On Control's fifth anniversary, Remedy stealthily uploaded a new Alan Wake 2 interview with Ilkka Villi and Melanie Liburd, the game's stunning lead actors. The interview is styled as a conversation between the two as they talk about their characters, the recording process, working in games, and what they're most excited for players to see.
In their chat, Ilkka asks Melanie about her first voyage into the world of video games. "Exciting." She describes. "I didn't realize, I mean, I know the gaming world is huge. I didn't quite realize the technology within gaming and just the layers of work. I've done so much voiceover just for this one game. It's like having six scripts, six movie scripts. It's just been so different. It's been great though, but then like any character, you build it like you would do in a movie. And the writing gave a lot of information about her."
Recording just before his Room 665 scenes, Ilkka also reveals his excitement jumping into his new onscreen character, "In some ways, I'm most excited about Tom Zane, the character. I love working with Matt Porretta, who does the voice acting for Wake. I love our collaboration that we've had all these years. And I think it's very beautiful and fantastic. I love that. But it's also, it's quite important for me to have this character that is totally mine. Zane has my voice as well."
You can watch the full interview below or on the Remedy YouTube channel, HERE.
Transcript:
Ilkka Villi: It's been... I think, 18 years? From the first time, I had dressed up as Alan Wake.
Melanie Liburd: Goodness! Wow.
Ilkka: Yeah, that was January 2005. But just, you know, being with you, having this whole room-
Melanie: When we're rehearsing-
Ilkka: You know, getting to act with another actor, with someone.
Melanie: Someone!
Ilkka Villi: It's lovely.
Melanie: I know!
[Title screen shows “Ilkka Villi & Melanie Liburd. Alan Wake & Saga Anderson"]
Ilkka: How do you feel about the character, your character, Saga?
Melanie: My character, Saga. It's interesting, isn't it? When you sit with a character for longer, you just settle into them.
Ilkka: Yeah.
Melanie: You're always discovering, I'm always discovering new things about her.
Ilkka: Very sort of layered and...
Melanie: Definitely.
Ilkka: Yeah.
Melanie: Like your character as well. And I think they do such a good job of writing because they're really well-rounded.
Ilkka: Yep.
Melanie: So, now that we've had a little bit of time, and now we've acted together a little bit.
Ilkka: Yeah, for the first time actually.
Melanie: How do you feel about Saga's character? Or how do you think Wake feels about Saga, I should say?
Ilkka: For Wake, I mean, of course, they kind of find each other and just figure out that they have to work together to get rid of the Dark Presence and solve things.
Melanie: Because I was going to say that about your character. I think there's a time within the whole story, she loses it at Wake.
Ilkka: Yeah.
Melanie: Like, with her daughter in so much trouble, and like she could lose her family. And then she kind of goes on this whole turnaround towards the end where she knows she needs him.
Ilkka: Yeah.
Melanie: And they need to do it together.
Ilkka For me, it feels like Wake finds a... you can see a softer side of Wake as well when interacting with Saga.
Melanie: Yeah.
Illka: That they have this connection, and they know they're in it together, and they have to solve this working together. And I think that you can see a weaker side or a softer side.
Melanie: Like more vulnerable side.
Ilkka: More sensitive, vulnerable side of Wake as well, which is-
Melanie: Because they're both so brave and vulnerability is bravery.
Ilkka: When he's in trouble and when he's worried, it comes out as just him being pissed off
Melanie: Yeah.
Ilkka: And a bit aggressive, maybe. We've seen that side of him. But I don't think we've seen so much of this side of him.
Melanie: Which I think makes him more human.
Melanie: Absolutely.
Ilkka: More likeable as well. Because he's not always the most likeable character, either. So I think it's good to see that very sort of clean, vulnerable side of him. And what's interesting for me, especially this coming week as we're doing a lot of live-action, is I get to do... Well, I get to do Wake and then I get to do Scratch. A bit of Scratch.
Melanie: Oh, yeah, of course, yeah!
Ilkka: And then a character called Tom Zane.
Melanie: I know, you've been playing three people.
Ilkka: I'm actually really excited about Zane. How he's gonna be. Because he's been around and I've done a little bit of Zane... but now I get to go sort of full on. That's gonna be pretty exciting.
Melanie: Yeah
Ilkka: he's got a different look this time around. And sort of Jim Morrison kind of leather pants.
Melanie: Right. Oh, he sounds cool.
Ilkka: Yeah, yeah, he's pretty cool.
Melanie: [laughs] Yeah.
Ilkka:A filmmaker from the 60s.
Melanie: Yeah.
Ilkka: From the 60s, from the 70s. And not that different from Wake, like a side of Wake as well at the same time. So it's gonna be very interesting.
Ilkka: So, you've obviously done a lot of work on film and TV. But how does it feel coming into the gaming world?
Melanie: Exciting. I didn't realize, I mean, I know the gaming world is huge. I didn't quite realize the technology within gaming and just the layers of work. Y'know, I've done so much voiceover just for this one game. It's like having six scripts, six movie scripts. It's just been so different. It's been great though, but then like any character, you build it like you would do in a movie. And she's- the writing gave a lot of information about her.
Ilkka: Yeah, the groundwork is very similar.
Melanie: Which is great. So, it's been fun to kind of add on to.
Ilkka: Has that like the technical side of things been at all intimidating or?
Melanie: Oh, for sure. When I first came here, I'd never done motion capture, and you're in a sound booth, and you can't move, and you have to. The way they shoot it here, we kind of have to be very still.
Ilkka: Do you have that tennis ball?
Melanie: And I have the tennis ball. It's not like a motion capture where you can move around with the camera.
Ilkka: No.
Melanie: Whereas some people do that. Whereas when we film here in Finland, just so you know, all the motion capture, face or facial capture, I should say.
Ilkka: Yeah, yeah. Because this is not, we do the body and the face separately. But it just has to be very rigid and still, which is counterintuitive for someone, y'know, just coming in from an acting world.
Ilkka: Of course. Sure.
Melanie: And then I want to kind of act and look up and think.
Ilkka: Yeah, with your whole body, of course.
Melanie: And they just, the first week was like, just, yeah, do all that again, but don't move.
Ilkka: Yeah, exactly.
Melanie: : What?
Ilkka: "But my character's moving her head! How can I not move?”
Melanie: Or “it's the feeling of looking around a room, but don't move your eyes.”
Ilkka: Exactly.
Melanie: What?
Ilkka: Yeah, don't move your head, don't move your eyes.
Melanie: I was just like this is crazy.
Ilkka: Just look around.
Melanie: But then you get used to it.
Ilkka: Yeah, yeah. Surprisingly, you do.
Melanie: Surprisingly, yeah.
Ilkka: And then it can be quite rewarding, I find out in the end.
Melanie: Yeah. Yeah, totally. I'm like, I can do this.
Ilkka: With all these restrictions and then you still get the job done.
Melanie: Yeah. Yeah, you really have to use your imagination.
Melanie: What do you think of all the filming, the voiceover work, motion capture, what are you most excited for the players, the fans to see in the game? And what do you think what do you think they'll love most?
Ilkka: In some ways, I'm most excited about Tom Zane, the character.
Melanie: Yeah!
Ilkka: Because I mean, I love working with Matt Porretta, who does the voice acting for Wake. I love our collaboration that we've had all these years. And I think it's very beautiful and fantastic. I love that. But it's also, it's quite important for me to have this character that is totally mine. Zane has my voice as well.
Melanie: That must make it a lot easier because your job actually is made harder by, you know, you two matching each other.
Ilkka: That is true. I mean, with that tennis ball and not moving your head, not moving your eyes and then trying to match somebody else's voice.
Melanie:: Which is really difficult.
Ilkka: Yeah, that makes it even harder. It's pretty important for me to have my voice in the game as well.
Melanie:Absolutely!
Ilkka: So I'm really excited about that. And it's a crazy, wild character as well, Tom Zane. So I'm excited about that. What about you? What do you think the fans, the players...
Melanie: So much, but actually, I just... Sam recently showed me the trailer. And I was blown away by it. So I think that's going to be great for them to see initially. For sure, I think everyone's going to be very excited about that.
Ilkka: Yeah.
Melanie: Because it's just exceeded all of our expectations, I think.
Ilkka: Yeah.
Melanie: To see the whole character, just like a mini-me on screen is...Yeah, it's crazy to me. It's mind blowing.
Ilkka: Yeah. And they look so real.
Melanie: So real.
Ilkka: It's like I have to always...
Melanie: Incredible.
Ilkka: Is this render?
Melanie:Yeah.
Ilkka: Is this a photo?
Melanie: Yeah, it's incredible.
Ilkka: I can't always even tell the difference.
Melanie: Yeah.
Ilkka: That's something that's pretty different from Alan Wake 1.
Melanie: Oh, yeah.
Ilkka: I mean, even the remastered version, it's just..
Melanie: The technology's incredible.
Ilkka: Yeah. It is.
Melanie: And then just to hear the voice and then the sound.
Ilkka: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Melanie: The detail of the sound from all the different departments within Remedy.
Ilkka: Absolutely.
Melanie: See, it come together as a [whole]... Must be very rewarding for everyone.
