Roman George's passion for Life is Strange 2 is simple and relatable: What kid wouldn't want superpowers?
As the voice of Daniel Diaz in Dontnod's sequel, George quickly learned that all power comes at a cost—and, as a wise man once said, with great responsibility. We talked about Life is Strange 2's themes of brotherhood, the emotion he tapped into to voice Daniel, and goofing around in the sound booth with his in-game big brother.
Author's note: This interview contains spoilers for Life is Strange 2.
David L. Craddock: I understand you've been acting for a while. You started at a young age. How'd you develop an interest in acting?
Roman George: My sister started out a couple years before me. I thought it was pretty cool, so I asked my mom to help me get into the industry, work some of her magic. [laughs] I went to a music video shoot for my sister, and they wanted to use me. I got a couple of shots in, and it was super-fun. That's how I got [started in the industry].
Mom is really experienced in show business, or if she wasn't then, she certainly seemed like it.
Craddock: What led you to Life is Strange 2?
George: I saw an audition for a voiceover for Life is Strange 2. It was a self-submission, so my mom submitted for me. I went into it thinking it was a very small role, just a little project. About five months passed, so I didn't think I got the role. Then I got a call back, and I went in. They loved me, and I got the job. It turned out to be an amazing game.
Craddock: As you were learning more about Daniel, what jumped out at you about the character?
George: Definitely superpowers. Telekinesis! I've always wanted to be a superhero, so it touched me right in the heart.
Craddock: What was the process of learning and recording your lines for Daniel?
George: It was usually a four-hour session. Around 100 to 200 lines in four hours. When I got started, I couldn't get 200 in. As I got more experienced, I was doing better with my lines and could get them done at a fast pace, which was great. At the end of the day, I'd go out to dinner then go back home.
Craddock: One of the big moments of Life is Strange 2 happens in the first episode, when Daniel's and Sean's father is killed by a police officer who's new to the job. What was it like preparing for those really heavy, emotional scenes?
George: This was my first voiceover [role]. Before that, I'd never done something as an emotional actor. I was very inexperienced at the start. So, it was really hard to get emotional in scenes. It took a while. I had to pull from personal experiences, and Phil [Bache], the voiceover director, did an amazing job helping me throughout the entire project. It was a very hard, emotional space [to explore].
Craddock: How did Phil help you tap into the right emotions for those scenes?
George: Phil, I would say, is amazing. He was the one who told me to pull from my personal experiences. We had a good connection from the start. He definitely helped by pushing me to get the emotions out of me.
Craddock: Would you mind if I asked what experiences you drew from?
George: I've had a lot of family pass away. Not too long before [the audition], my uncle passed away. That was really hard for me, so I pulled from that. It got me through the scene.
Craddock: I'm sorry to hear that. I have an uncle I'm close to as well, so I can relate to that.
George: Thank you so much.
Craddock: Outside of those heavy scenes, what was it like playing a character who has these powers, and whose morality can be influenced to go in all sorts of directions?
George: I'd have one line, but I'd have to do it four different ways. I'd do it in the nice way, to a darker, more evil way, to a mad way. It was hard to go from happy to evil very fast.
Craddock: As a younger actor, did you have experience with games prior to Life is Strange 2?
George: I play a lot of video games. This was my first voiceover job ever, so [being in a game] was a great experience.
Craddock: Ozzie Mejia, our writer who reviewed Life is Strange 2, zeroed in on the theme of brotherhood. What did you think about the relationship between Sean and Daniel? Did you draw from personal experiences to play a brother, or a younger sibling, specifically?
George: I do have an older sister. [She] kind of reminded me of Sean in the game. When I first started the project, Gonzalo [Martin, voice of Sean Diaz] and I would do some dual session where we'd both be in the room doing our lines. We only did that once or twice, but we had a good connection right from the start. We have a lot of similarities, and he pretty much became my big brother from there.
Craddock: What did you think of recording lines with someone rather than recording your lines on your own and having to pretend there are people there with you?
George: It's very fun, but it could come off the wrong way. In some scenes we'd be mad at each other, but in the room we're laughing and having fun. Sometimes Phil would say, "You guys can't be laughing so much. This is serious!" [laughs]
Craddock: What was your favorite part of the experience of doing a voiceover?
George: Definitely the journey I went on through all five episodes, and how my character changed. I had different emotional spaces [to experiment with]. It was a great experience for me. My favorite episode was episode four; I just thought the journey it brought you on was just amazing.
Craddock: What about that episode stood out to you?
George: I really enjoyed the church scene at the end. It was an amazing scene. In my opinion, I did my best work in that scene.
Craddock: What did you learn from bringing Daniel to life?
George: Daniel and I have a lot of similarities. He loves the outdoors, so it was really cool playing a character who was really like me.
Craddock: What do you hope players take away from Life is Strange 2?
George: I hope they get the game's message. We go through a lot of tough times, but we've got to do our best every day to get through them and give 100 percent. The message is really important, and can help you a lot. I definitely learned a lot from this job.
