We catch up with Bruce Boxleitner, star of the new Disney XD animation TRON: Uprising…
You played the character of Tron in the movies, TRON and TRON: Legacy. Was it fun to return to the character with a new animated show?
It was a lot of fun. I’m very proud of this new animated project and I think we’re going to win over some new fans as well as the old fans of TRON. It’s been a blast to work on!
What do you like the most about the new show?
What I love about the animated series is seeing what the writers come up with every week. I’m always impressed, episode after episode. There are some really nice surprises coming in the series.
What happens to your character in the show?
I play a guy called Tron – and he gets rougher as we go along. He’s a mentor to a young character called Beck, but Beck starts to rebel against him more and more as the show progresses. It’s a real tough love between them and it gets pretty brutal. Tron kicks Beck around, but then Beck takes Tron on! Tron keep pushing and pushing – and then he gently tries to draw out Beck’s insecurities.
What’s the bond between Beck and Tron?
You don’t see their bond too much at the beginning of the series but you will see it more as we go on. Beck and Tron’s relationship is not an easy one. It’s like Tron is a sensei and Beck is a young warrior – or like Obi-Wan and Luke Skywalker in Star Wars – except Tron is not as nice as Obi-Wan. Tron literally kicks Beck’s butt a lot! We get into it tussles and Beck fights me every bit of the way – but then he learns some lessons along the way.
Did you work much with Elijah Wood, who plays Beck?
Elijah was down in New Zealand filming The Hobbit during most of the production for TRON: Uprising. The writers would tweak and re-tweak the scripts all the time, so Elijah would fly back occasionally to record lines. Then the writers would do some more rewriting while they were working on the animation, so back he’d come again for more recordings.
How did your work on TRON: Uprising compare to the live action films? Was it harder or easier?
It’s certainly different doing an animated series because you’re only using your voice for the show. You don’t have to use any of your body, and it’s a lot quicker in Hair and Make-Up – but it’s also tougher in some ways.
What did you find difficult?
Trying to find Tron’s voice wasn’t easy. I went on a real journey to find it with Charlie Bean, our director. As unrelenting as you’ll see that Tron is with Beck, Charlie was exactly the same with me.
How does the TV series go further than the films, TRON and TRON: Legacy?
I love how the creative team on TRON: Uprising has kept true to the world created in TRON: Legacy and TRON – but they’ve added to the world. There are new cities, different characters and some amazing new vehicles. Even the uniform is not quite the same.
How would you describe Tron to your new fans?
Tron is like a mythical warrior; a hero of the video game world. When we made the first movie back in 1980, I likened him to Spartacus, who led the rebellion of the gladiators and broke out the slaves. However, Tron has now been through some battles. He’s not the young sprite he used to be when I was the young actor portraying him in the ‘80s.
Did you have an image in your head of what the animated Tron would look like?
I had no idea what to envision. I didn’t know what he looked like or the fact that Clu had disfigured him; that was the biggest surprise for me. I thought he looked great, though. I was very impressed with the graphics.
Did you approve of Tron’s new animated appearance when you first saw him?
I liked the fact that my character has a chin as big as Mount Rushmore! He is a great, squared-jawed man – but he doesn’t look like me too much. I loved the look of him, but when I first saw him I was surprised. I thought to myself, ‘Wow, is that how they imagine me?’
How would you describe the style of the animation?
The animation has a very stylised look. It’s very cool. There is a little anime influence in there, too – especially in the character called Paige. She has a cool anime look, which my youngest son would recognise more than me. Animation and anime is a whole world that I don’t understand but that’s OK with me!
Did you record in the sound booth with Lance Henriksen, who plays Tron’s enemy Tesler?
Yes, a little. Lance and I play two of the enemies in the show, so it was very exciting to work with him. Our characters both have gruff voices in the show, but we had to make sure they were different. I would occasionally get into work a little earlier, while he was recording his lines, just to make sure I didn’t sound like him.
As one of the original cast members from the two movies, did you have any say on who played the new animated roles?
You know what? I did when they were casting the movie TRON: Legacy. In fact, all of my choices won their roles. I immediately knew that Garrett Hedlund (who plays Sam Flynn in the movie) was right for the role. We auditioned several other guys, but I felt that Garrett had the physical presence. He was amazing.
What about the rest of the live-action cast?
I’ve been a fan of Olivia Wilde’s since I can remember and when I saw her with Garrett, I immediately knew we had the right combination for Sam and Quorra. The rest fell into place soon after that.
What do you think of the voice cast in TRON: Uprising?
I think the voice cast for this new show is fantastic. I always said that Lance Henriksen would be terrific. We’re the two older guys in TRON: Uprising, along with Reginald VelJohnson, who plays Able. I’m impressed with everyone involved in the show – and I’m sure you will be too when you get to see the finished product!
TRON: UPRISING premieres on Disney XD on September 10th
You played the character of Tron in the movies, TRON and TRON: Legacy. Was it fun to return to the character with a new animated show?
It was a lot of fun. I’m very proud of this new animated project and I think we’re going to win over some new fans as well as the old fans of TRON. It’s been a blast to work on!
What do you like the most about the new show?
What I love about the animated series is seeing what the writers come up with every week. I’m always impressed, episode after episode. There are some really nice surprises coming in the series.
What happens to your character in the show?
I play a guy called Tron – and he gets rougher as we go along. He’s a mentor to a young character called Beck, but Beck starts to rebel against him more and more as the show progresses. It’s a real tough love between them and it gets pretty brutal. Tron kicks Beck around, but then Beck takes Tron on! Tron keep pushing and pushing – and then he gently tries to draw out Beck’s insecurities.
What’s the bond between Beck and Tron?
You don’t see their bond too much at the beginning of the series but you will see it more as we go on. Beck and Tron’s relationship is not an easy one. It’s like Tron is a sensei and Beck is a young warrior – or like Obi-Wan and Luke Skywalker in Star Wars – except Tron is not as nice as Obi-Wan. Tron literally kicks Beck’s butt a lot! We get into it tussles and Beck fights me every bit of the way – but then he learns some lessons along the way.
Did you work much with Elijah Wood, who plays Beck?
Elijah was down in New Zealand filming The Hobbit during most of the production for TRON: Uprising. The writers would tweak and re-tweak the scripts all the time, so Elijah would fly back occasionally to record lines. Then the writers would do some more rewriting while they were working on the animation, so back he’d come again for more recordings.
How did your work on TRON: Uprising compare to the live action films? Was it harder or easier?
It’s certainly different doing an animated series because you’re only using your voice for the show. You don’t have to use any of your body, and it’s a lot quicker in Hair and Make-Up – but it’s also tougher in some ways.
What did you find difficult?
Trying to find Tron’s voice wasn’t easy. I went on a real journey to find it with Charlie Bean, our director. As unrelenting as you’ll see that Tron is with Beck, Charlie was exactly the same with me.
How does the TV series go further than the films, TRON and TRON: Legacy?
I love how the creative team on TRON: Uprising has kept true to the world created in TRON: Legacy and TRON – but they’ve added to the world. There are new cities, different characters and some amazing new vehicles. Even the uniform is not quite the same.
How would you describe Tron to your new fans?
Tron is like a mythical warrior; a hero of the video game world. When we made the first movie back in 1980, I likened him to Spartacus, who led the rebellion of the gladiators and broke out the slaves. However, Tron has now been through some battles. He’s not the young sprite he used to be when I was the young actor portraying him in the ‘80s.
Did you have an image in your head of what the animated Tron would look like?
I had no idea what to envision. I didn’t know what he looked like or the fact that Clu had disfigured him; that was the biggest surprise for me. I thought he looked great, though. I was very impressed with the graphics.
Did you approve of Tron’s new animated appearance when you first saw him?
I liked the fact that my character has a chin as big as Mount Rushmore! He is a great, squared-jawed man – but he doesn’t look like me too much. I loved the look of him, but when I first saw him I was surprised. I thought to myself, ‘Wow, is that how they imagine me?’
How would you describe the style of the animation?
The animation has a very stylised look. It’s very cool. There is a little anime influence in there, too – especially in the character called Paige. She has a cool anime look, which my youngest son would recognise more than me. Animation and anime is a whole world that I don’t understand but that’s OK with me!
Did you record in the sound booth with Lance Henriksen, who plays Tron’s enemy Tesler?
Yes, a little. Lance and I play two of the enemies in the show, so it was very exciting to work with him. Our characters both have gruff voices in the show, but we had to make sure they were different. I would occasionally get into work a little earlier, while he was recording his lines, just to make sure I didn’t sound like him.
As one of the original cast members from the two movies, did you have any say on who played the new animated roles?
You know what? I did when they were casting the movie TRON: Legacy. In fact, all of my choices won their roles. I immediately knew that Garrett Hedlund (who plays Sam Flynn in the movie) was right for the role. We auditioned several other guys, but I felt that Garrett had the physical presence. He was amazing.
What about the rest of the live-action cast?
I’ve been a fan of Olivia Wilde’s since I can remember and when I saw her with Garrett, I immediately knew we had the right combination for Sam and Quorra. The rest fell into place soon after that.
What do you think of the voice cast in TRON: Uprising?
I think the voice cast for this new show is fantastic. I always said that Lance Henriksen would be terrific. We’re the two older guys in TRON: Uprising, along with Reginald VelJohnson, who plays Able. I’m impressed with everyone involved in the show – and I’m sure you will be too when you get to see the finished product!
TRON: UPRISING premieres on Disney XD on September 10th
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