Movies - TV
Kevin Conroy Channeled His Own Life Into One Of Batman's Most Famous Lines
By DEVIN MEENAN
Of all of Batman’s catchphrases, there isn’t a single line that encapsulates the character quite like the one featured in “Batman: The Animated Series.” After being dosed with Scarecrow’s Fear Toxin and haunted by visions of his father in the episode “Nothing to Fear,” the hero declares in defiance: “I am vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!”
Longtime Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy explained his performance: “It was Bruce Wayne talking to himself, reaffirming his own identity ... He’s saying it to himself rather than proclaiming it to the world.” Conroy drew on his own anxieties, saying, “It was like if I’m about to go onstage and I’m terrified and I think I’ll never remember everything and I have a panic attack.”
He continued, “It’s Kevin Conroy saying, ‘God**** it, Kevin. You are an actor. You are a good actor. You know this role. You can do this role better than anybody. Do it.’” Conroy was gay and spent much of his career hiding his true identity — in the short comic “Finding Batman,” the actor shared how he related to Bruce Wayne’s dual lives and found confidence in playing the character.