Valve is hiding a lot: the voice of G-Man from Half-Life spoke about the creation of the character

Mike Shapiro became an important part of the Half-Life universe, as he provided the voice of the G-Man and Barney Calhoun. The actor worked

over the series from its inception until the recent Half-Life: Alyx. In honor of the game's release, a PC Gamer journalist interviewed Shapiro, asking about his heroes and work moments.

What is known

According to Mike Shapiro, voicing a character is a long and iterative process. First, the actor must record the line, and then say it several more times differently.

"When you're doing voiceovers, you need tostrictly adhere to the script. You are then asked if the character could say the line differently, or if we might want to try something else ourselves. Sometimes they like what they recorded, but I still ask if it’s possible to do another take.”

Also, actors get creative freedom,and the unique voice of G-Man was created in the studio. Shapiro was given basic information about the character, shown a photo, and asked how such a person could talk.

"They gave me a little background informationBarney and the G-Man. Even less about aliens. I think they just showed me a photo and said, “What do you think Nihilanth sounds like?” Then at one point I thought the G-Man might sound something like this, with pauses and choppy sounds. And this is how it ended"

However, later Shapiro got to know the hero better, including his past and future, but he could not reveal the secret.

“I know a lot more about him and his history thanI'll never be able to tell. If you've played Half-Life, you know what I mean when I say: I know both what happened before and what will happen. The G-Man is timeless. On Twitter my location is listed as “within time.” That's where I think it comes from."

During the work, Shapiro became a fan of the character to whom he gave his voice. For example, in the actor’s office there is a G-Man briefcase, which he bought separately, so he thinks he has solved the mystery of the contents.

"In my office I have my own briefcaseG-Man. However, this is not a gift from Valve. Valve has given me some really nice gifts over the years for being associated with Half-Life. But this is the one I bought because I know the G-Man and I think I know what's in his bag."

Shapiro also remember Barney Calhoun, who helped Gordon Freeman from the first to the last episodes of Half-Life, but never brought him beer.

“I'm good to Barney. He cannot be killed.It always comes back in one form or another. He never gets you the beer he keeps promising...Barney is always close to getting it right, but he falls a little short. However, he will always have your back, and you will never doubt it."


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