Peacock animated series Cleopatra in Space adapts the graphic novel series of the same name by Mike Maihack. Starring Lilimar Hernandez as the iconic Ancient Egyptian regent transported to save the far-future from an interstellar threat, the show returns for its third season to kick off 2021.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, Hernandez spoke about growing into the eponymous role of Cleopatra, getting the opportunity to record the animated show's theme song and the responsibility in bringing the graphic novel series' lead to life with her vocal performance.
CBR: Going into Cleopatra in Space Season 3, what are some things you wanted to maintain with your performance and what are some things you wanted to change up a bit?
Lilimar Hernandez: This is my first big show, so I was definitely learning a lot [in the beginning]. I use my natural voice with [Cleopatra] and I wanted to maintain that, but throughout the seasons, I wanted to find out what that [voice] really was. What was the quality of voice, what was the tone, what types of laughs did I want to do? I wanted to be really consistent with her as I was learning and as I was finding my way through it. The main thing I wanted to keep was her fun-loving nature, just how out there she is and her little yelps and screams and laughs and stuff that's always fun and really represents how adventure-seeking she is.
I think there were little changes that I did make, though. In first couple episodes, I was still like, "I'm new to this, I need to do my best!" and there were a lot of times, when it came to laughs or lines and stuff like that, where I wouldn't push myself completely [because] I didn't want it to be embarrassing or weird. It was so much better when I felt so much more free to say whatever: Let's make random noises, let's do random stuff, let's say this in a weird tone or a tone that I usually don't. And a lot of times, a lot of magical moments popped up from that, so it was definitely a cool journey.
How has it been working with showrunner Doug Langdale to develop your voice for the character and explore that space creatively?
Hernandez: The team was always amazing. Doug and [voice director] Sirena Irwin and everyone on that team always made me feel so comfortable and excited to come to work and just develop the story and discover Cleopatra. It was really cool that we were always in an environment [where we were told], "Just try it!" It was nice to have people who really, really envisioned the world. Doug [would say], "Okay, let me explain to you what this is, this weird character is this, this type of alien does this..." so it felt like we always knew the world; it was so amazing working with them, really.
What was it that drew you to the project and the character?
Hernandez: I didn't really let it sink in until I was on my first day there, because I just did the casting and a couple callbacks and I was like, "Cool, hopefully this works out!" Then I walked in and it was larger than life! [Laughs] This [role] is the main character. She's Cleo. There's many books behind it and there's a whole world to learn and discover and create, and I was like, "This is going to be a whole thing! This is going to be a really cool experience that I haven't had before!"
It was just nice getting that kind of experience and I learned through that, so it was really cool. I think it was nice to still be a newbie and just do something as big as this, because I was like, "You know what? I can do this! I'm going to learn so much stuff!" I had group [recording] sessions with the other actors, who were all super, super pros, so it was great to be in a space where I was inspired all the time, it made me feel really motivated.
Was doing the theme song a surprise too?
Hernandez: Yeah! That was nowhere in my contract! [Laughs] One day, they just randomly called and were like, "We'd love to have Lilimar in to just sing the song!" I was like, "Sure, why not?" I was not in a confident place with my singing in that moment, but I was like, "Okay, let's try it! I hope my three years of elementary chorus works out!" [Laughs] So we tried it and I didn't think anything of it; they were like, "We might use it, we might not. Just do your best!"
I was not notified that they were going to be using it! [Laughs] In the end, we had a little premiere for just those that were part of the team and I brought my mom in and she was the one to say, "Dude, that's you!" [Laughs] I had never heard my voice in that type of format, so I guess they liked it. It was really cool!
How has the Cleopatra in Space response been so far?
Hernandez: It's been really cool. For me especially, it's been really nice to see this new fandom coming in, this new group of people. First, it was released in Asian countries, so it was cool seeing feedback come from all the way over there and then coming from over here and see how the whole world is reacting to this. And it was also cool tapping into the fanbase from the books themselves. I was personally just really, really happy that people that were already fans of the franchise were like, "I'm happy with it! I love it! I like what's going on! I really like what they did!"
It was cool, because I was like, "There's books and people that already like it. What if I mess it up?" But we've had a lot of really, really cool feedback and it was cool seeing people make lots of art for the characters and say how much they love it and who their favorite character was. It was cool to see people be so excited about it.
Outside of Cleo, who is your favorite character?
Hernandez: There are times when I really, really love Brian or Akila, but I think Mihos is a pretty iconic one. I like Mihos a lot; he was pretty recently introduced but he's definitely going to be a huge part of Cleo's world. He's just the cutest thing ever and I've already sent in my request to make him a plushie and hopefully I'll be listened to. [Laughs]
What are you especially proud of bringing to this version of the character?
Hernandez: It was the first time I saw myself so much in a project, because I had only seen it once before ... the final product. It was just really cool to see all the lines they chose, all the moments they went with, how it all came together and how Cleo looks: Her facial expressions, what they use from me and same thing for other characters. It was just really cool to see someone like that come to life and it felt like little [me] was in the back going, "Oh my god, you did it! I always wanted that to be a thing!"
How has the production schedule been?
Hernandez: We were pretty constant. I was still on my last Nickelodeon show [when we started], so we had to kind of balance my shooting schedules and recording sessions. Even after I was finished with that other show, we were pretty consistent and we did really long sessions of just going in and just doing the best we could and then, eventually, [moving] to ADR sessions. I think we're all pretty good on timing and being really focused on just getting it all done and not losing our energy.
I think we all just really, really loved the group sessions, because those were just the best. That's where the energy was the highest and we had so much fun seeing each other become the characters. It's funny; we worked diligently, and yet it never felt like it was draining.
Who is Cleopatra to you, especially in this sci-fi setting?
Hernandez: We're 30 thousand years into the future where, all of the sudden, there's a prophecy and I'm the savior and have to save the entire galaxy from obliteration. There's all these horrible things and she's just 14. She hasn't even fully come into her princess role yet back in Ancient Egypt, so she hasn't fully matured yet, she doesn't really have that sense of responsibility yet, and she's still like, "I'm a princess and I can do whatever I want!"
It's just really cool seeing this young girl kind of transform into this hero. I think Cleo -- no matter how young, fun-loving and immature she can be -- as very brave and courageous. She sees a lot of positivity in the world, no matter how dark things seem to be. She's definitely a girl that's seeking adventure 24/7, so even though it's super weird, she ended up in just the right place for her.
Developed for television by Doug Langdale and Julia “Fitzy” Fitzmaurice, Cleopatra in Space stars Lilimar Hernandez, Katie Crown, Jorge Diaz and Sendhil Ramamurthy. The first three seasons are available to stream on Peacock.