Doom Patrol: Brendan Fraser on bringing Robotman to life

Robotman himself, Brendan Fraser, attended 2019’s Fan Expo Canada, to discuss his career in acting and DC Universe’s Doom Patrol.

The second live-action show from DC Universe, Doom Patrol, took viewers by storm when it aired earlier this year. The cast of characters was equal parts quirky and relatable, starting with Cliff Steele/ Robotman. The character is portrayed by two actors – Brendan Fraser as the voice of Robotman and the human Cliff Steele, while Riley Shanahan steps into the mech suit of Robotman. Coincidentally, both actors attended the same college in Washington, albeit a couple of decades apart.

While attending Fan Expo Canada, Brendan Fraser spoke about Doom Patrol, which he referred to as the ‘anti-hero hero show’, because it is ‘like nothing that conforms to DC’s universe; although it is theirs’. We at Show Snob couldn’t agree more – recapping the show is always a pleasant challenge since the episodes hardly ever follow a pattern or genre, just like the characters.

When asked about how Fraser and the showrunners bring the different sides of Cliff Steele to life, Fraser explained that the process was tricky but it all came down him and Shanahan trying to find the person and the voice behind the mask.

"[Cliff] is a frustrated guy who is way over-confident, who learns a pretty mean lesson about himself – because he needs to – and he has to make a journey of redemption. Effectively becoming a better human as a robot than he ever was as a human."

On the technical side of things, Fraser explained that creating Robotman begins with a scratch track of Fraser recording the script. Then, all necessary parties listen to it, and the character that viewers see on screen is brought to life through collaboration with an entire team of people. Fraser also mentioned that because Shanahan and he attended the same alma mater, they shared several similar instructors, which is why Shanahan has the same background in movement.

From the sound of it, Fraser hasn’t begun any work on the second season of Doom Patrol, which has already been announced. He was definitely excited about it and obviously enjoys playing Cliff. He credited the success of Doom Patrol to the incredible imagination of the producers. He also seemed most impressed by Diane Guerrero’s ability to play Crazy Jane’s 64 personalities.

While fans wait for the return of Doom Patrol, fans can whet their appetites with season two of Titans, which airs weekly from September 6, only on DC Universe.