WEBVTT - “The Halo Effect” (w/ Steve Downes) 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:15.880 M you cave. We'll go here, We'll go here. Is 0:00:15.920 --> 0:00:23.360 this thing on testing testing? Hello a hair? Oh oh jeez, 0:00:24.360 --> 0:00:28.520 that's never never you want to hear. Hey, everybody, thank 0:00:28.560 --> 0:00:31.200 you for coming out. You guys are here. What's up? 0:00:31.400 --> 0:00:36.040 This is so cool? You having fun? Yeah, we's a 0:00:36.040 --> 0:00:38.800 good crowd. That's a good crowd. I feel like I 0:00:38.800 --> 0:00:41.400 have now too many waters. Have so many waters over there. 0:00:41.479 --> 0:00:44.479 I don't know, you've got one in front of I 0:00:44.520 --> 0:00:46.280 don't know. I just feel bad, so many waters. This 0:00:46.320 --> 0:00:49.199 is our podcast, by the way. We just keep talking 0:00:49.320 --> 0:00:52.400 randomly and hope to edit it together into something later. 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:56.360 We're here. This is I hear voices live. It's a 0:00:56.440 --> 0:00:58.880 live version of our podcast. We've done this only a 0:00:58.880 --> 0:01:00.880 couple of times. We have This is fun though. Last 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:04.360 time we did it was in Where were we San Diego? Yeah, 0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:06.480 we were at Comic Con in San Diego. Yes we were. 0:01:07.240 --> 0:01:09.760 You gotta excuse Will. He just had a birthday, so 0:01:09.959 --> 0:01:13.959 I didn't. I'm now old. That is what Christie is saying. 0:01:14.000 --> 0:01:20.720 Thank you very much. I appreciate that. So the question is, 0:01:21.000 --> 0:01:23.240 we made a huge announcement at San Diego Comic Con. 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:26.319 Should we start with our huge amountment you think you should? 0:01:26.440 --> 0:01:28.560 Why not should we start with the huge announcement? Is 0:01:28.600 --> 0:01:32.600 that what everybody wants to hear. So the first cool 0:01:32.680 --> 0:01:35.080 thing is who are we now partnered with? Christ We 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:40.600 are partnered with I Heart Radio. Yes, yeah, it's a 0:01:40.600 --> 0:01:42.720 it's a it's a big deal for a little podcast 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:45.679 that started from comic cons, you know. So I Heart 0:01:45.720 --> 0:01:48.240 Media as now our partner, which is really really cool. 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:51.320 But the really awesome thing is they've allowed us to 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:53.400 do kind of our dream, which is what we wanted 0:01:53.440 --> 0:01:57.520 to do, which is we are announcing a nationwide contest 0:01:57.960 --> 0:02:01.120 to find the next big voice or actor. You could 0:02:01.120 --> 0:02:04.360 be sitting in this room right now. So the winner 0:02:04.560 --> 0:02:08.880 already we're already building up what the the prizes are 0:02:08.919 --> 0:02:11.560 because they're outstanding, but the ones we can announce now. 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:17.519 The winner wins thousand dollars. Pretty great. You get flown 0:02:17.560 --> 0:02:21.080 to Los Angeles where you are going to have lunch 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:24.200 with Christy and I and there's gonna be somebody else 0:02:24.200 --> 0:02:26.840 at that lunch and that is your brand new voiceover agent. 0:02:27.720 --> 0:02:30.280 So you literally win a chance at a voiceover career. 0:02:30.400 --> 0:02:36.360 That's crazy, it's super cool. Yeah, yes, I get like 0:02:36.720 --> 0:02:39.880 I get like Honestly, I have goose bumps because we've 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:41.919 been at this Comic Con game for a while and 0:02:42.000 --> 0:02:44.720 we love you guys so much, and we've had such open, 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:47.480 armed community of you know, you guys loving the podcast 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:49.839 and what we're doing and getting the word out there. 0:02:50.000 --> 0:02:52.480 And again, it's all about community for us. And when 0:02:52.520 --> 0:02:55.040 you guys ask us how do I get into this business, 0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:57.560 which happens several times. I see you guys, you know, 0:02:57.639 --> 0:02:59.480 came from our line and our table today and then 0:02:59.520 --> 0:03:01.639 are sitting here and it's like, well, we want to 0:03:01.680 --> 0:03:04.160 give you that opportunity, but not just like because we 0:03:04.160 --> 0:03:06.160 need use your to like, oh, go on a website 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:07.760 or you know, yeah we can. We we can kind 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:09.640 of direct you somewhere to go like, oh, look at 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:11.079 this website or look at that website. And we looked 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:12.720 at each other and went, what if we can actually 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:18.000 give somebody the opportunity to like sign with an agent. Yeah. Um, 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:20.000 so this is very very cool, And people come up 0:03:20.040 --> 0:03:22.720 and do voices for us all day long, including today, 0:03:22.800 --> 0:03:24.760 which if you guys say we have a microphone in 0:03:24.800 --> 0:03:28.919 the middle and we have our lovely artist of the day, 0:03:29.000 --> 0:03:33.359 we should invite him out. We will bring well, Joe's right, Okay, 0:03:33.440 --> 0:03:35.200 Joe's coming up later. So our friend Joe Woes is 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:38.040 coming up and he's actually gonna draw live as we're 0:03:38.120 --> 0:03:40.040 up here, and then we want all of you to 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:42.320 do the voices of the characters that he's drawing as 0:03:42.320 --> 0:03:45.839 we're doing it. It's a ton of fun and it 0:03:45.960 --> 0:03:48.640 is great practice for you know, joining this mega contest 0:03:48.640 --> 0:03:51.560 that can absolutely change your life and stuff. So um, 0:03:51.600 --> 0:03:53.760 it is really really cool and we can't wait. But 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:56.960 we also have a very special guest joining us today. Yeah, 0:03:57.000 --> 0:03:59.280 this is really how many of you guys like play 0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:05.360 Halo and like love Halo, And I mean, I'm not 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:07.640 even that huge of a gamer, and I give mad 0:04:07.640 --> 0:04:10.240 respect to Halo being so important. How can you not 0:04:10.400 --> 0:04:13.840 It's Halo. It's like the do you play him? I do? 0:04:14.080 --> 0:04:16.120 I don't play many video games, but Halo was one 0:04:16.120 --> 0:04:18.320 of the ones I did, so Yeah it was, Yeah, 0:04:18.320 --> 0:04:20.039 it absolutely was. I think the last thing I had 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:23.240 actually purchased was I think I had a PlayStation two 0:04:24.160 --> 0:04:27.640 and there were too many buttons. I couldn't figure it 0:04:27.680 --> 0:04:29.600 all out. So I've played Halo on my friend when 0:04:29.640 --> 0:04:31.279 my friends teach me how to do and it's like, okay, 0:04:31.279 --> 0:04:33.160 but I'm not coordinated enough. You want to roll the dice? 0:04:33.240 --> 0:04:34.880 Do we want to roll the dice later? Well? Can 0:04:34.920 --> 0:04:36.440 we can? Well? I didn't even bring my die with me. 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:40.240 I'm unarmed. It's actually my bag somewhere. I know how 0:04:40.440 --> 0:04:43.240 the D n D people are like, how dare you? 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:47.520 He always has come unarmed? Are you kidding? Me? Always 0:04:47.520 --> 0:04:50.960 walk around the D twenty? What am I thinking? Anyway? Anyway, 0:04:51.200 --> 0:04:54.040 this is exciting. You wanna this is exciting? Um, So 0:04:54.040 --> 0:04:55.279 we'd like to talk to our guest for a while, 0:04:55.279 --> 0:04:56.600 if you guys don't mind if we bring him out? 0:04:56.640 --> 0:05:10.039 Is that all right? All right? Please? Welcome to the 0:05:10.200 --> 0:05:14.000 I Hear Voices Live podcast here at Fan Expo Boston. 0:05:14.600 --> 0:05:24.559 Steve down Yeah, yeah, how are you? I'm great? Well, 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:27.360 thank you for asking. But it's been a blast here 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:30.560 in Boston so far. It's been great. What a great convention, 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:33.520 what a great bunch of people, and what's some great 0:05:33.680 --> 0:05:38.680 clam cholder? Man? Man? You know what they ain't kidding 0:05:38.680 --> 0:05:41.480 about the clam chowder. I had some last night that 0:05:41.640 --> 0:05:45.160 was unbelievable. It's crazy, isn't it. Yeah? I'm just it's 0:05:45.200 --> 0:05:47.480 been fun here. I just can't keep having you and 0:05:47.560 --> 0:05:53.599 McGregor bugging me for autographs. It's like, oh week, it 0:05:53.680 --> 0:05:57.240 goes with the territory, right, I mean, please, I get it. 0:05:57.279 --> 0:05:59.040 You're obi wan to give me a break. I know 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:02.600 what you mean. Yeah, So can we talk a little 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:04.960 bit about how so. One of the things we love 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:08.760 on I Hear Voices is all the different ways people 0:06:08.880 --> 0:06:11.919 got into the voice over industry, because there's a number 0:06:11.960 --> 0:06:15.040 of differ We've heard stand up, we've heard artists, we've 0:06:15.120 --> 0:06:17.320 heard you went kind of a different route with it. 0:06:17.480 --> 0:06:19.960 How did you get into the voice over? Well, it 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:23.000 on the surface, it would seem like a logical route, 0:06:23.360 --> 0:06:26.360 but it really isn't. I'm my career and my what 0:06:26.400 --> 0:06:30.559 I would call my day job for four dish years, 0:06:31.400 --> 0:06:34.000 uh was I was a disc jockey. I was a 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:38.600 rock and roll disc jockey. UM started in college and 0:06:38.600 --> 0:06:42.200 and just loved it and never left. Uh episode. It 0:06:42.240 --> 0:06:47.320 would seem a logical jump from being on the you know, 0:06:47.440 --> 0:06:51.680 radio to to being doing voiceover, but it really isn't. Um. 0:06:52.000 --> 0:06:54.919 I fell in love with it really from the production 0:06:55.000 --> 0:06:57.839 side of it. I really loved, you know, part of 0:06:57.839 --> 0:07:00.279 the job of a of a disc jockey, you know, 0:07:00.400 --> 0:07:04.640 back in my day, which you know the place to 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:09.320 see era. I believe it was the Jurassic era. Uh 0:07:10.120 --> 0:07:12.600 is you know, you would do your own production, You 0:07:12.640 --> 0:07:15.000 make your own commercials. You know, they come in they say, okay, 0:07:15.000 --> 0:07:18.160 here's a commercial for Bob Chevrolet, and you do that 0:07:18.240 --> 0:07:24.000 on podcasts now. Yeah yeah, so uh but I really 0:07:24.040 --> 0:07:26.840 started to fall in love with the production, you know, 0:07:26.880 --> 0:07:31.000 putting that stuff together and uh, you know I would 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:35.280 voice it because I was the only one round. And 0:07:35.320 --> 0:07:38.880 how different was production at that time because we didn't 0:07:38.920 --> 0:07:42.720 have you know, all of the different gadgets. It was 0:07:42.840 --> 0:07:46.600 primitive primitive to say the least. Uh. You know, you're 0:07:46.600 --> 0:07:50.320 working with with audio tape and you know, little little 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:53.000 pieces of tape and razor blades and you're cutting the 0:07:53.040 --> 0:07:54.760 tape and do it all this up. But I just 0:07:55.000 --> 0:07:58.640 I ate it up. I just loved your by the way, kids, 0:07:58.640 --> 0:08:02.360 audio tape was actual to Yeah. Yeah, that had audio 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:06.160 style for the record. Yeah, just thank you for the problem. 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:12.720 I said phone book once and people like um. So anyway, 0:08:12.840 --> 0:08:15.560 long story short, I got into that part of it. 0:08:15.720 --> 0:08:19.560 And um when I got when I moved to l 0:08:19.600 --> 0:08:22.680 A and and got a job on l A Radio, 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:27.320 that was the opportunity to really start to exploit voiceover 0:08:27.440 --> 0:08:30.360 in a in a major way. Got an Asian, you know, 0:08:30.480 --> 0:08:33.160 and just went went that route and did and still 0:08:33.200 --> 0:08:36.360 do really primarily commercial voiceover. I mean in terms of 0:08:36.720 --> 0:08:41.160 you know, what I mostly do is commercials uh and 0:08:41.320 --> 0:08:44.680 narration and and something you know what they call industrial work, 0:08:44.720 --> 0:08:48.480 which is basically non broadcast type of stuff. Uh. You know, 0:08:48.520 --> 0:08:51.800 the Halo thing was just the aberration and the and 0:08:51.840 --> 0:08:54.640 the and the and the freak accident that that's changed 0:08:54.679 --> 0:08:57.680 my life. But but but I beg to differ only 0:08:57.760 --> 0:09:01.360 because I feel like all your skills end up building 0:09:01.920 --> 0:09:04.760 to something right, and so when you're you know, able 0:09:04.800 --> 0:09:07.480 to produce. I I find this too with people who 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:12.000 are writers, like Will is a really great screenwriter. And 0:09:13.040 --> 0:09:17.840 what I found when you when you work on those 0:09:17.880 --> 0:09:20.280 other sides of it, you start to understand how to 0:09:20.280 --> 0:09:23.600 say the lines because you understand the cadence of a 0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:29.360 produced commercial. That's very true. Yeah, all your skills build 0:09:29.480 --> 0:09:32.559 on one another. And and you know, when I was 0:09:32.600 --> 0:09:35.160 a kid, I mean a little kid, my parents bought 0:09:35.240 --> 0:09:38.560 a tape recorder and me and my sister would just 0:09:38.640 --> 0:09:42.280 goof around on it and I'd play disc jockey, you know, 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:45.720 and she would sing the jingles, you know. But I 0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:49.760 mean having no idea that this was the building block 0:09:50.280 --> 0:09:52.480 of a career, of a career by the way, kids 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:57.559 a tape recorder. Um. But also by the way parents, 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:00.640 what I've realized too, and this is to the recurring 0:10:01.280 --> 0:10:04.240 thread in in these origin stories of these icons. We 0:10:04.280 --> 0:10:07.319 get to interview and I hear voices. It's like they 0:10:07.360 --> 0:10:09.959 had this talent from a very young age. This this 0:10:10.120 --> 0:10:13.959 just this passion for audio recording or you do making 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:16.680 noise a lot? Well it is, but I'll let you 0:10:16.720 --> 0:10:19.839 in on another one. Uh. And we were talking about 0:10:20.000 --> 0:10:25.080 backstage about oversharing. So this may be that Billy West 0:10:25.160 --> 0:10:27.640 overshared if you want to go listen to his episode. 0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:31.599 When I was a kid, I had a tremendous stuttering problem, 0:10:31.640 --> 0:10:35.480 really to the point where it was I can remember, 0:10:36.200 --> 0:10:39.640 you know, horrific instances in third and fourth grade where 0:10:39.679 --> 0:10:42.640 I couldn't get words out, you know, especially if I 0:10:42.720 --> 0:10:46.200 was speaking in public. Teacher asked a question and you 0:10:46.720 --> 0:10:48.680 you know, raise your hand to answer, and I'd stand 0:10:48.760 --> 0:10:50.920 up to answer and then could not even though I 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:54.480 knew the right answer, couldn't get the word out. So 0:10:54.520 --> 0:10:57.320 the curious thing is that I end up making a 0:10:57.480 --> 0:11:02.920 career by speaking. So then how did you understand you're stuttering? Like? 0:11:02.960 --> 0:11:04.880 How did you get through that? You know? I I 0:11:04.920 --> 0:11:08.760 don't really know how I I The only thing I 0:11:08.800 --> 0:11:12.880 can remember is my parents had a babysitter and this 0:11:13.040 --> 0:11:15.800 old woman. Remember she had one of those you know, 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:18.480 big shoes, you know on the one foot. You know, 0:11:18.480 --> 0:11:20.319 I forget what they call that. Or she was a 0:11:20.400 --> 0:11:26.280 wish Yeah, I believe she was a witch. That she 0:11:26.480 --> 0:11:30.360 cast a spell. That's that's that's the message we want 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:35.200 get out there for all you kids out there. Good 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:39.360 things will happen. But there was something about her that 0:11:39.440 --> 0:11:43.320 was soothing. And you know, my mother would send me 0:11:43.360 --> 0:11:45.200 to this place in that place, and none of it 0:11:45.240 --> 0:11:48.520 ever did any good. But there was something about this 0:11:48.600 --> 0:11:53.080 old woman that that calmed me in a way that 0:11:53.160 --> 0:11:56.800 I can't really explain. And one day it just seemed 0:11:56.800 --> 0:12:00.000 to go away. And you know, you hear these stories 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:05.760 is about you know, Olympic runners. I remember the one 0:12:06.000 --> 0:12:08.680 that nobody will remember. But her name was Wilma Rudolph 0:12:08.720 --> 0:12:12.280 and she was an Olympic champion, uh sprinter. I believe 0:12:12.600 --> 0:12:16.040 had polio when she was a kid and and became, 0:12:16.640 --> 0:12:22.600 you know, a gold medal Olympic runner. And uh, it's 0:12:22.760 --> 0:12:27.000 sometimes you gravitate towards your weakness. And I think that's 0:12:27.040 --> 0:12:31.520 what happened with me, is that it subconsciously, you know, 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:35.560 I went in that direction. And that's beautiful. So now 0:12:35.600 --> 0:12:37.679 you mentioned something which is really interesting because I think 0:12:37.720 --> 0:12:40.319 a lot of people when they think of the voiceover industry, 0:12:40.679 --> 0:12:43.080 they instantly go to, I'm going to do cartoon voices. 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:45.000 I'm going to be a voiceover actor. And that's when 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:48.320 I do not realizing that the vast majority of voiceover 0:12:48.880 --> 0:12:51.839 is commercials exactly. I mean, that's the bread and butter 0:12:51.880 --> 0:12:54.600 of what you're doing, is is regular commercial spots. So 0:12:55.720 --> 0:12:58.560 was did you as you're going to become a voice 0:12:58.559 --> 0:13:00.160 over actor, as you were working towards become make a 0:13:00.240 --> 0:13:03.040 voice over actor? Was the dream animation or were you like, 0:13:03.240 --> 0:13:05.600 I just love doing the commercial I I just loved. 0:13:06.040 --> 0:13:09.400 What my dream was was to do movie trailers. I 0:13:09.440 --> 0:13:12.600 wanted to be Don la Fontaine. Sure in the world 0:13:14.200 --> 0:13:18.560 I wanted to be that guy still could be Yeah, 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:21.440 what's stopping you at this point? Well, they don't do 0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:27.480 him anymore. By the way, a movie trailer. Uh no, 0:13:27.640 --> 0:13:29.920 that I mean, yeah, he had that in the world. 0:13:29.960 --> 0:13:32.520 There was just something about that. And the closest I 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:36.240 ever got to it was when Halo five. When Halo 0:13:36.280 --> 0:13:40.560 Guardians came out, they ran commercials for it in in 0:13:40.679 --> 0:13:43.400 the movie house, and I remember going to see Star 0:13:43.440 --> 0:13:47.760 Wars actually, and one of the commercials that ran before 0:13:47.800 --> 0:13:52.680 the real trailers was Halo Guardians and it used some 0:13:52.800 --> 0:13:56.959 of my and I remember being with my stepson there 0:13:56.960 --> 0:14:10.320 and I was like, that's made that's awesome. That must 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:13.520 be for someone who started as a little boy with 0:14:13.520 --> 0:14:15.560 a stuttering problem, that must be one of the most 0:14:15.840 --> 0:14:20.000 amazing moments. Way, It's yeah, it's you know, my my 0:14:20.080 --> 0:14:22.720 wife is also a voice actor and and a stage 0:14:22.760 --> 0:14:26.240 actors and she has a good friend who gave us 0:14:26.280 --> 0:14:29.440 a piece of advice many years ago that you guys 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:32.480 will both understand, and she said, never get out of 0:14:32.560 --> 0:14:37.680 line because you just never know when your moment and 0:14:37.840 --> 0:14:41.200 your job. Um. You know, people say, well, you're lucky, 0:14:41.240 --> 0:14:44.640 and I was like, yeah, I'm tremendously lucky. But I 0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:49.200 think as no matter what career you're pursuing, whether it's acting, 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:51.840 voice that it doesn't matter. Is that you need to 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:55.920 put yourself in the position to be lucky. That's your job, 0:14:56.080 --> 0:14:59.360 and then maybe it'll happen. Maybe it won't. But if 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:02.800 you enjoy what you're doing, it really doesn't matter. That's 0:15:02.840 --> 0:15:08.080 really good said some really amazing things. He said, you 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:12.280 gravitate to your weaknesses. To me, that was really amazing. 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:14.960 And then that so you're also so you're married to 0:15:15.040 --> 0:15:18.000 a voice actor. How did you guys meet? We met 0:15:18.040 --> 0:15:21.880 in the green room at the agent's office. Yeah, she 0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:25.080 was you know, we had crossed paths several times over 0:15:25.120 --> 0:15:27.880 the years, but she was involved or I was. I 0:15:27.920 --> 0:15:32.920 was married before and at this point we both were single. 0:15:33.600 --> 0:15:38.200 And I met her in in the in the green room. 0:15:38.200 --> 0:15:41.800 Which agent it was in Chicago, Illinois. The agent no 0:15:41.880 --> 0:15:45.320 longer exists right now, but they're called Voices Unlimited and 0:15:45.480 --> 0:15:48.440 uh and we uh, we were kind of flirting a 0:15:48.480 --> 0:15:50.280 little in the in the green room, but it didn't 0:15:50.280 --> 0:15:54.840 really go with your own voice, dude. I was bringing 0:15:54.840 --> 0:15:59.240 everything I have, whatever I got, I was bringing it. 0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:04.960 Uh and uh. So the odd part about it is 0:16:04.960 --> 0:16:08.440 is that that she had actually had a date with 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:11.000 somebody to go to lunch, and she asked me, if 0:16:11.000 --> 0:16:12.840 you want to come, and I'm saying, I really don't 0:16:12.840 --> 0:16:16.640 think the guy would appreciate you bringing me along that 0:16:16.800 --> 0:16:20.400 night our union, uh is when they were trying to 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:23.840 merge the side after merging then to what would that 0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:27.080 have been two thousand and whatever. So we had two 0:16:27.200 --> 0:16:30.240 unions or screen Atchers Guild and the American Federation of 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:33.800 Radio and Television Artists or Actors whatever, they were trying 0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:36.840 to merge them. They have since merged. She was volunteering 0:16:36.880 --> 0:16:40.040 to do call out to get other actors to vote. 0:16:41.040 --> 0:16:43.800 She happened to have me on her list that night, 0:16:43.880 --> 0:16:48.600 total coincidence. So she calls, and the other thing is 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:50.960 on the type of guy that always answers the phone, 0:16:51.800 --> 0:16:55.760 you know, even if it's telemarketers. I'm always all let 0:16:55.800 --> 0:16:58.680 them do their speed. By the way, answering the phone kids, 0:17:00.280 --> 0:17:05.159 because nobody does that. There's a good lesson. If I 0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:08.119 hadn't answered that phone, we probably wouldn't be married for 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:11.200 now sixteen or seventeen years. So she heard your voice, 0:17:11.520 --> 0:17:13.800 she had me on the list to call, and so 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:15.920 she knew your name from the audition. Yeah, yeah, and 0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:18.760 she knew who I was, so she called and I 0:17:18.800 --> 0:17:21.200 knew it was her and I asked her out to lunch. 0:17:22.560 --> 0:17:24.880 That's so cute. And might I say that a man 0:17:25.040 --> 0:17:31.720 with a really masculine voice is a ted immediately. I 0:17:31.800 --> 0:17:38.800 don't know how I got my wife. So I think 0:17:38.840 --> 0:17:40.600 we would be remiss if we didn't talk a little 0:17:40.600 --> 0:17:44.200 bit about the master chief, about about the name who 0:17:44.200 --> 0:17:47.240 shut who shall not be mentioned. I think it's necessary. 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:51.199 How did hey look come about? Well? For me, it 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:55.240 was again going back to radio, I never got bookings 0:17:55.320 --> 0:17:58.639 based on being on the era as a dis shocking 0:17:58.760 --> 0:18:00.960 if I had a nickel for re audition, I ever 0:18:01.080 --> 0:18:07.200 did where the direction was FM radio DJ. Okay, I 0:18:07.240 --> 0:18:11.240 was an FM radio DJ. Never once booked one of 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:16.000 those jobs. I've had that happen, don't I've literally had it. 0:18:16.040 --> 0:18:19.040 Sounds like him possible and I didn't book it. Yeah yeah, 0:18:19.200 --> 0:18:23.720 really yeah, yeah, oh yeah yeah. You get that a 0:18:23.720 --> 0:18:27.080 lot Wilford L type. What is that? Really? Do you ever? 0:18:27.200 --> 0:18:29.800 Of course? Okay, so we've all got it. Does an 0:18:29.880 --> 0:18:34.040 FM radio DJ sound like? What does an FM radio DJ? 0:18:34.160 --> 0:18:40.520 Sulman um FM? The drive that was led Zeppelin? Good evening? 0:18:40.560 --> 0:18:45.679 Everybody glad you with us? Yes, that's really cool. I 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:49.080 almost forgot how to do it. That's really cool. It 0:18:49.119 --> 0:18:52.560 comes right back. But anyway, Marty O'Donnell, who was the 0:18:53.119 --> 0:18:55.560 who wrote all the music for the Bungee Halo games 0:18:55.560 --> 0:18:58.520 and cast all the talent I used to listen to 0:18:58.520 --> 0:19:01.560 me on the radio and you know, just called me. 0:19:01.600 --> 0:19:03.840 I mean it was that flu again these are all 0:19:03.880 --> 0:19:07.080 flu things, called me and said would you want to 0:19:07.119 --> 0:19:10.200 read for this part? Uh? And I came in and 0:19:10.320 --> 0:19:13.080 it was a done deal and uh we talked about 0:19:13.080 --> 0:19:15.960 who master Chief was and what Halo was and what 0:19:16.040 --> 0:19:20.440 the universe was all about. And he and we didn't 0:19:20.440 --> 0:19:24.280 even have a visual rendering of what the character looked like, 0:19:24.320 --> 0:19:26.560 so it was just really just us talking about it. 0:19:27.160 --> 0:19:30.560 And his direction to me was he said, think of 0:19:30.720 --> 0:19:35.320 clean Eastwood in all the old spaghetti westerns. Now a 0:19:35.320 --> 0:19:42.800 few kids out there Spaghetti West. Well I knew that 0:19:42.880 --> 0:19:46.760 was coming, so um, but that's what it was, Clean Eastwood. 0:19:46.760 --> 0:19:49.480 You know in those parts he didn't speak a lot, 0:19:49.520 --> 0:19:53.560 but when he did, somebody usually died. Yeah. Yeah, So 0:19:53.720 --> 0:19:56.800 that's where we started with master Chief and then and 0:19:56.840 --> 0:20:00.159 then it developed into what it developed. But uh, it 0:20:00.240 --> 0:20:04.080 was just again just important to be ready because you 0:20:04.160 --> 0:20:06.520 never know when lightning is going to strike now do 0:20:06.560 --> 0:20:09.640 you feel like your character has grown into a more 0:20:09.960 --> 0:20:13.560 human place with all of the franchise growing over all 0:20:13.560 --> 0:20:16.639 this time and all the right. Wasn't there a lot 0:20:16.680 --> 0:20:21.440 of movies animated stuff? And yeah, the Fall of Reach 0:20:21.560 --> 0:20:24.400 was an animated piece, and now they're doing is there 0:20:24.440 --> 0:20:28.640 a live I'm like my crazy live action, but but 0:20:28.720 --> 0:20:31.119 this these things can be true, Christian, Okay, so is 0:20:31.119 --> 0:20:36.800 there a human I don't know, is there a humanization 0:20:36.840 --> 0:20:39.080 that happens to just a video game character when the 0:20:39.080 --> 0:20:42.679 technology from the time you started has grown to be 0:20:42.720 --> 0:20:47.359 so so different? Well, without a doubt, Um, you know, 0:20:47.520 --> 0:20:49.720 in the in the early days, I mean, he really 0:20:49.720 --> 0:20:52.159 didn't speak much, and it wasn't really an opportunity to 0:20:52.560 --> 0:20:56.200 do much with it until we got to about Halo three. Uh. 0:20:56.240 --> 0:20:58.400 And then when Halo four came out. That's what people 0:20:58.400 --> 0:21:00.320 always asked me what my favorite game was? What was 0:21:00.400 --> 0:21:06.520 for because I had more lines? And yeah, so uh. 0:21:06.680 --> 0:21:09.679 But also we went much deeper into the story and 0:21:09.680 --> 0:21:13.359 and the relationship between Master Chief and Cortana. And I 0:21:13.480 --> 0:21:18.000 always felt while I was doing Halo, even the early games, 0:21:18.040 --> 0:21:22.080 how rich this story was, that there was so much 0:21:23.160 --> 0:21:26.800 just the relationship between Cortan and master Chief was multi 0:21:26.920 --> 0:21:29.720 layered and and and could go in so many different directions. 0:21:30.000 --> 0:21:32.960 And I remember when Halo three was over, I thought 0:21:32.960 --> 0:21:35.080 that was it, you know, I thought we were done 0:21:35.400 --> 0:21:37.920 and that has been a great ride and all that. 0:21:38.160 --> 0:21:41.280 Uh and then had the opportunity when when three four 0:21:41.400 --> 0:21:44.640 three took it over and come back for Halo four, 0:21:44.960 --> 0:21:47.280 and then saw the script for it and said, oh, okay, 0:21:47.320 --> 0:21:49.280 now we're gonna get a little more meaty here, and 0:21:49.320 --> 0:21:52.800 we're gonna have you know, you talk about some emotional things. 0:21:52.840 --> 0:21:56.280 And uh so it was yes, the answer your question. 0:21:56.320 --> 0:22:03.040 It became a lot more layered, a lot more interesting, 0:22:03.960 --> 0:22:07.480 you know, quite honestly. And I think Infinite carried that 0:22:07.880 --> 0:22:11.600 into the next level as well, so the latest game. So, um, 0:22:11.800 --> 0:22:13.320 when did you know it? Was there a time that 0:22:13.359 --> 0:22:15.760 you knew when you're like, okay, wait, we really got 0:22:15.800 --> 0:22:21.159 something here. No, well, uh, first of all, I'm not 0:22:21.200 --> 0:22:24.960 a gamer. I'm the worst Halo player on Earth. That 0:22:25.160 --> 0:22:29.080 the irony of the day. However bad you may think 0:22:29.160 --> 0:22:33.640 you are, I'm worse. Uh. And uh so there I 0:22:33.680 --> 0:22:36.680 wasn't really involved in the in the gaming world. So 0:22:36.880 --> 0:22:40.600 about a good year. It had to be after Combat 0:22:40.640 --> 0:22:43.400 Evolve came out. I was at a friend's house and 0:22:44.119 --> 0:22:47.959 their kids were playing the game, and uh, you know, 0:22:48.040 --> 0:22:49.800 I walked. I was walking through the living room and 0:22:49.840 --> 0:22:52.280 I just something rang a bell and I said, you know, 0:22:52.320 --> 0:22:54.840 I think I voiced a character in that game. And 0:22:55.240 --> 0:22:57.920 the kids said, who wasn't? And I couldn't remember his name? 0:22:58.480 --> 0:22:59.880 You know, I mean, you know how it is when 0:22:59.880 --> 0:23:03.240 you know you do you know how many times this 0:23:03.280 --> 0:23:06.600 happened to you? Will you read anything and you leave 0:23:06.640 --> 0:23:10.160 the office, leave the studio, whatever, and you couldn't remember 0:23:10.160 --> 0:23:15.040 a single line you just read? Yeah, and I couldn't 0:23:15.080 --> 0:23:17.120 remember the character's name and they said, well, I said, 0:23:17.160 --> 0:23:18.560 but I think it was kind of the main guy 0:23:18.640 --> 0:23:20.679 in the game, and they said, was Master Chief? I 0:23:20.680 --> 0:23:24.800 said yeah. You know, within fifteen minutes, every single kid 0:23:24.840 --> 0:23:27.560 in the neighborhood who had an Xbox or a copy 0:23:27.560 --> 0:23:30.919 of the game was at his front door wanting to 0:23:30.920 --> 0:23:33.760 get it signed. And that was the AHA moment, you 0:23:33.800 --> 0:23:36.760 know that that I was onto something here that that 0:23:37.080 --> 0:23:39.240