Do you find yourself intimidated by any roles or are there any characters that you immediately would rule out playing, or do you trust your director to help you find the right take?
I don’t know if it’s specific to roles. I know that I’m a funny person in real life. I’ve played in comedies before, but relatively rarely. So when I’m cast in something as the comic relief, that initially concerns me a little bit but then I remember that I have this tool in my toolbox. Just lean on the director and trust.
You’ve voiced a lot of video game characters. Are you a big gamer and have you played the games that you’ve worked on and is that a fun experience?
It’s a little surreal, but I don’t have a lot of time to do it. The one that I did the most of that with was Borderlands 2, and I still think that’s a great game. It’s my favorite installment in that franchise, and it’s not just because Mordecai talks a lot. If anything, I’ve muted the game when it’s a particularly damning part of a level when he’s barking in your ear. It’s like the voice in your head, but suddenly now it’s playing through all of the speakers. Yeah, that’s distinctly surreal and annoying, but mostly I don’t have time to play them.
You’re the lead in an upcoming feature, Rear View Cataclysm, which also has your voice acting collaborator, Elizabeth Maxwell. Was it nice to get to work in that capacity and already have a short hand with her?
Elizabeth got the audition first, called me, and was like, “Jason, this character is you. It’s not just like you or someone you could play well; it’s pretty much you.” I read it and she was right. I couldn’t believe it. So she suggested that I come to the audition with her and read with her in the scene. So we worked on the scenes together, read for her audition, and she knocked it out of the park. But they were also like, “Holy crap, who is this?” when it came to me.