The new Paramount+ series Golden Axe takes the fantasy genre and turns it on its head when a group of ragtag heroes embarks on their biggest, most dangerous quest yet. But the series isn't just a quest fantasy; it's also a loving spoof of the genre.
Based on the SEGA video game franchise of the same name, the show has a phenomenal cast, including Spartacus alum Liam McIntyre as Ax, Matthew Rhys (who just made history at the Emmys and took home two Outstanding Lead Actor awards) as Gillius, Danny Pudi as Hampton, Carl Tart as Chronos, and Lisa Gilroy as Tyris.
The cast was able to chat with ShowSnob about what it was like to create the series adaptation of Golden Axe.
Show Snob: First off, the voices in this show are phenomenal, and half the time I sat there unable to believe it was even you guys voicing the characters. How did you come up with these great character voices?
Liam McIntyre: Animation is one of my true loves. I got to meet the cast of Futurama once, and it’s been one of my favorite things, just imagining what it must be like to be them and just thinking up all these voices. So when this came up, I was like ok, he’s a big, meaty Conan type, but he’s fun and earnest, like a puppy dog. So I played around with sounds and inspirations from cartoons I loved in the past and combined that with my own past experience on Spartacus and put that into it a bit. Then I thought of my kid and his joy at everything, even if he’s just destroyed the side of the house. So I wanted to combine the big voice of a braggadocious guy who essentially has the heart of this little boy.
Matthew Rhys: I tried to think of a performance where the character was always very angry. I also wanted to go back to the 80s, back when the first game came out, to get some inspiration. In Britain, we had this show called The Young Ones, and there were these two very angry characters, and I unashamedly stole from both of those characters to amalgamate the voice of Gillius.
One thing I love about this show is how it’s a fun quest fantasy, but it also knows how to poke fun at all the tired tropes we so often see in the fantasy genre. But it does it in a loving, in-the-know way.
McIntyre: Well, we’re very fortunate to have creators and writers who love the hell out of the genre. Just look at co-creator Mike McMahan’s work with Star Trek: Lower Decks. He pokes fun at the franchise, but you can tell it’s because he loves it so much. It’s the same with Golden Axe. They love it so much that they know exactly where the fun is.
Yeah, it's done in a campy way, and I love camp. But camp is hard to pull off, and not many people can do it properly. So it’s great to see that Golden Axe does it so well.
McIntyre: It’s a rare skill. When you read a really good writer's work, it feels like a magic trick. I always love being in a show where you’re excited to get the next script.
Carl Tart: Yeah, I’ve gotta give all credit to the writers. They’re the ones writing all the great humor, we just come in and say them a bunch of times.
Rhys: You have to be very deft with the comedy, very athletic in a way, so it’s always moving and never stays still too long.
Danny Pudi: There’s something really fun about playing with something that has such high stakes, but then you play the jokes beneath it, with all of these everyday complaints. The asides are my favorite, where you have two characters who are talking about how long this is going to take, or what they’re doing after work. Showing people’s mundane lives in this epic fantasy world was just so much fun. It’s like, there are these big threats, but you’re too busy talking about your dry cleaning.
Speaking of the writer/actor relationship. What is it actually like to be a voice actor in this series? Are you watching the show as you do the voices? How does it all work?
Pudi: It all starts with the writing, always. They set the tone for the world, and when you read the script, you kinda get it and you see what they’re building. When you’re actually doing the voices, you get to try it out a lot, but you’re also on your own. With a buddy comedy like this, if this was live-action, we’d all be together on set, bouncing off each other. For voiceovers, you’re in a booth, and you’re just trying everything out a hundred times. I actually didn’t get to see a rendering of my character until later on in the process, so I was kind of finding him and creating him in the booth. But they did a great job of finding actors that bounce off each other well, both with our voices and energy.
Tart: Yeah, you gotta work with the showrunners to find out what they want. As an actor, it’s kinda like you’re fulfilling their vision. And like Danny said, it can be a lot. You want to make sure you’re somewhere comfortable because you will try a lot of different things, a lot of different times, and you want to make sure you’re not throwing your voice out or anything. If you start at a 10, they’re gonna make you go to a 20.
Pudi: Oh yeah, I remember the “Go higher, Danny, higher Danny, higher.” And I’m like, “It’s 9 in the morning!” (laughs). Be sure to bring some lozenges and some Throat Coat tea.
Tart: Can we get a steam room?
Pudi: Oh yeah, can someone bring in a humidifier, please?
Golden Axe is streaming now on Paramount+.
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