Tim Daly Has A Funny Theory For Why He Hasn't Been Asked Back As Superman
Here's a piece of advice for future Superman actors, now that Henry Cavill has vacated the live-action role. Keep your interviews family-friendly. Otherwise, you might suffer the fate of Tim Daly, the "Wings" sitcom star and Emmy-nominated "Sopranos" actor who voiced Clark Kent and his caped alter ego in "Superman: The Animated Series."
Before there was the DC Universe, there was the DC Animated Universe. "Superman: The Animated Series" flew in after "Batman: The Animated Series" in 1996 and even triggered a redesign for the animation style of that series with "The New Adventures of Batman and Robin." In a lot of ways, it was really "Superman: The Animated Series" that served as the prime visual blueprint for the DC Animated Universe. It first aired on the Kids' WB, but it was a show that kids of all ages — even adult Superman fans who were just young at heart — could enjoy. Part of the show's run overlapped with a series of American Express credit card commercials where one such adult, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, could be seen starring opposite another cartoon version of Superman.
Despite the popularity of animated Supermen, however, Daly did not reprise his role as Supes in "Justice League," the follow-up animated series in 2001. And now we may know why. In a 2022 interview with Comic Book Central, Daly revealed:
"I do have sort of a funny story about this that has probably kept me from being asked to do Superman again. I don't know if I should even tell it to you, but you tell me. So one time Al Roker was interviewing me about being Superman. He came down to the recording studio and they listened to me record, and he was interviewing me afterward and he said, you know, 'What is the experience like?'"
'The children of America have a pretty good idea what I sound like in bed'
With that question, "What is the experience like?" hanging in the air, Tim Daly made a joke about voicing Superman that had "Today" show anchor Al Roker doubling over in laughter during their interview. He explained:
"I said, well, a lot of it is just these fighting sequences where I make these grunting, straining, groaning noises. And I said, come to think of it, it's a little disconcerting to think the children of America have a pretty good idea what I sound like in bed. And so Roker fell off his chair laughing and this woman from Warner Brothers was like, 'Cut. Uh, Tim?' And they sent me a nice letter telling me, and I said, 'I'm so sorry, you know, I just, I was, it –- it was a joke, and I didn't mean it that way, I don't want to offend anybody,' but there is a kernel of truth there."
While Daly's joke might not seem all that offensive at first, it sounds bad out of context and could be interpreted in a very inappropriate way. Years later, current DC Studios co-chair James Gunn would briefly be fired from his job directing the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies for Marvel Studios when similar old, inappropriate jokes he had made in tweets resurfaced online.
Studios clearly want to keep a lid on anything that might be bad for public relations, and that extends to risqué humor. When casting for "Justice League" took place, Daly was also involved in a one-season TV remake of "The Fugitive," and this further complicated his availability to return as the voice of Superman. However, he did return later for animated movies like "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies," so all's well that ends well.