Interview: Morgan Berry and Katie Wetch on Clevatess English Dub
Anime Atelier recently got to interview the Clevatess English voice cast, namely Morgan Berry (Klen) and Katie Wetch (Alicia). The two of them shared their performances as their characters, favorite scenes, and the interesting dynamic between the unlikely pair.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Q: Nice to meet you all. Our first question is a bit more general. I would like to learn more about the casting process for the roles. Did you specifically know what kind of character you were auditioning for, if there was an audition, and how long this process took?
Berry: Yeah, the audition process was definitely fun. We got a breakdown of the characters, the vocal range, and typically you might possibly sometimes get to watch a trailer and hear the voice. Yeah! I developed my voice off of the specs that I read and the audition sides. And looking at the character art--it's always nice to see what the character looks like, in addition to the character breakdown.
Getting to place the voice younger, because I see that Clevatess is in the body of a child, so I gotta sound like a boy and so pitch it lower. I think about the attitude of the character: this all-powerful being who is lording over all! So much power there and so much confidence that comes with that power.
And so I embody that attitude, that confidence, the sometimes, you know, this arrogance that he has. Because it's not just the voice; it's definitely the attitude of the character that you want to embody, and so that's what I did. I'm so glad that I booked it because this is a great show and I love it.
Wetch: Yeah, it was the same for me. And, you know, my immediate thought of Alicia was just: hero, strong drive, strength. It was sort of a like ascend-and-forget sort of thing, and I'm so glad that it came back around because this has been such an incredible experience.
Q: Did you watch the Japanese dub of the series, and did that in any way affect the end result for the voices?
Berry: We do get to preview the scenes before we dub them, and so that's what I got to watch. Yeah, I could say I based the voice off of what the director wanted in the audition sides, and then we developed it further when we started recording for the show. And then, of course, I feel there's a growth in the characters, and I feel like that will continue to happen. These characters will grow in their relationships with each other and, you know, we might find a softer side for Klen and Clevatess, and I'm looking forward to going on that journey with everyone.
Wetch: Yeah, I think it's really cool to be able to hear a character in so many different languages because it's so inspirational to hear so many different performances and takes on this incredible story.
Q: What was your first impression of the world where the series is set?
Berry: I love dark fantasy. I love shows with magic and mystery and really cool fight scenes! This show has it all. And it has also really awesome animation and beautiful music. So, I knew I would end up loving it. (laughs)
Wetch: Yeah. It was very cool how nostalgic it felt, as well. That immediately attracted me to it. It felt nostalgic, so well cared for already. As Morgan said, the animation, the music-it was so gorgeous. And it was just so immediately epic and exciting to jump into.
Q: How do you go about portraying the dynamic Klen and Alicia have on screen most of the time?
Wetch: It's very much, I think, Alicia reacting to Klen. It's actually really funny because even when, like–because we record at different times, sometimes if I'm the first one in, I can still hear Morgan (laughs), and I'm like, "Okay, okay!" And it's because Alicia is so reactive that it's just so fun to play off of. They have such an interesting dynamic.
Berry: Yes, I love their dynamic and their personalities contrast in such a hilarious way because Klen has such a cool, calm demeanor. But Alicia, being a regular humanoid and not an all-powerful beast, has her freak-out moments because she knows what it's like to be in a vulnerable body before she was essentially zombified with the Dark Ichor and brought back from the depths. It's fun to see how their personalities contrast, how they have to learn to work together and then grow in their relationship with each other.
Q: Katie, you mentioned that Alicia often reacts to Klen's provocations. Do you find it sometimes challenging to portray this rage that she actually feels deep down and all the frustrations with the situations she finds herself in?
Wetch: Hmm! I love that. Yes and no? (laughs) I think Morgan is fantastic, and so it's very easy to react off of Morgan. And when you have an incredible cast that gives you so much, it's so easy to just bounce off of and play.
Technically, it is a challenge that I've learned to work through. Getting down into finding the depth of her voice, finding the grit in her voice, and determining, with the help of our amazing directors, when that needs to show its side. And when there's just a more, sort of sibling-esque sound of like, "Klen, this is ridiculous"—if it goes up, if it goes down–there's so much technical stuff to navigate. Honestly, going to the gym when I can, or doing any kind of core and breath exercise, as well as singing lessons; singing lessons have truthfully made the biggest difference in my career just because of the tonal control, the breath work, learning to hear yourself, and being tuned to your body. I think that's been one of the biggest learning experiences for me technically with Alicia. It's learning how to push my body in certain ways, how to push my voice, but at the same time, doing it in a way that is safe, doing it in a way that is consistent, and doing it in a way that, like, I can continue to do this for as long as we need to do it, you know? And so that's been a very cool challenge to navigate.
Q: Because Klen and Clevatess are technically two different characters, how do you navigate this difference between the two personalities?
Berry: Yeah, Clevatess is Clevatess, but he's in this body that's not his own, and he's taken on the form, I guess, of this body that's not his own. It's still him, but he sounds different because of the body and the form he's taking on.
There are aspects that I have to remember to keep consistent as far as pronunciation. Because when it comes to the voice of Beast Mode-Clevatess, I have to make sure that I still sound similar in the way I speak, with the flow of my words and pronunciation. So if he says, "either," I have to pronounce it "eye-ther" instead of "ee-ther." Little details like that really make all the difference. Because we need that consistency to show people that, "Yeah, it's still Clevatess. He just sounds different."
There is definitely a growth, though. When he's in his beast form, just like his everyday self, his look, he definitely comes off more foreboding, more dangerous, more scary even. But when he goes back to that image of Klen, that form of Klen, it definitely gives a different vibe because he's not as scary (laughs). But I do find it fun to be able to portray that, and sometimes a bit of a challenge to remember to embody that character the same way, or the version of that character the same way.
Q: Since we're now in Season 2, is there a scene that you found especially fun to record so far from both seasons?
Berry: There are some heartwarming moments, and there are some hilarious moments where Klen is just being a meanie to Alicia. I find those to be fun when he just teases her, and I find it hilarious and sometimes very endearing, even when he's mean and calls her a fool and useless. Those moments are funny to me. But I also enjoy the moments where he is softer, and it almost feels like she's growing on him. I think he's developing a heart of sorts (laughs), maybe, for these humanoids that he just wanted to destroy. So I really am enjoying that.
Wetch: The scene that stands out to me in Season 1 is the end where Alicia is kind of reminding Klen, asking him to look into Luna's eyes and "What do you see?" The humanity in that is so deep. I may or may not have cried a little bit, but it was so moving even just to read.
And then in Season 2, I also love the back-and-forth picking between the two of them, but I also love the shift a little bit in the dynamic when Alicia gets to pick on and play with one of the students a little bit. Because you can see [that] she's learned a thing or two and she can hold her own. It's just very fun to see a cheekier side of her.
Q: How much of their dynamic would you say could be attributed to Luna? Because Luna is a central part of their little unique family that they have going on. Luna softens Klen's approach to humanity, but it also makes Alicia perhaps a little bit more responsible.
Wetch: Yeah, that's a great question. I like that. I think from Alicia's perspective, it provides some conflict too. Because this is Klen's task, and you know, she does vow, "I'm going to protect the baby," but she can't provide for the baby. Nelluru has nurtured Luna, and I think it just leads to Alicia trying to find her place within all of these relationships. And yeah, sort of feeling like, I don't want to say "attached to Klen," but like that is [what] their initial, like, coming together is for Luna.
Berry: Yeah, that was a great question. I don't even know how to fully answer it. I like your answer, Katie.
We'd like to thank Katie Wetch and Morgan Berry for taking the time to answer our questions and share their thoughts on the world of Clevatess with us!
You can catch new episodes of the Clevatess anime weekly on Crunchyroll.
Images: Courtesy of Crunchyroll; ©Yuji Iwahara/LDF/CLEVATESS Project
