You know him from Cagney & Lacey. You know him from M.A.N.T.I.S., the first black superhero on network television. You know him from Alias, Doctor Sleep, Supergirl, and eventually you will know him from The Falcon & The Winter Solider, coming to Disney+ very soon. More importantly, he is the original Martian Manhunter, as Carl Lumbly  voiced J’onn J’onnz for the better part of two decades.

And if the above filmography wasn’t enough to convince you that Carl has a prolific career,  keep in mind he has taken his amazing work in television and film to what he calls his true passion, the theater. Yet it is not his artistic experiences that made this man who he is. In an amazing in-depth interview, Carl tells Vocal Qs how growing up as a Black man in 1960’s Minnesota has shaped his outlook on art, all of his performances and what he calls ‘the walk’; the journey through life where he just keeps putting one foot in front of the other. He also shares his deep-felt thoughts on the cyclical violence against BIPOC, especially considering the history of his Minnesota, the recent death of George Floyd, and how it has affected our world.

My respect for Carl grew and grew as this interview went on. He is an extremely thoughtful individual who chooses his words very carefully. He also has some absolutely great advice about how to find the center of his characters, to find the truth in all his outrageous superhero work, and how to bring all of that to voice acting. If you’re an aspiring voice actor, you’re going to want to listen to this, as Carl has expressed how much he loves Voice Acting, and yet feels he hasn’t been able to do it enough in his career.

So join Carl Lumbly and your host Michael Winn Johnson for a chat about Politics, Myles Davis, being a Black Role model, and of course… Martian Manhunter.