July 8th, 2011
Fan Question: How did you get into acting in the first place?
D.C.: I got serious when I was seven years old, watching a Hollywood and the Stars behind the scenes thing about special effects, and knew that I wanted to be an actor. So when I was 19, I moved to Los Angeles, went to the Estelle Herman Actors Workshop, started an improv group, joined a theater company, Theater of Note. A few years went by and got my first break in the mid-90s on NBC’s Boston Common, recurring as the character DC. Really, DC. And then more rules followed. ER, NYPD Blue, 24, Star Trek Enterprise, playing a very snotty Denoblian. Denoblian, Denublian, Denoblian. And recently, without a trace, in Criminal Minds.
Fan Question: Did anyone inspire you? Do you have any ideas?
D.C.: Well, when I was a kid, I had no idea what voiceover was, so I didn’t have any voice over idols, per se. But for television, I had Benny Hill. And for film, I had Tim Curry because of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. And then when I came to LA and became a self-absorbed, rooting actor, it was Gary Oldman. And it’s only really been the last 12 or 15 years that I’ve been involved in video games, anime, cartoons, whatnot. And there are so many people whose careers I lust for and covet and who are far more talented than I am that I really couldn’t list them here because it would take a long time. And then it wouldn’t be about me.
Fan Question: Do you have anybody else in your family who is in the business of voice acting?
D.C.: I’m the only actor. However, my grandfather was in Vaudeville way back when, and my grandmother started in Vaudeville and ended up in Burlesque. And that is her. 1952, Burlesque in Hawaii. And yes, I’m very proud.
Fan Question: How and when did Capcom get in contact with you?
D.C.: They actually don’t contact the voice actors. They usually hire a production company for whatever that game is that also hires them. According to them, hires a director, maybe a casting director, then they call actors and they know what they call agencies and they call them. In this particular case, Cup of Tea Productions in Burbank, Danny and Lainey called me in and I auditioned for Biohazard Umbrella Chronicles. It was a voice match. They played Peter Jessup and I had to match his performance and he was unavailable to do the gig and I got it.
Fan Question: Have you ever played any Resident Evil game or seen anyone else playing it?
D.C.: I love special effects and I have to say I was also Legion and Mass Effect 2 and in both of these games just the artistry that goes into those effects is pretty amazing and mind-blowing to a guy like me who the last game I played all the way through was Pong.
Fan Question: What do you think it is that makes Westward such an interesting villain?
D.C.: Moral, uncomplicated, good guys with… great integrity, are wonderful role models to emulate. But truly f***ed up guys with confidence and great ideas are…
Fan Question: I was wondering how do you feel you contributed to one of the greatest villains of all time? And do you think you have something in common with him?
D.C.: Well, depending on who you ask, I either made him the most over the top cheesy he’s ever been or the most badass he’s ever been. And being that I’m a rather cheesy guy, I think that makes me kind of badass.
Fan Question: Do you agree with Wesker that the only thing that can defeat power is more power?
D.C.: Hahaha Ummm… No. Because it’s flawed logic that produces an infinite result.
Fan Question: Did you suggest any of the lines that were used in Rest in April 5?
D.C.: No. No no no. That was all the writers. I know that our director, Liam O’Brien, he had very particular lines he wanted done. One of which… There’s a classic. You will give me an egg.
Fan Question: My question to you is if you enjoy it like all of the can’t be lying scenery and evil.
D.C.: Oh, I relish them. Any chance to eat the scenery?
Fan Question: How did you prepare yourself to perform Wesker’s voice? And what influenced the David Bowie-esque accent?
D.C.: Albert Wesker’s voice has been done by four actors, including myself. The first one was Sergio Jones way back in 96, but then there was kind of a restart when Richard Waugh took it. So Richard Waugh really set the voice in motion, and he is the one who put in the David Bowie-esque quality. When Peter Jessup took it, he had to base his voice off of what Richard Waugh did. And then of course, all actors want to put their own thing on it. So Peter Jessup added this interesting marble quality to his voice, like there’s marbles in his mouth. Then when I auditioned for Umbrella Chronicles, I had they played Peter Jessup, so I had to match his voice. Then when they had me back to audition for RE5, they played Richard Waugh’s voice, which completely tripped my head out. Then, of course, Alvar Westger is changing during RE5. And then there was more stuff I got to put in. And then, of course, there’s what the director Liam wants and also the producers and whatnot. So it becomes a real community effort. Or as Hillary says, it takes the village to do Albert Wesker.
Fan Question: Any information or preparation were you allowed to do ahead of time to get into the character of Albert Wesker?
D.C.: It’s hard to do prep because they don’t give you the full script beforehand. You only get just your lines. You don’t see other people’s lines. Sometimes maybe, usually not. The director has to talk you through it. They don’t want you to… They’re so… There are lawyers sitting on top of the game. There are lawyers sitting on top of the writer and the producer and lawyers sitting on top of everybody, including me, and it smells.
Fan Question: How does recording for video games differ from other acting gigs?
D.C.: In theater you get the script You have four to six weeks to rehearse it with all the actors and the director and the writer, and then you put out the product. For film, you get the script in advance. You can work on the character on your own and build it, and then you show up. Sometimes with the arty ones, you’ll have a week of rehearsal or something, but usually you just show up on the set, and then you work with the other actors and the director and the writer, maybe, and you put out the product. For television, you get the script the night before, maybe a couple days before, work on the character, show up on set, work with the other actors. the director and you put out a product. For video games you show up.
Fan Question: Could you tell us a bit about the process of returning as Wesker for Marvel vs. Capcom 3?
D.C.: Marvel vs. Capcom was so much easier. It’s a fun game to do because there are no cutscenes. There’s no dialogue per se. I mean, maybe there’s, I think there was a few, but not much. It’s usually just like a list of, you know, 60 or 70, you know, liners, you know, a couple lines of, I’ll get you. Stop that. I see you’re ready. That kind of stuff, or its efforts of, huh, blah. you know you just run through them you give them varying levels of intensity or volume and And then you go get lunch
Fan Question: Recently Capcom’s been adding Wesker in a lot of things. Do you feel it’s because your portrayal of Wesker has actually been considered kind of the dominant, more popular portrayal of Wesker?
D.C.: Okay, in all honesty, I think it’s because they decided to move their voice production to Los Angeles. And I’m the last guy in LA that they cast to do the voice, so I’m the first one they’ll call when they put him into a new game. At least, so far. By the way, that is a hard question to answer because I could have answered it in such a way to make me sound like a self-absorbed- prick but I didn’t.
Fan Question: What do you think of the film version of Wesker in Resident Evil Afterlife? Could he have been better portrayed?
D.C.: Sean Roberts playing Albert Wesker? I thought he did a really good job. I thought Albert Wesker would be taller.
Fan Question: I’d like to know who you would like to see play Albert Wesker on the big screen.
D.C.: I’m thinking DC Douglas. He’s got the height. Actually, I read somewhere in a blog post Christian Bale as an idea and I think that’s actually an awesome idea. He’s a fantastic actor. Though personally, I’d go with DC Douglas. He’d be cheaper. And the Academy Award does add to the price tag of an actor.
Fan Question: I want to know what you think about the Yali community and their reasoning behind the Wesker and Chris pairing and their belief that it’s mainly just sexual tension between you two.
D.C.: Wow, thank you for teaching me something new. In fact, I’ve now bookmarked a nice, eerie website. I hadn’t heard of that before, and it certainly adds a nice new dimension to the gameplay, but I don’t think the writers actually intended that. And if they did, man, they’re good.
Fan Question: Have we seen the last of Albert Wesker? And my other question is, do you think you’re going to work on some other project for Resident Evil, or is this the last time you’re going to work on it forever?
Fan Question: Do you believe that Albert Wesker is really dead or do you think that he had something else prepared just in case for his demise?
D.C.: No one tells me s*** so I don’t know.
Fan Question: If you could change anything in Wesker’s history besides his death, what would you change?
D.C.: I would have gotten him laid. I mean the poor guy was a workaholic.
Fan Question: I was wondering if you had any ideas as to how Wesker would come back into Resident Evil 6.
D.C.: How about Alex Wesker? Or maybe the Geth have absorbed him into their mainframe. Oh wait, no. I think I’m getting my video games mixed up.
Fan Question: Do you think if Wesker had his own spin-off game, that would be a good idea based on how popular the character is?
D.C.: I’m totally down with that. We’d call it Resident Ass Kick, Blonde Locks and Fists. Or we could work on the title.
Fan Question: Considering the demise of Wesker… Have you would like to pass on any of the heros in Resident Evil Universe?
D.C.: Sure, I’m an actor. We’re always looking for work. Even when we’re working, we’re always looking for our next job. However, I’d like it to be a character that hasn’t been voiced before, because I really don’t want to piss off any more fans.
Fan Question: Do you think he would be able to play Lord of the Good Guy after playing Halber Wesker?
D.C.: Actually, I do play a couple of good guys in some video games coming out this year and in next year. But I can’t tell you what they are because there are lawyers watching.
Fan Question: If they ever decided to bring Wesker back, would you reprise the character?
D.C.: Oh, are you kidding? In a heartbeat! However, this business is strange and things happen for whatever reasons, and it could be a different actor. And if that’s the case, I am truly grateful for the games I got to do and to meet all you guys.
Fan Question: Who has the fanbase treated your performance of Wesker?
D.C.: They’ve been f**king assholes. No, they’ve been great. Fans have different tastes. So when they didn’t know who I was and they just knew that Richard Waugh was being replaced there was a big backlash and a lot of people didn’t like it. I know there will still be people that will want Richard Waugh back in that voice and I completely and totally understand that. So let’s just all go to a Yuri website and have a good time. Sorry, did I say that?
Fan Question: What projects do you have coming up?
D.C.: As far as video games, I can’t tell you what they are because the freaking lawyers. I’m on a major cartoon on a major network about a major subject that I can’t freaking tell you about because of the lawyers. But if you wanna know when I can tell you, I will, you have to go to my Facebook page and like it or go to my blog and subscribe and then you’ll hear about it.
Fan Question: What advice do you have to give to people looking to get into the industry?
D.C.: The best advice I ever got was, if you can do anything else, do it. And if you can’t, make sure you have the determination and willpower to kick your own ass along this path. Because it’s not easy.
Fan Question: Can you offer any advice for anyone who suffers from… some type of anxiety who wants to get into performing like stage.
D.C.: If you don’t have any stage fright when you’re going out on stage or in front of the camera then you better have a good director because you’re probably gonna suck. It’s what gives you the performance edge. The way to have control over it though is through preparation. With proper study, rehearsal and preparation. All of that fear melts away as soon as they say, action, or you go on stage.
Fan Question: Do you have any stashed Resident Evil memorabilia from your time working on the Resident Evil games? Come on, you have Wesker’s coat in your closet, don’t you?
D.C.: Spit! No, no, I don’t have his coat. But I do have a Jill sandwich every day for lunch.
Fan Question: Will you be doing any more mini projects with Westcorps Voice, such as the voicemail messages and the bloopers that you did?
D.C.: For those of you who don’t know what she’s talking about, I have voicemail greetings for those who want Westcorps on their phone. And then I have a couple parodies. The Irish Spring and the bloopers reel. But I don’t have anything planned for any future Resident Evil stuff. Probably the next thing I’ll do will be something political.
Fan Question: Can you please come to the London Expo one day, just so I can get something done by you?
D.C.: Um, that would be awesome. Oh, I’d love to go to England. Sadly, most conventions don’t have a budget to bring VO people there for them. And also, the conventions listen to the people who are going there. So if you want me there, you gotta ask them.
Fan Question: Do you have any special messages for us Wester fans?
D.C.: I love you, man! If you watched this interview and you liked it… Would you do me a favor and go check out Kiva.org Selfless plug. Wesker wanted to save humanity in his own special way. Kiva wants to do it probably in a better way so you should check them out. Oh, but I did write this song for all of you fans. I hope you like it. “Oh baby, you love…” End of line.
