‘She-Ra and the Princesses of Power’ – Marcus Scribner, Karen Fukuhara and Merit Leighton Interview on Season 2

One of the best parts about Netflix’s new She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is the roster of friends She-Ra made. The whole point is that she doesn’t do it alone, and she could hardly ask for better allies than Glimmer (Karen Fukuhara), Bow (Marcus Scribner) and Frosta (Merit Leighton).

The trio of voice actors who play She-Ra’s allies spoke to reporters at WonderCon after premiering some exclusive scenes from the second season. The first seven episodes of season two premiere on April 26, 2019 on Netflix.

Have you experienced any fan reactions from the first season?

Marcus Scribner: “Definitely there’s been a lot of outpouring of love. I mean especially on Twitter, obviously, but then you even IRL. I mean you see people, especially here, all the cosplayers are mind-blowing. Like whenever I see a Bow cosplay I kind of freak out. Like, ‘I voice that character!’

I’m a huge anime fan so when I see people wearing cosplay, I’m like, ‘Well that’s super cool.’ But then to see somebody dress up as a character that I voice is mind-boggling.”

Merit Leighton: “I’ve never done something where I can experience that either, so it’s just crazy to see someone dressed up as Frosta in the whole gown. It’s like, ‘It’s so beautiful!’ I just start freaking out. I feel like sometimes I’m a fan of She-Ra myself because I’m just like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t wait for the next season to come out!’”

Marcus Scribner: “To see it animated and such.”

Merit Leighton: “Exactly. I have met a few people who’ve said, ‘You’re in She-Ra? That’s so awesome!’ It’s crazy to see how many people are affected by it.”

Having done the first season, was there anything different you wanted to do with your voices in season two?

Marcus Scribner: “Unintentionally. When we started the show, my voice was a little bit higher pitched so it’s kind of interesting just to see like the development of Bow’s voice as we’ve gone along. Because I try to get into that same like (raised voice) a little bit – it’s kind of the range that Bow stays in. It’s pretty similar to my normal voice, which is kind of nice, but my normal voice has changed. So just trying to find young Bow has been a challenge.”

Karen Fukuhara: “In the same way I think in the first season she’s still following her mother’s footsteps. I think as the episodes go on, she’s gaining more and more power and finding her own independence. I think through that in season two I try…there are moments in season two where she is in a leadership position and for that it calls for a voice of a leader. So, I think it dropped a tiny bit in range and power. I think it’s mainly about having both feet on the ground and really standing ground before I begin the take.”

Merit Leighton: “For me, I got to explore Frosta’s not so cold side in season two. In season one it was very like, ‘I’m the ruler. Listen to me. I’m acting like this so that you’ll listen to me because I’m younger than you.’ And now she’s like with a group of peers so she gets to let loose a little bit more. Just, actually, I get to yell a lot which I love.”

Marcus Scribner: “Best part of the job.”

Merit Leighton: “Yeah, I love yelling.”

What are you excited about for each of your characters in season two?

Merit Leighton: “I’m excited to see Frosta and Glimmer’s interactions because they’re so cute. They’re so cute, honestly. It’s so adorable. That’s the thing I’m most looking forward to everyone seeing. I’m also looking forward to everyone seeing the world through all the characters’ eyes. That’s one of my favorite episodes this season.”

Karen Fukuhara: “You just mentioned it but at the beginning of the season Glimmer gives Frosta the cold-shoulder. She’s not really into the idea of their friendship, but we find out why. And I think the reason behind it is really touching as well.

I think in season two Glimmer really goes through trying to figure out how to defeat the Horde and as a leader how to lead the rebellion. She finds herself in dark places at times because she wants to be good but sometimes she thinks you’ve got to fight dirty to defeat the Horde. But inherently she’s a good person and in her team, the Alliance, we have to be good people so she struggles with trying to be good while also attempting to defeat the evil Horde.”

Marcus Scribner: “I think definitely for Bow trick arrows, just more trick arrows. It’s so exciting. We’ve gotten to see a little bit more in some of the trailers of the goo arrow that got Scorpia stuck. I know we had the sound arrow in the first season which is pretty funny, so I’m just looking forward to more of those.”

Merit Leighton: “Sonic arrow.”

Marcus Scribner: “Sonic arrow! There it was. So, I’m looking forward to that and just all the tech that Bow ends up developing to combat Entrapta robots.”

Other than your own characters who are your favorite characters and has that changed?

Karen Fukuhara: “I’ve been saying this from the beginning, but I love Entrapta. She is such a quirky character; she’s unapologetically nerdy which makes her great. I worked on a movie with Christine Woods – it’s called Stray – and we play very serious characters. She’s a detective and we’re trying to solve this murder, essentially. To see her and be on set with her in those character thoughts and then going from that to Entrapta and Glimmer, it’s really exciting and I think really fun to play around with.”

Marcus Scribner: “I have three. I can’t commit but I’m going to go Mermista. Mermista is just so…I feel like I identify with her sometimes. Just like, ‘Come on, man. I really just don’t want to do this. You feel me?’ And then another one is probably Sea Hawk just because I get to sing ballads with him. It’s kind of exciting. And then it’s a tie between Frosta and Glimmer, I’m not going to lie, because I want the teleportation powers. Those seem super sick and I’ve always liked those as a kid. And then also ice magic is just insane.”

Merit Leighton: “When I’m at home watching with my mom, I’m always talking about Bow. I’m not just saying this because you’re here. I’m always like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ It’s like all the subtle things. Like how he puts away Glimmer’s clothes and his voice cracks. So, I love Bow. I like Sea Hawk too. His songs are amazing. I love Entrapta. I still can’t commit to one, but Bow’s very much in the top.”

Are there any moments while working on the voices that you discover something new about your characters or come across something you don’t think your character would say?

Marcus Scribner: “I think it’s true for all of us coming season two there is definitely a little bit of a tonal change for the entire show. It gets a little more serious and Bow is not the serious type. But there’s a few moments where he’s brooding so it’s pretty exciting to go into that aspect of Bow. I’m like, ‘I don’t think Bow would say this.’ But then Noelle (Stevenson) is like, ‘No, in this moment he would.’ I’m like, ‘You are right. You created this show and you know.’

But you come to see as the story develops that Bow is still the same person. But he definitely makes some interesting decisions and says some things.”

Karen Fukuhara: “I kind of touched upon this earlier but I think in season two Glimmer is going through some struggles within yourself, facing her darkness. I think reading the scripts I was so astonished by the things that she wanted to do and the things that she thought were great ideas for leading the rebellion when everyone else is opposing what she thinks is the right thing to do. So, I think that was the biggest surprise. I thought that she would always remain this bubbly positive character, but I think moving on we see some depth as well.”

Merit Leighton: “I didn’t expect ice-cold Frosta to be as warm as she is in this season. I mean, I always had a feeling that she was repressing her childish energy and it’s just all coming out at once. It’s just really fun to see, but I didn’t really expect it at all.”

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