| - In Manhunt
you played a member of the Skinz, which is a favourite
among game players. Did you have a problem at all coming
to terms with the gang? Where you able to adlib or was
it all scripted? |
| Nah--it's just acting. Certainly
I loathe Nazi skinhead (or any hate-based) dogma and
propoganda. I'm proudly Jewish and my fiancee is Latina,
but as an actor it was interesting to tackle the character.
I do recall, however, that there were certain lines
drawn, by the producers, in terms of what racial epithets
would be allowed in the gangs' vernacular, and yes--we
were allowed to improvise a bit in achieving that
end. |
| |
| - Do
you have a favourite line of dialogue you used in
Manhunt? There was Skinz member that was doing a number
2; did you have to record the grunts/dialogue for
that? |
| Nope--sorry. Far as I recall,
I wasn't responsible for any fecal grunting. Don't
remember a favorite line, but I do recall it was a
looooong session with lots of screaming. |
| |
| - Was
there anything or has there ever been anything that
you have refused to say for in game dialogue? |
| Not yet. I'm tough to shock.
If the game called for a personal endorsement for,
say, selling crack to schoolkids, I'd probably have
to put my foot down, but otherwise--I look at any
acting job as a chance to get into a different head
space. |
| |
| - Do
you have a process of getting into character; do you
take influence from anything or just run with it?
|
| Well, a bit of both. I definitely
knew where I wanted to go with this type of character,
but the actual preperation is different than say stage
or film. It's all very fast. You're in, you record
it, you're out. So with no actual rehearsal process,
you really do just run with it. |
| |
| - There
was an early version of the game that featured several
character changes did you have to redo any voice work
for the final version, or are you only aware of the
released product? |
| Not that I recall. Just the one
day of work. |
| | >
| -
What is your most memorable moment of working on Manhunt? |
| It was just a fun vibe. I had
worked with the director before, and he was pretty
free about letting me do my thing. I do recall it
was pretty cool that my recording session followed
Evan Seinfeld's. Not because I'm a fan of Biohazard,
but because I AM a fan of Evan's wife... |
| |
| - What
is the typical direction given to you when recording
the voiceovers? Do they show you video footage, give
you a character profile or is it all up to you to
come up with the character? |
| You usually do get a character
profile with pictures, and sometimes they'll show
you early versions of cutscenes. The direction depends
on the director. Sometimes they'll flat-out give you
a line reading, and other times they'll really let
you stretch. |
| |
| - Having
recorded the voice over for quite a few games, do
you have a favourite? |
| I really dug doing Max Payne.
It was my first, and the character, Jack Lupino, was
a blast to do. I did a couple characters in a game
called Mafia that were fun--one in particular, Ralphie,
was cool, because we gave him a really heavy stutter.
I also recently had a great time doing a handful of
very diverse and interesting characters for Neverwinter
2. Can't go wrong doing wizards, monsters, and the
like. |
| |
| - Do
you play video games yourself? If so what are some
of your favourites? |
| I never did till I recorded Max
Payne. I wanted to check out the final product, so
my girlfriend at the time bought me an X-Box. BAD
call on her part, because we lived in a studio apartment
and I saw the sun come up waaaaay too many times while
playing. I particularly like first-person shooters,
action adventure, sports and horror games. I've tried
tried tried to get in to RPG's, but they just haven't
done it for me. BIG Halo fan, Castle Wolfenstein,
Doom, Half-Life...that kind of game--good shooters
with solid characters and plot. Also--even though
it's a major part of Manhunt gameplay, I'm not a fan
of stealth games. |
| |
| -
How long was the recording process for Manhunt? |
| Manhunt was about 5 hours as
I recall. |
| |
| - Does
the recording process differ from game to game? You
have recorded dialogue for a few Rockstar titles,
each varying in origin of creation (American, Canada,
England & Scotland) or is it the same process
with the same people for every Rockstar game? |
| Pretty much the same. Go in the
booth, put on the cans, say the words. It gets different
based on the director and the producers. |
| |
| - How
early into development of a game do you come in to
record the dialogue? Is it just months or years before
the game is released? |
| Not sure. All I can tell you
is that most games I've done have come out around
6 months to a year after the recording session as
I recall. |
| |
| - Is
it weird to think that every day, all across the world
someone is digitally killing you? |
| Good question! Doesn't bother
me, but I do remember that my little bro actually
got Max Payne before I did, and he called me to say
that he'd just gotten to my character and once he'd
killed me--he went back to kill me every possible
way he could kill me! Getting back at me for beatin'
on him when we were kids I guess... |
| |
| - What
was it like the first time you heard yourself in a
game? |
| Very Cool. Was Max Payne, and
they had put a ton of cool effects on my vox. Sounded
even cooler than I had expected. |
| |
| - Have
you ever had fans recognise you (from various games)
as soon as you talk?/td>
|
| Can't say I have. Besides, I
seem to specialize in accents, dialects, and yer basic
maniacal tones. So it's kind of far off from my real
voice. |
| |
| - Do
you have a problem working on violence video games?
Over the past few years video games have become subject
to a lot of blame, Manhunt being one of the most prolific
in recent times, and of course the Grand Theft Auto
series. Do you think a game is just a game or is it
something more? |
| Look--I don't blame Doom, KMFDM,
or any other target assigned blame by a grieving parent
trying to make sense of a tragedy like Columbine.
Something like that is always going to have people
screaming for a scapegoat. But in my opinion it's
certainly not the fault of the music, film or gaming
industries. Being a parent certainly isn't easy, but
when something like Columbine happens...well in my
book you look to the parents who DIDN'T KNOW (!?!)
that their kids were buying weapons, building pipe
bombs, suffering bullies, and playing games and listening
to music very specifically rated for an older audience.
That shit all falls squarely on the shoulders of Dylan
Klebold, Eric Harris and their parents. |
| |
| - How
does voice acting compare to regular acting? Is the
process the same or do you need to go that one step
further since you only have use of your voice? |
| Well if anything it's one step
less, since you don't have to create a physicality
for the character. You still dig in, make it organic
and try to give a truthful performance--you just don't
have to shave, change costumes, or memorize lines! |
| |
| - What
do you enjoy more? Playing music, acting or doing
voiceovers? |
| Love 'em all. Different ways
to the same high...and no cubicle or necktie when
I go to work baby! |
| |
| - When
not working, how do you like to spend your free time? |
| Playing with my band, Lisa Jackson
& Girl Friday, being a hard-core news junkie,
reading, and hanging with my beautiful fiancee, Michelle. |
| |
| - What
future projects do you have lined up? Anything you
can talk about? |
| Far as gaming goes, just finished
Neverwinter 2. As far as everything else goes, I'm
always recording commercial vo's, audio books, and
the like, and going in and out of town for theatre
jobs. Also, the band just released our first music
video. It rocks. Oh yeah--and I'm DEEEEP in the throes
of wedding planning! |
