HEATHER: Is this your first time in Florida?
KEVIN CONROY: No. When I started out acting, about 25 years ago, I did a season at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami. I should have picked up some real estate down there then. Also, I have a sister who lives in Miami Beach.

H: What influences did you draw on for the voice of Batman on the animated series?
KC: When I went in to read for the producers, I really had no background in Batman at all (except for the 60's TV series with Adam West). They asked me, Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, are you familiar with Batman? I said "Yeah, the TV show." They said "No, no, no, no, that would be the wrong direction. Aren't you at all familiar with the Dark Knight series?" I had to be honest, I really wasn't. So I didn't have the background in it that other people did. And that actually turned out to be to my benefit. I had no preconceptions about him. And they said "Well, he's a dark misunderstood character. He lives in the shadows. His parents were killed when he was young. He's living to avenge their deaths. I said "Oh, you're telling Hamlet! That's the story of Hamlet. You're retelling Hamlet." They said "No one's ever said that before. Give it a try and see what you think." I trained in the theatre in New York. I have a lot of classical background. I studied at Juliard. So, that's my instinct, more theatre. So I just applied that to Batman. He's really an archtypical hero. It's the classic hero legend of the misunderstood character avenging in the dark. That's why it's transcended time. It transcends generations.

H: Batman Beyond has really taken the Batman legacy into the future. What do you think attributes to the show's success?
KC: Just what I was saying. It hits that universal chord. It's much bigger than the contemporary culture. It's much bigger than each individual story they tell each week. It's a universal theme of heroism that everyone wants to see good triumph over evil. Everyone wants to see a morality play. And in Batman, you have the ultimate morality play. That's why it resonates over generations. Most of the people that come to see me at these store events are adults, not children. There's a reason for that. These aren't ignorant people. These are intelligent people. It's a very well written show. It's a beautifully animated show. It's got a full symphony score. It's an elegant show. They spend a lot of money on the show and it shows. It's very sophisticated animation. But there's something there for kids too. So it reaches across generational lines. That's unique about it because full families can watch it together. There aren't a lot of shows like that anymore.

H: When you are in the studio, how much leeway do they give you? Do you actually get to improvise while you're there or do you have to stick to the script?
KC: A lot of people don't realize that the actors come first. They usually think the art comes first and we dub to the art, but that's not the way that it is. We are given the scripts and we act them like a radio play. We're all in the studio together. It's a lot of fun. They bring eight to ten actors together (and they're very good actors because animation is in right now). We interact and we bounce things off each other. We have a lot of input into the scripts, which is great! Then they send that off to the artists. Then the animation is done. It comes back from the artists for the syncing of the art to the soundtrack. There's a process called ADR, which is the last clean-up process. The full process from beginning to end is about eight months for each episode.

H: Batman has a lot of femme fatales causing problems. Which one do you think gets under Batman's skin the most: Poison Ivy, Catwoman, or Harley Quinn?
KC: Well, the most fun character is . . . I hate to say this because they're all wonderfull characters . . . the most fun character is Harley Quinn. There's a reason for that because Paul Dini loves writing that character. He created that character and is obviously biased. It's great to have the Joker have that sidekick. Mark Hamill as the Joker is so incredible. He's such a good actor and he brings so much to it. It gives him a foil for a lot of his comedy. And it gives Batman a lot more to bounce off of, the two of them. Harley Quinn is the most fun character, even though Catwoman is the one he's had sexual dalliances with. And that gives it a whole different flavor.

H: I guess the question that's really on everybody's mind is . . . do you have any projects coming up outside of the Batcave?
KC: I write a lot. I've been writing a novel actually. I'm working on a large project right now. So I've been writing for the last year and a half.

H: Can you tell us anything about it ?
KC: No, not until it's done. (laughs)

H: When can we look for it ?
KC: I don't know . . . when it's finished. (laughs)