The Rooster Teeth anime-style animated series gen: LOCK is set 50 years in the future and tells the story of a diverse team of daring young pilot recruits that Earth’s last free society enlists to control the next generation of giant weaponized robot mecha, in an effort to save the world. This team includes Julian Chase (voiced by Michael B. Jordan), expert mech pilot and Chase’s love interest, Miranda Worth (voiced by Dakota Fanning), Scottish hacker Cammie MacCloud (voiced by Maisie Williams), new recruit Kazu Iida (voiced by Kōichi Yamadera), and lead scientist and gen: LOCK technology inventor Dr. Rufus Weller (voiced by David Tennant).

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, actress Dakota Fanning talked about the appeal of this project, why it’s easy to love voice-over acting, not actually getting to work with any of her co-stars, what she likes about her character, balancing an epic story with human emotions, and what she hopes viewers take from the experience of watching the series. She also talked about Season 2 of the TNT series The Alienist, known as The Angel of Darkness, what she’s most looking forward to exploring with her character, and when they’ll start shooting again, as well as the incredible experience she had working with Quentin Tarantino on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in which she playing a member of the Manson family.

Collider:  I’ve spoken to you a few times, over the last couple of years and, each time, the projects have been so interesting and different, as is gen: LOCK.

DAKOTA FANNING:  Definitely, yeah. I try to keep it interesting.

Is that something you feel is getting easier, or is it something you feel is always a fight, trying to find really stand-out projects?

FANNING:  I like to just live my life and figure out my career based on my instincts. I’m somebody that believes everything happens for a reason and that it works out the way it’s supposed to. For me, I don’t think about it too much, but I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing. I trust that it’s gonna work out. Of course, I like to look for things that are different than I’ve ever done before, or something that’s going to be challenging. I just want to keep pushing myself, in different ways. That’s how I do it.

How exactly was this project presented to you? Did you know what Rooster Teeth was, at the time?

FANNING: They sent me the first two or three scripts, and the general aim for the guys at Rooster Teeth, and a description of the series and what they had in mind. It sounded like a really fun, cool, new opportunity. The thing about voice-over acting, that a lot of people love, is that you don’t have to be in any particular state or place, and you don’t have to look a certain way. You can just show up, do your session, and leave because it’s just your voice. I was really in, from the moment it was mentioned, and I actually had a really great time doing it. It was really great working with the guys and getting to see the characters come to life in the story, for the whole experience.

It seems like the downside for getting to do voice work from anywhere also usually means that you don’t get to work with your co-stars.

FANNING:  Well, that is the problem. That’s the only problem with it.

Is it ever weird to have to do all of it alone, in a booth?

FANNING:  I didn’t really know any of the cast members, in person. I’ve met Michael [B. Jordan] a few times. I saw him recently and we were like, “Yep, I’ve been hearing your voice,” ‘cause we don’t really know each other. It’s a surreal experience, but I hope that maybe down the road, in some way, we’ll all get to meet. I don’t know. I know it would be so hard to work out, but it would be so much fun to actually record things in the booth together. It would be fun, if it could work out, timing and scheduling wise. I would like to do that, one day.

What do you most enjoy about this story and character, and how she fits into this world?

FANNING:  I love that she’s such a bad-ass character. That’s pretty clear, from the start. I totally appreciate that, and I liked playing that aspect of her. Then, I also think Miranda and Chase’s relationship is so powerful. Even though it’s set in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world, those emotions are really relatable and understandable. I also like that the show, in general, and the premise of the story, even though it’s about all of these wild, crazy, almost otherworldly, technologically advanced things, it’s also just about people, and relationships between the characters. That’s always important. It’s not just about all of the craziness. It’s about humans, too.

Did you know ahead of time that it would have that balance between this epic story, but really human emotions and relationships, or is that something that’s really surprised you, as far as how well that’s worked?

FANNING:  When everything was plotted out for me, my first question, going into the booth, in terms of my voice acting, was how big and over the top they wanted it, or did they want it to be as close to a live-action series as possible. They really wanted it to be more on the spectrum of, if it were a live-action series, in terms of what was more realistic and natural, at least in the dialogue between the characters. There are always the sounds and grunts that have to be recorded, but it was refreshing to get to do that type of dialogue. I liked doing that. There’s something very realistic about the style of the animation. It’s not like, “Oh, it’s just a cartoon.” It’s very human.

How bizarre and surreal is it to have to record just a bunch of grunts, sounds and noises?

FANNING:  It’s so weird! And there’s a list on a sheet that they would go through things like forced surprise, loud surprise, and closed-mouth confused noise. What is that, exactly? Trying to decipher that was a challenge, and definitely a lot of laughs. It’s definitely a weird thing, but it’s fun, too.

What do you hope viewers take from watching gen: LOCK?

FANNING:  Above all, I’m hoping that people are purely entertained by it, for whatever reason. In times that are turbulent or changing, the thing that can’t be taken away – and I know it sounds cheesy – is the human spirit, relationships between people, human connections and emotions, and sharing emotions and memories with other people, who you can laugh and cry with. That always endures. It’s just a lot of fun to watch, which is important.

And Miranda Worth is just a really awesome character.

FANNING:  She is. She would be a great live-action character. I’m waiting for things to get there.

We’re also getting a second season of The Alienist, with The Angel of Darkness. That’s such a fantastic character, and I loved your journey in the first season. When the possibility of continuing to tell that story came about, was it something that you were immediately on board to do?

FANNING:  Yeah, I was. I knew that there was a second book, and a lot of people who had watched the first season kept asking, but I didn’t know [if they were going to do it]. I was definitely hoping, from the start, that we would do it again ‘cause it proved to be such a wonderful experience. I’m thrilled to be a part of it once more, and to reunite with everyone. It will be also something different for me. I’ve never been a part of a limited series that does another [season], where you get to step back into the character and the world. I’m looking forward to that, as well.

With Sara Howard opening her own private detective agency, what are you most excited about with returning to the character and getting to see what she’ll be up to next?

FANNING:  I’m excited. We haven’t started yet, so other than what people know from the book, I don’t know exactly what’s happening in the writers’ room, but I am excited to see Sara in more of a position of power, from the beginning. In the first season, it wasn’t clear that she sees herself in a very powerful way, but she had this aspiration to hold real power in society. When we met her, she was a secretary, and even that was revolutionary, to be working at the police department, in any capacity, as a woman. That’s no slight to Sara being a secretary, at all, but I am excited to see her come into her own, at the start, and just to see how much further she can go. I’m looking forward to that. I think there are a lot of glimpses of that, in the first season, and it left me, and a lot of people that I know who watch the show, wanting more of her story.

Do you know when you’re going to shoot the season?

FANNING:  I think we’re starting this spring.

You also got to play a real-life character in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. How was the experience of working and collaborating with him? What’s he like, as a director?

FANNING:  It was such a dream come true for me. I am such a fan of his films, and it’s always been a dream to be in one of his films. When that came true, I was so thrilled, and I loved every second of it. He’s so unbelievably talented, but also someone that’s so excited and passionate about movies and television, and is so knowledgeable. It was a real joy to see someone with that kind of unbridled excitement about making movies, and then getting to make a movie with him. I think everybody who works with him feels that. It’s also why people work with him, over and over. The experience is very intoxicating. It was a really unimaginable thing. I can’t really say any more than that, but that’s my own personal experience. It was a real joy, and I”m so excited for the film. I think people are really going to be thoroughly entertained.

Was it also a bit scary to dive into playing a member of the Manson family, taking on Squeaky Fromme?

FANNING:  Yeah. There are a lot of resources out there, for better or for worse, and I was very immersed. It was interesting and challenging. It’s twisted.

gen: LOCK is available to stream at Rooster Teeth, as an SVOD available on iOS, Android, Xbox One, Apple TV, and at www.RoosterTeeth.com with memberships starting at $4.99 a month.