If you are a Masters of the Universe fan you might have noticed a new series that hit Netflix back in July. After waiting for over 35 years Masters of the Universe finally returned! Masters of the Universe: Revelation not only came back with ten action-packed episodes (split into two parts) starring He-Man, Skeletor, Man At Arms, and more from the original series; it also introduced us to a lot of new characters as well. This past week I had the privilege to talk with Tiffany Smith who voiced one of these new characters named Andra. We got to chat a lot about this amazing new series from what it was like to be part of the Master of the Universe family to becoming the first Black characters in the animated series. You can check the interview below.
Talking Masters Of The Universe: Revelation With Tiffany Smith
How did you get involved with the Masters of the Universe: Revelation?
“So I grew up watching the show as a kid, I loved watching He-man and She-Ra. I even still have some of my action figures from when I was a kid. I even had a photo from the first grade with me holding a She-Ra action figure, and my mom teases me about it saying that I manifested this from a very young age to be part of the Masters of the Universe world.
This project came about just like any other voice-over audition for me. The audition came in and I didn’t know what character it was for, but I knew it was for something related to the Masters of the Universe. So I sent in my tape and tried to forget about it. Well, I got the call and that’s when I got to learn more about the Andra Character. When I auditioned a lot of people were so excited about it. There was a lot we didn’t know about the characters and the story which is normal for something so hush-hush and secret. So, once I started to find out more about her, I love her so much! She is such a cool character.”
What Was It About Andra That Appealed To You?
“I think that one of the big things that appealed to me with her is that she is very smart and a badass! This is something I think that is cool to see in a character in an action series like this. You know, she can make the tech and she is not too scared to go and get her hands dirty when she needs to. The other amazing thing about her is that I am multi-racial, so I grew up watching shows that did not have tons of characters that look like me so to voice a character that people get to watch the show and see Andra right alongside Teela and Prince Adam that looks like them is such an honor that makes me feel lucky I get to bring Andra to life. So that was the journey to Andra.”
What Was It Like When You Realized That You Were Now Part Of The Masters of the Universe family?
“Honestly, it still hasn’t hit me. I feel very, very lucky that not only did I grow up being a fan of this stuff but now I am a part of it. It feels very surreal most of the time, where I have to pinch myself. But I can’t let it overwhelm me too much because I want to do the work and I want to do a good job. Yes, there is a part where you are a fan of it, but I am here to bring this character to life.
I feel like when I was at Power-Con this year when it really hit me. I was like oh my gosh, this is a character that I got to bring to life and have an action figure that is based on the character that I voiced. It is surreal, it’s incredible, I always wanted to have an action figure of a character that I have done. Being at Power-Con and talking to the fans in person, sharing my love for the Masters of the Universe, and where my journey with Andra has gone is when it hit really hard. Also seeing my action figure I was like wow this is bananas.”
So How Cool Was It To See The Andra Action Figure?
“So, I definitely got a little teary-eyed. What was really cool, I walked up to the display where they had her and people were going oh look at this one, it’s King Grayskull and other figures that have not come out to purchase yet. There were some people looking at the Andra figure and were like she is the coolest one, look at her cape and all this cool stuff like her helmet. I was listening to them say stuff then I was like yeah she is pretty cool. Then one guy was like yeah she is cool, then he was like wait… and I was like yeah that is my action figure and I have never seen it before! It was great to experience this with the fans.”
What Does It Mean To You Voicing The First Black Character In the Masters of the Universe Animated world?
“What I think is really cool is that there were other characters, but Andra is a character where you got to see her almost all five episodes for part 1, and she is alongside all these heroes and characters that people knew and loved from the original series. Again it feels surreal and I know how special and how important it is for myself. Like I said growing up and watching shows as a kid there were not a ton of characters that look like me so for me seeing Andra on the show is awesome.
I had a dad come up to me with his daughter he was like seeing these characters on this show and how powerful and awesome they are is so important and she feels like she is even stronger. I don’t know if there are words to describe that feeling. It is inspiring to me to read the character and get to voice her. It is a whole other level when you see the impact it has on other people.
What I love about it is that you don’t have to be exactly the same as Andra. But if you can see a piece of yourself in her and you feel represented that is awesome. I am so glad we are seeing more and more of that in so many animated and live-action shows. People want to see themselves in stuff and they want to see the world we live in. It can get overwhelming if I think about it too much on how special and important it is to have characters like that, and I get to bring them to life in this world. I feel really honored and special that I get to do this with Andra.”
Andra Had A lot of Great One-Liners Did You Get To Improve Them Or Were they In The Script?
“Most of it was in the scripts. But for me what was cool was that this was the first time I have done a character that had a whole arc. I have done voice-over for video games and for an episode here and there, but getting to take Andra on her journey I started to become more comfortable saying let’s do this or what if we said it this way?
All of the writers on this project were so incredible and had an idea of what they wanted Andra to be and be that audience voice. She would say stuff that your best friend would say or what the audience would say while they are watching it. There was one line where He-Man made a joke and Andra was like he really said you were all wet? That is exactly what I was thinking. Even in the original series, there were lines like, oh they said that all right let’s move on. It was so true to who I am. And to who I am as a fan of the franchise that it was fun to play with that stuff.
Everyone who worked on this was 110 percent on board and wanted to do the best that they could do. That speaks to the voice directors and the producers that were there while we were recording. This was all during the pandemic so we didn’t get to record together. So all the one-liners, jokes, and jumping off of what someone else said was not only because of the actors but the guidance of our voice director Collette Sunderman, who is amazing.”
What Was It Like To Record During The Pandamic?
“We recorded both Part 1 and Part 2 all in a row with Part 2 scheduled on November 23rd. So all of that was recorded in separate sessions. I didn’t even meet Sarah Michelle Gellar, who voiced Teela until after all the episodes were done. Again like I said it speaks to how incredible of a job the voice-over side, editing and producing did, because we didn’t get to work together. In my very first session I did there were some actors there but were didn’t record together. I am very hopeful that the whole cast will get together at some point.”
What Was It Like To See Your Name Along With Kevin Smith, Mark Hamill, Sarah Michelle Geller, And The Other Voice Actors
“I remember when the announcements came out with the cast. I didn’t know who was cast. They put the list out and I was reading it and was like all of these people are doing this! Anyone who knows me knows I’m a massive geek. I love Star Wars, Mark Hamill as the Joker, buffy the Vampire Slayer I watched all this stuff! The talent that is on this show blows my mind. I called one of my friends and was like did you read this list of talent? I feel like everyone will be like who is Tiffany Smith!
As an actor, you have that imposters syndrome, like you, are not supposed to be there. But what it really did for me was inspire me to push even harder. I was over-prepared for my sessions I didn’t want to be the weak link. As I said, everyone on this show is extremely talented, and I wanted to play at their level. There is that moment like WOW I get to be a part of this. Then there was the other part that this is who you are up with so bring your A-game Tiffany.”
What Was Your Favorite Moment From The First 5 episodes?
“My favorite moment in episode 2 is when you see Andra and Teela walk in. They have their helmets on and you don’t know who they are then getting to see their dynamics. One of my favorite lines is where I get to say “I am the brains and she is the brawn.” I think that when you see them going on their adventures together and how they have been working together (for who knows how long); getting to see that dynamic for me as Tiffany watching, it was crazy and incredible. Also what I love about it is when you do a voice-over you can separate yourself from it a little bit. So it was just cool in episode 2 when Andra and her come in together.”
Other Than Andra Who Is Your Favorite Character?
“I think, I love Prince Adam. It is one of those things where you get to see a different side of that character. You get to see why he should be He-Man. You get to see his heart and who he is. I think Chris Wood did an awesome job. I can’t imagine the pressure of saying “I have the power!” because a bunch of people are connected to that character. I think he completely knocked it out of the park.”
What Can You Tell Us About These Last 5 Episodes of Season 1?
“Anybody, who is getting ready for Part 2, which comes out on November 23rd on Netflix, I would wold say watch the first 5 again. Because I am very lucky to watch all 10 together, and it is awesome. I love how part 1 was so awesome because it left on a huge cliffhanger. Get ready for Part 2, I mean Skeletor has never had the Power and it is awesome to see where that goes. Expect action and more character development. That’s what I love about the show, you get to see the inside of all these characters. If you saw the teaser for part 2, there you go. Get ready for that!”
You can now check out both parts of the Masters of the Universe: Revelation on Netflix.
We Want To Hear From You
What are your thoughts on Andra in Masters of the Universe: Revelation? What other characters do you like? Also, are you excited about the release of part 2? What are your thoughts on part 1 of the series? That Hashtag Show wants to hear from you!
You can tell us your thoughts by leaving a comment below or hitting me up at starwarsnerd574. You can also join us at That Hashtag Show Facebook page to chat about all things movie-related. Also, make sure to stay up to date on all pop culture news by following us at ThatHashtagShow.com.
SEE ALSO: MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: REVELATION PART 2 COMING TO NETFLIX
SEE ALSO: MATTEL AND DARK HORSE ANNOUNCE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: REVELATION ART BOOK
