Ricky Church chats with Zehra Fazal about her role as Nosferata and Talia al Ghul in Catwoman: Hunted…
It is without doubt that Catwoman is one of the most iconic comic book characters ever since she was introduced in the first issue of Batman over 80 years ago. Since then, she has been played by several actresses beginning with Julie Newmar in the classic ’60s television series Batman, Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns, Halle Berry in Catwoman and soon by Zoe Kravitz in the upcoming The Batman. Despite her popularity and the number of DC Animated Movies, however, Catwoman has never been given an animated film all on her own.
That has changed with the upcoming release of Catwoman: Hunted, the feline anti-herione’s first animated feature. The film sees Catwoman attempt to steal a priceless jewel from some of the world’s most deadliest criminals, forcing her into a reluctant alliance with Batwoman and Interpol agents as they attempt to bring down an evil international organization, all the while being hunted by deadly assassins. We spoke with actress Zehra Fazal who has a double role in the film as Nosferata, a vampire-like meta-human hired to hunt Catwoman, as well as the diabolical Talia al Ghul, a role she also portrays in Young Justice. We chatted about bringing Nostforata to animation for the first time and differentiating her performances as Talia. Check out the interview below…
Ricky Church: Catwoman is one of the most iconic characters ever created. What’s it like for you to star in Catwoman: Hunted, her first animated film?
Well, it’s really cool to be a part of this movie and I think it’s beyond time that Catwoman got her own animated feature. Especially in this world that’s populated with so many strong female characters and this really interesting story about the web of villains in the DC universe. It’s just a really cool thing to be a part of. Also I’m so grateful, I’ve collaborated a lot with Greg Weisman before on Young Justice so it’s just such an honour to be involved in another project of his. You know it’s gonna be a really great script when Greg’s on it.
Yeah, for sure. Now you have two roles in this movie. Your first one is Nosferata and then your second is Talia al Ghul. Starting with Nosferata, what can you tell us about her and that great scene with her, Batwoman, Catwoman and Cheshire?
Yeah. Nosferata is so cool. I wasn’t familiar with her until I was cast in this project and then I did a little research and I think this is her first appearance in animation out of the comics. It was really cool to sort of set the tone for what she might sound like. Working with our voice director, Jamie Thomason, to figure out she kind of has the Eastern European sound that evokes the classic vampires of yore, so kind of playing with that idea, but also finding her physicality. What is the physicality of her bat nature? How does that translate in her fight, the brutal, awesome fight that you mentioned. It was really cool to play a character who’s vicious and savage like that.
I wasn’t really overly familiar with her either. I think this was my first time seeing her in animation. What’s that like to be the first to introduce her to like a wider sect comic book fans?
I mean, it feels really cool! There’s always a little pressure because I mean as somebody who grew up reading comics as a fan myself, I understand how passionate people get about their version of the character that they read. There’s always a little bit of nervousness when you see any kind of adaptation. Whether it’s live-action or animated of the character that you love, there’s always a little trepidation, right? I, fully understanding that, there is a little bit of pressure, but all you can do as the actor is to just create a version that’s cool and honest and true and interesting and leave it in the fan’s hands, whether they like it or not.
For sure. Now your second role, like I mentioned, is Talia and funny enough this actually isn’t your first time voicing Talia al Ghul as you have voiced her in Young Justice and the Batman: Death in the Family short. What do you find different about this version of Talia? How do you tap into Talia through the different projects?
Yeah, I love this question! When I play a character like Talia al Ghul, who’s essentially a legacy character, a character that multiple people will play in media, I love trying to figure out okay, in each version of her, in each story that’s being told, what is her primary emotional motivation? It changes slightly in each version. I think in Catwoman: Hunted, the little we are privy to Talia’s thoughts there’s clearly a tension between her and Selena Kyle that is a big driver for some of the actions that happen in this movie. I think that that’s been a really interesting thing to bear in mind while playing her in this.
I think also this film is so global. It’s such an expansive view of the world. Literally, you’re in different locations throughout the movie and giving her a more worldly sound. In this we leaned more towards the Middle Eastern accent as opposed to a British accent to just fill out the world a little bit more. I love playing Talia. I think the common thread throughout is she is the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, she has inherited this enormous legacy and there’s a lot of pressure on her to get things right, to keep things together, to keep the ship sailing. I relate to that personally very much.
Awesome. Now you kind of mentioned it before, but this film is such a female-driven story, both with superhero women and supervillain women. What are your thoughts on that? How does it feel to be part of such a female-centric story like this?
Oh man, I love it! I think it’s so cool and so needed and necessary, especially in superhero media to have a cast of largely women. Especially to have the villain, Catwoman, be the protagonist of the story. I think it’s so great. I’m always fascinated when we can empathize with our villain, when we learn their motivations and if we agree with them. I think, without giving anything away, a lot of viewers will agree with Selena for what she’s doing and be on her side and be rooting for her which is really cool. I think it fosters empathy, understanding the human motivations of people. But yeah, I think it’s so cool to see these strong women working together, working at odds with each other, fighting and having these incredible action sequences and really kind of outsmarting one another. It’s just very, very delicious.
Awesome. Yeah, I really enjoyed that aspect of the movie. As for Catwoman herself, she is over 80 years old now. She appeared in the very first Batman comic and, like you mentioned, it’s about time that we got a movie of her. Why do you think she’s remained a popular character among both comic book fans and the general audience?
Yeah, oh my God! So many reasons! First of all, I love cats! I feel like a lot of people love cats, right? So the idea of the cat, not only the cuteness of it, but kind of the sensuality, the slickness of the cat, is just kind of an enduring image as much as the image of the bat. It’s a contrast to that. So I think that’s interesting. And then just the character of Catwoman is so cool! She’s so interesting and she always seems to land on her feet. That to me is fascinating. Like what happens when you take a character who things always work out for her and push her in peril where it seems like things may not work out for her. That is so fascinating. And honestly, people just love a good jewel heist movie! I mean, who doesn’t love a jewel heist?
SEE ALSO: Read our review of Catwoman: Hunted here
Thank you to Zehra Fazal for speaking with us!
In the all-new original Catwoman: Hunted, Catwoman’s attempt to steal a priceless jewel puts her squarely in the crosshairs of both a powerful consortium of villains and the ever-resourceful Interpol, not to mention Batwoman. It might just be enough to contain her. Or not.
SEE ALSO: Check out our other Catwoman: Hunted interviews with Elizabeth Gillies, Kelly Hu and Greg Weisman
Catwoman: Hunted is now available on DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray Steelbook and Digital Download.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
