USC alum launched Queer Vox to bring authenticity to a growing number of LGBTQ+ characters in animation and video games
Actor JP Karliak ’03 will never forget the first time he saw He-Man go up against the evil forces of Skeletor in a Masters of the Universe cartoon.
The muscled protagonist wasn’t openly queer, but to a gay kid like Karliak, “[watching He-Man] was like seeing Bugs Bunny in drag, which was as queer as you could get,” he says. The show also made him feel like he could be in a superhero cartoon someday.
Karliak, now 41, did end up being cast in an animated superhero production: He’s the voice of Green Goblin in Spidey and His Amazing Friends. He’s also the voice of Boss Baby in the Netflix comedy The Boss Baby: Back in Business. The USC School of Dramatic Arts alumnus says a lot has changed since he watched He-Man on Saturday mornings.