Summary
Dan Stevens explains why he wanted to replace Justin Roiland inSolar Opposites. Stevens is now the voice of Korvo, the main character in theanimated seriesSolar Opposites. Stevens began voicing Korvo in 2023, after the firing of Roiland from the series. Other mainvoice cast members forSolar Oppositesincluded Tiffany Haddish, Thomas Middleditch, Sean Giambrone, Mary Mack, and Sagan McMahan.
Speaking withComicbook, Stevens discusses hisSolar Oppositesrole. Stevens praisedSolar Oppositesas a whole, and mentions that"doing voiceover and animation" is a huge passion of his. After taking over for Roiland inSolar Opposites, Stevens feels fairly supported by the show’s fans. He also thinks it makes the series more “distinct in a way” fromRick and Morty. The voice actor went on to explain the process of voicing Korvo, and what he likes the most about the main character, including Korvo’s undying love for Terry. Check out the full quote from Stevens below:
I think it’s a real gem and I’m such a fan of adult animation. I’ve always loved doing voiceover and animation and I’ve slowly been working my way into that side of the industry. It takes longer than you might think. It doesn’t necessarily translate that just because you’re in a bunch of TV shows and movies or whatever that you’ll just sort of end up in these things. Some people don’t even want to go here, but it’s a real passion of mine. I love doing it. And so when they were looking for the voice, I just threw my hat into the ring. Mike [McMahon] found the idea of this angry, very particular kind of Brit very funny. I felt they came up with a very sweet and simple and silly way of just being like, ‘Okay, it’s different now.’
I think maybe in the past it was more of a thing where they’d switch out an actor and just carry on and no one would bat an eyelid. I guess it’s more rare now. I was delighted that they could just switch me in so neatly. For the most part, it seems to have gone down pretty well with the fans. I think, if anything, it serves to just point out the difference between this show and Rick and Morty now. I think the similarities were bound by a certain voice and now they’re distinct in that way.
They wanted me to do my native accent and it was really just about preserving the tone of Korvo and the character. He’s a very fastidious character, who’s a guy on a mission who’s a bit pissed off to be on this sh*tty planet but is going to make the most of it, is helplessly in love with Terry. I think that’s where a lot of the sweetness and optimism comes from. It’s another kind of dysfunctional family that time and time again just find a way through any given situation and, also, they’re bound by this love for each other. I’m such a fan of the other characters as well. I think was Thomas [Middleditch] does with Terry is so delightful and it’s great fun to play opposite.
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Solar Opposites & Rick And Morty Took Different Approaches
Stevens' recasting forSolar Oppositescomes after Roiland’s firing from Adult Swim andSolar Oppositeswas announced in January 2023. The firing was in response to the news that the actor had been accused of sexual assault and domestic abuse. The talented actor served not just as a voice actor forRick and MortyandSolar Opposites, but also as a producer and co-creator for both shows. Despite how critical he was to both series, theshows were determined to continue in Roiland’s absence.
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RecastingRick and Mortywas an even more Herculean task than that ofSolar Opposites. UnlikeSolar Opposites, which began airing in 2020,Rick and Mortystarted in 2013, so audiences had a decade to get used to Roiland’s interpretation in his roles. Co-creator Dan Harmon along with the rest of theRick and Mortyteam were determined to find soundalikes, which sent them into a laborious audition process. The team settled onIan Cardoni to voice Rick and Harry Belden to play Morty. Though it has been a hard adjustment, Cardoni and Belden have gotten praise overall.
Solar Oppositesalso had to recast its lead, but they took adifferent approach thanRick and Mortydid. Rather than hire an actor to impersonate Roiland, the team decided to capture the essence of Korvo but committed to changing the character’s vocal style completely. Stevens references this when he says that they"wanted [him] to do his native accent," which is a British accent.This differed dramatically from Roiland’s American-sounding andRick and Morty-adjacent accent.
Solar Opposites
Cast
Solar Opposites is a Hulu adult animation series that centers on a family of aliens. After moving to America, they bicker about whether the country is better than their home planet. The series was created by Mike McMahan and Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland, with characters voiced by Thomas Middleditch, Sean Giambrone, and Mary Mack.
