<09.24.2012> - Emmy on Sunday, Superhero on Monday! Modern Family star Ariel Winter gives voice to the first female Robin in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1
It's going to be a whirlwind 24 hours for Ariel Winter.
Sunday night, the young actress was on stage at the Emmy Awards along with her cast of Modern Family to clam the prize for Outstanding Comedy Series, and tonight she'll be walking the red carpet at the premiere of her new animated film, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1.
Winter gives voice to the first female Robin, Frank Miller's stroke of genius for his landmark comic book story. She'll join co-stars Peter Weller and David Selby on the red carpet at the Paley Center in Los Angeles tonight, September 24, for the West Coast premiere of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1. Also on hand will be a quartet of filmmakers: executive producer Bruce Timm, director Jay Oliva, writer Bob Goodman and dialogue director Andrea Romano. The event is completely sold out.
Now in her fourth season as Alex Dunphy on Modern Family, Winter has already carved out quite a career in her brief 14 years. On the big screen, Winter has been seen in films as varied as One Missed Called, Speed Racer, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and A Thousand Words. Anchored by a recurring role as Lucy Moore on ER, Winter's television career includes guest roles on Criminal Minds, Nip/Tuck, Monk, Jericho, Bones, Crossing Jordan and The Ghost Whisperer.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 represents Winter's second foray into animated DCU entertainment. Winter provided the voice of the savvy 10-year-old Princess Perdita of Vlatava, whom Oliver Queen races to protect in the DC Universe Animated Original Short, Green Arrow. She reprised the role for an episode of Young Justice. She has been particularly active in animation, providing voices for films such as ParaNorman, Ice Age: the Meltdown, Over the Hedge and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and TV series like Phineas and Ferb and The Penguins of Madagascar.
In many ways, Winter is a spunky teenager with equal amounts of smarts and sass. She is honest at every turn. So you know her answers were fun when we sat down to discuss Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1...
QUESTION: Imagining many of your fans are experiencing Batman: The Dark Knight Returns for the first time, describe your character Carrie Kelly's place in the story.
ARIEL WINTER: Carrie is sort of a street kind of gangster girl who lives in this shady part of Gotham City. She's always dreamed to meet her hero, Batman. One day she's walking with her friend Michelle, and they get mugged by the Mutants - but Batman saves her. So she then sets out to be Batman's partner in crime, er, crime-fighting. And eventually, she succeeds and becomes Robin.
QUESTION: How do you see Carrie's sense of Batman?
ARIEL WINTER: I think Carrie feels super ecstatic when Batman includes her in his little facade of Batman and Robin. She feels so honored - it's a really big deal for her. I think she's not really not just a crime fighter, though - she's kind of like his daughter. She really cares for him, and he really cares for her. They're like family.
QUESTION: Are there similarities between Ariel Winter and Carrie Kelly, and how did that help/hinder getting into character?
ARIEL WINTER: Carrie and I share a lot of characteristics. We both like crime fighting. We both like Batman. We would both blow off school for crime fighting. (giggles) Actually, no, I would do my school during the day and then crime fight at night.
It wasn't really hard getting into Carrie's mindset because I've always wanted to play the sort of Tomb Raider, Kick-Ass role where the girl is really the brains behind the power. So I was excited when I got to do it. I just devoured the script. I was surprised. It was pretty violent. I read it and I saw some of the things and I was like, "Woah! That is so cool." I'm a big fan of that action, thriller sort of thing, so it was exciting for me to read.
QUESTION: How important to you is being the first female Robin?
ARIEL WINTER: It's really cool to be the first female animated Robin. There's been so many amazing boys, but I think I can just bring something new that the fans have never experienced. So I'm really honored to be part of such a fantastic project.
Female empowerment really is important to me. I'm a big nerd of the books from the 15th Century and 16th Century, when the men had all the power and the women had none of it. So to have Robin be a girl is cool because it gives girls a chance to know that they can do everything boys can do, and even better. No offense (laughs), but it's true.
QUESTION: Are you into comic books?
ARIEL WINTER: I'm an avid reader, so anything I can read is awesome. I go into comics stores and I can be in there for hours. It's truly amazing when you open a comic book, because you're immediately sucked in from the first line. The writing, the graphics, the artwork - it makes you feel like you're inside the story.
QUESTION: You're 14 and acting all the time. How do you balance acting with education?
ARIEL WINTER: You have to be really smart to be an actor. It's not just saying lines. You have to know the thoughts behind each line, to know what you're saying. So I think it's very important to get an education. And I won't be going to college for acting or film school - I will probably go to college for medical research because it's something that really interests me. I always tell kids that you've got to have something else to fall back on. Acting is my first love - I hope I can do it for the rest of my life. But I'm going to go to college and get a degree in something else. I really feel school is important.
About Warner Premiere:
Warner Premiere, part of Warner Bros. Entertainment, specializes in the development and production of both features and digital content for home entertainment platforms. Past projects include Another Cinderella Story, Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and Batman: Under the Red Hood, as well as the digital series Watchmen Motion Comics. Warner Premiere is at the creative forefront in the made-for-home entertainment marketplace, producing properties that exemplify the commitment to story, production and brand equity for which Warner Bros. is known.
About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group:
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment's home video, digital distribution, interactive entertainment/videogames, direct-to-DVD production, technical operations and anti-piracy businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. WBHEG is responsible for the global distribution of content through DVD, electronic sell-through and VOD, and delivery of theatrical content to wireless and online channels, and is also a significant worldwide publisher for both internal and third party videogame titles.
About DC Entertainment:
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, etc.), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables, etc.) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.
BATMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and copyright DC Comics. (s12)
About Warner Bros. Animation:
Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, with an innovative and talent-rich roster boasting some of the most accomplished writers, producers and artists working today. The studio is on the cutting edge of animation technology, and has both CG and traditionally animated projects in current production and development. In 2010, WBA unveiled three new CG cartoon shorts that feature iconic Looney Tunes characters Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, rendered in stereoscopic 3D. The films have been released theatrically, attached to Warner Bros. Pictures releases. For television, WBA currently produces Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Looney Tunes Show, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, MAD and Young Justice for Cartoon Network, and will soon launch ThunderCats, Green Lantern: The Animated Series and more. WBA also creates the highly successful series of DC Universe Original Animated Movies for DVD. Producing for multiple platforms including TV, digital and home entertainment both domestically and internationally, WBA is highly respected for its creative and technical excellence, as well as for maintaining the Studio's rich cartoon heritage. It is also the home of the iconic animated characters from the DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries. One of the most-honored animation studios in history, WBA has been honored with six Academy Awards, 35 Emmy Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents' Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 20 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).
Sunday night, the young actress was on stage at the Emmy Awards along with her cast of Modern Family to clam the prize for Outstanding Comedy Series, and tonight she'll be walking the red carpet at the premiere of her new animated film, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1.
Winter gives voice to the first female Robin, Frank Miller's stroke of genius for his landmark comic book story. She'll join co-stars Peter Weller and David Selby on the red carpet at the Paley Center in Los Angeles tonight, September 24, for the West Coast premiere of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1. Also on hand will be a quartet of filmmakers: executive producer Bruce Timm, director Jay Oliva, writer Bob Goodman and dialogue director Andrea Romano. The event is completely sold out.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 represents Winter's second foray into animated DCU entertainment. Winter provided the voice of the savvy 10-year-old Princess Perdita of Vlatava, whom Oliver Queen races to protect in the DC Universe Animated Original Short, Green Arrow. She reprised the role for an episode of Young Justice. She has been particularly active in animation, providing voices for films such as ParaNorman, Ice Age: the Meltdown, Over the Hedge and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and TV series like Phineas and Ferb and The Penguins of Madagascar.
In many ways, Winter is a spunky teenager with equal amounts of smarts and sass. She is honest at every turn. So you know her answers were fun when we sat down to discuss Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1...
ARIEL WINTER: Carrie is sort of a street kind of gangster girl who lives in this shady part of Gotham City. She's always dreamed to meet her hero, Batman. One day she's walking with her friend Michelle, and they get mugged by the Mutants - but Batman saves her. So she then sets out to be Batman's partner in crime, er, crime-fighting. And eventually, she succeeds and becomes Robin.
QUESTION: How do you see Carrie's sense of Batman?
ARIEL WINTER: I think Carrie feels super ecstatic when Batman includes her in his little facade of Batman and Robin. She feels so honored - it's a really big deal for her. I think she's not really not just a crime fighter, though - she's kind of like his daughter. She really cares for him, and he really cares for her. They're like family.
QUESTION: Are there similarities between Ariel Winter and Carrie Kelly, and how did that help/hinder getting into character?
ARIEL WINTER: Carrie and I share a lot of characteristics. We both like crime fighting. We both like Batman. We would both blow off school for crime fighting. (giggles) Actually, no, I would do my school during the day and then crime fight at night.
It wasn't really hard getting into Carrie's mindset because I've always wanted to play the sort of Tomb Raider, Kick-Ass role where the girl is really the brains behind the power. So I was excited when I got to do it. I just devoured the script. I was surprised. It was pretty violent. I read it and I saw some of the things and I was like, "Woah! That is so cool." I'm a big fan of that action, thriller sort of thing, so it was exciting for me to read.
ARIEL WINTER: It's really cool to be the first female animated Robin. There's been so many amazing boys, but I think I can just bring something new that the fans have never experienced. So I'm really honored to be part of such a fantastic project.
Female empowerment really is important to me. I'm a big nerd of the books from the 15th Century and 16th Century, when the men had all the power and the women had none of it. So to have Robin be a girl is cool because it gives girls a chance to know that they can do everything boys can do, and even better. No offense (laughs), but it's true.
QUESTION: Are you into comic books?
ARIEL WINTER: I'm an avid reader, so anything I can read is awesome. I go into comics stores and I can be in there for hours. It's truly amazing when you open a comic book, because you're immediately sucked in from the first line. The writing, the graphics, the artwork - it makes you feel like you're inside the story.
QUESTION: You're 14 and acting all the time. How do you balance acting with education?
ARIEL WINTER: You have to be really smart to be an actor. It's not just saying lines. You have to know the thoughts behind each line, to know what you're saying. So I think it's very important to get an education. And I won't be going to college for acting or film school - I will probably go to college for medical research because it's something that really interests me. I always tell kids that you've got to have something else to fall back on. Acting is my first love - I hope I can do it for the rest of my life. But I'm going to go to college and get a degree in something else. I really feel school is important.
About Warner Premiere:
Warner Premiere, part of Warner Bros. Entertainment, specializes in the development and production of both features and digital content for home entertainment platforms. Past projects include Another Cinderella Story, Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and Batman: Under the Red Hood, as well as the digital series Watchmen Motion Comics. Warner Premiere is at the creative forefront in the made-for-home entertainment marketplace, producing properties that exemplify the commitment to story, production and brand equity for which Warner Bros. is known.
About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group:
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment's home video, digital distribution, interactive entertainment/videogames, direct-to-DVD production, technical operations and anti-piracy businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. WBHEG is responsible for the global distribution of content through DVD, electronic sell-through and VOD, and delivery of theatrical content to wireless and online channels, and is also a significant worldwide publisher for both internal and third party videogame titles.
About DC Entertainment:
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, etc.), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables, etc.) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.
BATMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and copyright DC Comics. (s12)
About Warner Bros. Animation:
Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, with an innovative and talent-rich roster boasting some of the most accomplished writers, producers and artists working today. The studio is on the cutting edge of animation technology, and has both CG and traditionally animated projects in current production and development. In 2010, WBA unveiled three new CG cartoon shorts that feature iconic Looney Tunes characters Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, rendered in stereoscopic 3D. The films have been released theatrically, attached to Warner Bros. Pictures releases. For television, WBA currently produces Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Looney Tunes Show, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, MAD and Young Justice for Cartoon Network, and will soon launch ThunderCats, Green Lantern: The Animated Series and more. WBA also creates the highly successful series of DC Universe Original Animated Movies for DVD. Producing for multiple platforms including TV, digital and home entertainment both domestically and internationally, WBA is highly respected for its creative and technical excellence, as well as for maintaining the Studio's rich cartoon heritage. It is also the home of the iconic animated characters from the DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries. One of the most-honored animation studios in history, WBA has been honored with six Academy Awards, 35 Emmy Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents' Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 20 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).
