Since its debut back in April, The Legend of Korra has been making huge waves, not only in the Avatar universe but among the fan community as well. Creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino have definitely proven that its new cast of characters resonate just as much as their Last Airbender predecessors.

With the Season 1 finale just a few days away, IGN recently got a chance to speak with P.J. Byrne, the voice behind Bolin on the show. As one of the three main players on the new Team Avatar (alongside Korra's Janet Varney and Mako's David Faustino), Byrne discussed his approach to developing an animated character, his deep appreciation of the material and even offered some insight into what the series has in store for Season 2...

Yeah, I obviously went to the gym. I lifted a lot of weights to get as strong as I could for the character -- which is a complete lie because I never go to the gym. No, essentially, the normal way: your agent calls. He said [Nickelodeon] was doing this great show called The Legend of Korra. He said there was this part right up my alley, a character really similar to me. At this point, I was still pretty new to the whole Avatar world. Usually when I go on auditions -- more movies or TV shows -- and it’s comedy related, I'll improvise a lot. And since I hadn’t really delved into that world, I was fearless. So when I laid down my track for the audition I kind of let go. I was lucky enough to be called back. I think it was even the first group where David and I went in with Janet. So the first group they put together -- it was almost kismet -- the three of us ended up reading our lines together. Janet can riff, too, because she comes from a background of comedy, and David does as well. Once I let loose a little bit, they followed, and it was really a magical moment.Yeah, I really depend a lot on the physical nature of the person I’m playing: what kind of clothes are they gonna wear, what kind of shoes do they wear, what does their hair look like -- that informs me a lot. Even if you put on a different pair of glasses and look at yourself in the mirror, people are going to have a visceral feel of what you look like as a person. It makes you feel a little a different, a little cooler, a little nerdier, what have you. That element is completely removed when you’re doing voiceover. What’s cool is Bryan and Michael like to have table reads before you actually record in the booth. So having that was critical for me because I was able to have that connection with the other actors at the table... and that was my first little element to take into the booth. Now, though, it’s become sort of a different experience where you don’t have to worry about matching your eye lines or what you’re wearing or if you drank milk three times in a scene. It’s actually unbelievably freeing. It’s almost like an otherworldly experience... I think it opens yourself up to even more improvisation. There are no speed bumps as to what’s coming out of your mouth. It’s really great. I love it, and I love showing up to do it. It’s a complete, complete blast for me.

Oh yeah. That’s a big deal. And Janet and I -- David’s pretty awesome because he can just sit in that chair and do it all from there. But Janet and I really get physical. She’s up and jumping around, and I am for sure up and moving, jumping like crazy. I’m all for it. It’s all in good fun.

IGN's interview with Janet Varney, the voice of Korra

Yeah, I was. I went and rented all the seasons -- to be perfectly honest, I didn’t know much about it, so I wanted to do my homework -- but this was actually after I was cast. I had done projects in the past where, let’s say, it was a British show imported into America. Other actors can watch something else and maybe get some ideas of what that show was like. I purposely didn’t want to look into any characters similar to me. I just wanted to figure out who I thought the character was first, without being informed by anyone else. Because sometimes if you see a show or a character that’s similar to you, you end up copying instead of creating. I didn’t want to do that. I remember auditioning for The Office, like, years and years and years ago. I was like, “Oh my God, The Office!” I had just started acting, and I was like, “I’m going to see what these people were doing.” I remember I ended up copying what that guy was doing, and that was a terrible audition. I promised myself I would never do that again. So you just want to be your own person because if you can put more of yourself in it, you will always win the day.

Byrne discusses fan reactions, favorite moments and what's in store for the second season on Page 2...