Alicyn Packard is one of the most sought-after voice-over artists in Hollywood. Her voice can be heard on such hit shows as The Tom and Jerry Show, Rugrats, and Yo-kai Watch. Alicyn took time out of her busy schedule to talk with us about her newest role as Roze in the mega video game franchise Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.
1. Tell us about your latest project, Call of Duty.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, is a first-person shooter game developed by Infinite Ward and published by Activision. It’s the most recent release in the Call of Duty franchise and the fastest selling COD game of all time. I’m thrilled to be a part of it!
2. Tell us about the character.
I’m the voice actress of Roze, one of the operators for the multiplayer game. Roze is a total bad ass. A lot of fans have been telling me Roze is their main. She says what’s on her mind and gets it done. You don’t want to end up on Roze’s bad side, to say the least.
3. What did you like about playing this character?
Roze is strong, intelligent and fearless. I have a deep respect for those that have served in the military, so it was an honor to give Roze soul. She has tremendous skill and stays calm under pressure. To get into her mindset, I worked to physicalize the actions and imagine the world as she moves around it. It was an intense, but fulfilling role. I got to work with a handful of amazing directors on the project as well, like Walter Gray IV and Krizia Bajos who really helped to bring the performance to the next level as well as Mathew Hazara Davis, one of the writers who knows Roze inside and out and helped guide me in my choices.
4. How is this character different from others you have voiced?
I’ve played assassins, femme fatales and toddlers, so my voice acting resume is quite eclectic. I didn’t change the pitch of my voice for Roze, but her energy is different from many of the roles I’ve played. She’s very procedural and gets it done. Pretty much the opposite of a character like Josh, from Rugrats, who’s a hot tempered four year old boy!
5. Which is harder to voice-a video game character or a tv character? Why?
When recording for a video game, you are often recording alone. In a tv show sometimes you’re alone and sometimes you record in an ensemble. I don’t think one genre is inherently harder than the other, it comes down to the role and how the character resonates with you.
6. What was the audition process like?
The audition came in through my agent under a code name, so I gave my best take on the call outs in the game and let it go, as I try to do with all auditions once they’re done. Months later, I heard I’d been cast but the game was under and NDA, so I didn’t know which project. It wasn’t until I arrived at the recording studio on Day 1 that I found out it was for a Call of Duty game, one of the biggest video games franchises of all time. I didn’t have any time to really think about the magnitude, I just got to work.
7. What was the recording process like?
I worked for a couple months recording week or so. The microphone was mounted to my head to allow me the freedom to move around the studio. At times the work was vocally strenuous but we took breaks to preserve my voice. Working on a video game requires intense focus, and it was a great experience working with the team.
8. Where did you record this?
I recorded in studio at Warner Brothers with the very talented engineer, Aaron Southerland. The rest of the team was remote via Zoom but could see and hear me in the sessions and offer direction and feedback.
9. Will you be in future Call of Duty games?
Fingers crossed. I would love to!
10. Are there any secrets you can give us about Roze?
Press Up, Up, Down, Down, Left Right, Left Right and see what happens… I kid!
11. Let us know where we can find you.
I’m on Instagram as @alicyn and TikTok as @alicynpackard
12. Please add anything else you want us to know!
I host a podcast called Alicyn’s Wonderland where I do weekly interviews with people who work in animation and games. I have some guests from Call of Duty coming up. You can hear the podcast anywhere you listen and watch full interviews on YouTube: www.youtube.com/alicynswonderland