For many of us geeks and nerds, Christopher Judge has been in all our lives since 1997, the year Stargate SG -1 entered our universe. The one show none of us thought possible; how could you outdo such a wonderful film? Well, it grew beyond all our wildest expectations and became one of the longest-running science fiction series of our time, spanning ten whole seasons and then branching off into spin-off series and movies of its own, in no small part to Chris’s character, Teal’c the Jaffa Warrior.
Fast forward to 2017 and not only has Chris featured in movies such as The Dark Knight Rises (Bane’s henchmen) and cameos in TV shows such as NCIS: Los Angeles and The Mentalist, but now he grows his video game repertoire by becoming one of the most famous voices and characters of the modern gaming world as ‘Kratos’ in the new upcoming God Of War video game!
You’re doing well today in Los Angeles, the city of dreams!?
That all depends on what your dreams are ‘laughs’, where are you calling from?
From Wollongong NSW, about an hour down from Sydney, it’s sunny, warm and a little bit humid today.
I hope that warmth keeps up in Sydney for another 3 weeks for me! (Supanova Time!)
I hope it will, I am so, glad to finally speak with you. Myself, family, friends, the world, growing up on Stargate and watching how far Teal’c and yourself have come as a character and as an actor has been fantastic to witness!
I love hearing that and especially that you watched it with your family. I think that is the thing I am most proudest of Stargate, meeting so many people that come with their parents and then with their own kids, so there is like three generations who say we all watch this together.
While on the subject of Stargate, what has been one of the greatest memories of your time on set with the Stargate cast?
Oh gosh! The whole run was great, for me though it was the laughter, we laughed every day! I can truly say I am spoilt, I go to other sets and it’s not joyous, it’s not happy. Not to say that we didn’t take our job seriously because we did, but from the very beginning and I thank Michael Greenburg (Executive Producer) for this, we said ‘let’s only do this, if it’s fun and if it stops being fun, let’s stop doing it’ and you know what? It never quit being fun.
Any chance of a reunion anytime soon? Seems it is the current trend for everything 80’s and 90’s right now?
You know, it would be great but it would be so difficult to do anything Stargate because they sold off all the props, they sold off all the costumes, they sold off the sets. So, to get it restarted it would have to be a tremendous financial commitment. It wouldn’t be a one-off reunion thing, it would be if they had something else in the works.
How on earth did you end up landing the role of the Legendary Kratos for one of the most popular video games series in history, God of War?
Man, it was actually tougher getting Kratos than it was getting Teal’c! I went in a few times and screen tested a few times and then again for a chemistry test with another young man Sonny, who plays Kratos’s son, so yeah it was actually a more difficult process than Stargate. But seeing what they are doing with it and where they’re going with it I now understand why.
Is it scary to jump into the voice of Kratos now that he is one of gaming’s biggest names and has been voiced by another actor being Terrence C Carson since his inception?
Yeah, I knew that TC (Terrence C Carson) had been doing it and they explained to me why they were making a change, so now I not only do the voice, I do all the physicality as well, all the mo-cap (Motion Capture performance) so they wanted someone that could also be the physicality of Kratos. They are really changing the game, you will see when it comes out it’s not a video game that has lines in it such as ‘Over here’. It’s a fully fleshed out story with emotional story arcs and it’s an immersive experience. I have seen some of it and I just sit there with my mouth open! Believe me, it’s not only going to make the existing fans of God of War happy, it is going to bring a whole new legion of fans, because this really is a whole new other level.
Are you a gamer yourself?
I play mainly the sports games, Madden, NLB, FIFA and NHL. Of course, I was familiar with God of War because it was so massive and my kids played it. So, when they found out that I was going to be Kratos, I mean they were just over the moon!
What are some of the biggest differences between voice acting and working on a TV series?
Well, like I said God of War is no longer just voice acting. I find it (Video game Mo-cap acting) more physically challenging because when your shoot film or television you can take off, if you’re not on camera, you’re not on camera. So, you don’t have to go through all the emotional stuff and be 100 percent spot on with your character, sometimes you just have your stand-in read your lines if that’s ok with the other actor. In God of War not only is there a camera in your face the whole time and then almost 70 cameras that follow your every move, so you don’t have take off time, you’re on-camera 100 percent of the time and the emotional investment in Kratos is the same if not more than any other character that I have ever done because he is the guy, the lead of the project. It is quite physically demanding.
What are some of your favourite shows at the moment when you have time to watch them?
I am a huge Game of Thrones fan, Big Bang Theory, I am becoming a fan of the new Starz series American Gods. Then you know I pretty much watch CNN ‘laughs’, what is going on in the world right now is almost better than any TV show.
What are your hobbies outside of work?
The only thing I do if I’m not with my wife and kids is Golf, that is the only other thing I do, literally!
With so many other shows and films with the word Star in them, I must ask, are you a fan of Star Trek or Star Wars yourself?
Absolutely! I can’t wait for the next Star Wars (The Last Jedi) to come out, I can’t wait for the next Star Trek to come out!
Yeah man! Also, I had a date with my daughter, took her to the premiere of Wonder Woman. I also can’t wait for the next Deadpool I think I am the same as everyone else in that boat.
Something a little fun now, can you tell me what Kratos would say if he came across Teal’c appearing out of a Stargate?
Chris puts on his new Kratos voice “WHAT MADNESS BY GODS, IS THIS!?”
Thank-you so much for your time. We hope you have an amazing time in Sydney and I will see you at Supanova!
Christopher Judge will be Attending Supanova Comic Con & Gaming in Sydney this June 16th – 18th and Perth June 24th & 25th come on by and have the chance of meeting him!
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