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From Lee Sin to Lord Saito - Interview with Ghost of Yotei's Feodor Chin

We caught up with actor Feodor Chin to learn all about his role in Sucker Punch's action-adventure follow-up as main antagonist Lord Saito, all while also discussing and talking about his other major roles in the video game world, including League of Legends's Lee Sin, Overwatch 2's Zenyatta, and even Ghost of Tsushima's Lord Adachi.

Audio transcription

"Hello everyone and welcome back to Gamereactor. Today we have a really, really exciting interview for you because I'm here with, well, an individual that probably voices some of the characters that you most associate with video games. I'm here with the amazing Feodor Chin to talk about predominantly Ghost of Yotei because it is the recent game that you've been involved with, but you know there's lots of other things you've done, Feodor, so we'll no doubt get to that."

"Before we do crack on, how are you today then? How's Thursday in this mid to late October treating you? Just great, just great. Yeah, very happy with the relief that finally can talk about Ghost of Yotei after all this time and yeah, it's a terrific time to be alive.
Fantastic. So we will get to Yotei, but I feel like there's a natural progression that we can go through here where we talk about Tsushima first because it's very unusual here because you actually have had the, well, you had the opportunity to work on Tsushima and then work on Yotei as well. You know, you had that experience bringing to life Lord Adachi in Ghost of Tsushima and now you're the main antagonist in Ghost of Yotei. So how did that come about? You know, what was the process behind the scenes that led you from going to work on the former Sucker Punch game to working on the recent one? Yeah, well, you know, I like to think of Yotei as it's maybe like Lord Adachi's revenge in a way, but yeah, I joined Tsushima, I think maybe not late in the process, but they had certainly already been working on it and came aboard as Lord Adachi and a number of other characters, Yamato, I think also from this, I believe the, what were those quests called? I can't remember, but a number of different characters. And so I, and in fact, Nate Fox, our director, I think he had said to me that I probably die a hundred different ways in that game. So I did a lot of work on Tsushima. And so when Yotei began, I was pretty much in on the process from the beginning. And in fact, was one of the readers reading opposite the potential Atsus and was there when Erica came in and pretty much right away, we were like, yeah, I think we found a girl. So yeah, but the team at Sucker Punch, I can't say enough about just how great and how collaborative they are. And so it was, I was definitely, it was an honor to be asked to to work on both games. And so, yeah, it's a real pleasure."

"Will Barron Did it surprise you to see Sucker Punch make the change they did, instead of making a direct sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, but jumping a few centuries in the future, but down the line and focusing on Atsu, did that change surprise you at all?
Nate Fox You know, yeah, I think I remember being there when they told me. And it certainly was surprising. But also, I think the right move, because I think, you know, with any beloved franchise, you're going to disappoint somebody."

"And I think to take it in a completely different direction, like it did was a pretty smart move, because it's certainly within the same world as Tsushima. So you're going to have the things that you love. But there's also, you know, a lot of new stuff to introduce to new gamers who are new to it. And I think that's a really smart thing to do."

"Will Barron And what attracted you then to the character of Lord Saito? What made you go, this is a role that I really want to make sure that I'm playing? And building on that as well, actually, were there any historical figures that you researched to prepare for the role? I mean, obviously, he's not a real character, but there's surely inspiration somewhere."

"Nate Fox Right, right. Well, let's see. I guess, you know, first of all, it's always a pleasure to play villains and to play the bad guy. And certainly, it's a dream come true to get to be the final boss, as it were. But I think, to me, what I think makes a really good villain compelling is that they have to be relatable and understandable. And you have to, you know, see what makes them human and what makes their motivations understandable. And I think certainly the team at Sucker Punch did a great job at really humanizing Saito. And even though you might not agree with what he's doing, at least you can understand maybe why he's doing it. And as far as historical inspirations, yeah, I believe there wasn't really a real life figure that he was based on. But I think certainly, for me, the template of Kill Bill, the inspiration there is pretty clear. And certainly, I think I took that into consideration going into it."

"And when you're going about portraying a character like Lord Saito, how much of your understanding of the character's psyche creeps into the role? And how much of it is, you know, Sucker Punch saying, we want you to portray a character in this way that we've, you know, written him and envisioned him?
Yeah, I mean, it's definitely a collaborative effort. Because I think with video games, especially, you know, one like this was such a sprawling kind of nonlinear narrative. You don't necessarily get all the as an actor, you don't get all the information that you need. Particularly because like the entire script, per se, isn't maybe even done at the time, you know, you're shooting something. And so yeah, you do have to rely heavily on the director and the writers, if they're available to, you know, give you that information as you're, you know, doing the scenes."

"And Sucker Punch's games are really special because of how they, how they sort of push forward the entertainment medium a little bit. You know, when you play a Sucker Punch game, it's almost like at times playing a movie, it's really well put together cut scenes.
And when you're going into a game like that, and you know that some of these cut scenes, they again, they are almost indistinguishable from a scene from like a Hollywood film."

"Does that, you know, how does that change the way that you approach the role and how you approach each scene?
Yeah, you know, it's absolutely true. Sucker Punch, and certainly everyone over at Sony, for these PlayStation, especially PlayStation 5, that they're, these cinematics that they, yeah, it is exactly like you're playing a movie. And so as an actor, I think regardless of the medium, regardless of the medium, you're going to ground your characters in reality. But I always feel, at least for video games, I think there is a certain heightened quality to it because the player is an active participant and you want to engage them. And so I think there's always going to be like a little heightened quality to it, but it is always based in reality for sure."

"And when you first got the scripts then for Yotei and you started reading through the role, did the brutality of Lord Saito, did that surprise you at all?
I mean, yeah, certainly. I think, you know, anybody who, you know, could pin a young girl to a tree with a katana is, you know, maybe not the nicest guy, but again, as an actor, you never want to, you know, judge the character you're playing. And so I think, certainly, you know, no spoilers because it's the first part of the game, but I think to Lord Yotei's mind, I mean, Lord Saito's mind, that what he was doing by making an example out of Atsu and her family was actually preventing further bloodshed. He was actually saving lives in his mind, which, you know, seems a little counterintuitive, but it works for him."

"And obviously we talked about at the start that Lord Saito is sort of the most, or the recent high profile role that you've lent your voice to, but there's been so many others throughout your career, some that really stand out, like, for example, in League of Legends, Lee Sin. You know, what is it like lending your voice to a character like that? You know, one that has existed for such a long time as well, you know, being part of a game that has progressed the way that it has and continues to be relevant now, what, 15, nearly 20 years down the line? Yeah, I mean, again, it's just an honour and a blessing to get to be able to do something like that. And especially because I think voiceover in particular can be such a, really, a solitary job because it's usually just you in the booth and, you know, maybe the director on the other side. And it's really cool to know that something that you've worked on can, you know, reach and affect so many people so positively. That's a really nice feeling. So yeah, I mean, I just, you know, every time I get called in for a session, it's just, you know, it's a joy."

"And we've seen Riot as of late, you know, explore a multimedia approach and get different things out there. Arkane's obviously the high profile one. Have you had any thoughts about, or, you know, any, has there been any conversations whatsoever about potentially taking Lee Sin in these sort of different roles and, you know, potentially you'd be involved? Yeah, you know, I'd certainly be open to it if we went, let's put that out there in the universe for sure. I'd absolutely be up for it. But yeah, I think, you know, we're seeing today, especially, you know, I think The Last of Us comes to mind. Because I think, you know, in years past, video game adaptations, maybe weren't, you know, the best. But, you know, I think we're seeing a real, a real, just a creative explosion of these, transferring these properties to, you know, either television or films. And I think that's, it's really wonderful and inspirational. And yeah, absolutely. You know, what they've done with Arkane, tremendous. And, you know, what they've been talking about for years for Overwatch, open to it, absolutely would love to, you know, would love to do that. And I think, you know, the fans would love to see that. So that'd be, you know, a win-win for everybody, I would think. Let's springboard quickly then to Overwatch, because obviously Lee Sin is a very popular character and everyone knows him. But so does, it's the case with Zenyatta as well. And what's that like being that character?
You know, when's that next animated short coming out with Zenyatta featured?
Well, you know, I think I had mentioned this previously, but yeah, we did a cinematic for Zenyatta and it's done as far as I know. And yeah, just, I would say if you're at all interested, you know, hit up Blizzard and demand that they release it. Or, you know, certainly we could make a new one. I don't know. But yeah, no, Zenyatta has been just the real, the joy of my life to get to voice him, because certainly unlike your usual video game sessions, it's a very Zen and peaceful experience. And my vocal cords appreciate it because, you know, not a lot of screaming and yelling when you're a robot monk."

"And just a quick thing, talking about adaptations, there's this, there's always this ongoing conversation that there's a Ghost of Tsushima adaptation in the works to some degree.
It's always here, there, everywhere. You never know really with adaptations because it's a very volatile situation. But are you any, do you have any involvement in that? Would you like to be involved in that project at all? Absolutely. Again, yeah, I would be open to it."

"But as far as I know, it's the director of the John Wick franchise, I believe is running that.
And yeah, I'm not even sure if the folks, how much the folks at Sucker Punch are involved.
And I would hope, you know, to some degree they would, because I think part of the success of something like The Last of Us was that, you know, the creators of the game were also involved in the show. And I think it shows, you can see that there's the knowledge and the love of the source material. I think that really comes through and that would certainly help, you know, I would think. Yeah, without a doubt. And obviously you have this wonderful career where you have not just been involved with video games, but a whole bunch of different things in the past. I bring that up because very recently you were involved in Marvel Zombies. Yeah. As you went through, obviously. Yeah. Expanding on that role that you had in the What If series, obviously."

"Right, right. Have you seen Marvel Zombies yet? What did you think about Zhu Wenwu's appearance and his ultimate demise? I did see that. Yeah. I remember when we recorded that. I mean, certainly the animation hadn't been finished at that point, but just knowing what was going to happen was like, oh, I think this could be pretty moving. And they did a great job with it. And yeah, but I haven't watched the entire series yet, but I'm a, you know, gore and whatnot is not necessarily my favorite thing, but, you know, it certainly, you know, it looks exciting. Yeah."

"And that was certainly just, you know, being able to take over that role from the great Tony Leung is, again, also an honor and a pleasure. And it's interesting to bring that up because, again, you have this luxury to be involved in so many different parts of the entertainment world.
With that in mind, how do you look at where video games are these days? Because we've seen it, how, you know, entertainment medium changes a little bit. It happened with television quite recently, where as the box office has sort of steadied a little bit, a lot of big name stars are hopping over to television. Where do you look at video games as a whole in that sort of spectrum? And do you see potential for bigger names to come to video games? Or do you see it staying as it is right now, where it's like very much the people who make video games, make video games and different to the rest? Yeah, that's an interesting question. Well, I mean, I guess, you know, somewhat selfishly, I would say, you know, like Clooney, please stay."

"You know, we don't need you over here. No, but I mean, I think you're with games like you go to Tsushima, you go to Yotei and The Last of Us, as you said, they are becoming more cinematic and they are kind of the movies for this younger generation. And so, yeah, I mean, I think you're going to see, yeah, probably, you know, big stars migrating towards that world."

"And I think the only thing I could say to that is, yeah, I think just get comfortable wearing a mocap suit. That's a big part of it. So circling it back then to Yotei, obviously, you mentioned mocap suits, and this is a perfect time to bring it up.
What did you do? Did you do any sword training? How did you prepare for the role of Saito? Because he's regarded in the lore, right, as like a weapons master. Yes. Yeah. A little. Yeah, not a whole lot, because fortunately, at least certainly for the actual fights, you know, that's that's purely the game mechanics. And, you know, they're doing things which, you know, my body would never be able to do without, you know, some serious physical therapy afterwards."

"But yeah, we definitely had some consultants and specifically kind of Japanese cultural consultants on board as far as like, you know, properly holding the various weapons and whatnot.
But but yeah, for the most part, you know, it was it was just, yeah, a lot of your imagination, I think. And I think what's that's the interesting thing to me about with the mocap is that you on set or at least, you know, on the volume, you look ridiculous because you're just in this, you know, basically sausage kind of outfit with a bunch of, you know, dots on it. And so you look nothing like a cool samurai or anything. And so you just have to mentally, you know, put yourself in that world and, you know, hope that the the animation team does what they do best and, you know, make you make you look cool. And they certainly did."

"So you obviously play the antagonist in Ghost of Yotei, but you play opposite Erika Ishii. So what was it like working with with Erika as Atsu? What was it like, you know, being the counterpoint to her protagonist? Yeah, yeah. It was it was terrific. She is she's just she's a major talent.
And I really think it's, you know, going to be one of the best performances of the year as far as, you know, video games go. But yeah, yeah, she was just always so open and so so ready to play."

"And yeah, made it very easy to to play off of. And, you know, I certainly felt you can't help but feel a little bad, you know, having to, you know, torture and torment her. But, you know, it's all in a day's work. And you mentioned a moment ago, Fedor, about, you know, working with with like Japanese experts that were coming to make sure that everything's handled as as you would authentically do so in the time period. Another part of Yotei that's it's fascinating is it's a it's a game. Obviously, localization is something that supported a lot of games, but in Yotei, it very much encourages you to play with the Japanese dialogue and audio and it encourages you to experience it like that. How did you know what happened on that side of things?
Did you work hand in hand with the with the, you know, the Japanese cast at all? What happened there? How did you how did you make sure that Saito was properly and accurately represented across the different language barriers, I guess? Well, I mean, I think what is interesting, because certainly the team at Sucker Punch, they have so much love and respect for for Japanese cinema, because certainly these both these games are so inspired by, you know, samurai films and certainly a great love for for Japanese culture and Japan itself. I know that that Nate and the team probably took several trips, you know, to Japan to, you know, location scout or to actually just, you know, kind of to just immerse themselves in the world there. But that being said, I think what's what makes both the ghost games so fascinating is that they are very much American games that are, I think, kind of like American Valentine's to Japanese culture and Japanese cinema. And so. You're you're you're getting a certain kind of authenticity, but it is kind of a level removed because, you know, we're we're, you know, Americans here and we're but this is our love letter to to the Japanese culture. And so it's it's a really fascinating kind of dichotomy at work there. But yeah, it is it is cool to to see, you know, your own face and have a, you know, a really hardcore kind of Japanese samurai voice coming out of itself."

"I certainly appreciate the Japanese dub. So obviously, Sucker Punch has just delivered this game. It's very fresh. It's very new. And there's no there won't be any conversations about what comes next for a while. But Sucker Punch have said in the past or more recently that they don't see the Ghost series taking place outside of feudal Japan. So if there was going to be a third game, whether it's, again, with the way they've structured Tsushima de Yota, it could be further down the line. Who knows? But if there is going to be a third game, would that be something you'd be interested in being involved in? And potentially, you know, maybe you've done more supporting roles. You've done the main antagonist. Is this the time for the main lead, the protagonist? Ben, I tell you, from your lips to Gad's ears."

"Hey, I'd be open. No, but I would be happy to to be involved in any way, because again, yeah, the whole team at Sucker Punch, they're just you can their love and passion for games and gaming is so evident. And, you know, that absolutely comes through. And it just makes it a pleasure to work with them, you know, in any capacity, really. So, yeah, I'd be down for it. You know, ghost of ghost of Theodore Chin. Let's make it happen."

"Is there a time setting or a period that you think would be pretty cool for another Ghost game to be set in? Obviously, still in Japan. Right, right, right, right.
Well, yeah, I guess. Yeah. But they've said that they don't want to take it out of the feudal period. Well, I mean, because I would think, you know, certainly other areas of Japan would be interesting to explore, like closer to modern day or, you know, maybe like, well, yeah, like Yakuza kind of, you know, Tokyo crime lords kind of thing, you know, but yeah, I don't know. I don't know. So as a final question, then for you, Theodore Chin. Well, yeah, that's the question."

"What is next for Theodore Chin? What can we expect to see you in down the line?
Oh, gosh. Well, I am currently in New York City. I'm doing a new play at the Lincoln Center Theater. It's called Kyoto. I guess I can't get away from Japanese titles. It's about the Kyoto climate change protocols. It's a political thriller. It's a terrific play, a fantastic ensemble cast. We're running until the end of November out here in New York City, if you want to come see that. And yeah, again, yeah, Marvel Zombies is out. Very proud of that. And oh, yeah, recently, the Emmy nominated episode of Love, Death and Robots, Spider Rose. Really proud of that one, too. That was just a great job with everyone involved. And it's a terrific episode."

"And, you know, of course, the whole series is always fantastic. But yeah, and yeah, I guess you can, you know, find me online TheodoreChin.com. And yeah, that's about it.
Well, there you have it. Plenty of places to find Theodore. If you haven't already seen him in Ghost of Kyoto, go and check it out. You'll probably, you'll love to hate him being Lord Saito. That's probably the best way to phrase it. But otherwise, yeah, if you're in New York, go and stop by, go and see the play. And otherwise, stay tuned for the upcoming, well, we say upcoming, we're going to get onto Blizzard about this, because it's time for that Zenyatta short to make its arrival."

"I've been waiting for it, so stay tuned for that. But yeah, Theodore, thank you so much for speaking with me today. It's been an absolute pleasure getting to chat with you. And yeah, well, for the next Game Reactor interview, see you all in the next one. Thanks a lot, Ben."

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