Because I have nothing better to do at the moment I totally just went through
that interview with the entire cast and picked out Kimberly Brooks' stuff. For your convenience. Just in case you're one of the like, ten people who hadn't read it.
Retroplayer- First off, tell us a little about yourself.
Kimberly Brooks (Ashley)- I love voice-over! I’ve been a voice actor for over15 years and I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to voice characters on some amazing projects, including Mass Effect, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Avatar. I also “work” in other areas of the voice-over industry, including television promos for NBC and Disney, commercials, TV animation, animated features films and of course, games. And when I say “work”, what I really mean is “play”. It’s great fun.
Retroplayer- How did you land your role in Mass Effect?
Kimberly Brooks(Ashley)- I did it the old-fashioned way. I auditioned! I gave it my best shot and booked the job. Although, rumour has it, that I was not Bioware’s first choice. I apparently replaced another actress, who shall remain nameless.
Retroplayer- Did Bioware have an idea on how your character should sound or were you left to your own devices?
Kimberly Brooks (Ashley)- Yes. They wanted Ashley to have an edge to her voice, because of her military background. She needed to sound like the tough, no non-sense, take charge, bad-ass that she is. It was also important to try to convey the complexity of her character as a female in the military, in a war-torn world, fighting so hard for what she believes in. Ashley is carrying a lot of baggage as a result of losing her family, so vocally at times, I tried to show a softer, more vulnerable side to Ashley as well.
Retroplayer[/b]- Ashley had a strict military upbringing which often makes her come across as a cold person. However, as the player can see if they enter into a romantic relationship with Ashley she does have a soft and loving side to her personality. How did you portray this duality of Ashley?
Kimberly Brooks[/b] (Ashley)- I think of Ashley as a diamond. . .in the rough. Admittedly, she is a bit rough around the edges, but when you get to the essence of who she really is, you will find that she is strong, beautiful and multi-faceted.
Retroplayer[/b]- Take us through a typical day during the recording process.
Kimberly Brooks[/b] (Ashley)- All of the actors are recorded individually. Which basically means we are acting in all of our scenes, including the action, battle and love scenes alone. . . Challenging, but really fun! Generally dialogue recording is done out of sequence and with many alternative scenarios, which can make it difficult to keep track of where your character might be emotionally or physically in a scene. Sometimes sound bites from other actors in the scene are played prior to recording our own dialogue, which really helps me as an actor to get “into” the scene. Most of the time, we are given information as we are recording about the situations in which we find ourselves in a particular scene. For example, Ashley might be in the heat of battle or in Shepard’s quarters. She may be shouting over gunfire or whispering into a walkie-talkie. We also see the dialog of the other character, locations for each scene and with whom we are interacting. There is a lot coming at you all at once. Plus most of the action scenes require a great deal of impact sounds, painful injury and death screams, which can be vocally stressful when recording for hours at a time. It’s a bit of a workout actually.
Retroplayer[/b]- Did Bioware show you any concept art of your character during the recording sessions?
Kimberly Brooks[/b] (Ashley)- Yes. And I was very excited, yet strangely NOT surprised to see how sexy she was. After all, where would Mass Effect be with out a smokin’ hot Chief Gunnery Officer?
Retroplayer[/b]- Kimberly, your character begins the game with a dislike- even a prejudice- against the other aliens on board the ship. However, over the course of the game Ashley’s mindset changes, evolves and grows to accept them. As an actor did this character arc satisfy you and why?
Kimberly Brooks[/b] (Ashley)- Most definitely. Her acceptance of the aliens is a very important change for Ashley. It also affects the overall direction of the game, as well as what may happen in the future. As an actor, you know, it’s always rewarding to get to delve into a character, especially when the writers give you so much to work with.
Retroplayer[/b]- Kimberly, one thing I found interesting about Ashley is that she has strong religious beliefs which is quite rare to see expressed in videogames let alone Sci-fi. As an actor how did you react to this and is it something that is often excluded from the videogames you’ve been apart of?
Kimberly Brooks[/b] (Ashley)- Actually, I find the juxtaposition of her strong religious beliefs to her extreme combat/war existence helps to balance Ashley. I think religion as a whole, can play a major role in military life, especially in times of war. It is true that religion is not ordinarily explored in this type of game. However, this is no ordinary game. One of the majors differences between Mass Effect and what might be considered similar games, is the depth of the characters.
Retroplayer[/b]- What can you tell us about your Mass Effect co-stars? Did any friendships spark up during the making of the game?
Kimberly Brooks [/b](Ashley)- Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, each actor records in individual sessions, so I didn’t REALLY get to have passionate love scenes with Jennifer Hale or Raphael Sbarge. But I have had the pleasure of working with each of them on other projects. Both are amazing actors!
Retroplayer[/b]- Kimberly, with Mass Effect novel tie-ins currently on the shelves and a future Mass Effect movie in the making how does it feel to be apart of what, in terms of bankable franchises, may very well be the next Star Wars?
Kimberly Brooks[/b] (Ashley)- It is really incredible, actually! With all the competition out there, it’s wonderful when a game does well. But when it is as successful as Mass Effect is, its unbelievable!
Retroplayer[/b]- Have you gotten much fan feedback?
Kimberly Brooks[/b] (Ashley)- Quite a bit, actually. Fans seem to either love Ashley or hate her. . . there seem to be more of the latter. This is why it especially fortunate for me that I am merely the ACTOR that voices Ashley and I don’t take it personally when die hard fans are passionate in expressing their feelings about Ashley and the choices she makes.
Retroplayer[/b]- Have you had a chance to see or play Mass Effect for yourself?
Kimberly Brooks[/b] (Ashley)- A few times. . .I didn’t get very far, though. Maybe I should just stick to voicing the characters instead of trying to operate them.
Retroplayer[/b]- How do you want Mass Effect to be remembered?
Kimberly Brooks[/b] (Ashley)- As a never-ending, on-going Epic game that is constantly evolving. . . and keeping me employed!
Modifié par Badpie, 01 décembre 2011 - 10:16 .
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