Kate Mulgrew has a seductive voice. It's full of color and resonance and a certain smoky quality. It's both sexual and maternal. From listening to her, I can't help but think this woman many of us know as Captain Janeway - and really, what a shame given her background in theater - should have been known as a femme fatale in some classic noir. Oh, that voice.

So it's no surprise that Bioware cast her in Dragon Age as the voice of Flemeth, an immortal witch who helps (?) the player during the course of the game. In my interview with Mulgrew, she brings up Greek mythology as an inspiration for the character. She also paints a vivid mental picture of Flemeth, which sheds some light on just what we can expect when Dragon Age comes out next month.

Read the interview after the jump.

Tom Chick: You've done voiceover projects before. There was a Star Trek: Voyager videogame and some animation as well. Tell me about how this project differs from the other voiceovers you've done.

Kate Mulgrew: I've done a significant body of voiceover work, but this particular videogame is in its own class. Very high caliber stuff. Very well written. Even beautifully written, which is why I was so drawn to it from the get-go. When they sent me the script, I thought, 'This is fantastic. This creature, Flemeth, this mysterious witch of the wilds'. She's a powerful mage, but she has a textured personality. Every single emotion that emanates from her is coming from something in her experience. Her interaction with her daughter is laced with every conceivable emotion. And then when she deals with the player, she tells him that he's going to have to come at her on ten different levels. She insinuates that if he's even slightly less than very very smart, he's going to die. Her mysteriousness lies in every clue she gives him. And every clue is a clue within a clue. It's like reading Greek mythology. I thought this was a wonderful story, let alone a game that you can climb into. What a fun thing.

TC: Now I know you've done a lot of work and have a long background in theater, so I apologize for what's going to sound like typecasting. But a lot of the players of Dragon Age will associate you with your role on Star Trek Voyager.

KM: I imagine they will.

TC: From that, they'll tend to think of a Kate Mulgrew character as someone who's in charge and controlled, perhaps even a little repressed. It sounds like Flemeth is very different from what Dragon Age's audience might think of as a typical Kate Mulgrew character.

KM: Well, putting aside the trait of power, which Captain Janeway shares, there's nothing repressed about Flemeth. She's epic. That's why it was so deeply satisfying to play her and to find that voice. Because of course I had to find her in my imagination in order to get the voice. There are many facets to my personality and to my emotional magnitude as an actress. And I got to stir them all up with this character. There's very little in the world of any actor on any given day that's more satisfying than that.

TC: This leads me to wonder if Flemeth reminds you of any memorable roles you've played in the past.

KM: She reminds me of a part I just played on stage, which was Clytemnestra in a play called Iphiginia 2.0, by Chuck Mee. Clytemnestra was a great queen. She was a tragic figure, but she was a powerful powerful person. I was very aware of that when I was creating Flemeth in the booth. I was quite attuned to Clytemnestra while I was creating Flemeth. She had many of the same characteristics.

TC: You mention the relationship between Flemeth and her daughter. Is that a large part of what drives this character?

KM: Well, she has produced many daughters. And she can become her daughters. So she uses her daughters. Her daughters are really there to serve her more diabolical needs. However, even within that reality, Flemeth can be touched by her daughter. And she is touched by Morrigan, because Morrigan is innocent. She is beautiful. She is vulnerable. She is accessible. She is everything that Flemeth once was. So we realize through Morrigan than Flemeth is touchable, moveable, is still attainable on one level. That's why I say this videogame is very evolved. It's very unexpected. I think it's going to be very very popular. Don't you?

TC: Well, you're working with people who have a long tradition of doing excellent work. Now, were you given any visualization for Flemeth? Did they provide you with any artwork or animation of what she might look like?

KM: No animation. If there were any drawings, I promptly put them away.

TC: Meaning you didn't want to look at them?

KM: I didn't want to look at them. I wanted to find her in my mind. The director copped to that right away. We had a great understanding, from the instant we got into the booth, that I would find her in my imagination. And I did. It's infinitely more satisfying when that happens.

TC: Can you describe what she looks like? The Flemeth you found in your imagination?

KM: She's still very beautiful. I want you to emphasize that. [Laughs] She is beautiful, but she is ravaged. She has been ravaged by her own rage.

TC: Is she frightening?

KM: She's frightening. Her eyes are black and silver. Her hair is long and bountiful. But at the same time, it's not seen a comb for about 500 years. Her hands are elegant and beautiful, but not cared for. Her figure is lithe and strong and muscular. But her stomach is lax because of her overproduction of children. She's full of surprises. For everything you think you see, you don't see something. For everything you think you hear, you're hearing something else.

TC: Those are some great images. I can imagine the artists would love hearing that from you. So you mentioned the director copping to the idea that you didn't need any visuals. It sounds like it was a relatively interactive process with the director.

KM: Oh, there's no question about it, which is the only kind there is. I knew instantly, which is why I keep going back to the high caliber of the piece. That's why when you're working with people who know their stuff, it's such a joy. It's a complete joy. It's a creative process.

TC: Did you get to record with any other actors in the booth?

KM: No, I was alone. Which is also a slice of heaven. It's wonderful to have partners, but it's even more wonderful to be alone.

TC: That's what I wanted to ask about. As an actor, does this make it easier or harder for you? How is this process a slice of heaven?

KM: For me, it's the perfect climate. It's where every actor begins. She's ten-years-old, she's in the dark, she's alone. She goes to her imagination. This is the first stirring in the blood that one wants to be an actor. So it's re-enacted in the booth. You're in a dark booth with a little light on and a disembodied voice coming over the headphones.

TC: Have you seen any of the finished product yet?

KM: I have not.

TC: I'm curious, and I guess you won't know until you see it, but do you think it will seem strange hearing your voice coming from something I presume looks nothing like you?

KM: No. I think that's what's great fun about it. I can't wait to see that.

TC: Forgive me for the assumption, but I presume you're not into videogames yourself. Is that correct?

KM: I wouldn't put it that way, but I don't play them. That's right.

TC: For the past two decades, I know you've raised a pair of sons. Were videogames a part of your household?

KM: They were indeed. I was very aware of the differences from game to game. Now it's too late since they're grown up, but if I'd only taken the time to say, "Is that the best videogame you can play, boys?" There's a lot of kicking and screaming going on in those videogames. I wish something like this had been around.

TC: I believe you also have a daughter. Is that correct?

KM: I do, I do.

TC: Now this might be a little personal, but did you find yourself thinking of her when you were thinking about the relationship between Flemeth and Morrigan?

KM: Actually, that's a very good question, but I didn't. No. I didn't go anywhere in my life. I went almost entirely into a different realm.

TC: Like to Clytemnestra.

KM: That's exactly right.

TC: Kate, thank you so much for your time. Also, I know your new series is starting tonight [Mulgrew is among the cast in Mercy, which premieres tonight on NBC], so I want to congratulate you and wish you the best of luck with that.

KM: Thank you so much.