Crispin Freeman is Electro

When not doing voice work for such video games as Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Crispin Freeman makes time to do voice over work for animated features and television shows. You can catch his latest work this weekend on The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series.

The way Freeman describes it, one would think voicing characters, like Electro, is the best thing in the world.

“It’s a lark to do animated voices for super hero shows because you basically get to be a Greek god,” Freeman said. “You’re running around with your name on your chest. It’s fun, it’s inspiring, it’s enabling. It’s just a trip to be the voice of cartoons that I used to watch.”

Freeman’s interpretation of Electro will appear in the second half of the hour long premiere of Spider-Man in the episode entitled Interactions (10:30 AM EST).

In “Interactions,” Peter Parker and Spider-Man both try to make connections. Nerdy Pete attempts to tutor the popular Liz Allan, while Spidey reaches out to stop a new menace: Electro. Alanna Ubach (“Legally Blonde,” “Waiting”) provides the voice of Liz Allan. Actor/musician Josh Keaton is Spider-Man/Peter Parker. Troy Adomitis directed the script by Kevin Hopps.

Because of the electrifying nature of Electro, Freeman had to approach the character a bit differently than other voice work he has done.

“What’s different about the voice of Electro is that I try to incorporate the psychological effect of his electrical powers on his sanity,” Freeman said. “It never occurred to me before how that would have an effect on his character – to be dealing with that curse and blessing. And when you think about it, that’s also Peter Parker’s core issue.”

The premiere episode of “The Spectacular Spider-Man” is entitled “Survival of the Fittest” (10:00 a.m. ET/PT). In the episode, summer is over for Peter Parker and school’s ready to start — both literally (it’s his junior year of high school), and in the real world of crime-fighting — as Spider-Man faces his first real challenge (The Enforcers) and his first real super-villain (Vulture). Victor Cook directed the script, which was written by Greg Weisman.