Adrianna Olson recently caught up with Commander Shepard himself, Mark Meer to discuss how he came to voice such a defining character and what projects he's currently working on.
What inspired you to get into voice acting? Was there any particular game or show that really planted the idea?
Actually, I never specifically or exclusively pursued voice acting, just acting in general. When acting is your only job, you tend to do a lot of different sorts of auditions, for everything from plays to commercials to voice work in cartoons... or video games. My first voice audition for Bioware was just one of many I did.
That said, it was a gig I REALLY wanted to get, since It was for a Baldur's Gate game and I was a Dungeons & Dragons player of long standing. I'd always loved animation as a kid (and adult), and doing voices was something I'd always done, whether it was while playing D&D or in my improv theatre work. It would be hard to pin down just one show that inspired me, but I'd say the great Mel Blanc (and his work in Warner Brothers cartoons and on The Flintstones) was definitely an influence. I also was a huge fan of the old Spider-Man cartoon, which ran in syndication through most of my childhood.
Are there any other gaming or TV series that you would like to work on?
I'm a lifelong comic book geek, so getting to work on a show or game featuring characters from a company like Marvel, DC, Dark Horse or Image Comics would be a huge thrill. Unlike many comic fans, I don't really play favorites - I read 'em all (or try to)! And not just superhero stuff - some of my favorite books on the racks right now are TheWalking Dead, Fables, and The Goon.
Besides being a voice actor, you are also known for improvisation and acting career. What’s your favorite role outside of voice acting? Have you ever improvised any of your lines during recording or filming?
I'm a writer and performer on several shows here in Canada, including The Irrelevant Show, which is a nationally-broadcast sketch comedy program on CBC Radio. You can find free podcasts of past episodes here:http://www.cbc.ca/irrelevantshow
I also write and perform for the TV show CAUTION: May Contain Nuts on APTN and Super Channel's new sketch/sitcom hybrid, Tiny Plastic Men (which debuts Dec. 3, 2012). Getting to perform in something you've helped create is quite fulfilling. Here are a few of my sketches, if you're interested:
DUNGEONS & DRAGONShttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDQ7u3yImas
THE HALFLING'S LEAFhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpgHho3Ln4k
DOCTOR VON CHAOShttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLuZQunBL6g
Improvisation is definitely one of my favorite things to do, and some of my favorite shows are the semiannual, no-sleep improv marathons I perform in. We just did one in Edmonton that was a 50-hour Game of Thrones parody - it was utterly amazing! (Funnily enough, I've actually had the pleasure of improvising with the utterly delightful and talented Gemma Wheelan, who plays Yara Greyjoy on the Game of Thrones TV show.) The next one will be the London Improvathon, January 11-13 at Hoxton Hall in London. The setting for that one will be Cairo in the 1920's. There's not too much room for improvisation in video game voice recording, at least not for stuff that makes it into the game. I HAVE improvised a number of lines specifically for the amusement of my director and sound technicians, though...
I also write and perform for the TV show CAUTION: May Contain Nuts on APTN and Super Channel's new sketch/sitcom hybrid, Tiny Plastic Men (which debuts Dec. 3, 2012). Getting to perform in something you've helped create is quite fulfilling. Here are a few of my sketches, if you're interested:
DUNGEONS & DRAGONShttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDQ7u3yImas
THE HALFLING'S LEAFhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpgHho3Ln4k
DOCTOR VON CHAOShttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLuZQunBL6g
Improvisation is definitely one of my favorite things to do, and some of my favorite shows are the semiannual, no-sleep improv marathons I perform in. We just did one in Edmonton that was a 50-hour Game of Thrones parody - it was utterly amazing! (Funnily enough, I've actually had the pleasure of improvising with the utterly delightful and talented Gemma Wheelan, who plays Yara Greyjoy on the Game of Thrones TV show.) The next one will be the London Improvathon, January 11-13 at Hoxton Hall in London. The setting for that one will be Cairo in the 1920's. There's not too much room for improvisation in video game voice recording, at least not for stuff that makes it into the game. I HAVE improvised a number of lines specifically for the amusement of my director and sound technicians, though...
With regards to top Bioware titles, such as Neverwinter Nights, Baldurs Gate, Jade Empire and Dragon Age; what has been your favorite character to voice? Is there any particular line that is your favorite?
I would have to pick Commander Shepard, if only for all the help he gave me with my mortgage! I usually say that "I should go" is my favorite Shepard line, if only because of the number of times I said it during recording. However, I do quite enjoy the other characters I play in Mass Effect, most of whom tend to be minor villains or comic relief - or both, as in the case of the Vorcha... Blasto the Hannar Spectre is another favorite, and I'm glad to hear he has plenty of fans - he's even getting his own book from Dark Horse Comics! Niftu Cal and the various other Volus I play were fun too. In the Dragon Age games, I quite enjoyed getting to play characters ranging from the menacing Darkspawn to the rather saucy elven prostitute, Jethann. Looking back to the start of my career, getting to play Cyric, the God of Murder in Baldur's Gate: Throne of Bhaal was exciting because it was my first video game character with a real name... and one that I'd actually read novels about.
Most recently, I got to return to the Forgotten Realms for the Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition from Overhaul Games, playing a number of roles including new NPC monk Rasaad yn Bashir and the Lord of the Black Pits, the mad drow known as Baeloth the Entertainer. See? I can't pick just one favorite!
You’ve been working with Bioware for quite a number of years; what’s it like adapting to the needs of the new characters in each of the games? How different is voicing a character in Dragon Age to voicing a character in Mass Effect?
Obviously, fantasy and science fiction aren't completely interchangeable genres. Each project has it's own production team and artistic vision, which is communicated to the performers via our directors. However, I do enjoy seeing some crossover, like with the Blood Dragon Armor....
You played Colonel Jon Grissom in the short Mass Effect Fan Film, Red Sand. How did that compare to your other experiences with Mass Effect and with acting in general? How did you originally envision Jon Grissom?
Red Sand was a project by the students at the University of Advancing Technology in Arizona. I had done a bit of greenscreen work before, but not to the same extent as on this film. Nearly everything you see in the film, besides the actors, was created from scratch by the students of the UAT Digital Video program. They did a great job! And it was pretty fun to run around in armor in the desert firing a giant gun.
Caleb Evans, who wrote and directed the film, had the idea that my character (Grissom) would be portrayed as a renegade, while his fellow squadmate (Sandhurst) would be a paragon, to further pay tribute to the game that inspired the film.
What games are you enjoying at the moment?
I tend to prefer RPGs. I've been quite busy of late, so there hasn't been much time for playing, but I'm looking forward to doing my full Renegade and Paragon playthroughs of Mass Effect 3 when I finally have some free time. I also really need to get back to Skyrim - two of my characters are over [the] 40th level and neither of them has done anything about the dragon problem yet! ...Probably because they need dragons to make armor out of, so they can sell it and buy more nice houses.
We also had some fan questions that were submitted on Reddit:
The whole fan-base loves your performance as Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series, but you are also well known for improvised acting and going to Dragon Con dressed up in Shepard cosplay. Any funny stories talking to people improvised as Commander Shepard or did you speak mostly out of character while dressed up in cosplay?”
Ha - no, aside from lines that people asked me to say or record on their phones, I mostly kept it out of character while dressed as Shepard at Dragon*Con. However, when I was wearing my Hunter S. Thompson costume, it was a different story...
Given that Shepard's character is written on three different tracks (paragon/neutral/renegade) what was your approach to creating and distinguishing those performances from one another?
Both Jennifer Hale and I relied on our directors for that. Generally, we'd do all of the paragon and renegade paths separately, but there were of course some lines that had to fit both. Our directors Caroline Livingstone and Susanne Hunka kept track and made sure everything fit together. Shepard is a fairly unusual character in that his/her entire personality and background are determined by the player, so it did present some unique challenges.
Now that we draw the curtain to close, I’d really like to thank you again for taking your time to answering these questions!
You are most welcome. Thanks for playing!
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Position: Staff Writer
Adrianna is a 21 year old that hopes to be involved the future of game development. Has a weak spot for elves with lyrium tattoos, Drell assassins, and of course a certain Turian Calibrator.
