.  We spent quite a long time ‘layering the character’ As the producer described the different emotions and back story of Depthcharge we continued to add parts of his personality.  It was a lot like baking a Transformers flavored cake!  We just had to mix the right ingredients together until we were happy.

Q: Were you aware of Transformers before taking on the role?

A: Yes!  Not a rabid fan, but I definitely knew I was getting involved in something special.

 

 

Q: How did you come up with Depth Charge's distinctive voice? 

 

A: I started by having him sound like a younger Clint Eastwood then added a bit more of a chip on his shoulder plus some understated aggressiveness and there he was!

 

 

Q: Do you associate any aspect of Depth Charge's personality with yourself?

 

A: He’s a completely different Manta Ray than me.  I’m a more gentle guy. People just think I’m a bad boy.

Q: Could you describe a day working on 'Beast Wars Transformers'? How was it interacting with all your fellow voice actors? What did you think about the show; did it excite/interest you?

A: The dedication to quality was a big part of the fun… hearing all the other talent ‘live’ nearby and being directed by one of the best voice directors in the business – Sue Blu – always made it a pleasure to come to work.  I think Beast Wars has some of the best voice acting and directing of any show I’ve ever been involved with. 

Q: How did you feel about Depth Charge overall?  He is an intense character. What was he like to play?

A: Playing Depthcharge was a full body experience.  His intense sound was produced with a bit more physical tension than I’m used to so sometimes it was quite a workout – especially when he was fighting.  He had some great punchlines too.  Great fun!

 

 

Q: Had Beast Wars gone on for a 4th season (barring the Nemesis two-parter never happened), do you think Depth Charge's character would have gradually become more of a team player with the other Maximals, or do you think his personality would have stayed the same?

A: He might have had moments where he helped out, but for the most part he was a loner, probably only about 55% good so that kept him unpredictable.

Q: If the writers of Beast Wars did a pre-Beast Wars series focused on the back stories of the characters (such as Depth Charge's life on Omicron), would you reprise the role? And if so, how would you play his character differently (until the tragedy of Omicron, that is)? 

A: Sure – I’m always happy to work – bring it on!   I think he’d be basically the same but without the major chip on his shoulder.

Q: By Nemesis Part 2, do you believe Depth Charge had gone insane in his man-hunt for Rampage (Protoform X) or was still as sane(ish)

A: It was all he thought about… I mainly focused on his need to hunt down Rampage when voicing that episode.

Q: Depth Charge met his end when Rampage let go of the energon blade the manta-ray bot was holding over his spark.  The resulting explosion killed them both and to this days fans wonder, 'Why did Rampage let go?'  Perhaps this is a question better posed to the writers, but we would like to hear your thoughts on the epic struggle between these two characters.

A: They were destined to die together.  Poetic justice.  Or maybe the toy wasn’t selling well.  J

Q: Have you been asked to do any Transformers related work in the foreseeable future, and if you were to be asked, would you be enthusiastic about the idea?

A: I’ve worked on two other Transformers projects… I played “Brawl” in the first Transformers movie game, and did a spec motion comic where I played Megatron.  I’d definitely be interested in more!

Q: One of the members threw in a quirky question for you: Who would win in a shootout, John Wayne or Depth Charge?

A: I doubt Depth Charge would let anyone whoop him!

Q: And finally, are you aware of the massive fan following that still exists today specifically for Beast Wars?  Have you seen any of the fan art or read any fan fiction?

A: I’m happily amazed that people are still interested in Beast Wars after all these years.  Sometimes people send me art and I’ve run into fan fiction featuring Depth Charge from time to time.  I attached some Depth Charge fan art that was sent to me by Matthew Wilson back in 2005.

Thank you very much for your time.  Your fans at Beast Wars International are delighted to have had this opportunity and would like to express our thanks to you for helping to create such a well-loved character, who continues to inspire us to this day.  We wish you all the best for the future.  

Thanks everyone!!! 

--Sapphire, BWINT.net