By now, you should be familiar with one of gaming's most prolific actors, Nolan North, made famous by his role as Uncharted's Nathan Drake. In an interview with GamePro, the actor talks about his meteoric rise in gaming. "There's no pressure when going in for an audition now, since I've worked on such big games," North told the site. With the actor seemingly guaranteed work, it's no surprise that Giant Bomb dedicated an entire award to him: The Northies, for the Best Performance by Nolan North. "I'm humbled by all this. I feel blessed."
Of course, not all voice actors have been as lucky as Nolan North to get work with such regularity. Salaries for actors have always been a point of contention, especially with regards to royalties. In 2008, Grand Theft Auto IV's Michael Hollick slammed the industry for not providing better compensation for titles that go on to sell millions of units. North seems to disagree with that sentiment. "In all fairness, hundreds of people are working 12 hour days for several years to make a game, so it's unfair for me to expect residuals, given the amount of work I contribute."
Perhaps it's that attitude that continues to provide North a steady lineup of gigs, including the upcoming Alpha Protocol and Dark Void. With Uncharted 3 and a new Assassin's Creed in the works, it's clear that Nolan can expect a few more paychecks in the immediate future.
Reader Comments (60)
Posted: Jan 15th 2010 3:36PM Andrew Yoon said
P.S. If you guys want to hear Nolan in some decidedly un-Nathan roles, check this audio file out:
http://video.voicebank.net/vb2pub/1588/cabinet/publicaudio/Animation/Men/North%2C%20Nolan.mp3
http://video.voicebank.net/vb2pub/1588/cabinet/publicaudio/Animation/Men/North%2C%20Nolan.mp3
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 11:54AM TheBrainninja said
Thank you. I like hearing him do other voices, not just "THE EVERYMAN." As I recall, he was also another character in Assassin's Creed 1, not just Desmond. He was another assassin, one with a really thick accent, whose name I cannot recall. IMDB says Abbas, but I remember him as "the dude who hassles you when you come back to Masayaf."
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Posted: Jan 16th 2010 2:04PM DemiurgicSoul said
I hope that everyone who claims that he can't do any other voices listens to this. It's not his fault that he was so good in Uncharted that every other studio wants the same thing. The guy's got to work.
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Posted: Jan 16th 2010 4:26PM (Unverified) said
Jesus, I had no idea this guy was so talented. Go Nolan!
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Posted: Jan 16th 2010 6:56AM Tezz said
id love for him and other VAs to get royalties so long as the other devs got royalties instead of a flat rate and the publisher picking up the millions made.
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 11:51AM WAldenIV said
I think that Hollick has a valid point regarding his work in GTA:IV but that a straight royalty plan isn't feasible. The voice acting, particularly Nico, drives the story in GTA:IV. Without it the game would pale in comparison. There are plenty of other games that would be no better or worse with alternate voice acting. I think the industry needs to get creative with a form of profit sharing or stock options for the voice actors and the programmers.
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Posted: Jan 16th 2010 6:57AM phobic99 said
As Giantbomb says, could 2010 be the year we tire of North? I'm gonna say no, but still he'll always invoke Nathan Drake when I here him. Ahhhh...
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 7:20AM jtenma said
I have to agree. I wont ever hate his voice.
BUT, when I hear him in other games, I get kinda pissed...I dunno why. To me, he IS Drake-and he should be no one else. I want him to make money, but it is just kinda disgusting(?) I guess to see another character slapped on top of Nolan's voice.
Oh well, when UC3 comes out, all will be well...
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BUT, when I hear him in other games, I get kinda pissed...I dunno why. To me, he IS Drake-and he should be no one else. I want him to make money, but it is just kinda disgusting(?) I guess to see another character slapped on top of Nolan's voice.
Oh well, when UC3 comes out, all will be well...
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 8:39AM (Unverified) said
You will, right now it's cool but soon when there's over-saturation and all we hear is Nolan then you will hate him.
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Posted: Jan 16th 2010 10:12AM (Unverified) said
To me, he's not very good in most of the other games he does so I do kinda get tired of hearing him.
He's great in the Uncharted games though.
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He's great in the Uncharted games though.
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 11:21AM eat it said
It already is tiring. I can't believe studios would even consider having him use the nathan drake voice. As soon as I heard that voice in the dark void demo, that was enough for me to not want to buy the game. I also stopped playing the prince of persia game because of it.
It's like when christian bale used the batman voice in terminator 4.
Thank god nathan drake is barely in assassin's creed 2, but still, give that voice a rest already.
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It's like when christian bale used the batman voice in terminator 4.
Thank god nathan drake is barely in assassin's creed 2, but still, give that voice a rest already.
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 3:32PM DarknessBear said
Oh great. I thought I was alone int his thinking, I absolutely love Nathan Drake. I got Uncharted when it released and loved that character right away and Uncharted 2 is in my top 3 favorite games of all time. And I think Nolan North is a really cool guy. But, I get so incredibly irritated when I hear "Nathan Drakes" voice in other games, I feel it saturates the character. It would be like the actor that voices Goofy, voicing every main character in every movie with the same voice... it is Goofy's goddam voice! I hope developers realize this soon...
I had to mute the voices in Dark Void because of it. And then I tried out the Army of Two demo and he was there again! And then I got Shadow Complex and he was there... ahhh! Can't get away.
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I had to mute the voices in Dark Void because of it. And then I tried out the Army of Two demo and he was there again! And then I got Shadow Complex and he was there... ahhh! Can't get away.
Posted: Jan 17th 2010 12:49AM Vcize said
As much as I love his Drake character, having him in that Dark Void demo REALLY bugged me. I was all "hey it's Nathan Drake.....wait a minute, you're not Nathan Drake! IMPOSTER!!!"
If they have him do other voices then that's one thing, but if they keep hiring him and just saying "hey do that Nathan Drake thing" it's going to get old real fast.
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If they have him do other voices then that's one thing, but if they keep hiring him and just saying "hey do that Nathan Drake thing" it's going to get old real fast.
Posted: Jan 17th 2010 5:51PM Malkmus said
Your guys' logic is a bit odd to me. If film actors aren't expected to do different dialects with each role, then why should video game actors? So what if Nolan North sounds the same in Uncharted as in Dark Void. Does George Clooney not have the same voice in Mr.Fox as in Up In The Air or every other movie he's made?
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Posted: Jan 16th 2010 7:39AM shadow I reaper said
I was just talking about this the other day. I think he is a great actor and it's shocking how many roles he has played (Jace in gears 2), but when he is the main character in every game, it gets a little old. For example, I went from uncharted 2 to assassins creed 2 and thought, no, that's drake, not Desmond, wtf
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 8:40AM (Unverified) said
When I played Shadow Complex I couldn't really get into it because every time he spoke I thought it was Nate Drake and it just didn't fit
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Posted: Jan 16th 2010 1:04PM PN04 said
Dont forget Army of Two 40thday. But you know the reason he get's all these roles is because he's a good voice actor. there are so few people who can recite lines with such fluidity and personality. Sure it's the SAME personality but it's one we like. If we could get more actors with the same ease he'd have a tougher time and then he might be wondering how he could snag a royalty or two.
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Posted: Jan 16th 2010 1:40PM Crimsic said
You don't go from Indiana Jones to Star Wars thinking Han Solo is actually just Indy do you? I realize North has starred in A LOT of games...but just because it's the same voice doesn't tell me it's the same character. Even more so in games considering they usually look somewhat different. In movies actors can go from one role to the next looking and sounding exactly the same.
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Posted: Jan 17th 2010 1:48AM PN04 said
only if he does the voice the exact same way. Outside of recognizing he was in Prince of Persia or Ao2 there wasnt anything about him being there that impacted me other than he simply does a good job portraying an "everyman" in extordinary situations type of person the same as Harrison Ford. I will say though that the demo for darkvoid just fell flat for me because the game it self didnt live up to the standards I felt usually go with that voice it just felt like a poor man's uncharted with a jetpack.
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Posted: Jan 18th 2010 9:54AM (Unverified) said
@Crimsonic If such things happen in movies, it doesn't means it's "right."
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Posted: Jan 16th 2010 7:42AM (Unverified) said
[deleted]
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 7:42AM (Unverified) said
hhaaa vocal
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 7:43AM (Unverified) said
bollocks just seen takent lol talent
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 1:35PM (Unverified) said
@ blank...honestly i had a sandwich on my keyboard over that area and was eating one so it was easier to just post than to move the sandwich and press backspace,i've learnt from my mistakes and assure everyone of you that this one-off occurrence will never arise again. Kind Regards J N ESquire
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Posted: Jan 16th 2010 7:46AM KeenCommander said
And so do I!
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 8:41AM (Unverified) said
Anyone else think that Mr North would look like Nathan Drake?
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 11:52AM The Blank Mage Returns said
Yeah, this came as a shock to me. So did Vic Mignogna, come to think of it.
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Posted: Jan 16th 2010 9:23AM (Unverified) said
North seems to disagree with that sentiment. "In all fairness, hundreds of people are working 12 hour days for several years to make a game, so it's unfair for me to expect residuals, given the amount of work I contribute."
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Now that's an honorable statement. Of course, at this point North is probably compensated much more than the average voice actor, so it's hard to say. But at least he acknowledges the ratio of work to payment.
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Now that's an honorable statement. Of course, at this point North is probably compensated much more than the average voice actor, so it's hard to say. But at least he acknowledges the ratio of work to payment.
Posted: Jan 18th 2010 9:52AM (Unverified) said
"ratio of work to payment"? Sadly, things don't work that way (hint: CEOs).
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Posted: Jan 16th 2010 10:13AM Morisato13 said
I don't know, but it wouldn't make sense if he did. The northie should go to the people who bring out the best performance in Peter North, not North himself. Though, he shouldn't be disappointed as this award will only entice more job offers to allow developers to qualify for the northie.
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 10:45AM ilduce620 said
I'm glad he's got this attitude. I just played through "Uncharted 2" for a second time and, for a second time, sat through the credits. That is a LONG list of credits there, people, and I'm sure there are plenty of games out there with more people listed. These games frequently have more people working on them than major motion pictures.
Regardless, I'm ready for "Uncharted 3," whenever Mr. North wants to get on that!
Regardless, I'm ready for "Uncharted 3," whenever Mr. North wants to get on that!
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 10:55AM (Unverified) said
if nolan north and jennifer hale had a child, he/she would be a voice acting god
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 12:10PM dogmaticatheist said
Royalties for any kind of acting just doesn't make any sense. If you are paid to do a job, and you complete that job satisfactorily, why do you deserve to continue to get paid long after you've completed that job? It doesn't make any economic sense.
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 12:40PM TheDarkWayne said
It makes as much sense for actors to get royalties as it does for entire film studios to get them
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Posted: Jan 16th 2010 7:06PM dogmaticatheist said
So what if it's continually sold? Lots of things are continually sold that don't create kickbacks for the creators.
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Posted: Jan 17th 2010 10:17PM (Unverified) said
That logic is pretty flawed. The reason actors in the movies get paid royalties is because they have the leverage to make it happen.
The movies USED to be like you mention, with the talent getting paid well for doing their jobs, and the movie studios making insane, crazy profits.
Then the actors and directors realized that movies do well because their names (and talent) are what sells the movie. No one pays to go see "that new Warner Brothers movie" or "that new Columbia Motion Pictures flick!". However, they do go see "that new Steven Spielberg movie" or "that new Will Smith movie".
So all the talent got together and said "we need to get a cut of those profits or we aren't making these movies for you guys anymore". And that is why actors, directors, screenwriters get royalties.
Now, this likely can't happen in the video game business because 1) you can make video games with out voice actors and 2) no one buys a game because of the voice acting. That being the case, they have no leverage to get royalties in their contracts.
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The movies USED to be like you mention, with the talent getting paid well for doing their jobs, and the movie studios making insane, crazy profits.
Then the actors and directors realized that movies do well because their names (and talent) are what sells the movie. No one pays to go see "that new Warner Brothers movie" or "that new Columbia Motion Pictures flick!". However, they do go see "that new Steven Spielberg movie" or "that new Will Smith movie".
So all the talent got together and said "we need to get a cut of those profits or we aren't making these movies for you guys anymore". And that is why actors, directors, screenwriters get royalties.
Now, this likely can't happen in the video game business because 1) you can make video games with out voice actors and 2) no one buys a game because of the voice acting. That being the case, they have no leverage to get royalties in their contracts.
Posted: Jan 18th 2010 9:59AM (Unverified) said
@Ethan "Because their work is continually sold."
I work in IT and I don't get any kind of royalties because my employer's service (ie. "my work") is sold continually.
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I work in IT and I don't get any kind of royalties because my employer's service (ie. "my work") is sold continually.
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 12:37PM TheDarkWayne said
Maybe if voice actors got paid royalties we'd hear more than just him and Jennifer Hale. I hope i can turn off voice in alpha protocol, cause i'm just sick of him
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 1:12PM KungFuChaosNinja said
Nolan North is the man.
I don't know how such pretentious doucebags can turn on such a nice and kind fellow with a great voice...
Oh wait, yes I do, it's because they're douchebags! :)
I don't know how such pretentious doucebags can turn on such a nice and kind fellow with a great voice...
Oh wait, yes I do, it's because they're douchebags! :)
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 8:02PM TheDarkWayne said
how the fuck did this get upvoted? Not liking the same guy in dozens upon dozens of roles with almost no variation makes you a pretentious douchebag? From goddamn sprinkles no less?!
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Posted: Jan 17th 2010 1:48AM (Unverified) said
Because Wayne you're the idiot, because you think North is the problem when it's the developers for wanting the same voice in every game after they hear his excellent work on Uncharted. Listen to his demo reel before you go spouting shit you have no idea about, Nolan North is a great guy.
http://video.voicebank.net/vb2pub/1588/cabinet/publicaudio/Animation/Men/North%2C%20Nolan.mp3
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http://video.voicebank.net/vb2pub/1588/cabinet/publicaudio/Animation/Men/North%2C%20Nolan.mp3
Posted: Jan 18th 2010 10:02AM (Unverified) said
@Zero_ "the problem when it's the developers for wanting the same voice."
I hope you mispelled developers, and you meant CEOs, marketing, etc. :P
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I hope you mispelled developers, and you meant CEOs, marketing, etc. :P
Posted: Jan 16th 2010 1:58PM wardob said
Nolan North is the man!
Does he play too many roles? Of course.
But every time I play through Uncharted, I'm amazed at his talent.
I don't think I'll ever grow to hate him.
Does he play too many roles? Of course.
But every time I play through Uncharted, I'm amazed at his talent.
I don't think I'll ever grow to hate him.
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