Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Daniel Gillies About Marvel’s Thor: Metal Gods

Canadian-New Zealander heartthrob Daniel Gillies proves he’s worthy of wielding Mjölnir as the official narrator of Marvel’s Thor: Metal Gods. Best known for his role as Elijah Mikaelson in the CW’s The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, Daniel embarks into unfamiliar territory bringing to life Asgardian brothers Thor and Loki in the first of several original serialized audiobooks based on the Marvel Comics, exclusively on Serial Box. Pop Culturalist spoke with Daniel about the process and this innovative new art form.

PC: How did you get involved with Marvel’s Thor: Metal Gods?
Daniel: This is one of those rare occasions where I was approached about doing it. They asked me if I wanted to try this. I have never heard of an audio series for a graphic novel series. This is based on Thor and the Marvel Universe.

I’m an audiobook nerd, and I love to listen to podcasts, but narratives in the form of a comic mythology was entirely new territory to me, and to the world! It was such a brand-new idea that I was like, “I want to be a part of something that I’ve never heard of before!”

PC: What is the recording process like?
Daniel: It’s actually physically exhausting, even though you’re sitting in a chair for most of the time. Basically, you’ll enter the booth, and they’ll set you up with an iPad. You scroll through the story. It’s kind of like ADR like you would do in postproduction for any show you do. But it’s different in the sense that it’s literary. You’re reading and trying to capture the tone. The only special effect is you. It’s a really interesting art form. I have a new and profound respect for anyone who does this for a living. I’m doing thirty-page chunks of these short stories for Serial Box. But the people who do actual novels, I can’t even imagine. Game of Thrones has audiobooks—can you imagine doing that? I struggle with these bite-size pieces.

It’s marvelous though. It sounds obvious, but you really have to tell a story through these words. The sound of the word is almost as important as the word. It’s almost like music. I love it! I really, really enjoy myself, but it’s actually really physically demanding. You get out of the booth after four hours and you’re tired. You’re emotionally and physically exhausted.

PC: You touched upon this a little already, but you’ve done a lot of on-screen acting. What are some of the major differences between that and recording an audio series?
Daniel: They’re completely different. It’s like comparing dancing to painting. They’re completely different art forms. Luckily, I have a four-year-old and a six-year-old. I do a lot of reading to them, and I have since they were infants. In a weird way, the thousands of hours that I spent reading to them prepared me more than anything I’ve done on screen.

PC: Who is your favorite character to voice?
Daniel: I like Loki. There’s a Korean tiger-goddess. There’s a gender-fluid space pirate. Thor, himself, is fun too.

PC: What can you tease about the series?
Daniel: It really travels very far. I didn’t realize the scope of this thing until we began. This word has been used so much that it’s lost its currency, but the word “epic” is absolutely appropriate. It’s a space odyssey. They go all over the Universe. They’ve done an excellent job of maintaining chaos and vibrancy, and there’s just enough mystery to compel you to the next chapter. They’ve expertly laid out their narrative that will breadcrumb you to the next moment.

I’m repulsed by my own voice. It’s awful, and even I enjoyed the first episode. [laughs] I was able to listen to it and remove my ego from the equation. That says something about the work. If I don’t want to vomit listening to myself, it’s good.

To keep up with Daniel, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Pick up your copy of Marvel’s Thor: Metal Gods on Serial Box today.