Joe Tandberg, the voice of Iorek, discusses the meaning of this armorless face-off.
Warning: This article contains spoilers fromHis Dark Materialsepisode 7, The Fight to the Death.
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Its a big moment, and it means a lot to the relationship between Lyra and Iorek.
Im very, very proud and very, very nervous.
When she lands, she finds herself in the company of Ioreks people.
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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I think congratulations are in order.
All hail the bear king!JOE TANDBERG:Well, thank you.
When you talk about rehearsing, what were you guys actually doing physically?
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Our hands went from being paws to being jaws.
Its a tricky thing because, obviously, were not shaped like bears.
The reason why I wanted the weights is because of his sheer size.
Polar bears or panserbjrns dont really shuffle their feet, but when they move they are very determined.
Thats something I had through the entirety of the shoot.
Thats something you have to incorporate into the movement.
When can I snarl?
When can I roar?
Whens the heavy breathing?
I noticed that Iorek and Iofur start and finish the fight without armor.
We talked a lot about the importance of this fight in terms of what theyre trying to accomplish.
One thing is that Iorek shows up in his armor.
Theyre warriors, and you’re free to imagine Vikings or Samoan warriors or Maori warriors.
Thats just the way they fight and settle disputes like this.
I think its a very, very awesome thing to do.
I like to go as deep as I can.
I remember just mentally feeling the emotional turmoil that bubbles under the surface every single take.
You want to show people the real emotions and connections for each character and the relationships that they have.
Pullman released a lot of companion material to hisDark Materialsbooks.
I was talking with Lin about it and he said, You should read it.
Your approach is completely different.
I love Lee and Ioreks relationship, and how that was formed, and how deep it is.
Your character is a warg, and his animal companion is a polar bear.
It seemed like it was foreshadowing something.Looking back now, I would say, yeah, thats a sign.
Obviously, I had no idea at the time, but people talked to me about that.
Its in the cards, so you just gotta do what you gotta do.
How did you get into videogame acting?Its mostly coincidence, really.
I studied drama both in California and in England; I moved from California to England.
How do you see yourself in a couple years?
But Ive always made voices [through accents] for certain characters.
After you do that part, theres this snowball effect.
I still do a lot of videogames and I still do a lot of voice-over.
The scripts are getting really, really good as well.
Its just because the movement augments the voice and they go so well together.
Thats the same thing in videogames: You learn to rely on the characters movement.
Even when Im filming in a booth, I need to move.
Did you have a similar experience?Yeah, thats one of the most surprising things.
But they were so inclusive.
It turned out it was very important for them because it was a labor of love, this project.
You dont often get that.
Was there any aspect of the character you suggested that youre most proud of?His humor.
I think thats the only thing that I can say.
