Happy Halloween... let's remember the villains
about 2 years ago
– Mon, Nov 07, 2022 at 12:47:28 PM
Hi Friends,
Happy Halloween! We hope worldwide you're all having a good time, dressing up as your most ghoulish selves.
Today, in honor of celebrating the macabre, let's reflect on those villains who lit up the original Mythica series. We had the good fortune of working with some wonderful actors... while our heroes were all pretty fresh on the scene, many of our villains were already established names in the industry - or rapidly rising stars, in the case of Matt Mercer.
But they all came to us from pre-existing relationships, so the casting was very organic and internal. Let's remember a few.
Robert Jayne was one of our first villains, and a wonderful casting, courtesy of Adam Johnson (Thane). He and Bobby were friends - Adam was renting his guest house at the time, and though Bobby had largely left acting, he was a well-known child actor from such movies as Tremors, and the TV show Diff'rent Strokes, and so it was wonderful to bring him back, and let him draw on an enormous wealth of knowledge and craft, and just let loose and have a good time. And I think you'll all agree, he was sinister and fun.
Those of you who have watched the behind-the-scenes, may know that we cast a different actor in the Szorlok role... he was an older, pretty recognizable actor, who seemed perfect for the role... and then after the first days shooting, we realized we had made a terrible mistake. Everything was wrong... it was a disaster. And then Jake Stormoen came to the rescue. He had a friend who he felt would be perfect, and in desperation, we put Matt on a plane, never having seen him act or anything. All we had was Jake's assurance that this was all going to work out... and thankfully, was he right. Matt was wonderful. He loved the genre, he understood the character, and he brought a real theatricality and gravity to the role, all anchored in that amazing voice of his. Critical Role was just getting off the ground, and it's been amazing to see that take off, and see him DM on occasion in his Szorlok outfit :)
Phillip was someone we met in Ireland, while shooting Dawn of the Dragonslayer. He auditioned as the lead, but we cast him as the villain, and he brought such menace to the role, that we just fell in love with him, and have tried to use him in everything we have done. (Outpost fans will recognize him as the primary villain Everitt Dred). As Betylla, he was dark and troubling, and yet still embodied this very relatable pain and humanity beneath the disturbing exterior.
So, who will be our next villain in Mythica: Stormbound? Who would you love to see in a Mythica series as a darker character? Comment below.
And remember, please keep sharing our kickstarter campaign with your friends.
