Welcome to the 908th installment of Comedian Guide Legends Revealed, a column the place we study three comedian e-book myths, rumors and legends and ensure or debunk them. This time, in honor of the passing of the good Arleen Sorkin, all three legends can be Harley Quinn-related. In our third legend, see whether or not Arleen Sorkin stopped voicing Harley Quinn within the Arkham video video games as a result of she objected to how Harley was depicted.
An fascinating side of Harley Quinn’s recognition as a personality is that she debuted outdoors the world of comedian books, debuting in Batman: The Animated Sequence, however maybe the largest second by way of her total recognition ALSO occurred outdoors the comedian e-book world, because it was Harley’s look within the blockbuster 2009 online game, Batman: Arkham Asylum, that actually helped to catapult Harley to a significant character in common tradition. .
After all, Harley went via some design modifications between her basic Batman: The Animated Sequence appearances…
and her look in Batman: Arkham Asylum, carrying a kind of horny nurse riff…
Arleen Sorkin, the unique voice of Harley Quinn, voiced the character within the first Arkham Asylum online game, however didn’t return for its 2011 sequel, Arkham Metropolis.
One common concept amongst followers was that Sorkin objected to how Harley was redesigned for the online game. Here’s a fan on social media repeating the story (this can be a generally held perception, so I am simply sharing this one fan’s put up as demonstration that this concept IS on the market, not which means to choose on this one particular poster), “Earlier than Tara Robust took over the function in the course of the Arkham Metropolis and Knight, Arleen Sorkin return within the function for Arkham asylum however when she noticed how Harleen was gown she refused to voice the character ever once more”
I don’t imagine that that’s true.
What has Tara Robust stated about her taking up from Arleen Sorkin?
It’s honest to level out that when Rocksteady Studios changed Sorkin with Tara Robust for Arkham Metropolis, the corporate didn’t launch a press release at to WHY the change was made.
In actual fact, just a few years again, my pal Josie Riesman particularly requested Rockteady and Sorkin and could only come away with, “Neither Rocksteady nor Sorkin supplied a lot element to me in regards to the determination, merely saying the corporate needed to shake issues up and transfer in a barely completely different route.” Nonetheless, we’ve got seen some interviews by Robust through the years, together with this fascinating piece at The AVClub by Marah Eakin
AVC: A few of these characters, like Batgirl, have existed for thus lengthy. You’re all the time working up towards individuals’s expectations of what they imagined the character sounding like. How do you are taking a beloved character like a Batgirl or a Harley Quinn and make that yours?
and Robust’s response:
TS: I believe for me, probably the most difficult time that occurred can be Harley, as a result of the function was created for Arleen Sorkin, who I labored with alongside Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy once I was Batgirl, and it was probably the most thrilling time ever. She’s such a unprecedented expertise and so lovely and so beloved.
They introduced me in to do the video video games and stated they needed to do one thing completely different, however kind of impressed by her. I used to be very nervous that the followers weren’t going to just accept my model of Harley. Fortunately they did, as a result of these are some fairly scary sneakers to placed on.
I believe because the performer, you all the time have to offer it your greatest and be in all of these moments and really turn into these characters and simply hope individuals respect what what you’re doing. Thank god for the followers, as a result of they’re those that decide the success of voice actors. Hollywood doesn’t actually cherish voice actors as a lot because the followers do. The followers are those that actually tell us that they’re there behind what we’re doing.
Robust has been fairly constant through the years that Rocksteady advised her that it needed one thing completely different from what Sorkin did for the character.
Since Sorkin retired from voice performing interval round 2011 (doing only one final Harley Quinn look in 2012’s DC Universe On-line, and who is aware of when that was recorded?), and did not do any voice performing earlier than her demise in August, I believe it’s honest to say that retirement was probably the most logical motive for Sorkin leaving the function.
What did Arleen Sorkin say about Arkham Asylum again within the day?
Not solely that, although, however Sorkin WAS interviewed in regards to the online game again in 2011, and she or he was COMPLIMENTARY of all of it.
She was interviewed by Ben Wan in 2011, she famous in regards to the sport, “It is fairly outstanding the best way the characters look actually three-dimensional.” She added that the Harley within the sport “appeared very very like the Harley that I do know.”
She then did a follow-up with Wan after the information got here out about Robust changing her. She famous, “Of all of the individuals to get replaced by, I’m blissful it’s Tara Robust. Every time I might work along with her, I would marvel at how gifted she is. In actual fact, I even advised my husband [Chris Lloyd, executive producer of Frasier and co-creator of Modern Family] about her and her talents.” And he or she continued about Arkham Asylum particularly, “I LOVED enjoying Harley and getting the nomination [for Best Voice] on the Spike T.V. Video Sport Awards was thrilling.”
So no, I do not suppose there was any animus towards the sport behind Sorkin stopping her voice work. Both Rocksteady determined to make a change, or she retired (her voice appeared to have some particular pressure on it throughout Arkham Asylum, having voiced the character for mainly 20 years at that time). The outfits weren’t the difficulty (as, once more, she particularly famous that it “appeared very very like the Harley that I do know”).
RIP, Arleen Sorkin
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That is it for Comedian Guide Legends Revealed #908! The subsequent one can be up quickly! Remember to try my Entertainment Legends Revealed for extra city legends in regards to the world of movie and TV.
Be at liberty to ship options for future comedian legends to me at both cronb01@aol.com or brianc@cbr.com.
