To gamers, Ilkka Villi is known as the face of Alan Wake himself, in the video game Alan Wake by the Finnish studio Remedy Entertainment. Together with his voice acting partner Matthew Porretta, he brings the enigmatic author to life in the game through motion and performance capture.
“Acting in a video game is very hard and meticulous work. As an actor, you’re at the mercy of technology and the team of professionals surrounding you, because so much of the final product is their handiwork,” he muses.
With 19 years of experience and several big-budget game projects under his belt, Villi could be called Finland’s foremost expert on the topic. While superstars like Mark Hamill, Kristen Bell and Keanu Reeves have since lent their likenesses to video games, such occurrences were still rare when Villi began his career.
“Lots of people still think of video game acting as just voice acting, but these days it is so much more. Everything Alan does, I’ve done on camera – from basic running, dodging and shooting to more complex emotions and reactions.”
In a scene from Alan Wake 2, Alan Wake is writing a script.Photo: Remedy Entertainment
Villi also acts in traditional movies and TV shows, and the experience of shooting a video game is quite different from them. Scenes are shot in an empty studio, with motion sensors stuck on the actors’ suits to make sure their movements can be faithfully translated into animated graphics. Body and face work are captured separately, making the process time-consuming and demanding for the actors.
“In a way, it is the purest form of acting in the sense that there is no set and no props to play off of. It is all about imagination. Thankfully I’ve always been good at shutting the world out and immersing myself in a good story,” Villi says.
Looking back at his long career, Villi is especially thankful for today’s technological feats.
“Back when I started, performance capture was still in its early days. Now they can replicate even the tiniest little muscle twitches and micro expressions in the final product. What I do as an actor actually carries over into the game, and it’s very rewarding to see.”
By Johanna Teelahti, ThisisFINLAND Magazine 2024
