CBM recently had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Johnston, the voice of Maxima in Machinima and Hasbro's
Transformers: Combiner Wars animated series which is currently streaming on go90. In our chat, we touched on her performance as Maxima, whether there's more seasons of
Combiner Wars coming down the line and also discussed some of her current and past projects.
While Johnston does a bang-up job providing voice acting for Maxima in
Combiner Wars, her day-to-day occupation is kicking ass as a stunt actor and motion capture performer. She's a frequent collaborator with
Bat in the Sun and played Harley Quinn in the
Super Power Beat Down episode that featured
Joker & Harley vs Deadpool & Domino. She also had a role in the underrated 2013 underground-fighting thriller,
Raze which starred Zoë Bell and Rachel Nichols. She also has a presence in anime fandom, as Dragon Ball fans should recognize Amy as the face of
Android 18 from the
Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope web series from Robot Underdog.
Some of her stunt work has been featured in
Suicide Squad and in
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, where she doubled for Scarlett Johansson. She's also performed motion capture for some impressive video game title, including the upcoming
Spider-Man PS4 video game from Sony,
Batman: The Telltale Series (Catwoman) and
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
Below, we chat with Amy about what is was like voice acting a
Transformer and try to glean some info about some of the other exciting projects she's currently working on.
CBM: How did you get involved with Combiner Wars?
Amy Johnston: "I got involved with Transformers: Combiner Wars through Bat in the Sun whom I had worked with previously on their show "Super Power Beatdown".
CBM: Were you a big Transformers fan growing up?
Johnston: "I have definitely been a Transformer's fan so when I found out about the role of Maxima I was super excited! How cool to have my own Transformer character! I love her!"
CBM: How did you find the right voice for Maximia?
Jonston: "Maxima was described to me as a strong female character who had a relationship wtih Windblade so I made sure to give her strength and passion yet retain a femininity about her."
CBM: Have you heard any details about more Combiner Wars episodes being produced in the future? After all, the series is being described as the first part in a trilogy...
Johnston: "I have not heard any more details about future episodes but I am hoping that Maxima can come back to say hi at some point. Maybe the series can dive deeper into her relations with Windblade?"
CBM: Did your background as a stunt/motion capture performer help with any of the voice acting?
Johnston: "I definitely think that my martial arts background and stunt work help when voicing a character like Maxima, especially during a battle scene. I understand the fight mechanics and intentions. I always try to go through the character's movements during my voice recordings which most likely looks silly but it helps me!"
CBM: Is there any difference between doing stunts for live-action films and motion capture for video games?
Johnston: "Doing stunt work for film or TV is pretty similar to performing motion capture for video games in the physical sense. What is really fantastic about motion capture though is that the animators are so talented that they can really help to enhance your movements and make you look better. Also, you can usually use a ton of mats for landing on instead of the hard ground which is always nice."
CBM: What's the current status of Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope?
Johnston: "Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope just finished filming episode 2 and the Robot Underdog team is hard at work to finish the edit for everyone to see! I really think fans will be happy!"
CBM: You've worked with two of my favorite web series creators, Joey Ansah (Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist) and Aaron Schoenke (Bat in the Sun). What are their differences and similarities and would you rather play a DC hero or a Street Fighter character?
Johnston: "Joey Ansah and Aaron Schoenke are both great and I loved working with them. Joey runs a tight ship and knows exactly what he wants. He is a wonderful martial artist so he can communicate really well during a fight scene. Aaron wears so many different hats and somehow gets everything done safely and professionally. It is incredible what Aaron Schoenke and his team can pull off! Joey and Aaron are both flourishing in their careers and are only going up from here! There are so many fantastic heroes in both worlds and I would enjoy portraying several of them as well as some of the villains. I would really love to portray Catwoman as she is one of my favorite characters. "
To keep up to date with all of Amy's latest projects, check out her
YouTube channel,
official website,
Twitter account and
Facebook page. You can watch
Transformers: Combiner Wars exclusively
on the go90 app.