It's been a long time coming, but I'm pleased to announce Adam Carrizales as the one and only Johnny "Whip" McCree! The Cactus Cat from Arizona. When I was looking for a voice actor for Ferdinand Bull, Adam was suggested to me as a possibility. And when I listened to his demo a couple things were certain 1) 100% this man could play Ferdinand, and 2) I had to get him to voice Johnny as well. His voice was exactly how imagined Johnny speaking which makes sense as Adam is a Texas native. And Johnny speaks with a Texan accent which, admittedly makes no sense given he's from Arizona. But I argue there's no such thing as an Arizonan accent (as someone who lived the past 7 years there). Johnny to me always had a Texan accent, because he's supposed to feel like a sort of cowboy hence the generic first and last name. For me it just made sense, I think partially also because Rango apparently left a bigger impact on me than I thought. We're not going to get into that. My point is I knew Adam was the guy for the job after listening to his demo. So I asked if he'd be interested in both roles and luckily for me he was.
I've said this before, but there is something innately better? When you have a voice actor using an accent that's actually theirs vs someone who is faking it. I think there's a naturalness to it that's hard to fake. Then again maybe I'm being a bit to uppity. I think what Adam does with his performance as Johnny that's so great is that it does sound like just a regular person. It would be very easy to look at Johnny and give him a voice more graveled or say monstrous. Which while sure maybe physically that would make sense, it wouldn't really go with his character. He's someone who looks rough on the outside, but really is a character with a big heart, who wants to help people. He's personable, and friendly so the voice should reflect that. And Adam really nails that, which I guess grounds the character. When I wrote Johnny original I kind of always imagined him sounding like Scruffy from Futurama. Which again that voice may physically fit the character and be charming in a sort of comedic way. It really wouldn't have been the right choice. Because he's not a joke, I think laughing at Johnny for the absurdity that he exists is one thing, but I think it would be an entirely different thing to then make that sort of intentionally into a joke. I didn't want him to be a joke. I think in some ways Johnny is a love letter to my own brother Jonny. He loves Walker The Texas Ranger, because my brother loved that show as a kid. My brother literally lives in Texas now having moved from Arizona. So I think in some ways I view that character as my little brother. I want all these characters to feel real, to sound real. And Adam really nails that, he brings a layer of humanity to the character with his performance.
Traditionally, you'd be able to hear his performance right here and now for yourself. But Johnny is a man of few words, so to be 100% honest with you all. If I were to try and fill the traditional 1min 30sec preview with his dialogue it would be like all his lines including the ones that come at the ending of the game. So better to just let your anticipation build than to spoil it all. But Adam is an incredibly talented actor and it's great I got to have him voice not just one, but two characters. His performance speaks for itself, and I'm really excited for everyone to hear it in full when the audiobook comes out, and then again when the game releases. I assure you it really is fantastic and I'm sure you all will love it as much as I do. So once again Adam, welcome to Pleasant Sparkle Academy.
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