Interview: William Bill Watterson

We had this great opportunity to speak with William Bill Watterson, voice actor of the main protagonist Jim Peyton from Lost Planet 3. We spoke about his experience with the video game industry, and in particular, his experience with Lost Planet 3.

Ron: We’ve seen you before, working with television and theater. Why a sudden interest in video games?

Watterson: It’s an exciting wild west of an industry. Anything goes—scope of story, length of character journey, edginess of material—there is nothing you can’t do as a writer, which means there’s nothing we can’t do as actors. And when you first see the world fully rendered with your character and voice doing its thing? Chills. Surreal.

Ron: You came on the scene with your appearance in L.A. Noire, which was your first experience with video games as well. What was your reaction to be a part of this industry?

Watterson: Lucky. So lucky. It was a fluke that I got involved—I had auditioned, but didn’t make the cut. Then a friend of mine who was in the sound department on set brought me in to do some background work, and it’s turned into a love affair with the MoCap suit.

Ron:​ It must have been an exciting experience for you playing as Jim Peyton in Lost Planet 3. Tell us how you got associated with this franchise.

Watterson: An online submission many, many moons ago. A little over three years, I think. Spark was doing a demo to show Capcom what direction they would take the franchise in should they get hired, and I landed the part just for the demo. The team has been kind enough to keep me on since. It doesn’t get old being the lead in a sci-fi franchise reboot. It does not get old.

Ron:​ It’s understandable that lending your voice to a character can be quite difficult, unless you truly believe that you’re him. How did you manage to fit yourself psychologically in the shoes of Jim Peyton?

Watterson: I started with Peyton’s work ethic and family loyalty, and his desire to stay out of trouble while doing everything he could to earn a living. All of that was in the short monologue that I read back in the day. I remember thinking he had a touch of Mal from Firefly, too, so I threw in a little swagger on top of the fatherly instinct and blue collar attitude. The more time I got to spend with the character, and the more I got to know the other actors inhabiting the world, the easier it came. But those core attributes from the very first monologue stayed with Peyton throughout the making of the game, which is a testament to the vision of the writers. They had a distinct and consistent voice for this guy. The concept art went a long way to helping me see how it all came together, too. Beautiful stuff.

Ron:​ Can you name some of the co-characters of Lost Planet 3 that you’ve enjoyed working with the most?

Watterson: Every actor brought a great presence and a distinct personality to the game, and the writers were careful to make sure everyone had a unique, genuine voice. LaRoche(Jonathan Roumie) and Gale (Daniel Kountz) were the characters I spent the most time with on set, we’ve been with the game since the first demo years ago, so our scenes crackle with a familiarity and rapport. It was hard to keep a straight face around Kovac (Stefan Marks), his delivery was always unexpected and beautifully disarming. I only had one scene with Diana (Lisa Jay), but she broke my heart. Jim Pirri is such a great guy, but DAMN is he a punk in the game! We worked very well together. Laura Bailey, Jim Ward, my wife Anna Campbell, Tracey Leigh…top shelf talent, across the boards.

Ron:​ You seemed notably excited during this year’s Comic-Con, attending interviews and posing for photos. Lost Planet has a large fan-base. Will you appreciate coming across people cosplaying you/Peyton?

Watterson: I’ve been to Comic-Con as a fan, I grew up on Marvel Comics, Star Wars, Raiders, G.I. Joe figures…that’s my world. To get to go there with a project under my belt was just a dream come true. And San Diego is a great town…spending nights on the dance floor and days in a hot tub and geeking out with fellow fans? I’ll take it. Peyton cosplay would be the greatest thing that could ever happen. In a wild career full of surreal moments, that would top them all. Bring it on!

Ron:​ Must have been a great feeling to have an action figure made of you. How many pieces are you planning to buy for yourself?

Watterson: However many I can have at the house that won’t make me seem weird and self-absorbed. Which is one, I guess.

Ron:​ What do you think makes this game really special?

Watterson: The heart. The humanity. The grounded reality of it. It feels tangible, familiar, plausible. To make a futuristic story involving space bugs and snow pirates on a faraway planet feel so relatable, so real? That’s a triumph.

Ron:​ Is there any other video game character you want to give your voice to?

Watterson: I’d kill to be in the Star Wars universe. Who wouldn’t? I’d love to be an obscure Marvel villain, like Mysterio or Scourge from Mark Gruenwald’s Captain America run. Anything in the X-Men universe, I was a huge Chris Claremont guy. I want to work with Naughty Dog. Every time I read about a great title, their name seems to pop up. And anything the LP3 writing and directing team (Matt Sophos, Jake Strider-Hughes, Richard Gaubert and Orion Walker) come up with down the line—I want to inhabit their worlds. They know how to bring a character to life.

Ron:​ In one of your previous interviews with ZacElawar, you mentioned about missing a big era of gaming, because you didn’t play many games. Do you think that if you had been playing more, your attachment with the video game industry would’ve taken place earlier?

Watterson: I’d be more up to speed with who is making what, and where my skills might be needed. But I came along at a good time—there is a trend towards naturalism, and both games I’ve worked on emphasized physical performance in the MoCap suit, and both happened to use my face as well. I certainly can’t complain about my luck or my timing.

Ron:​ Tell us about some of your ongoing projects related to the game industry. Any new character you’ll be playing soon?

Watterson: I don’t have anything on the books in the gaming world—I’m working on that, I want to get back in the super suit! But on-camera, I’m playing a kung-fu ogre in a space pirate adventure comedy called Buccaneer Galaxy, and a racist gold prospector in a western, both of which shoot next month.

Ron:​ How did you master four completely different accents like Southern American, Irish, French and Russian?

Watterson: I lived in Dublin for four years playing in an indie rock band, so I absorbed the cadence and music of those accents. My French is pretty Clouseau, but it makes me laugh. Russian comes easy, I just get angry and pretend I weigh an extra 100 pounds of muscle. And the south comes from digging its music—the blues, the rockabilly, the hillbilly swing, the country.

Would it be too much asking to write something for the readers of NoobFeed on a piece of paper and take a photo of it? Or anything you want to surprise us with.

A big thanks to Watterson for taking the time to talk with us, and this special photo. We look forward to hearing about your upcoming projects and wish you continued success! Keep up with Bill Watterson here, and follow on Twitter!

Sarwar Ron, NoobFeed (@Twitter)