To many aspiring voice artists, it’s not often that an opportunity of a lifetime falls right into your hands. And for some actors, this comes by easier. But, they’re quick to pass on the opportunity since they know nothing about the project. And had Richard Schiff said no to God of War Ragnarök, we might never have witnessed the iconic Odin’s voice we know and love today.
Funnily enough, Schiff’s prior role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as the U.S. State Secretary has quite a similarity with Odin. Politics aside, they feel like an unassuming presence. And it’s hard to believe Schiff would’ve let this opportunity go, had it not been for his son’s words that convinced him otherwise.
God of War Ragnarök‘s Odin was tailor-made for Richard Schiff
In conversation with videogames.si, game director Eric Williams talked about how Richard Schiff’s Toby Ziegler from The West Wing inspired Odin for the game. Williams stated-
The walk and talk was an homage to what we love, and [it was] why we wanted Richard Schiff to play that character.
While it seems like Schiff would’ve fit the role like a glove, he had no idea of God of War and its lore. Recalling the day Williams rang Schiff for the role, he mentioned-
He didn’t know what it was when we made the call to him. And then his son’s like, ‘What do they want you to do?’ And he goes, ‘Oh, they want me to be in God of War.’ He was like, ‘Do it, Dad!’
Williams further stated how Schiff’s son, being a huge God of War fan, broke down the lore and world for his dad to get a hold of. And with almost two pages of highlights, Schiff was ready to don Odin.
While Williams believed Schiff could’ve just shown up unannounced for the role, he commended the actor’s efforts to understand what he was getting into. After all, being a bad*ss villain needs some prep work!
Odin is a villain you love to hate
Odin isn’t too hard a villain to decipher. He wants control over everything, wants to know everything, and will stop at nothing to seek his truth out. This pursuit of wanting to know about ‘life after death’ makes him absolutely relentless.
A master of words and politics, he knew exactly how to lower one’s inhibitions (remember Atreus?), or even poke and prod at Kratos, having everybody question everything they’ve ever known about themselves. The All-F*cker… Sorry. All-Father… appears as a wise old man, but that curtain starts to part as the game progresses.
Odin is painted as a mob boss, and Thor, his right-hand man. Akin to many mob stories, it doesn’t take much to rattle up the boss and meet your maker. He slayed Thor without any hesitation, and for what? Thor had one little moment of defiance, and that’s all it took for his father to end him.
“I didn’t want this.” Well, Odin, you could have stopped but you CHOSE not to, and that’s precisely what makes you a villain and why Kratos wouldn’t take your deal- You know how to s*rew everyone over, and all anyone hears of you is to not be trusted. And you killed our boy Brok!
Find yourself hating the All-Father when God of War Ragnarök drops on September 19th for PC.
