Yonjoo Seo, Assistant Art and Entertainment Editor November 20, 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nicole Sullivan (Communication '91) must find a way to safely record her role as a Supergirl in "DC Super Hero Girls." Most of the voice-over rooms were sold out, so she and her husband built one in the storage room at the back of the office. She bought a high-quality microphone, audio interface and sound pop-up screen to record the sound.

"It's a little hodgepodge, but it's really super effective," Sullivan said.

The actors in "DC Super Hero Girls" all work in their own studios. They communicate through Zoom and record their parts together and individually. Although the situation is not ideal, Sullivan said she was happy to appear in the voice-over in her pajamas.

 "DC Superhero Girl" is a cartoon about teenage superheroes based on iconic characters in DC comics. It has been broadcast on Cartoon Network since March 2019. Sullivan previously dubbed the role of Super Girl in a series of short films called "Forever Super Friends" in 2012. This is one of the roles Sullivan has dubbed for many animated characters-for young fans, she may be best known for her role as the evil Chego in "Maybe". In adult animation, she dubbed various characters in "Family Portrait" and "BoJack Horseman", and played Joan of Arc in the cult MTV series "Clone High School". However, her role is not limited to cartoons-she has appeared in various sitcoms and is currently playing Jenny, a neighbor of the Johnson family in "Black".

Sullivan said that in addition to wearing pajamas to work, dubbing has other benefits. She likes to freely play various roles that don't look like her. In some cases, they are younger or older than her for decades. 

"Performing in person...I can't be a teenager because I look a bit like Karen," Sullivan said. "That's why I can be Karen on Black-ish." 

Although her voice acting was almost uninterrupted by the pandemic, Sullivan's live-action character requires different safety precautions. During the 10 days she was filming for "black people", she had to test for the coronavirus 8 times. On the set, the entire crew wore masks and face masks, even though the actors did not wear them during filming. 

"Now (the staff) say'camera, rolling sound, speed, remove personal protective equipment,'" Sullivan said. "Then someone comes to take off your personal protective equipment, and they say'action'."

Sullivan's first major role as an actress after graduating from Northwestern University was one of the original actors in the Fox sketch comedy series "MADtv". She performed on the show for six seasons and described the experience as a "baptism of fire". Her roles, such as the racist country singer Darlene and the despicable Vancome Lady, often appear there, asking her to be so excessive that she is used to performing everything and feels comfortable. This finally made a good preparation for her dubbing career: She said that when recording for an animation program, it is normal to feel a little embarrassed on her skin. You have to make strange faces and change your voice to exaggerate.

"If you feel a little embarrassed, then you are doing it right," she said.

As a voice actor, Sullivan said that she is not like a chameleon like some of her colleagues who create different voices for the characters. She does not necessarily change her voice because of the role, but through her phrase conversion, the comic interpretation of the lines makes herself more distinctive. She also said that she likes to improvise and write off drafts while reading various programs.

The author of "DC Superhero Girl" originally wrote a "bad girl" line for Supergirl, but adjusted the character to complement Sullivan's abilities.

"I was hired, and they were like,'Wait a minute, and then start rewriting," Sullivan said. "(The tone is now more) ironic."

Since the roles she played sounded similar, Sullivan said she focused on the unique personality of being loyal to the role. When she played Supergirl, Sullivan kept in mind that this role is a fashionable teenager, she also wants to be recognized, and does not want to conflict with her parents. When she plays the contrasting role of Marlene in "Penguins of Madagascar," she must remember to be positive and optimistic.   

"No matter what (Marlene) is a half-full glass, I always have to remember," Sullivan said. "She knows that tomorrow will be a better day."

Although she mainly works in comedy, Sullivan said that she was not a class clown when she was growing up, nor was she famous for being particularly funny. She cultivated her sense of humor while studying drama in NU. It was her mother's idea that she applied for NU. She told her that she knew some great actors who had been there. Sullivan replied, "What is Northwestern University? Where is Illinois?" 

One of Sullivan's unique memories of NU is the canvas scene for a work in her freshman year. She will paint the whole body with fireproof black paint, and will be responsible for the work of the production team until 11 o'clock in the evening. She said that this experience was very helpful to her and that she can build steps to this day. She clarified that this was not what she wanted in a skyscraper, but a step her children could use to look in the mirror in the morning.

At Northwestern University, Sullivan met Betsy Thomas (Communication '90) in a play adapted from Franz Kafka's "The Trial," and Thomas was an assistant director. Now a director and writer, Thomas has worked with Sullivan

Projects include the NBC comedy "Whitney" and her show "My Boy". In "My Boys", Sullivan guest-starred as one of the protagonists, Kenny's girlfriend. Thomas said that the actors improvised with Sullivan, and some of the improvisations became the final cut of the episode. She also said that although Sullivan mainly makes comedies, she has a wide range of abilities as an actor. 

"A lot of people think she is funny, she really is, but she is actually a very good actress," Thomas said. "And I think she ended up in a lot of comedies because that's what she is famous for, but the truth is that she can definitely act in plays. She will be great."

Sullivan demonstrated some of her dramatic abilities in playing Jill Tracy, one of the recurring patients in "Scrub". She said this role was one of the most meaningful roles she played because Jill was a depressed woman and she saw friendship in the doctor who treated her.  

"She saw the friendship she longed for all her life," Sullivan said. "I think this is the pain we all suffer." 

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