It’s safe to say that Marvel struck gold with X-Men ’97. Not only did the Disney+ show go above and beyond the nostalgia and brand name recognition that came with picking up right after its predecessor, but it also became the streamer’s biggest animated series thanks in significant part to its vividly crisp animation and mature storytelling.
By far, one of the most noteworthy aspects of X-Men ’97 is that it brought over a bunch of the show’s original actors as well as some well-known franchise-spanning actors, like the incomparable Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey. In that spirit, we spoke with Hale to ask her what it was like stepping into the booth and lending her voice not only to Jean Grey but also to her dark clone, Madelyne Pryor, in the show’s adaptation of one of the best X-Men comic book runs.
“I’m so honored,” Hale told io9. “I was gifted this opportunity to step into Catherine [Disher]’s original role, and thankfully, Catherine is still part of our cast.”
For those unaware of Hale’s illustrious resume, X-Men ’97 isn’t the first time she’s portrayed Jean Grey. In the past, she’s lent her voice to the staple X-Men member in video games (Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: Dark Order, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3), the 2011 X-Men Marvel anime, and the 2009 Wolverine and the X-Men cartoon. Nevertheless, Hale says reprising her role as Jean Grey from in X-Men ’97 was an awesome experience.
“I’ve been Jean Grey many times on many different projects and many different areas of the industry, and to be able to step into this role in this particular project, I feel like I’ve won the lottery,” Hale said. “This team is incredible—they grew up watching the show. The directors are just wonderful people and joy to work with. Oh my gosh, I loved it.”
As mentioned earlier, Hale wasn’t just voicing a young and modern-day Grey; she also voiced her genetic clone, Madelyne Pryor. The character is virtually identical to Grey from both a power and visual standpoint in early episodes—until she transforms into the dark and twisted Goblin Queen. Pryor’s transformation not only spelled deeper confusion for hubby and baby daddy Scott Summers, but it also meant Hale had to find a darker, more sardonic tone to distinguish Pryor from Grey.
When asked how she discovered her voice for X-Men 97‘s resident dommy mommy, Hale credited her vocal discovery with the show’s sharp writing and its voice director, Meredith Lane.
“Voice directors [are] like the secret sauce. Meredith’s job is to hear all the different writers and creative producers that are talking to her in one ear, and speak to me, and make that all come together,” Hale said.
She continued: “Because Meredith is there, I get to throw down and go full-on hard into Madelyne, or Goblin Queen, or Jean never worrying that I lost the right tonal sounds [or] the perfect anchor point for this character’s particular perspective because I know she’s got my back. She’ll say, ‘Well, nope, that one went too Madelyne,’ or, ‘That one went too Jean.’ She’s there, and I have that backup, and I can read because of her.”
While Hale won’t reveal what she thinks Jean and the gang will be up to in the upcoming second season of X-Men ’97, she left us with a tease that it—much like its Emmy-nominated predecessor—is “going to be another great season.”
X-Men ’97 season one is streaming now on Disney+.
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