Those are Pablo Schreiber and Jen Taylor respectively
The Halo TV show To be Released on March 24th, and having watched the first few episodes, it’s bound to catch on for some reason. For one, it has a huge budget! But it also needs some liberties with Halo universe because it is a completely separate project that is not included in the game.
We sat down with some members of the cast and crew to talk about the immense pressures of adapting a film with so much history and all the expectations that come with that quest.
Co-creator Steven Kane and executive producer Kiki Wolfkill told the press that they have “an ongoing feedback loop with 343 Industries [the current steward of the games], ” To draw old characters or create authentic new ones. Well, there are definitely some old ones! The most notable is Master Chief [John-117] is back (Pablo Schreiber), as is Cortana (Jen Taylor). And in a fascinating turn, Taylor (who voices Cortana in the game series) back for live-action suitability to continue playing the character.
While watching the show, I noticed that everyone has very different challenges and wanted to get Taylor’s perspective on how difficult the transition to television was. Turns out, she was trained! Laughing, Taylor tells us “lessons are being worked on in this matter” [series] for 20 years, and to be able to use everything we’ve created before to start this journey, that’s a gift. And switching from doing voice over to motion capture helped me do onscreen motion capture. All my previous experience has led to this point. “
She emphasizes that the element of motion capture has made her ready to step into the position of a new form of Cortana that is, as it were, an enjoyable life experience about herself. Later in the interview, Taylor, in a truly humbling moment, said that she’s “hadn’t even really processed the idea of moving from the game to the live adaptation. Halo. ”
We also wanted to get some insight from Yerin Ha, who plays Kwan Ha Boo: a character unique to the series. Without giving too much away, her story is linked to Master Chief early on in the show, after the first major act. Unlike some of the other members of the main cast, Yerin Ha has a completely empty board, so we asked her about her own personal challenges.
Thinking for a moment, she replied, “For me, it’s different because my character is new. I didn’t really try to soak as much as I could about Halo world. I focused on the script and the things we wanted to talk about: corrupt politics, dictatorship, hope, love and all that. That’s all I focused on with Kwan and bringing her to life. She explained that playing the role of Kwan taught her how to speak for herself and that she hopes the audience feels empowered.
Regardless of whether someone plays an old or new face, the pressure is on everyone because Halo name, and that nickname is synonymous with Master Chief. A great responsibility is placed on the shoulders of Pablo Schreiber, who has spent nearly 20 years as a TV doctor. You may have seen him in something before, whether it was Wire (remember Nick?!), Orange is the new black, Weedor a short from the Christmas season 6 episode of It’s always sunny.
Leading up to my main question about how he handles Master Chief’s weight, I told Schreiber that I’ve seen some of his Emmy-worthy candid performances in American Gods in two episodes of Halo that I watched. He sounds commanding, you know, which is a requirement for Master Chief, but he also adds a bit of stoic vulnerability in some scenes when it’s required. I asked him how he felt about trying to stay true to the character and what he brought to the performance from his personal life.
Smiling, Schreiber told us, “Well, I’ve lived the last 43 years of my life, getting hurt, being loved, and having children. All my life experience is fundamental to performance when it comes to creating a character. ” He went on to say, “I think what you touch is a flaw of this character that we are not familiar with in the game. The structure of it is a first-person shooter where you are loved. And now we’re doing a TV show that’s a very different medium, and to understand the character and empathize with him requires a different form of storytelling. And we’re filling in the aspects of his character and who he used to be. And everyone will know Master Chief.”
When asked how long Schreiber spends wearing a suit, he said, gaping, “it feels like a lifetime! That’s 55 pounds of plastic. Weight isn’t the hardest part about how immobile you are. The Mjolnir armor is supposed to make you superhuman and have superhuman abilities. But instead, you have 55 pounds.” Before he left, he told us these parting words: “It is a huge responsibility [living up to the games]. If anything, the hope is that the TV show fills in the unexplored places. “
That’s obviously up to the audience, but with season two already in the works, they have plenty of time to work towards that.
Chris Carter
Comments Director, Co-EIC – Chris has loved Destructoid since 2008. He finally decided to take the next step, creating an account and starting blogging in January 2009. Now, he are employees!
