When you have a cherished video game franchise that has cultivated a strong following, attempting to reboot and reimagine the characters or settings can be quite challenging.
Especially when the development process requires a completely new cast of voice artists.
The original God of War series launched back in 2005, paving the way for an exciting trilogy and several spin-off games, all receiving widespread critical acclaim and profound appreciation among players.
But while the previous games were based on Greek mythology, the new series took lead protagonist Kratos to the mythical Norse realms of Midgard.
Given the significant span of the narrative and lore between each game series, Kratos had naturally aged.
This required the production team to search for a new deep voice actor to portray this iconic video game role, able to give the character a more seasoned and reflective personality that authentically reflected his experience.
Such key factors highlight the importance of top-notch voice over services for video games, ensuring that productions are able to cast the very best acting talents, each capable of bringing their own personality and professionalism to every role.
Join us as we journey through the talented voices behind the latest God of War series, discovering how they connected on set and in the sound studios, bringing impressive depth and authenticity to the characters they portrayed.
Christopher Judge as Kratos
Beyond the need for warrior voice actors in such a grand and sweeping storyline, the new God of War narrative required a unique sound for its main protagonist.
“I have two voices: deep and deeper”, admits Christopher Judge, when recalling the initial offer to voice Kratos in the game, during an online interview with IGN.
Incredibly, he almost rejected the role because of previous discomfort working on voiced projects, although his agent convinced him this would be a different experience.
Despite the skepticism, Judge decided to go ahead with an audition process that included a chemistry test, performing lines with co-actor Sunny Suljic, during which the two made an immediate connection.
Were it not for that connection with the child actor, the role of Kratos is one he could easily have declined.
“Sunny still says ‘hey I should be getting 10% and I’m responsible for your career”, admitted Judge with amusement.
In the end, the chemistry between himself and Suljic sealed the deal, forging a parental relationship that really shines through in the game itself.
“I guess the first thing that really surprised me was how much more exhausted I was than doing live-action“, said Judge of the physical performance capture, alongside the voice acting, highlighting the difference between live-action work and the needs of a video game project.
“Besides whatever emotional work you had done,” for the voicing, he explained that he “still had to be aware of the choreography involved for the motion capture.”
Sunny Suljic as Atreus
At the time casting for God of War had begun, Sunny Suljic was a child actor with fairly limited movie and TV experience.
Taking on the role of Atrius was his first adventure into video game projects.
“I was eight at the time and this was one of my first auditions, so I didn’t really know what to expect“, he admitted in an interview for Teen Vogue.
“They had a PlayStation there, so I was like playing games and stuff, but I didn’t really put two and two together.”
Eventually, it became clear that he would be playing the role of Atreus in God of War, involving an audition process with various actors in the casting call.
“When I did the read with Chris (Judge) we just clicked immediately and the chemistry was there“, he enthused, speaking of how the in-game father and son relationship was forged.
“Personally, I wasn’t the biggest fan of my performance in 2018“, admits Suljic, acknowledging that he’s always self-critical when hearing the style and tone of his own voice.
But for the second and third games in the series – God of War Ragnarök and God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla – the young actor did more research into Norse mythology, preparing himself for the increased dialogue involved.
Inevitably, during the process of adolescence, Suljic’s voice also changed.
“We had to re-record basically the whole game”, he revealed, given the length of time working on the project, and his voice dropping in the meantime.
“I got a second chance to improve my performance, which I actually was supper happy about“, he reflected with satisfaction.
Danielle Bisutti as Freya
Although she boasts impressive stage, TV, and movie production experience, the chance to play Freya in God of War was the first-ever foray into video games for Danielle Bisutti, and she admits to being a little intimidated by the scale of the project at first.
“I thought (at) the first table read, I was going to get fired”, she remembers of the initial sensations.
“I was trying not to fangirl“, she says of meeting Christopher Judge, fond of his performances as Teal’c in the Stargate SG-1 TV shows, along with being impressed by the quality and range of the other actors involved in the God of War project.
“I am in a room with experienced voiceover actors, I have no idea what I’m doing“, confessed Bisutti of her first memories.
Thankfully, after taking a little while to find the right personality for the character of Freya, including “her cadence and where her voice sat in me”, it’s fair to say that Bisutti gave a memorable performance as the voice of a goddess that resonated with fans of the game.
Jeremy Davies as Baldur
Winning a BAFTA award in 2019 speaks volumes of just how superbly Jeremy Davies performed, bringing his own personality and style to the role of Baldur, first introduced to players as The Stranger in the God of War video games.
“I will never understand how you thought it was a good idea to cast me as a god, and a god with a badass mid-Atlantic dialect“, he acknowledged in his acceptance speech.
Speaking about the experience of portraying Baldur, “the whole concept of him not being able to feel”, was the genius behind the role.
“It’s a really compelling thing to incorporate into a performance”, he said, understanding that was “fundamental towards building the character” in his opinion.
Troy Baker as Magni and Nolan North as Modi
Few voice actors can boast the vast experience of Troy Baker and Nolan North in video games, having voiced countless memorable characters over the last couple of decades, and both feature prominently in the God of War series.
Playing the roles of Magni and Modi respectively, none less than the sons of Thor and as demigods, their enduring off-screen friendship shines through during in-game interactions.
Alastair Duncan as Mimir
Being a familiar face in TV shows hasn’t stopped Alistair Duncan from enjoying his voiceover work in animation and video games, having become prolific and acclaimed for voicing numerous characters.
But getting to play Mimir as a disembodied head was certainly something different.
“Doing video games, very seldom do you get a character who really has an emotional connection to what’s going on“, he said of the role, having enjoyed the depth of character portrayal in the game.
Robert Craighead as Brok
Veteran actor Robert Craighead has revealed that initially, he auditioned for Kratos, although once Christopher Judge was cast in the titular role, he was invited back to read the character of Brok.
“We played around with different types of voices, then we settled on one and they offered me the job“, before deciding to Americanize the sound for the character, rather than go with a Norse accent or dialect.
Adam J. Harrington as Sindri
Gaming fans will remember Adam J. Harrington was the voice of Roy Earle in L.A. Noire, by Rockstar Games, although the Australian actor can proudly add his performance as Sindri to his growing video game resume.
In God of War, channeling a “weird passive-aggressiveness” beneath the humor, as the character evolved and transformed.
“They allowed me to play and bring stuff in and to bring the emotional aspect of the story alive“, he suggested with the highest regard, recollecting the freedom given by writers to develop his character.
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Few can doubt that alongside the graphical representation and fidelity, top-tier voicing is what really brings video game characters to life, making them believable and captivating for players.
That’s why at Voice Crafters, we specialize in helping you quickly find voiceover professionals with the style and tone that you’re looking for when casting.
Our aim is to empower your searches with ease, enabling you to hire the perfect voice actor for your video game with the utmost ease and convenience.
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And if you need more help, simply contact us and we can provide you with all the help you need.
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