Hey Adventurers!

Thanks for checking out this week's MythForce interview with the voice behind Hawkins, actor Alex Spencer!

Born in Scarborough and raised in Brampton, Ontario, Alex Spencer caught the acting bug young, despite crying his very first time on stage. He eventually attended York University's theater program. While there he formed a sketch comedy group with four other undergrads who have remained his best friends and creative collaborators ever since. In 2008, at 21 years old, while performing with the group, he was noticed by the showrunner for a tween sketch comedy TV series. He would be cast as one of the series' leads, marking the beginning of his film & television career. With MythForce, Alex brings his passion for performance to a video game for the first time.

What's the unique challenge of voice acting as opposed to stage or screen acting?

A unique challenge is conveying entirely with your voice a full-bodied performance. Articulating with your voice all the gesticulation and looks that are at your disposal when on camera or stage—or doing mocap. When I'm the audience, the greatest voice performances are the ones when I view the character holistically: a complete marriage between the work of the animators/programmers and the performer. Performing voice, for me, is a quest to never sound disembodied.

How did you first become involved in voice acting?

I'm quite new to it, actually! I've done on-screen and live performances for years. The 20s have marked the beginning of my expansion into voice in general, and MythForce, specifically, is my very first video game. I couldn't be more excited.

Who are some of the performers whose work has most inspired your own?

There are so many performers that inspire me daily. I could go on listing them until the end of time. Sticking to voice performance, for me any conversation begins and ends with Kevin Conroy. I was a five-year-old for much of 1992. I turned six in November of that year, so I was right in the sweet spot for Batman: The Animated Series when it premiered that year. Kevin Conroy's iconic work as Batman has inspired me more than maybe any other. I'm constantly taking my bucket to his well. Gotta also mention Nolan North—because everybody wants to be like Mike (for all the basketball lovers), Phil LaMarr who's such an incredible character creator, and Keith David for being the dictionary definition of sonorous. There's also Kevin Michael Richardson, Tara Strong, Jennifer Hale, Laura Bailey who all have Steph Curry range (still talking to the basketball lovers, apparently). I'm telling you, I could go on and on.

What most appeals to you about the character of Hawkins?

His cunning as a hunter. He's not one to overshare, so the ways he goes about showcasing that intelligence is something I find very intriguing about him. On the flip side, he very much has a lower social IQ as he's used to being a lone operator. I've had a lot of fun pinging back-and-forth within that duality.

Was there a particular challenge in portraying Hawkins?

Hawkins is just so unflappable. Zero flap. With that being the case, mining the different shades of that trait ends up being the biggest challenge. The trap for the performer is to over-rely on that which can then make the character one note. And Hawkins is far more inspired than that on the page. This is where having an exceptional voice director (yay, Kris!) can end up wringing out of the performer the nuance and texture a character like Hawkins so richly deserves without compromising that unflappability.

When you were growing up, what was your favorite Saturday morning cartoon?

I already mentioned Batman: The Animated Series, so, as an 80s baby that grew up in the 90s some of my other favorites were: the 80s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, ReBoot (ugh, never got a proper ending 👎), Hey Arnold, and Samurai Jack.

What do you love about the 80s era?

Prince. Rogers. Nelson. I'll always take his entire 80s run of albums. He was completely within his bag creatively. Okay, maybe we won't speak of Under the Cherry Moon—but it still gave us the incredible Parade and the song “Kiss.” I'm pretty sure the 80s, as a concept, is incomplete without “Kiss.” My answer is Prince. All day.

What's your favorite video game? Or do you have a favorite memory of playing video games?

The original Metal Gear Solid was the first “big kid” game I ever beat. I don't think I've ever managed to feel that same sense of pride in beating a game since. The experience of playing it was also so cinematic in ways that are more-or-less the standard now. It's easy to take for granted how novel MGS was in its approach. Anyone who knows me knows I'm also a big fan of the Mass Effect trilogy—a remarkable exhibition of world building. Both the Metal Gear and Mass Effect series boast such colorfully memorable casts of characters, too.

That's all for today's interview. Tune in next week for an interview with MythForce composer, Ross Lara.