AnimationInterviewTelevision

Sam Richardson and Glenn Howerton on ‘Velma’ and Character Origin Stories

Sam Richardson and Glenn Howerton voice the characters of Norville (aka Shaggy) and Fred on Velma. New episodes of the adult animated comedy series premiere Thursdays on HBO Max!

Courtesy of HBO Max

VELMA tells the origin story of Velma Dinkley, the unsung and underappreciated brains of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. gang. This original and humorous spin unmasks the complex and colorful past of one of America’s most beloved mystery solvers.

“When approached about this, I was so excited to get to reimagine, but also like, keep in step with the legacy of what Shaggy is and just the approach of having it be something new, but still something that connects to the original was a really fun sort of thing to get to do,” Richardson expressed to me.

“I mean, I grew up watching Scooby-Doo,” Howerton shared. “I’m sure I’ve seen every episode probably three or four times over the course of my life. I love the cartoon but I also love that they gave us freedom to really make it our own.”

Courtesy of HBO Max

We discussed their approach to playing these iconic roles and which of their past characters they would like to do an animated origin story for. Watch my full interview here:

Sophia Soto

Sophia Soto is a writer and interviewer with a passion for all things entertainment. She is a Senior Reporter at The Nerds of Color and contributes to Awards Radar, What to Watch, Screensphere, Nerdtropolis, and Temple of Geek. You can see her past work on Den of Geek, Yardbarker, Remezcla, Young Hollywood, Looper, Paste Magazine, Primetimer, Soundsphere, Brit + Co, and Starry Constellation Magazine. Her current favorite TV shows include Outer Banks, Tell Me Lies, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Additionally, she is a complete Marvel nerd! Connect with her on X (@srsoto26) and Instagram (@srsoto264).

Discover more from The Nerds of Color

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading