Adrienne Wilkinson Dishes On ‘Old Republic’ Experience

Dec 6, 2011

The Force is strong with this one.

Adrienne Wilkinson has been gracing our gamer earlobes with her amazing vocal performances since 2003. From Command and Conquer 3 as a Zone Raider to a deadly lightsaber wielding Sith in Star Wars The Force Unleashed, Adrienne has certainly kept us entertained.

Pop-Gamer.com got a chance to speak with the ass kicking Jedi master about her new role in the fast approaching Star Wars The Old Republic MMO coming out for PC December 20th.

Pop-Gamer.com: Hi Adrienne, welcome to PopGamer and thanks for speaking with us today.

Adrienne Wilkinson: Hi there. Thanks for having me!

PG: You lend your voice to so many great game franchises like Saints Row 2, Command and Conquer 3, and Star Wars The Force Unleashed, how did you get into voicing games and what do you like about it?

AW: I kind of fell into gaming. It was just a natural extension of my on-camera work. I had always mistakenly thought that you couldn’t really work in voice over unless you have a roster of cartoon voices or impressions – but luckily that is only a small part of the market. I decided to give it a try and am so glad I did. I have had a great time with it! I’ve loved working in voice over as I get to play so many characters that I wouldn’t have the chance to on screen – you aren’t limited by age or type or even species for that matter. And its fun being able to play multiple characters in the same project.

PG: In Star Wars The Force Unleashed you did the motion capture for your character Maris Brood, what was that like? Did your Xena: Warrior Princess training kick in?

AW: I’m sure the Xena training only helped. Though I think most helpful was my dance background. I’m very conscious of giving all of my characters postures and mannerisms that match their backgrounds. Maris was very self possessed and strong, courageous and combative – but she was also tricky….slinky like a cat. I had the best time working on The Force Unleashed. I was really spoiled getting to work first hand with the cast and much of the team responsible for creating the game. It was surreal to be at the Presidio and wandering through such hallowed halls. And nothing beats working face to face with the other actors…it gave us the chance to add depth and realism to the project that I doubt we could have achieved if we had all recorded separately.

PG: It certainly showed! Star Wars: The Old Republic is coming out this month. How do you feel about being part of what many are saying is possibly the next World of Warcraft?’

I’m thrilled to be part of the project. The enthusiasm the Star Wars fandom is already showing The Old Republic is quite prolific – and the feedback I’m hearing from those who have had the chance to preview the game is over the moon. So, I think the audience will be very pleased with the end result. I’m honored to be part of it. I am always shocked that I’ve been lucky enough to work in the Star Wars universe. I love the variety of characters I was able to voice for TOR. And I’m excited to see how it all turned out!

PG: What was your most memorable moment working on TOR?

AW: I always feel bad answering these types of questions, as I think most people assume or hope that one would remember the most dramatic moments in a scene or something…but my strongest memories from any project (on camera or voice over) are always the personal behind the scenes moments. And The Old Republic is no exception. My strongest memories are the laughs and hijinks between everyone involved as we try to come up with/decide on the voice of a character. Trying to experiment to find the right takes…and the laughter and conversations that naturally happen as we all work to find what fits. But I use the term ‘work’ loosely. Though we all have high standards and insist on superb quality in the work – we are all lucky that the job requires a large dose of ‘play’.

PG: Sounds like fun, sounds like college actually. OK Adrienne enough small talk. The big question: Jedi or Sith, and Why?

AW: It’s a mix. It is always initially more fun to play ‘evil’ characters. They don’t have boundaries…so you have a much more freedom to play. But in the end the ‘good’ characters most often have richer storylines.

PG: Perhaps, but our darkside Bounty Hunter plans on getting VERY Rich MUHAHAHA…ehem, sorry… We have to know, will you be playing The Old Republic or any other MMOs?

AW: I’m the worlds worst gamer. That doesn’t mean I won’t give it a shot… but it means I shouldn’t have my hopes up of making it that far. Plus, I have to admit that I find it strange to be playing a game and hear my own voice – or those of close friends. It’s very cool, but also distracting.

PG: We understand, you’re probably just too busy being all these great characters. Who has been your favorite character to play in your career so far?

AW: That’s a tough call…like asking me to pick my favorite child. I’m lucky that I have had a wide roster of very cool characters I’ve loved. If I had to narrow it down… playing Livia/Eve on Xena was a spectacular adventure. Living in New Zealand, shooting on location, learning fight choreography; it’s hard to top that. But my favorite character may be Maris Brood. I absolutely *loved* her back story and how she was able to survive. She has such an interesting history and I wish more of that could be explored.

PG: We agree, it’s certainly a toss up. What new projects are on the horizon for you?

AW: I’m currently on a sitcom called Goodnight Burbank where I play Paisley Parker, the weather girl. Goodnight Burbank includes Laura Silverman, Miracle Laurie, Hayden Black, Dominic Monaghan, Clare Kramer and more. A really fun cast! You can find it on HDNet. We just wrapped season 1, but you can find reruns on HDNet or Hulu and we plan to film season 2 this spring. I’m also in a popular webseries called Venice – which you can find at Venicetheseries.com Our 3rd season just started and you can find a new episode posted each Wednesday. I’m working on a little film in January titled The American Failure. It’s a great script with many twists to keep the audience guessing. And you can always find more about my latest work at adriennewilkinson.com or by following me @Yo_AdrienneW or facebook.com/adrienne.wilkinson.

PG: When you aren’t being awesome in the sound booth or on camera what do you like to do? Do you still dance?

AW: Ha…I do still love to dance, but that is mostly for fun, or my own amusement. I have a pretty spectacular group of friends and family… they keep me grounded, push me creatively and generally make life fun. We are always having some sort of adventure. I love to travel. I made it to France, Canada and Japan this year. One of the best adventures in 2011 was being part of the ‘krewe’ on a Mardi Gras float in New Orleans… it was amazing. Once in a lifetime experience.

PG: What’s the last game you played?

AW: I played Mario Cart at Thanksgiving and my 4 year old nephew wiped the floor with me. It was embarrassing.

PG: All we want for Christmas is you, in The Old Republic that is. What’s #1 on your Holiday Wish List?

AW: Aww, that’s very sweet of you. I would like a billion dollars. But if that doesn’t happen, a close second would be another sweet Star Wars project. Can you make that happen?

PG: Even if we have to camp out in front of George Lucas’s house (again); we’ll make it happen.