James Sunderland Actor Luke Roberts talks Silent Hill 2 Remake

[@DanAllenGaming]

I will be interviewing Luke in the coming weeks so stay tuned!

[@WonderCitizen]

His naturalist-ish approach to the dialog was wonderful. James stutters and hesitates in a very credible way. Top 5 performance of the year for me

[@aurum4660]

now think how game performances are going to be 6-8 years from now 🤯

[@Blisterdude123]

As a fan, I can highly recommend checking out Black Sails. He pops up season 3-4, plays a really wonderfully nasty piece of work.

[@sd5919]

His 'h-hello?' is a top 1 performance for me.

[@terrycruise-zd5tw]

but james isnt an action star, yet in this remake he can quick step dodge with s like hes muhammad ali and can swing a spiked board like hes negan from the walking dead lol

[@Blisterdude123]

@@terrycruise-zd5tw I would say that's more a reflection of changes in game design. The slow, methodical, somewhat plodding format of tank controls in older games was largely born of gameplay design limitations within the survival-horror genre at the time. I don't think it's a stretch to say that IRL, I'd try go actually dodge something trying to hit me, and wail like crazy with any blunt object I had to hand to defend myself. Modern game design allows for more freedom and range in capturing subtleties of specifcity in human movement with mocap and such, and obviously memory issues with fitting data on a disc have been blown apart, freeing devs in ways that just weren't feasible in the past. I still think they kept to that maxim though, James can move more, but he doesn't move like an 'action hero'. He's awkward, reeling, panicked, and flailing.

[@gimmeurshibaquik7]

He really needs to win some awards! That's an incredible performance by him.

[@xenoxorus]

He's been nominated in Golden Joystick so there's a possibility he'll might win.

[@MariaMiquilena-v5t]

I already voted❤❤

[@Comicbroe405]

​@@xenoxorus That's great

[@VENVS.AS.A.B0Y]

Seriously! The micro expressions in his acting blow me away for this being a performance for a video game

[@flowrepins6663]

​@@VENVS.AS.A.B0Ygames>>>movies

[@RipVanWinkle1264]

His acting was fantastic and was probably my favourite video game performance in this year. He genuinely seemed dead inside and depressed and not just a guy reading his lines with no emotion

[@Comicbroe405]

And the way he interacts with others is so natural.

[@BigLebowski2000]

he was great!

[@jurgenstrang6366]

He acted his damn socks off in SH2. best performance ive seen in a game since roger clarke. Deserves all the awards

[@LordMalice6d9]

Roger Clark was amazing in Red Dead Redemption 2.

[@ChrisAlbertH47]

There's Chris Judge too who also had his time in the spotlight for Kratos. But this moment belongs to Luke

[@narcissa6581]

Took the words out of my mouth! Haven't been this moved by acting in a video game since RDR2 and that was 6 yrs ago.

[@sherlockscones]

Voice aside, my GOD I loved the ways he used his eyes in every single scene in this remake. It was so good I was absolutely mesmerized

[@Jarred_IRL]

So much personality and so much said without being said. Phenomenal performance.

[@Pingu65716]

you like man eyes?

[@Vegeta_1990]

​@@Pingu65716🤡

[@Jarred_IRL]

@@Pingu65716 what?

[@paladinplayer]

I agree, I think when actors use eyes to portray emotions, it automatically feels more natural than saying it, or screaming about it.

[@SpiderNightcrawler]

I'm obsessed with how expressive his eyes are and I looove how they carried that expression through the mocap and animation

[@ChrisAlbertH47]

Indeed. Well done to the Bloober tech team for capturing all the nuances of his performance. Any lesser team and those micro-expressions and body language could've been lost.

[@Jojje94]

When he looks at Laura in room 312 after finding out the truth he looks like shit. (in a good way) Standing ovation for the tech team and actors.

[@ryanpethick383]

You gotta love and respect when a voice actor, who wasn't born in America, and has an accent, can do the role of an American and still make it sound so natural... Just like Roger Clark, from Red Dead Redemption 2. He was born in New Jersey, but spent most of his childhood with his mother's family in Ireland, and has the accent. But when you hear him as Arthur on RDR2, you would never know he has an Irish accent. Much love to these voice talents!❤❤

[@SpinfoilHat]

honestly this is how i felt when i found out as a kid that david tennant had an accent lol luke roberts did an incredible job, never would have known his accent in his performance was all acting if i hadnt seen this vid

[@happyguycol]

Everyone has an accent, even you yanks

[@UrbinaMR]

@@happyguycolno shit ☠️ if you’re going to work in an American industry, that’s the standard when portraying an American character 😂

[@happyguycol]

@@UrbinaMR American industry? The game was made by a polish studio for a Japanese company.

[@UrbinaMR]

@@happyguycol It's their American branch, targeting American consumers lmao. Why do you think companies like Konami and Capcom make games with American characters

[@VoltSlash]

He did James SO. FUCKING. WELL. Everyone in the remake just played their characters so incredibly well... But Luke, holy shit.

[@Gunit935]

He really captured the nature of who James is, and also he brought more depth to his character. Thank you Luke!

[@ryannelson-n1c]

To put it bluntly. This guy was PERFECT for the role of James.

[@RastaGamesful]

Luke did a great job portraying James Sunderland. My favourite voice acting in the whole remake. At times it seemed like he nailed the character in places even better than the original voice, which is a rarity for remakes, especially for a game with such a large fan base.

[@cun7us]

True, his acting was on point and I didn't even know he was British so he nailed the accent too. The original was definitely a bit rough around the edges like most games were back then, but that's also what makes them so endearing. Games nowadays have a much bigger budget and Bloober really took their time to make sure everything was polished from an artistic standpoint. This is probably the best game they've made to be honest, and I loved Layers of Fear.

[@vasilykiselev6285]

At times Better then the original? You kidding, the acting is better than the original in every single way every day of the week

[@giancarlo5945]

James in this remake is amazing

[@Celina-u7u]

You are not Luke Roberts, you are James Sunderland for me now.

[@GavinAeilts]

I loved his performance, but the original is still much more recognizable just through how strange of a performance it was.

[@Celina-u7u]

​@@GavinAeiltsThe first one will always be very important, but come on, if we talk about history, Luke was born for this role.

[@butterstotch3233]

@@Celina-u7uI think they’re equal in standing. I just wish Maria pulled her weight.

[@four-en-tee]

@@butterstotch3233 ^

[@breakdown7553]

hahahah same

[@HeelPower200]

It almost feels lile this remake was necessary. This is a performance of unbelievable depth and sophistication. And James is a hard as hell character to get right.

[@okapibibi]

Luke Roberts has *become* James Sunderland. He fully embraced the characters and all his complexies and made James so much more impactful, all his turmoils so much more tangible. Somehow he made me fall in love with SH2 again in a new way. Truly one of the best performances I've seen in a game in quite some time. I'm so glad we had him for this remake!

[@mewgiah8057]

His subtle/nuanced performance of James is one of the best I have ever seen in gaming. In fact he's THE MAIN reason I think the Remake surpasses the original. So many scenes were gut-wrenching because of what he was able to convey just with his face. Also kudos to Bloober for using the updated graphics to hammer home those emotional scenes. I literally got choked up towards the end because of James.

[@panq1886]

This remake was made with passion and respect of the original and I hope Bloober TM will bring more games in the future like SH Origin, SH1 and 3 as a trilogy.

[@GeorgeSearsSolidusSnake]

I'd like to see them make a new Silent Hill actually. They are the most qualified.

[@_7thSage-9405]

I was quite skeptical about this remake... I'm so glad to say my worries were mostly unfounded. I never thought anyone could play James Sunderland like Guy Cihi did.... But Luke has absolutely KILLED it in this remake!

[@treefingers6572]

Yeah, I got shit on a lot by people who were sure it was going to be amazing, because I had some small reservations about what we were seeing in terms of performances and changes to tone/gameplay/direction. Little things like the new version of the scene with Maria talking to James through the prison bars... it was overall good, I liked that they didn't change much besides camera placement/direction and of course, the new performances. Everything else about it was intact... but Maria's performance felt a little one-note to me at the time, compared to the original where she's constantly flip-flopping between sweet and alluring to cold and indifferent, almost even cruel. I felt like she was now just being slightly weird and disconnected (like she already should be), but without the constant cat and mouse with James' emotions and trust. I mentioned this in the Silent Hill subreddit, and maybe that was my first mistake: they BOUGHT IN almost from day 1, half the posts on there during the announcement to release window were making fun of "fake fans" and "haters", and yeah, there were plenty of those... idiots complaining that it was woke, like they do with everything (those people have lost the plot and complain about video games more than they play them because grifters on youtube tell them women are below them and games aren't "masculine enough", it's pathetic), other idiots who'd clearly never played the game at all and made ridiculous assumptions about both original and remake that were outright incorrect and misinformed, and then there were the old heads that wanted nothing to change and hated it all simply for being different or having more refined combat mechanics. I was none of these, even as a big fan of the original (granted, one who didn't actually play it until about 2012, but still a classic fan, just not day one) I was careful to check my biases and question my own criticisms to make sure I wasn't just mad it was different. So yeah, I had those little nitpicks about performances and direction, I wasn't very trusting that Bloober of all studios could do it justice (and I think that definitely still colored my view of it, looking back), and I DEFINITELY wasn't at all trusting of Konami; I'm still not, really. I still, however, got lumped in with all the other morons I mentioned, and was told to take my "hate" to people who cared. I literally wrote my criticisms with the most careful, non-accusational language I could, and it didn't seem to really work in there. It had become a bit of an echo chamber of almost toxic positivity. I wonder how the people calling me a hater and "video essay watching fake fan" would feel, now that I'm happy to admit my fears were unfounded, Bloober really came through and delivered their best game to date and even did the original justice in a modern context, and a lot of my little gripes became irrelevant with the full context of the game as we now know it. I feel like, in reacting to the many overblown, angry opinions lacking in nuance we often see on the internet, many people go full circle and become incapable of seeing actual nuanced opinions for what they are, because they're constantly expecting the worst in trying to defend something they're excited for in a- let's face it- way that is lacking nuance itself. Basically, in trying to give the game a real chance and prop it up positively, and ignoring the sea of idiots that lack nuance, places like /r/silenthill actually end up circling back around to lacking nuance in their own positivity and immediately attack anyone that has even the slightest criticisms. Just an observation. I don't feel slighted by them, I know what it's like to be blinded by hype, I get it, but I have to wonder how they'd be coping right now if it turned out to actually be way worse than expected. Like I said though, I'm incredibly glad that isn't the case, I'm so happy this remake was able to put it's own modern spin on the original, while maintaining all of the things in tone, direction, design, and feel that still make it Silent Hill 2: the greatest survival horror game ever made. At least, i think it is. This isn't on THAT level of good, but it's ridiculously better than I could have imagined and that makes me very pleasantly surprised.

[@Benzona]

I think you hit the nail on the head. Nobody else could play James Sunderland like Guy Cihi did, but nobody else could play James Sunderland how Luke Roberts did either. Both are incredibly talented actors who brought their respective incarnations of James to life.

[@furiousapplesack]

@@treefingers6572 I caught all the same hate from hysterical goobers for making extremely valid criticisms when the first trailer came out. All of them pretended to be psychic geniuses who knew what my REAL thoughts were and that I couldn't possibly be acting in good faith because good faith criticism is completely impossible, apparently. Like I pointed out how James seemed a lot different and had some idiot screeching "If you were REAL fan you'd know HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE AN ACTION HERO, DUDE" and I'm like, "Yeah that's MY point, he seems WAY more than capable in this remake." And anyone with a rational mind would have good reason to doubt Bloober's competence. Still, the benefit of low expectations is that Bloober had way more wiggle room. As long as it wasn't complete hose puckey and was enjoyable on a basic level, I'd have been satisfied and fortunately I was much more than satisfied. They really put their all into it, and now I'm looking forward to whatever else they're working on. Still, I doubt the people we're talking about have the ability to self-reflect or use basic logic. They had a way they wanted to feel and damn it, they were gonna feel it no matter the evidence to the contrary.

[@leblancsind]

Guy always in heart and always be my James, but Luke was perfect in the remake! absolutely nailed it!

[@_7thSage-9405]

@@leblancsind I agree! I'm just happy that Bloober made a worthy remake of such a phenomenal game. They did a great job!

[@fatalradius]

You did an amazing job. Can't imagine a better voice.

[@SatisfiedShark]

Not only did he nail the realism, but in my opinion he also somehow nailed the dream like delivery of the first game while doing so.

[@whoisyouranime]

There is a certain softness to him playing James, with a little hint of a tough guy. But DAMN! I love it when you hear him smash monsters with his foot. It's as if he wants to let out his inner monster.

[@samf.s.7731]

Cathartic 😅

[@ThwipThwipBoom]

Hope he is nominated for his acting in this year's Game Awards!

[@rynsart]

He killed it in the remake, the way he spoke as james felt so real

[@JohnSegway-RainingLamppost]

Mr Roberts did such a great job also with micro expressions, pauses and making things just seem natural and relatable (great contrast to later on when things begin to surface later on) - super super enjoyed his and everyone's performance in SH2R, perfect work!👏

[@kvng_rvbby]

0:39 OMG IS THAT JAMES FROM RETURN TO SILENT HILL😂😂😂. but in all seriousness, Luke Roberts killed it in this game

[@wonderfulfable]

Woof. Luke Roberts is handsome. 😍

[@xenoxorus]

Ikr! He's hot af!

[@firstlast-wm3li]

Not really.

[@azzetzseditzs6623]

@@firstlast-wm3lilet’s see you then

[@firstlast-wm3li]

@@azzetzseditzs6623 🤨

[@AttakusZakus]

@@azzetzseditzs6623He’s commenting negatively on any comment that says he’s attractive. The hater probably looks like a deflated burrito.

[@tacituskilgore4403]

He was also Arthur Dayne in Game of Thrones.

[@Storietellerartistry]

OMG I THOUGHT he looked familiar.

[@DTDrac0_]

The Star of the Morning!

[@raiderlegend4989]

And Thomas Wayne in The Batman movie

[@Aydamir06]

Woods Rogers from Black Sails

[@samf.s.7731]

The sword of the morning

[@ezenovas7169]

I’m so glad they picked him for James. He portrayed him perfectly, nailed it 10/10

[@novembrinewaltz90]

This actor was just phenomenal... The remake surpasses the original in every way, and a big part of the merit goes to the actors, especially Luke Roberts.

[@beamertoy]

I absolutely loved the voice acting. The pauses before every line, the delivery. This is exactly how it should be.

[@kikyanwar1903]

Give this man a TGA trophy. He managed to revive james sunderland pretty much than just well. A superb performance indeed

[@summerloverelectricboogaloo]

The eye work and the neck work he did during scenes when he talk and fidgets feels so real and the way he walks like slightly dragging his heels seems so human and flawed in away that just works 🎉🎉

[@GUILLE832]

I was very impressed by his performance. The original actor sounded so detached in a way that hinted at him being at his limit before doing something awful, whereas Roberts gave him a quivering energy that hints at that same kind of collapse, just as fragile, but in a different way; the former felt like he was a floating feather about to touch the ground, whereas the latter feels like a piece of glass that will shatter at the barest touch. Either way, excellent performances all around.

[@furiousapplesack]

That is beautifully said. Thanks for putting my feeling to words, that just nails it perfectly.

[@ypxgame]

I really like his voice!! award him please

[@leohawkins4734]

As soon as I heard his Rosewater Park monologue after the record puzzle, I was sold on him as James.... then I saw the Stillness ending and he had me in tears.😭

[@jaxafrass7777]

Describing James as a character in a “bewildered” state is such an effective understanding to come to. James has so much unprocessed weight on his shoulders and he’s in a nightmare situation. Confused…lost…great observations to apply to the performance process. Heck yeah 💪

[@b1thearchitect401]

He did an incredible job and added so much more emotion to this already heartbreaking story

[@BackyardPix]

Absolutely PHENOMENAL performance.

[@samf.s.7731]

I know! He k!lled it, k!lled it so hard he went into dissociative fugue, drove to Silent Hill in Maine, and then had to walk around the worst purgatory ever in hopes of finding redemption... But at the end, he just ended up driving into Toluca lake with it in the back seat. Queue the Anakin Skywalker "I can't live without her" clip. Excellent job Luke Roberts, and thank you good sir!

[@dehfunnykid]

The absolute highlight of the remake was Luke's performance as James. What stellar voice and face cap work with incredible amounts of nuance and subtlety from Ser Arthur Dayne himself.

[@belialarchitect1678]

Luke Roberts you did a phenomenal job, exceeded the original and one of the best parts of the game.

[@ShoopityDoopity]

I loved his performance so much

[@ShrimpCup]

Absolutely deserves awards and recognition for his performance. Great job Bloober and Luke!

[@nanamarley9601]

I'm so into james sunderland in this remake which sucks because what he did to mary, but good god... that face, that voice 🥲

[@mythosinmedia]

Watching his performance you see he was very influenced by the original performance but also brought his own take into the role. Very natural, very true. Loved his take on James.

[@okayolek]

I don't believe I didn't recognize the actor till just now! Luke Roberts played an incredible villain on the show Black Sails!

[@alejandrobonilla3049]

He was spectacular as James, he took the character, made it his own and took it to new heights, I love Guy Cihi but Luke is in another league

[@denusklausen3685]

He really brought some of the emotional depth that we could only infer from the story in the original (because of the poor graphics of the time). Just the sheer emotion in the water ending, the grief and giving up gave me goosebumps. Deserves an award for sure.

[@kimackerman2183]

I freaking loved James, and Luke playing him. Definitely my favorite.

[@joyfulgamer10]

Could you interview Luke about silent hill 2 I'd love to see his thoughts on the game

[@DanAllenGaming]

I’ve reached out so hopefully he’s keen 👍

[@hihuman]

James voice acting is one of the all time greats, it was incredible and make the game all the more impactful.

[@sweggieboi4928]

He stood out in his acting did such a flawless job

[@IncessantWake]

He nailed it. They all did. Bravo. This game is one of the scariest game I've ever played. I just passed the apartment segment. FFFFFFFFfffreaking horific.

[@PaulaNaBussa-x1n]

Is it just me, or does He looks like Harry Mason with that Hair???

[@chandranapier2259]

… Dang he really does. That’s kinda funny.

[@Jarred_IRL]

SH1 remake confirmed?! lol nah but even if we never got another remake ever again, this is the perfect remake to end all remakes.

[@ronin9165]

Yeah he does 🤣

[@GLERFUNKEL]

He was amazing as Woodes Rogers in Black Sails. Any time I can get anything more from anyone that was on that show I'll take it. They were all so good. God I miss it. 😢

[@amefuyuu]

I was gonna comment the same thing!! As soon as I found out he would be James in the silent hill remake I knew I’d have to play it because Luke was in it 💕💕

[@tomdarbyshire1703]

This guy did a fantastic job my favourite version of James' voice!

[@antonybrisson4090]

What an amazing actor.

[@tristenatorplaysgames6833]

This man absolutely killed James as an character. I felt his pain just like i did in the orginal

[@OrangeTrailBlazer]

Yeah I believed he was James the moment he spoke

[@Thomas_Angelo]

He played him perfectly. Near the end of the game, I got shivers by just him looking at people and screens.

[@justaguy2182]

I love how natural James’ performance feels. He stutters and stammers a lot, and generally looks like he’s going to have a panic episode or a breakdown at any moment, as anyone in James’ situation would. It’s believable, and it meshes very well against the performance of the other characters since they all seem very weird and off putting in comparison, I believe intentionally, to keep the player questioning the people around James, and wanting to know more about them. The actor for James did a wonderful job, and I hope he gets a lot more jobs in the future.

[@_koinoyokann]

Luke Roberts was INCREDIBLE. The entire cast of this game did such a great job. Well done!!

[@saintpoli6800]

I genuinely didn’t realize the voice was different from the original, he nailed the aesthetic of James truly

[@DevilGeneImbued]

His acting has genuinely captivated me throughout my playthrough for Silent Hill 2. Luke Roberts absolutely nailed this

[@ksorah4405]

this guy is AMAZING, like how could he just be that good in acting 10/10 performance

[@mercurymachines4311]

Wow… Luke did an absolutely incredible job, it’s amongst the very best we’ve ever seen in video games.

[@livertine504]

All the characters were top notch. It couldn't have been any better. This is how you should treat a franchise or something people really cherish and love.

[@ScarletVampyr666]

Game of the year. He's defo got to win some awards and sound design needs to win and art design. It's spectacular remake never did I ever feel like I would feel terrified all over again.

[@dance_pattern]

Absolutely nailed it with this version of james. Demeanor and look are perfect.

[@theRealmcMoonBall]

Anyone else get a wierd uncanny valley type feeling looking at him because he lowkey kinda looks like james

[@KaseyJohnson-z2v]

Was not expecting Bloober Team to knock it out of the park like they did with this game

[@tension001]

This game is perfect in almost every aspect, well done by the actors, hope to see more of them in the future!

[@sarahstalcup9621]

His performance in “stillness” is exceptional. Literally could not have asked for more from the actor. Award-winning!

[@Feuryy]

He did an incredible job! I hope he gets nominated for a VGA award this year! I'll definitely be voting.

[@DesideriumAU]

on top of it, he's sooo fine

[@samf.s.7731]

I agree. But the best part is, both lead actors are "human" attractive, not Instagram plastic face attractive. And thank you Bloobr for using their likeness and not that of other people ☺️

[@timracadio2557]

I loved the voice acting because it reminded me of Jack from LOST. I mean that as a compliment.

[@GeorgeSearsSolidusSnake]

Respect ✊ Lost is great and Jack was an amazing character.

[@boneitch]

The fact that from the first lines of the game, his voice just *was* James, even though I've played the original so many times, speaks volumes to me. It is such a good, natural, and fitting performance

[@GryphonICD]

He is so good. Perfectly plays James, captures every nuance.

[@GlazeonthewickeR]

Incredible work by Luke and also we must not forget the voice director, who managed to nail a consistently effective tone across the entirety of the game.

[@baddmeeloo]

He's the perfect James Sunderland.

[@GentlemanJack705]

Thats Luke Roberts. He played Arthur Dayne in GOT and a fantastic villain on Black Sails

[@AsAugustSleeps]

This game absolutely floored me. Easily the best game I’ve ever played.

[@schizzo8959]

He played James Sunderland to perfection. It really touched me as a fan of the original.

[@WithGas]

He was absolutely perfect as James! I've looked him up and he was great in GoT and Black Sails as well (although his character in BS wasn't one I liked unlike Arthur Dayne... just shows how versatile the guy is!). I hope to see more of Mr. Roberts!

[@merlylvsm]

Oh my god I didnt put the name to the face til now. His performance makes all-the-more sense!

[@justconnnoor]

just realized that he also plays Thomas Wayne in The Batman (2022)

[@samf.s.7731]

Lol wut? 😂 When though? I can't remember that part in the film

[@StudioMod]

I'm confounded as to why they didn't use him in the film, I mean... they could have used all of them lmao.

[@mariadelosangelesmiquilena48]

Agree😊

[@firstlast-wm3li]

Because Jeremy Irvine is a fine good actor. Pound sand.

[@Pmirum]

One of the best performances I have seen in modern gaming period. I really hope he's giving the recognition he deserves for this.

[@Punk62115]

Dude how does he manage to exude being an every man but also so distinctly like… GOOD at it??? Even captivating? Also never would have thought his VA had a different accent. Brava!

[@murderycatdoll1380]

Absolutely love him! ❤ He did awesome 🎉

[@5hrsbefore1998]

one thing i was not expecting with this remake, among many things, was a believable and excellent performance from the voice actors - especially James. he did a fantastic job.

[@MLK-KAEFENTERPRISES]

He has very expressive eyes.

[@AdmiralPeach]

I loved the gentleness he brings to the complicated character of James ❤

[@nightmarexcvm]

I've never played Silent Hill series but I watched the remake this actor suits the James really good, cut scenes give real emotions, actors are really good. I loved it.

[@billyparham630]

about an hour in i was so captured by james I went to google the voice actor and he kept blowing my mind. not only the voice acting but the subtle facial expressions, the movement of the eyes, everything. luke roberts, you are my new james and I want to see some awards put to your name

[@jmlm8]

Absolutely loved his portrayal. Has to be one of my most beleivable characters in a loooong time.

[@nastjafisunova7258]

I love the way he performed James 😍 his emotions with motion capture and voice acting were fantastique ❤

[@arisozerah]

Amazing work top 5 all time for me. You brought so much nuance. 👏🏽 👏🏽 👏🏽

[@jamesbarry1673]

Luke Roberts is rocking hawk

[@kycorps]

He did amazing with the acting! From the dialogs to even when youd swing the wood piece or hit smth you could hear the anguish in James voice