November 4 11:48 A.M.
Kate Mulgrew voices 'Flemeth' in Dragon Age.
Kate Mulgrew is a storied actress, perhaps best known for her precedent-setting turn as Captain Kathryn Janeway on the TV series Star Trek: Voyager. Now she's taking the role of Flemeth, a strong-willed witch with a crucial role in BioWare's epic role-playing game, Dragon Age: Origins. We talked to the actress on the eve of the game's release, and she explained the allure of the tale while schooling us in the ancient art of acting.
BioWare's games are known for character and story. Was that aspect of their craftsmanship apparent to you from the beginning?
I don't think there's any question about it; I think that's the most compelling thing. When I read the text I thought 'this is the script for a video game?' It's very involved, it's smart and it's very challenging. If I were playing I'd be thrilled.
The script for Dragon Age is enormous. Did it give you more material than a typical film or play?
No, I would hope that I would have about the same amount of work, which is a lot of work because she's a pivotal character. But she was a very demanding character to play vocally, because of the backstory and nuance that were required.
Can you reveal a bit of Flemeth's background? We know she's the mother of the main character Morrigan, and not much more.
Flemeth is a mysterious witch of great power, and we learn that she is driven by a despair, for lack of a better word, and a fury that were introduced to her life early on when she lost her love. And as a result she now spends her time producing daughter after daughter, who she uses for her own ends. But she is not without a scintilla of goodness. There has to be a note of good so that she's playable to an actor, and accessible to an audience. She can't just be epic and furious, dark and brutal. There has to be a basis in reality. That was clearly written, and when I got into the booth I was very well directed and guided. And at the same time I was given plenty of freedom. I had a great, great time with it.
How is working in the voice booth different from working in film?
It's night and day. A very, very different situation. I'm not in makeup, I'm not in costume and I don’t have to commit the script to memory. There isn't a camera and seventy-five crew members. It's quite relaxed in the booth, but at the same time there's the tension of the text itself and what's being asked. It's like going into a dark room with a very, very smart child who is demanding that you tell an epic story on the spot, one that they must have in order to survive. So it calls on everything that is immediate, and everything that I can tap into quickly.
It provides a certain inexplicable freedom of imagination. I can go anywhere I want, and I can use my voice almost as a musical instrument. So I found myself doing that, playing it and finding it. If the director didn't agree we'd go to a different note or a different level. And all the while embracing all of the other traits that Flemeth exhibits: her dark and light humor; her edge of sentimentality; her great intelligence; and her anger. Her capacity to play and to raise the stakes. When I finished I thought, 'this is great stuff. Great!"
Flemeth is a strong-willed witch with a crucial role.
Do you like working alone, with no one else in the booth?
Yes, and that's fine. In fact, it's preferable! The solitude is very empowering and, as I said, liberating. It's just me! So I'm not responsible for anybody else, I don't have a partner in the room. I can rely almost wholly on my imagination, which is exactly what I originally went to conservatory to do, and what actors do. But we don't often have the opportunity to do it in that kind of a situation. It's ideal circumstances for an actor, I would say.
Don't ever forget that all actors started off in a dark room, probably their bedroom, alone. It all starts when we're children and we're alone, and we have only our imagination. It's like a return to childhood, in the very best sense, and then to be guided by very intelligent writing. And then to have good people -- I found the people at BioWare very great.
Prior to this job, what was your conception of games?
As a mother, my conception of games is that they can either save you or dement you. My boys play them avidly, and I was made aware very early on that there are very different levels and kinds of video games. When I read Dragon Age, I thought 'I hope this is where it's all going.' Because it could encourage players to take a real journey of the imagination, but that they'll be called upon to answer certain things that are unconventional and unexpected. It's exciting!
How is the game unconventional?
It tells a mythological story. The games I've seen were often shoot 'em ups, or have some awful person being decapitated. This is a journey into a very old story of revenge and despair, of love and gain, secrets unfolding. It is calling on more than just the imagination, but on the player's intelligence and astuteness -- and their emotional and intellectual astuteness, at that. Because when you confront Flemeth you have to understand that she's revealing her mysteriousness as a way of giving you clues. It's a strategy. But you have to learn that and be on point to understand that. I think the word I would use is 'excellent'.
So this definitely falls into the category of games that save, rather than dement?
Yes! It's the highest possible video game category.
Do you now see games as something that could be on par with film and stage as a storytelling medium?
Image courtesy of Getty Images Entertainment.
What I think will happen is that they will have a very significant place, but that they will not usurp the theatre or film. Those are based on storytelling that we have appreciated since the Greeks. This is not only to endemic to the species, but crucial to the evolution of the species that we have the theatre. We must learn by reflecting, we must learn by watching. It is very important that we go to hear the story told. What the game does is invite you into the story; it's a very different thing, it's very modern. There is a very good place for video games, but in no way will it push away what we've lived with for thousands of years.
When you think back on your not inconsiderable body of work, what stands out as particularly important personally or professionally?
When I played Captain Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager; that was very important. It was almost a decade of my life. Putting a woman into the captain's seat was an historic moment, and I understood that and tried to ride that wave with some grace. It certainly has been resonant. And I've loved every time I've walked on the stage, with very few exceptions. Every time I've done a play, I have grown. That life has been exalting, and unforgettable.
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Posted: 4 Nov 2009
