Ultimate Spider-Man: Steven Weber on Going Green (Goblin)

Actor discusses his upcoming debut as the mean green spider-thumper.

by Max Nicholson

As someone who's played his fair share of "self-important guys wearing suits," Steven Weber certainly fits the bill for Ultimate Spider-Man's Norman Osborn. However, in this weekend's episode "Rise of the Goblin," viewers will bear witness to a different side of Weber's character (literally), as Norman transforms into the revamped Green Goblin -- a moment many fans have been eagerly anticipating since the series began.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Weber about his new monstrous streak and what's to come for Spidey's famed arch-nemesis. We also discussed the actor's recent stint on Wilfred, and his thoughts looking back on Studio 60.

IGN TV: What's it been like for you voicing such an iconic villain like this from the Spider-Man universe?

Steven Weber: Well first of all, I've been a comic book and Marvel geek since probably before you were born -- in fact, I'll say definitely before you were born. I've been steeped in the world for decades. So when I had the opportunity to play this role, I couldn't wait. Of course, Norman Osborn is iconic as well, and I guess I put my own spin on it, with the help of the director and producers of course. They wanted an even icier, more aristocratic Norman than even the fantastic Willem Dafoe had done. But it was amazing to find out what they had in mind for the Goblin because they’ve re-imagined the character in a way that is going to shock and shake up every Spider-Man lovin' geek there is -- it's really going to freak them out a bit because he's not your green-leotard, hat-wearing, pumpkin-throwing guy that cackles, "Hahahaha! Spider-Man!" He's not that guy. As fun as that was, he's something else. He's been refurbished, souped-up and is a major threat, not only to Spider-Man and his buddies, but to S.H.I.E.L.D. as well. It's a huge, huge shake-up, and they needed somebody who's just stupid enough to step into that role to voice him -- and they found me.

IGN: Can you talk a bit about how you initially got involved with the show?

Weber: I do voices on cartoons, and have for years. I do audiobooks. I think my voice sample was submitted to the company, and -- lucky for me -- they chose me. I guess they just saw me as this Norman Osborn character. I've been playing self-important guys wearing suits for the last eight years. Before then, I was playing jaunty, long-haired pain-in-the-necks. Now that I'm all grown and manly, I guess they see me as mean-spirited and authoritative. [Laughs] And I think those are the qualities they wanted in this Norman Osborn.

IGN: We've obviously already seen your version of Norman on the show, but how does your performance differ once you've actually become the Green Goblin?

Weber: As you'll see when you finally see the character, just the physicalization demands something a lot different from Norman. His transformation is not just a one-off disguise, dawning masks or anything like that. It is a deeply physiological, chemical change, and that requires something other than standard voice acting. When they showed the renderings of this souped-up Goblin, we had a discussion about where to go with it. We tried a few things, and it was soon apparent that I was doing something that they liked. And again, that requires more than just standing around doing a funny voice.

IGN: I know this show likes to have the voice actors record together in the studio when they can. Did you get a chance to record with any other actors on this?

Weber: Oh, all the time. In fact, most of the time we're recording together. Drake Bell is there, Chi McBride, the great Tom Kenny, and everybody else on the cast. It's a lot of fun. We egg each other on, and of course there are light moments. Between all the babbling and physicalizations, there's a lot of phlegm that gets flung in that recording studio, let me tell you. We have a great time, and everybody is stoked from the second they get there -- I mean, they're all geeks, too. You can't do this and not love the Marvel world. It's everything you always wanted to do.

IGN: You're no stranger to voice acting, but do you ever find it difficult to deliver the performance you want when it's just you in front of the microphone in a recording room, or is that kind of freeing for you in a way?

Weber: You know, it's more challenging than people might believe. Obviously, it's not like digging a ditch or being a teacher or computing something that requires that kind of intellectual effort -- or physical effort. But it does require you to dig down deep in order to overcome the limitations of the medium. It's two-dimensional, and you're just a voice. So the key is to imbue the picture with a fully fleshed out performance using only your voice and trying to put in all the psychological, emotional and physical cues into it -- and that can be taxing, especially with this particular character. Speaking to the Green Goblin, there is some heavy lifting going on. My throat is basically torn to shreds at the end of these sessions, but it must be done.

IGN: I would imagine it helps having other voices in the room with you so you can kind of gauge the energy and bounce off of other people.

Weber: Oh, when everybody's around, there is a real helpful, communal ensemble energy. Yeah, it's incredibly helpful -- and also, hilarious. Often we have to record lists of throws and hits and kicks and screams and plummets and impacts. And when you watch everybody go through those kinds of gymnastic movements and shouts and screams, it's truly hilarious; it would make a funny show in itself if you could see what these people have to go through -- every "Oof! Ah! Yah!" -- it's very funny.

IGN: As a comic book fan, when you take a step back in the studio and hear these familiar Marvel names and big dramatic lines thrown around, is that sort of cool for you, just knowing that you're playing a part in this new canon?
Weber: Absolutely. It is a privilege and also an extreme pleasure to go where you've been wanting to go since you were seven years old, to be among these people, these torchbearers, of the Marvel universe and to be a part of the pantheon. I've been lucky enough to do that in a few other situations, with other writers who are well known, with TV shows that have big followings. But this is really special. This, in a way, will last longer than all of those things. The ideals, the concepts and the visuals -- all that stuff -- have been passed down seamlessly from generation to generation, and there's no end to that. So it's fantastic to be a part of that world.
IGN: Without giving too much away, would you say this upcoming episode is only just the beginning for the Green Goblin?
Weber: Like you said, without giving too much away about the special one-hour episode of Ultimate Spider-Man premiering Sunday, October 28th on Marvel Universe on Disney XD [Laughs], this Goblin ain't going away because... you can't make this Goblin go away. The cage has not been built that will keep him in one place. He's pretty intense, and Spider-Man and his allies have more on their hands than they thought they would. It's pretty incredible. Again, it also has spectacular animation and brilliant writing and direction. It will not disappoint.

IGN: Excellent. And with that, I also want to briefly ask you about your recent stint on Wilfred this season, because you had some really great moments on that show as well. What can you tell me about your experience working on that?
Weber: Ah! Well, I was speaking to you from my Marvel hat, but my Wilfred hat is completely different. That's one of the most depraved, hilarious, sick, and therefore, ultimately brilliant and enjoyable shows I've ever been on. Great people, Elijah Wood is hilarious, and Jason Gann, again, hilarious. It was tons of fun -- I mean, talk about going low. When I was reading the script, I could not believe what I was supposed to do. [Laughs] You know what I'm talking about. It was a tremendous show, and you have to give FX credit for putting on some of the most imaginative and challenging shows on the air.
IGN: I recall one particular scene where you and Jason Gann basically had to spoon each other on the floor as you vigorously rubbed his tummy. Was that a fun dynamic for you, having to pretend that this guy is actually a dog?
Weber: You see, it went beyond pretending. Clearly, he liked having me rub his tummy, roll around with him on the rug and rub behind his ears. And I'm at the point in my career where basically, I'm fearless. I don't care what it is -- if I like it, I'm going to do it. So the idea of rolling around on the floor with a 40-year-old man in a dog costume, scratching his belly, ears and nose, was absolutely perfect for me. I couldn't have been happier.

Steven Weber as seen on Wilfred

IGN: Lastly, I was a huge fan of Studio 60 and your role on that show, and it seems like it still gets talked about a lot even though it only aired for that one season. What do you think it is about that series that's really connected with viewers over the years?

Weber: You have to credit Aaron Sorkin as being one of the few, if not the only voice of that kind on TV today. He's a voice of the old school, which has a social conscience and is not afraid to go up against authority. In many ways, Studio 60 was that. It may have suffered from trying to be too much of one thing and not enough of another, I don't know. But I think people talk about that show because there were moments of great clarity and truth that don't happen that often on (especially) network television. It should have, by all rights, been given another season at least to develop and evolve. One of the problems with that show -- and TV in general -- is that expectations were so high that there was a considerable amount of desire to see it fail. It was like waiting outside while a baby's being born, and as soon as the baby pops out, you're standing over it and saying, "Why isn't it walking? Why isn't it talking? What's that gourd hanging from its bellybutton? This stinks!" [Laughs] You know, they didn't give it time. But even in the short time that it was on the air, it absolutely established itself. It's still watched all over the world. I get people from England, France, Spain, Italy -- all over the place -- who still watch the show and look to it for a kind of quality that is rare.