Elenco de peso revela bastidores do audiodrama exoplanet

A união do autor Andy Weir com o escritor Benjamin Percy já seria suficiente para atrair a atenção dos fãs de ficção científica, mas a adição de astros como Anthony Mackie, Ariana DeBose e John Leguizamo eleva o projeto a outro patamar. É exatamente essa a proposta de “Exoplanet”, um audiodrama de ficção científica em sete episódios produzido pelo Audible, com produção executiva de Weir e roteiro de Percy. Na trama de desastre espacial, a tripulação da nave Wild Blue Yonder enfrenta uma anomalia quântica e sofre um pouso forçado em um exoplanetóide letal. No entanto, nada é o que parece, pois cada tripulante chega ao mesmo mundo em uma era diferente.

Conversei com Mackie, DeBose e Leguizamo para entender mais sobre esse renascimento dos audiodramas e o que os atraiu para o thriller sci-fi de Weir. A história acompanha uma única tripulação em um planeta dividido em três linhas do tempo, onde ninguém sobrevive sozinho. Lançado em 5 de novembro de 2026, “Exoplanet” está disponível gratuitamente para membros do Audible e também pode ser adquirido separadamente.

Conexões com a ficção científica e radionovelas

Mackie dubla o engenheiro-chefe Jeff Shaw. Sua atração pelo gênero começou na infância graças a amigos da família durante a juventude em Nova Orleans. “My brother went to college at Morehouse”, ele contou. “I was like 8, and he was 18. He’d always bring friends home, because New Orleans is a party city, so they’d come over and get drunk. But one of his friends gave me a book by Walter Mosley and one by Octavia Butler, and I got hooked into sci-fi and the future.”

“From ‘Back to the Future’ to ‘Aliens,’ the future was such an idea of what was going to be out there. Now we’re living it”, revelou Mackie. “It’s very important to me as a human being to have that construct as a part of my career. The only thing more arrogant than wanting to be president is standing up and saying, ‘Yeah, I can go to space.’ That sounds crazy to me.”

Já a infância de Leguizamo em Nova York foi marcada por clássicos radiofônicos do passado, o que o preparou para este projeto especial. “It was Anthony and Ariana being in it that really pumped me up, and of course Andy Weir”, lembrou sobre seu papel como o oficial científico Logan Bowers. “Then when I got the theme, that it was something relevant today and makes you think about computers and technology taking over and making us obsolete. It just hit me in that right zeitgeist, at that right little point.”

“As a poor kid, there was no YouTube or cell phones, and we didn’t have computers”, relembrou Leguizamo. “I used to go to the Broadcast Museum on 53rd Street and listen to old radio plays like The Shadow and these incredible detective radio plays. It’s a different art form. With no visuals, your voice has to create the world. I thought that was an incredible challenge.”

Por sua vez, DeBose interpreta a confiante primeira-oficial Becca Bang, presa em um mistério temporal. “I’ve yet to do anything like this, which is always exciting”, acrescentou. “I was a little afraid of it, which told me I should do it. These gents are so talented. It’s great company. It’s coming from brilliant minds who build worlds so impeccably. And it’s about real stuff we’re dealing with today. I liked the idea that we could tell this story and make people listen and create a space for them to imagine themselves in it and see how they problem-solve to make the world a bit better.”

O desafio físico da dublagem

Gravar as falas de um personagem vai muito além de ler um roteiro diante do microfone, e o trio principal entregou performances intensas em cada sessão. “I just go in and throw myself at something”, relembrou DeBose. “I don’t really have a method. But I can tell you this: it is a full-body workout. I use everything at my disposal, whether it’s a chair or a pillow or running in place. I just do what the character does and end up sweating. And after three days, I have to go sit in silence. It’s great. I love the idea of bringing back the radio play. The art of listening is such a thing. I don’t think people listen enough. Even for myself.”

Leguizamo também abraçou as sessões de estúdio com entusiasmo e autenticidade. “You have to cancel the rest of your day, especially if you’ve got to talk, because your vocal chords are fried”, admitiu. “And if they’re not fried you’re not doing your job. You really have to do the physicality. If you run you have to run like a maniac and be out of breath. If I’m getting hit I start punching myself. Then there’s a sexiness to doing these things. Your voice has to have a little mystery, a little naughtiness. It’s an interesting intersection where you pull it back a little and invite the audience in.”

Para Mackie, acostumado com a exigência física de interpretar super-heróis da Marvel como o Falcão e o Capitão América, gravar diálogos trouxe outro tipo de oportunidade. “I look for reasons not to talk to people, so I love doing these”, brincou. “Once I’m out of the studio, I’m not talking to anybody for two days. At a certain point for me, I find mentally I get tired of hearing myself talk. I just have to come home at cut off. I’ve said enough words for the next month.”