Acclaimed actor Neil Newbon, known for his fantastic performances in major games including Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3 and Karl Heisenberg in Resident Evil: Village, is now bringing his talent to Digital Extremes’ highly anticipated Warframe 1999 as the antagonist Lieutenant Viktor Vodyanoi.
Warframe 1999 represents an exciting new chapter in the massively successful free-to-play sci-fi action game that has amassed millions of players since its initial release in 2013. The new game takes players back to the year 1999, this time exploring what would have happened if Y2K had been more of an apocalyptic disaster than it ended up being.
With the launch imminent, CGMagazine got to talk to Neil about his role in Warframe 1999. Speaking to him as we stood outside the Grammy Museum in downtown LA, he provided insight into his role, how he connected with Digital Extremes, and what fans can expect when they finally see his character in Warframe 1999 when it launches December 13th.
So, last time I talked it was teased you would be in Warframe 1999. Now that it is releasing, could you tell us a bit more of what or who your character is? Or is that under wraps?
Neil Newbon: So I play a dude called Viktor. Lieutenant Viktor. Uh, his actual full name I will get for you because I forgot his surname. I know him as Lieutenant Viktor Vodyanoi, who is not Russian, but he’s of Russian descent. That kind of idea. And he is the left hand man or the right hand man of the major.
He’s a very Iago-like character. Overshadowed by someone greater, he seeks to undermine them to take their place. I’m not going to say any more about that. He is cold, calculated, clinical, and believes in order and rule. He also believes that his way is the right way. So, he’s unshakeable and unyielding, a force to be reckoned with, and one of the main antagonists that the player characters must deal with.
So how did you get involved with the project, and were you aware of Warframe before you got involved?
Neil Newbon: I was very lucky to meet Rebb [Rebecca Ford, Warframe’s Creative Director] during the launch of Baldur’s Gate 3. She liked my work a lot. I have been a fan of Warframe for a long time and think it is amazing. From there, we just started a conversation. She was very nice and approached me about playing a fish in a tank, which was the first role I was offered after finishing Astarion’s role. I just thought it was the best possible antithesis to a story.
She called me up and said, “There’s a lot of character—it’s a bit weird.” I said, “Okay, I’m already interested if it’s weird.” She said, “It’s basically a fish tank.” I said, “Whatever it is, it’s fine.”
So, I got to play Fibonacci, which was really fun, very strange, and just a real hoot. We did a whole bunch of sessions for it. I worked with the director, Cam [Rogers], who is great, and I just had a lot of fun. I also really loved the way Rebb approaches working with actors. She and Digital Extremes are very supportive of actors, and they’re really lovely people. They’re just fun to work with.
I think they’re a good example of how a game studio can be run well while also being supportive of the people who work for them, as well as the people they hire, like actors. Last year, she mentioned there’s a new element to Warframe, which is 1999. It’s deeply cool, including the animation. She said, “Because Fibonacci was such an extreme character, I’d love for you to play something else in that.” So, I was cast as Viktor. We did a few tests for it, tried a few voices, and they settled on the voice he has now. We recorded it this year, and it’s been a lot of fun.
There is a lot of dynamic animation with Warframe, and now with Warframe 1999, was your role as Viktor mocap or just the voice?
Neil Newbon: So, it wasn’t mocap, just voice work. Obviously, I bounce around all over the planet—it’s incredibly difficult to get me to sit down. So, I just focused on the voice work for the character this time.
You mentioned you knew of Warframe before you worked on the project, were you a fan of the game and play it or more know of it in passing?
Neil Newbon: I played a little bit a while ago. The problem is, I have zero time to play games. The only time I get to play games is when I’m actually streaming, right? I have a streaming channel with Tom De Ville.
What is the channel?
Neil Newbon: It’s just under NeilNewbon. We nicknamed it “No Big Neil” because of an actor I hired for a job I was consulting on. By accident, while I was over-explaining something to him, he interrupted me and said, “Yeah, I got it. No big deal.” I responded with, “No big Neil,” in a sort of Freudian slip. It was very funny, especially since it was a joke at my expense. So, we nicknamed our channel “No Big Neil.”
Awesome. Warframe is a game that has fans around the world, with many incredibly passionate fans. Was it daunting being part of such a massive franchise?
Neil Newbon: Not really, no. I am not daunted by it. It’s a hugely successful game—80 million-plus subscribers or something insane like that. It’s a monster of a game in the best possible way.
But I feel like my job is always about collaborating, working with people, creating fun characters, and just trying all of that. I don’t look at the big picture in terms of pressure or scale. I’ve been involved in games like Resident Evil, Humankind, Planet of the Apes, and Baldur’s Gate, so I never really feel the pressure. I don’t worry about the end result because people will either like it or not, and that’s entirely their prerogative.
All I’m trying to do is serve up the best iteration of the character, working closely with the writers and directors to create a fun experience. If people like it, great—that’s up to them. I don’t worry about it too much because you can’t, and you shouldn’t try to play to what people might like. You just have to play the character honestly.
When you mentioned you did some tests and got it worked out, how did that process work? Was it a back-and-forth?
Neil Newbon: So, Rebb sent me a whole bunch of different ideas for the character. Then we worked on a couple of different versions, and she settled on the one she liked the most. We talked a lot about Viktor, his motivations, and his objectives. Through that discussion, I made some choices and offered them up.
There was some back and forth involved. During the actual shoot, Victor Webb directed me, and we had a lot of time to work together in the booth. We came up with a few nice ideas that emerged organically. It was just a really fun experience.
Did the character of Lieutenant Viktor Vodyanoi change from the start from what was written on the page to the final iteration of Warframe 1999?
Neil Newbon: I think it was more fleshed out, I would say. There was already a very strong impression of the character. But whilst we were working, some things became more apparent, which resulted in an even more developed character.
What do you hope people experience when they dive into Warframe 1999 and meet your character for the first time?
Neil Newbon: I hope they hate his living guts. I hope they want to smash that dude—in a positive way—with all of their might and have a lot of fun doing it.
Fantastic, thank you so much for your time. I know we at CGM are very excited to dive into Warframe 1999.
Neil Newbon: Thank you.