With the release of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II, fans were left divided. Was the game the hit that everyone expected? Or did it break down a franchise that was seven years in the making? Ultimately that is all a matter of opinion, but what cant be disregarded is the amount of work each person put into their roles for the game.
Every heartfelt cry of anger or sadness is felt in the game thanks to the performances of the actors who brought life into these characters. In a world where the line between right and wrong is grey, to say the least, each performance does a fantastic job of showing how it can take a toll on the person.
Recently, we were able to catch up with actor Stephen A. Chang and talk about what it was like to play Jesse in the game. We also discussed how filming in Mo-cap can be a unique learning curve for acting. Make sure to check it out!
If you're interested in hearing what actor Stephen A. Chang had to say about his work on The Last of Us Part II and his hopes for a future MCU role, click the podcast link below and skip ahead to 09:45! Otherwise, simply scroll down to check out the written transposition of the interview!
Literary Joe: Now, you provided the motion capture and voice acting for Jesse in Last of Us II. Can you tell me a little bit about that experience and what it's like to provide motion capture?
Stephen A. Chang: Yeah, man. I mean, it's just unreal -- the technology that they have. You know, there's one of those spandex suits with the balls all over you, and I don't know if all games do it, but they even had a helmet that's capturing your facial movements and everything.
And it's unreal that you're in this room that's kind of empty, a set that just has boxes here and there. And they say "this is gonna be the farm, and this is gonna be a different set over here," and it's like "what are you talking about?"
But then, you look on this screen above you and the whole world is around you, so it was remarkable. It was one of the craziest and most fun acting experiences I've ever had. It was fun.
Literary Joe: Do you feel like the character of Jesse is similar to you at all?
Stephen A. Chang: Yeah, I would definitely say so. I think that the Naughty Dog team allowed me to bring a lot of myself to the character, so I definitely feel connected to him.
All of the different screaming and things I do, that's me screaming, so it doesn't get more real than that.
Literary Joe: I saw that there was quite a bit of backlash on the web about your character's fate in the game. What's your take on Jesse's outcome?
Stephen A. Chang: Well hey, man, I'm an actor. I'd love to be back for Last of Us III, but what are you gonna do? (Laughs)
Literary Joe: Yeah Dunkey made an 8-minute video talking about how mad he was that you died.
Stephen A. Chang: (Laughs) Hey, man, I love it. Maybe I'll come back as an infected or something. I don't know if they'll let me play my corpse. But you definitely get attached to it, I feel like.
It makes me happy that people resonated enough with the character that they felt bad for him to die. I'm glad people aren't like, "well, that guy's dead, you know?" (Laughs)
Literary Joe: Is there anything about any of your projects you'd like me to include for our audience?
Stephen A. Chang: I wish I could say there's some big Marvel movie coming out, but unfortunately there's nothing else, man.
Literary Joe: If you could play a character in a Marvel film, do you have a specific character you'd like to play?
Stephen A. Chang: You know, what's funny, I mean it's already taken but I feel like the character that I relate most to is the Hulk. Because I get angry a lot, and I would love to smash things but it's not appropriate, so...
Literary Joe: Well, they haven't cast Amadeus Cho yet, and he's the Asian Hulk, so you could probably pull that off!
Stephen A Chang: Oh, really? Okay! I'll get my agent on it right away, man. (Laughs)
*This interview has been edited for clarity.*
What do you guys think of these comments from actor Stephen A. Chang? Could you see him playing Amadeus Cho in the MCU, or do you have another pick for the Totally Awesome Hulk? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the usual spot; meanwhile, be sure to check out the trailer's for Chang's most recent projects, Artificial and The Last of Us Part II.
After a vicious and violent event disrupts the relative peace that Ellie has found in Jackson, she sets out to bring justice to those responsible. As she hunts them down one by one, she is confronted with the devastating physical and emotional repercussions of her actions.
The groundbreaking Twitch series Artificial returns with Artificial: Remote Intelligence. This season takes a huge step forward with a bold new sci-fi vision and ground-breaking interactive methods, including an audience-controlled musical score and revolutionary new interactive Worldbuilding episodes. Viewers will be able to dictate aspects of the production including the casting of new characters, story, and set design.
The Last of Us Part II is now available for the Playstation 4. Artificial airs live on Twitch every Thursday at 5:00 pm EST.