Meet the Kinect Sports Rivals Cast: Nick Barber (Blake)
While casting and recording for Kinect Sports Rivals throughout 2013, we got the chance to work with some highly talented, extremely versatile and occasionally hilarious acting talent. And it wasn’t confined to the voiceover booth: for KSR‘s team and training cutscenes we decided that full performance capture was the only way to go.
So we hauled our actors down to Shepperton Studios, stuck them in bodysuits and headcams, and let the magic happen. Then we got them to answer a few quick questions so that we could introduce you to the fine people behind the characters (in the English-language version, at least).
This week: Eagle Legion frontman and painfully virtuous gent, Blake. Or more accurately, all-round jolly nice bloke, Mr. Nick Barber.
Q&A: Nick Barber
Rare: Can you give us some background on yourself and how you got into videogame acting?
Nick Barber: I trained for three years at RADA and I’ve done a load of different stuff so far in my career – films, TV and lots of theatre. I got into videogame acting because Side needed an actor to ‘read in’ during auditions for a game. I spent a couple of days doing that and at the end the Director said “Why don’t you read for the part?” I didn’t get the part, but it wasn’t long before I did. I haven’t looked back.
Rare: Was this your first experience of performance capture? If so, how was it? If not, are you worried that you’re starting to like the suit?
NB: I’d done a few performance capture jobs before this one, so I kind of knew what I was doing. That said, it’s always a new and interesting experience, because each job can be so different.
I’m not worried about liking the suit too much, it’s actually pretty comfortable – though you can get a little sweaty by the end of the day.
Rare: Where are gamers and non-gamers most likely to have seen (or heard) your work before?
NB: Gamers will have heard me as the Race Engineer in Formula 1‘s 2011/12 games, providing the driver in-race with all the (hopefully!) helpful information about the car, the race, and the weather. Non-gamers could have seen me recently in a Dulux ad on the telly.
Rare: How would you describe your character in Kinect Sports Rivals, and why do you think people should sign up for his team?
NB: Blake, who I play, was really fun to do. He’s a Captain America-esque kind of guy for whom honour is everything. He thinks nothing is worth winning unless you win it fair and square. He’s confident, but not insufferably so – he does have a human side, and he does listen, unlike some of the other team captains!
Players should join Eagle Legion because they get to be part of a team that really values their talents and their contribution. They also have the satisfaction of knowing they’re winning not because they cheated, but because they really were the best.
Rare: Did you have a particular favourite scene to shoot on the day?
NB: My favourite scene to shoot was when Eagle Legion have put one over on Wolf Clan in an event where Wolf Clan had an unfair advantage. Blake gets very excited indeed – he’s like a little boy, practically hyperventilating with the thrill of it. It was a great scene because he’s mostly quite a controlled, military guy, and to lose it was a lot of fun!
About Blake
As a child, Blake fell asleep staring at posters of Eagle Legion champions on his bedroom ceiling. They embodied everything he aspired to be: noble in victory, gracious in defeat. His rise through the ranks has been fuelled by a mighty work ethic, but the captaincy is a badge of honour that weighs heavily. With both Viper and Wolf snapping at his heels, he refuses to let the long-established Eagle Legion name lose its lustre on his watch. And he believed this duty to be his entire life… until the day Carmen signed up.
Team: Eagle Legion
Role: Captain
Favourite sport: Soccer
Personality: Resourceful and committed, but prone to anxiety
Interests: Fitness training, autobiographies, classic trading cards
Most likely to… always insist on a fair fight
Least likely to… be caught up in a scandal
Soundbite: “So, you want to take part in a qualifier for the most dedicated athletes in town? Why wouldn’t you, right?”
With thanks to Nick, and also to the team at Side