The Lords And Ladies Of EverQuest, Part II
Actors Fairuza Balk, Katey Sagal, Ron Perlman, Keith David, and Hudson Leick discus their roles in Lords Of EverQuest.
By Paul Semel | Oct. 18, 2003





Fairuza Balk
Sony Online Entertainment has recruited Hollywood talent to provide voice acting for its upcoming PC real-time strategy title -- Lords of EverQuest. GameSpy recently held down some face-time with actors Fairuza Balk, Katey Sagal, Ron Perlman, Keith David, and Hudson Leick, who chat about their experiences working on the project.



GameSpy: Ron, you've got such a cool voice. Have you done a lot of video games before?
Ron Perlman: Well, I've done some. I've done voice work on a bunch of CD-ROM games. But I'm not the most technologically sharp knife in the drawer. The very first one, I think it was called Chronomaster. It was in the early days of CD-ROM games. And they sent me a copy, but I could not figure out a way to start the game. Then somebody showed me how to start the game, and I couldn't figure out what the first move was. So somebody showed me what the first move was, and I couldn't figure out the second move. So I decided to just go back to computer Solitaire, which I'm a whiz at.
GameSpy: Keith, you've also done video-game work, but you've also done cartoons and documentaries as well. How does voicing a video-game character differ from a cartoon character, or a movie narrator?
Keith David: Well, for the most part, the sound quality of the game is not going to be same as when you do an animated series, even if you do several games and the character is ongoing, because the interaction in the game is interactive with the player, so you don't get the same kind of relationship as when you're doing a series, or when you're talking to someone and you're playing with them. Voice work is still fun because it's like you're playing, but it's not the same interaction you get when somebody is talking to you.
GameSpy: Do you agree with this, Fairuza?
Fairuza Balk: I really enjoy it. You have all this great freedom because they can't see what you're doing, so you're able to. It's kind of like if you were in a film, and you weren't able to speak, you'd have to do the whole film with your eyes. It's that same thing, only you can only use your voice. It's also really good for a laugh because you're in the booth and you're swinging your imaginary sword around and going "HYAAH!" Yeah, you probably look ridiculous but you're having a good time, and it works.
GameSpy: Hudson, you're also no stranger to video game voices. How did you get involved with Lords Of EverQuest? Did they just call you up and say, "Hey, wanna do some work?"
Hudson Leick: Indeed they did. I had already done Primal, and I really enjoyed it. That was my first time ever doing a video game. They're delightful to do, actually.

Hudson Leick
GameSpy: How was your work on Primal different from this one?
Hudson Leick: That was a little easier in the sense that Andreas Katsulas, who was the voice of Scree, he was there, and we would play off of each other. My character in EverQuest is much more regal and a woman, as compared to my character in Primal, who was kind of a bratty confused child. But I've never played a commander before. The idea of playing the lead always seemed so boring to me; playing something evil is just so much more delightful. So when I was thinking she was "The Hero," it was dull. But when I gave her a little attitude, that made it more fun.
GameSpy: Fairuza, you've also done voices for both games and cartoons. What was it about Lords Of EverQuest that made you want to do a voice for it?
Fairuza Balk: This character. I love the way she looks. I love anything with swords, and battle women, I love warrioresses, and so far I haven't really… I mean, I kind of played one in The Craft, but because I'm 5'3" they always hire a girl that's at least 5'6" or 5'7" to play warrior women, and it pisses me off because if you look at a lot of the martial arts women that are exquisitely good at it, they're tiny. But they're solid muscle, which makes them very fast.
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