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RadioFree.com: When we spoke to you previously, you were looking forward to the possibility of recording Dan Vs. live with your co-stars. Did your schedules work out so that you got your face time with Curtis and Dave?
PAGET: Yeah, we did end up doing a lot of the recording together this year, which is great, because it is a little difficult when you go in alone, and you just sort of do your lines without being able to play off other people...Those guys are hilarious, and it's a lot more fun.
Is there a danger in having too much fun together, and having to redo lines because you're busy making each other laugh?
Yeah, that definitely happened. [laughs] A couple of things that always get us...Curtis is the gentlest, sweetest man. I mean, as Dan, he's misanthropic, screaming, angry...And that couldn't be further from who he is. So when he gets into character, he gets all riled up and angry, and if he blows a line, he looks at us as though we messed him up, and looks furious. And so then we just lose it. Then we just laugh. I mean, we can't stop. So that's great. And the other thing is [that] Dave Foley can only do, pretty much, his voice--he can't do any other voice. So yeah, we definitely blow takes and make each other laugh. But it's better than going in and doing it alone, always. We do get a good roll going. I mean, we'll do four pages in a row and sometimes not crack each other up. But yeah, we do mess each other up a fair amount, in a good way.
Did you also get to record with Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter?
Yeah, I did. I got to record with them a couple of times, and it was fun, because they obviously have known each other for so long. And they kind of poke each other verbally when you're recording, so I just sat back and watched because they were funny. They would make fun of each other or pick at each other as though they were married in this kind of cute, strange way. And they know each other really well, and they clearly have a fondness for each other and a friendship that's beyond words, which was really nice to see.
 
What are you looking forward to about the third season of the show, and what can we expect from Elise this year?
Well, Elise is still working [as] Dancing Shadow, her secret ninja spy work, and so I got to do a lot of that. What's exciting for me is [that] now we're going to be able to see the show animated, because we don't get to see that until they're all done and airing. Our only experience is being in a room and recording the voices. So once you get it back animated, you get to see all this other stuff that we didn't know was in the script. And that's really exciting.
I don't think I realized until now that you also did the voice of Dan's beloved pet feline, Mr. Mumbles. What's the secret to tapping into your inner cat?
[feigns an air of "serious actor"] Well, I'll tell you: playing Mr. Mumbles, you have to be fearless, because you're going to make some bad cat sounds. [laughs] And the [recording] engineer will laugh at you. And they make you keep doing it. They finally told me that they had banked a bunch of the sound, and they were just making me do Mr. Mumbles because it cracks them up. But I don't know this because they're behind, like, four panes of glass. So they were all in the engineer room giggling that they were getting me to--[meows]--make all these noises as Mr. Mumbles. But I love it. Mr. Mumbles is cool. I'm really glad that they didn't replace me with a real cat sound.
Actors often say that gesticulating and acting out helps a voiceover performance. When you're doing Mr. Mumbles, do you find that you do stuff like paw at your hair?
"Do I groom myself?" [laughs] Now I'm doing it in my living room right now! I'm in cat mode. [laughs] I don't know, maybe I do...Do I? [pauses to think about it] Yeah, I do! Yes! When they ask me to be, like, angry Mr. Mumbles, I'm scratching at the air...I didn't realize I did that.
When you contribute additional voices, do the writers specifically create those roles for you, or do you simply pitch them ideas?
Well, I always offer. If there's a character, I'll just ask them, "Hey, can I do this voice?" And they'll say, "Okay, let's hear what you would do." And I give them a couple variations, and then they can use it or not use it--it's entirely up to them. I don't want to take a job away from someone else who could come in and record that voice. But I figure it's a good way for me to learn and get better, and try something that I haven't done before. So I just ask them if I can try it, and they usually say yes. Or they tell me that someone already has the job, and then I won't do it.
You've obviously had the pleasure of working on a lot of great animated films and television shows. Do all of the different voice directors and sound crews and actors have a similar way of working from project to project?
No, everyone's very different. And it can be confusing because people do work very, very differently. When I record at American Dad or Batman or Venture Brothers, everyone operates very differently. And sometimes I'll get so used to doing Dan Vs. that I expect them to say, "Okay, we're going to record page 2 to 4, and here we go..." And then we start recording. And in another place, it'll be like a computer screen next to you in the studio, and you can barely see into the booth, and like a light goes on on the monitor, and that's when you start, which is really different, and kind of jarring. So you have to figure out how each director works and how each studio works. And then you're in it, you're doing it. But everyone works very differently. It's interesting. And people have different languages, different words..."Okay, I want you to billboard this."
When you're playing a character like Lana Lang in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, who has been established for a while and portrayed by many other actors, do you approach the role differently than a character like Elise, who is yours from the start?
That's interesting...It's intimidating to me that other people have done it before me, so I just pretend no one has. [laughs] I just feel that if they want me to do it and they've offered me the part, I show up. Andrea Romano directs those. She's fantastic, and very concise and clear, and knows what she wants and how to ask for it. So I just do whatever she says. You know, she'll try stuff like, "Do it faster and angrier" or "Do it as though your birthday party was canceled." Which is really exciting that someone gives you such specific direction. But yeah, a lot of people have replaced a lot of people, and different people are hired to play different parts in all of those movies, which I think is exciting--you know, all the different people that have been involved in it. It's kind of a cool club to be in.
I would be remiss if I didn't ask before we wrapped up: We know you're a fan of The Walking Dead, which has also entered into its third year. How much are you loving their new season?
[gasps] Oh my God! Did you see last night's?
Yes, so I'm currently caught up.
It's become even scarier! And last night, I had to watch Boardwalk Empire afterwards just to sort of palette cleanse. Because when I go to bed after watching Walking Dead--if I don't read something or see something else--I dream all night long that there are zombies in the house. And I've woken up locking doors in the house half asleep, like sleepwalking, because I'm afraid of zombies. I love that show. That show is brilliant.
Any chance that we'll see you on another episode of Talking Dead?
Oh, I would love to. That's entirely up to Chris Hardwick. But I think I'm seeing him in a couple days. We're doing a podcast together. So I'll ask him if I can go back on. [laughs]
Well, thanks for your time this morning, it was a pleasure speaking to you again.
Thanks, Michael! I hope I see you soon.
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