Ultimate Spider-Man: Steven Weber on Going Green (Goblin)

Actor discusses his upcoming debut as the mean green spider-thumper.

As someone who's played his fair share of "self-important guys wearing suits," Steven Weber certainly fits the bill for Ultimate Spider-Man's Norman Osborn. However, in this weekend's episode "Rise of the Goblin," viewers will bear witness to a different side of Weber's character (literally), as Norman transforms into the revamped Green Goblin -- a moment many fans have been eagerly anticipating since the series began.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Weber about his new monstrous streak and what's to come for Spidey's famed arch-nemesis. We also discussed the actor's recent stint on Wilfred, and his thoughts looking back on Studio 60.

IGN TV: What's it been like for you voicing such an iconic villain like this from the Spider-Man universe?

Steven Weber: Well first of all, I've been a comic book and Marvel geek since probably before you were born -- in fact, I'll say definitely before you were born. I've been steeped in the world for decades. So when I had the opportunity to play this role, I couldn't wait. Of course, Norman Osborn is iconic as well, and I guess I put my own spin on it, with the help of the director and producers of course. They wanted an even icier, more aristocratic Norman than even the fantastic Willem Dafoe had done. But it was amazing to find out what they had in mind for the Goblin because they’ve re-imagined the character in a way that is going to shock and shake up every Spider-Man lovin' geek there is -- it's really going to freak them out a bit because he's not your green-leotard, hat-wearing, pumpkin-throwing guy that cackles, "Hahahaha! Spider-Man!" He's not that guy. As fun as that was, he's something else. He's been refurbished, souped-up and is a major threat, not only to Spider-Man and his buddies, but to S.H.I.E.L.D. as well. It's a huge, huge shake-up, and they needed somebody who's just stupid enough to step into that role to voice him -- and they found me.

IGN: Can you talk a bit about how you initially got involved with the show?

Weber: I do voices on cartoons, and have for years. I do audiobooks. I think my voice sample was submitted to the company, and -- lucky for me -- they chose me. I guess they just saw me as this Norman Osborn character. I've been playing self-important guys wearing suits for the last eight years. Before then, I was playing jaunty, long-haired pain-in-the-necks. Now that I'm all grown and manly, I guess they see me as mean-spirited and authoritative. [Laughs] And I think those are the qualities they wanted in this Norman Osborn.

IGN: We've obviously already seen your version of Norman on the show, but how does your performance differ once you've actually become the Green Goblin?

Weber: As you'll see when you finally see the character, just the physicalization demands something a lot different from Norman. His transformation is not just a one-off disguise, dawning masks or anything like that. It is a deeply physiological, chemical change, and that requires something other than standard voice acting. When they showed the renderings of this souped-up Goblin, we had a discussion about where to go with it. We tried a few things, and it was soon apparent that I was doing something that they liked. And again, that requires more than just standing around doing a funny voice.

IGN: I know this show likes to have the voice actors record together in the studio when they can. Did you get a chance to record with any other actors on this?

Weber: Oh, all the time. In fact, most of the time we're recording together. Drake Bell is there, Chi McBride, the great Tom Kenny, and everybody else on the cast. It's a lot of fun. We egg each other on, and of course there are light moments. Between all the babbling and physicalizations, there's a lot of phlegm that gets flung in that recording studio, let me tell you. We have a great time, and everybody is stoked from the second they get there -- I mean, they're all geeks, too. You can't do this and not love the Marvel world. It's everything you always wanted to do.

IGN: You're no stranger to voice acting, but do you ever find it difficult to deliver the performance you want when it's just you in front of the microphone in a recording room, or is that kind of freeing for you in a way?

Weber: You know, it's more challenging than people might believe. Obviously, it's not like digging a ditch or being a teacher or computing something that requires that kind of intellectual effort -- or physical effort. But it does require you to dig down deep in order to overcome the limitations of the medium. It's two-dimensional, and you're just a voice. So the key is to imbue the picture with a fully fleshed out performance using only your voice and trying to put in all the psychological, emotional and physical cues into it -- and that can be taxing, especially with this particular character. Speaking to the Green Goblin, there is some heavy lifting going on. My throat is basically torn to shreds at the end of these sessions, but it must be done.

IGN: I would imagine it helps having other voices in the room with you so you can kind of gauge the energy and bounce off of other people.

Weber: Oh, when everybody's around, there is a real helpful, communal ensemble energy. Yeah, it's incredibly helpful -- and also, hilarious. Often we have to record lists of throws and hits and kicks and screams and plummets and impacts. And when you watch everybody go through those kinds of gymnastic movements and shouts and screams, it's truly hilarious; it would make a funny show in itself if you could see what these people have to go through -- every "Oof! Ah! Yah!" -- it's very funny.

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