Posted in: Audio Dramas, TV, Warner Animation Group | Tagged: inside of you, michael rosenbaum, smallville

Inside of You Host Rosenbaum on Podcast, Voice Acting, JLU & Much More

Inside of You host and actor Michael Rosenbaum (The Talented Farter) discussed his successful podcast, acting career, JLU, and much more.

Michael Rosenbaum is one of the busiest and active talents in Hollywood, from acting, directing, writing, producing, hosting, and now author. Since his on-screen debut in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), the actor's had an eclectic career across several genres, from comedy, drama, horror, and voiceovers, appearing in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Smallville, Urban Legend (1998), and the DC animated universe. While Rosenbaum had a fulfilled career in front and behind the camera, his primary focus is his talk series Inside of You, talking about a variety of subjects with his guests and a willingness to confront controversy, like the recent appearance of his Smallville co-star Allison Mack, who was released from prison following her role with NXIVM. While promoting his latest children's book, The Talented Farter, the actor spoke to Bleeding Cool about his unique interview approach, which DC role resonated with him the most, revisiting the gems of his earlier work, and his memorable run as the voice of The Flash.

Inside Of You Host Michael Rosenbaum on "Breaking the Ice" on His Podcast, DC, Career & More

You've carved out a significant presence in the podcast sphere with your work on Inside of You and Talkville, and I'm wondering if that has changed the way you approach acting.

Yeah, I've learned so much from all my guests. I think that's what makes the Inside of You podcast so meaningful and successful. When I talk to people, I'm not like a late-night show host. All I'm trying to do is break the ice, have a real conversation with them, talk about the adversities they face in life, insecurities, anxieties, or whatever it is, and become…just give me two human beings talking, and people listening, hopefully, will think the same. As an actor, it's helped me to listen more because I'm forced to put those headphones on, gauge, and navigate these conversations. Listening is the most important thing for an actor, period. If you don't listen, you're not getting the right reaction, you're not invested, you're not in the scene, you're not being present, so it's helped me a lot.

You obviously have a great, wonderful, and talented voice. Transitioning into that, I was wondering, you've done so much in the DC world, particularly in improving the visibility of the comics industry in general, and especially for the DC world. Is it hard, as far as when you immerse yourself in that role, do you have a particular favorite role or something that you always look forward to just coming back to again? I know it might feel like picking a favorite child.

It's a good question. I enjoy a lot of it. There are some roles that I can't say I didn't enjoy every role. In every role, there was something about it that I connected with. I did whatever I could to make this character work and be believable. Lex Luthor obviously was a complicated character. There was a lot to understand about him and how he evolves in fighting his demons, and it was a challenge, and one that I welcomed, and that role put me on the map.

There have been some other great roles. I really enjoyed Impastor (on TV Land), which was a fun, short-lived show for two years. If you could find it, you'll really enjoy it, but playing a guy like that who's a fish out of water and pretending to be a gay priest in a little town. He's a criminal, and he's not who he says he is, and even playing this guy, Dutch Nilbog, on Fox's Breaking In was what I thought was a terrific character. I love playing that guy, and I wanted to play him more.

A lot of characters that I play…you're only as…it's a luck, right? Luck's a big thing. It could land you a role, but no one sees the movie. It doesn't look great, it doesn't get received great, but it doesn't mean your experience wasn't great. Yeah. You must look at it as an experience. I directed a movie called Back in the Day (2014). It's such a funny little romantic comedy. I made it for nothing, and I loved it. It's Morena Baccarin, myself, Nick Swardson, some comedians, and it's got some heart, it's got some fart, it's a little crass at times, but I made the movie I wanted to make. I'm very proud of that, and I loved it. I'm trying to make a horror movie right now, and I love horror, so trying to get that made. I'm trying to enjoy life and just trying to keep doing it. Just keep going.

As much as I enjoyed the Grant Gustin incarnation of The Flash, I was curious what you would have been like if you suited up for the live-action incarnation and how that would come across on screen. I love the animated works all the same.

Oh yeah, I loved [Justice League] Unlimited. I love doing The Flash. I'm so amazed by how many people respond to The Flash and how much they love him. He was amongst all these serious people and doing all these things. He was the comic relief, but sometimes he said things that were profound or understanding, like there was the Christmas episode and there's (season three's) "The Great Brain Robbery" with Clancy Brown, switching brains with Lex Luthor. That was just tremendous, and I was sad that the show only lasted a few seasons, but Kevin Conroy and all these other great actors, Andrea Romano, and (Bruce) Timm, and I'm very proud of that.

The Talented Farter is available in bookstores. New episodes of Inside of You airs on Tuesdays.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!