After last week's unexpected revelations, we’re all on the edge of our seats to find out what’s next in Blacktalon. The story comes to a close today with a showstopper of a finale which you can watch over on Warhammer TV right now. To celebrate the show, we managed to track Rebecca Hannsen, Andrew Spooner, Michael Geary, Lynsey Murrell, and Helen Keeley - the five lead voice actors who brought Neave Blacktalon, Hendrick, Rostus, Shakana, and Lorai to life.
Warhammer Community: Were you very familiar with Warhammer Age of Sigmar before taking on this role?
Rebecca: I had heard of Warhammer but hadn’t explored the settings much before taking on the role of Neave. I used to think that Warhammer was one gigantic setting, so was delighted to discover that it comprises multiple, and I felt incredibly honoured to be asked to be part of one of them.
Andrew: I've worked for Games Workshop quite a few times now on video games, audio dramas, audiobooks, and other animations. When I started, I had very little knowledge of the settings, but with more than 20 books done, I've got a working knowledge of Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, and the Old World.
Michael: I was, I used to play Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 back in the late 80s – but I always got beaten!
Helen: I was quite familiar as I’ve narrated several audiobooks for Games Workshop and I love Warhammer 40,000. I’ve always been a huge fantasy fan and Warhammer takes it to another level with all of the detail and the extensive lore.
Lynsey: I was only familiar with Warhammer by name and had known that it had been around for a long time but had never stepped foot into its Universes.
WarCom: How did you prepare for your role?
Rebecca: The producers at Games Workshop were amazing and sent through abridged copies of battletomes for the factions featured in the first two episodes. They also explained the lore behind each faction and gave us detailed character breakdowns, which is every actor's dream. I then quizzed one of my friends who’s been a fan for years and devoured as many Age of Sigmar lore videos as possible.
Andrew: I prepared the same way I do for any role. You read the script and make some notes, then when it comes to recording, it's a game of to and fro with the director to nail down the specifics of the character. You still have those happy accidents during a recording where something unexpected happens that makes you go "Oh... that worked!"
Michael: I read a lot! I always enjoy the research part of getting into a role but because I’m such a Warhammer fan anyway it was even more fun. I also took a trip to Warhammer World to have a look at the displays, and of course to do a little bit of shopping.
Helen: Lorai’s voice was described as being wave-like, so I had to move my body with her voice, it should sound as if moving between projected and whispered so I tried to move like the sea and hoped that came across in the performance. Yoga also helped!
Lynsey: Before Blacktalon, I had been a part of another of the Warhammer animations and so was able to get an insight into the kind of worlds we were dealing with. I mainly looked up as much as I could for prep, including some chats amongst dedicated Warhammer fans. But the best way I got to know Shakana herself was with my work on the script and understanding her through her relationship with the world and people around her. Games Workshop also provided some great info on the history of the Stormcast Eternals, for background.
WarCom: What challenges did you face in your role?
Rebecca: The biggest challenge was probably recording from home. We do six-hour recording sessions with all the actors present over webcam, which is rare and a fantastic experience as we’re normally by ourselves. The challenge here is if one of us has a technical issue or our neighbour starts doing DIY, then the whole session has to halt. There was also quite a bit of shouting and fighting in the series, so I had to pop notes around all my neighbours to warn them not to call the police if they thought I was in distress.
Michael: My experience was very similar to Rebecca’s!
Andrew: It's a tough balance with Hendrick Silverwolf. You want to hint that he knows more than he's letting on and that he's conflicted. He believes in what he's doing, but he doesn't necessarily find comfort in it. That's a lot of layers to play with.
Helen: Lorai is such an outcast, the only member not to be following a divine purpose so you never know truly where her allegiances lie but I still wanted her to seem part of the team. The biggest challenge was to make her seem aloof but trustworthy.
Lynsey: Trying to live in this big world in the confines of my wardrobe-turned-booth! We did remote recording throughout the series, so it was a challenge at times to bounce off of the other actors for the more intimate, or larger dramatic scenes when I was in a small, enclosed space with no one to look at!
WarCom: Which parts of your performance did you enjoy the most?
Rebecca: I actually voice children quite a lot of the time, so I had great fun being able to put on such a low and serious voice for Neave. She’s such an incredible character – strong, brave, fierce in her convictions, and fearless – getting to portray all of those qualities was a dream.
Andrew: Shouting and battle stuff are always fun! But it can be tough on your voice. The stuff I personally enjoy is the quieter moments, where he's more introspective.
Michael: Getting to work with such an incredibly talented group of voice actors and creatives – they are all brilliant! I loved playing Rostus, he’s a really interesting character with a fantastic backstory which I would love to explore further.
Helen: Lorai is such a maverick and I’ve never voiced another character like her. I also loved working with the other voice actors, everyone was so talented. When we all got together and heard what everyone else was doing, the script really came alive, then the amazing animators came in and took it to another level!
Lynsey: One of the best parts is always speaking it aloud in performance with the other actors and hearing the voices bring it to life in such amazing ways. And of course, getting to play such a cool hero assassin going through all of these insane missions!
WarCom: Has your experience on Blacktalon inspired further interest in Warhammer?
Rebecca: It absolutely has! In fact, I went into the store on Tottenham Court Road last week and was given a tutorial on how to paint my models. I feel very loyal to the Age of Sigmar as that’s where my journey has begun, but I’m incredibly excited to explore Warhammer 40,000.
Andrew: I am lucky to already have that interest! I've been narrating The End Times novels for Black Library and had a blast playing skaven roles. I also recorded a Drekki Flynt audiobook and love a good duardin adventure. My personal favourite, though, are the Space Wolves – they really hit the sweet spot for me.
Michael: Definitely. Getting to be a part of Blacktalon has reminded me of how much I loved the total Warhammer experience – the games, books, miniatures, audiobooks, animation and the awesome community!
Helen: I will always be interested in Warhammer. Blacktalon has added another dimension to my interest as I hadn’t checked out the animations before. I’m currently awaiting Dan Abnett’s Pandaemonium but I’m pretty sure that’s a while off!
Lynsey: I've been lucky enough to be involved with some other recordings for Warhammer with Games Workshop, which have been great, so it is dangerous in that it is getting me back into cartoons! And there are so many parts to it, so I need to be careful!
Thanks everyone for taking part. You can watch Blacktalon, and lots of other Warhammer Animations like Hammer and Bolter, Angels of Death, and Interrogator, by subscribing for Warhammer+.
