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Galactic chat

Command & Conquer 3 is the latest in the classic series. We had a chat with two of the actresses involved in the video footage in the game - Grace Park and Tricia Helfer. And we tried to avoid asking anything Battlestar Galactica related...

Platform:

PC

Publisher:

Electronic Arts

Release Date:

Out Now

Genre:

RTS

Interview with Grace Park

What are the differences between acting on a TV show and in a videogame?
Acting in a videogame, you are interacting with the player that you can’t see. They could be of any age and they are unable to give you anything back in terms of feedback as to whether the take was good, or whether they understood the information you were trying to give them. So it's really up to us as actors to create the reality of that other person. I spent a lot of time looking into the camera and addressing the player and trying to have them act and actually DO something to save the world (laughs) and to progress the game.

Did you find it a restriction or was it an opportunity to try something different?
I saw it as an opportunity to try something different. I'd never been in a videogame before. I liked Sandra's character and the storyline in the game, and I thought it would be cool to be in Command & Conquer 3.

How much did you empathise with your character?
I empathise very much with Sandra. I really applauded her loyalty to the GDI, her sense of values and fight for humanity. I think it's beautiful for someone to stand up for what they believe in.

Did you feel under pressure to "over act" because of the reduced amount of screentime?
No, not at all. I felt that there was an important storyline to portray, but it felt pretty similar to acting on a TV show. I know it's a videogame, but the director was pretty clear that he didn't want to shoot for an overly cheesy style. I mean, some of that comes in because we are fighting aliens to save the world (laughs), but I don't think we had to over act. We did have the freedom to act big though. When I saw some of Billy Dee's scenes, I was like – now I want to do shoot mine again, that was so cool!

Do you think gamers will enjoy the story?
I definitely think gamers will enjoy the story. The backstory of both GDI and the Brotherhood of Nod storylines is developing. You can affiliate yourself with the side you are most loyal to. The real-time strategy aspect of it lends itself to a more realistic approach, more authenticity.

Do the movies sequences add something to the game?
Absolutely. I feel they ground the story, and the epic battles. They give an organic and personal sense to the two sides. Of course it's an RTS to there are huge battles that the player has to play strategically, but the movie sequences give a face to the campaign.

Were you aware what a big franchise Command & Conquer is?
I don't think I knew to what extent, but I did know that is was very successful and popular. If I've heard of it (laughs), it must be popular.

Do you think film/TV and games will continue to converge and that more TV actors will appear in games?
I think that films and games WILL continue to converge. The cross-over between the two will become more seamless, depending on the popularity of the game and how well the story translates. Of course more actors will want to follow my lead now that I have done a game (Laughs!!)… Now that I have Command & Conquered… (laughing). Seriously, yes, I definitely think they will continue to converge, especially with big names like Steven Spielberg and other Hollywood stars getting in on the act. Like, I heard John Woo was doing a game.

So when is the Battlestar Galactica game coming out and would you like to be involved? If there is a console game in the works and I would thrilled to be a part of it.

Interview with Tricia Helfer

(she's the one on the left in our image)

What are the differences between acting on a TV show and in a videogame?
Working on a live action videogame is very similar to acting for TV or film. I was working with other actors, all in costume and on great sets. Obviously, it would be different if it was an animated character, but seeing it was live action, it was very similar. The only real difference was that in TV and film, you never look at the camera but for C&C 3, the camera is the player, so you looked directly into the lens a lot of the time.

Did you find it a restriction or was it an opportunity to try something different?
I didn't find it a restriction at all. I had never done anything in the gaming world before and this was a great introduction. C&C 3 was a big budget, very well organized experience and very similar to working in TV. The filming pace was a little quicker but that was about it.

How much did you empathize with your character?
I definitely empathized with Kilian. She is a smart, honest, hardworking individual who believes in the Brotherhood's cause and wants to do what she feels is best. She has always followed Kane and never questioned him until he has gone to the extremes where she can't push down the emotion that he may have other motives or has lost his way. She is basically stuck between blindly following and doing her job, and doing what her gut is telling her is right.

Did you feel under pressure to "over act" because of the reduced amount of screentime?
No. I had quite a lot of screen time and dialogue, so I had my hands full as it was.

Do you think gamers will enjoy the story?
Absolutely. The story following through from the first two games is definitely going to draw in fans from earlier. The story is so rich and complex that anyone who enjoys intricate games and strategies will most likely be drawn in.

Do the movies sequences add something to the game?
I think they do. They are unique and add a different dimension to what you think of as a game. The live action sequences tell the narrative of the story.

Were you aware what a big franchise Command & Conquer is?
Not having been much of a gamer myself, I wasn't fully aware but I quickly learned just how massive it is.

Do you think film/TV and games will continue to converge and that more TV actors will appear in games?
In my opinion, games are only going to get more popular and more advanced. It will definitely be a draw for actors.

So when is the Battlestar Galactica game coming out and would you like to be involved?
I'm not sure when or if actually, but I'd like to be involved, of course.