There’s no question Yuri Lowenthal is one of the top voice actors in America. With starring roles in TV shows like Naruto, Ben 10, and Afro Samurai, as well as video games like Prince of Persia, Diablo, Dead or Alive, and Marvel’s Spider-Man series, Lowenthal has traversed countless creative universes. Now, the star is getting in touch with his feline side — by providing the voice of Huckleberry the Cat in Skybound’s upcoming Homestead Arcana. Yesterday, we hosted a reddit AMA with Lowenthal, in which he answered fans’ questions about his projects and passions. Here’s some of the highlights!
On his favorite media cats…
“I mean it’s hard not to go with Thackeray Binx from HOCUS POCUS, or maybe The Cat from Outer Space, but I would say that Huck is pretty much just me + my conversations with the HA team. He was a team effort.
“I sent my audition, and then once I was cast, I worked with the whole team and director Julie Nathanson to find the Huck that was right for the story. He’s kind of like your cool uncle, but [with] some dark secrets… Just like your cool uncle!”
On what he learned about witches from Homestead Arcana…
“I would say how much they’re tied to the land and nature. I mean, I knew that, but it really became super clear while working on this game. My wife is kind of a witch , though, so I was already pretty well-versed…”
On differentiating between big-budget and smaller budget games…
“It’s funny, I don’t really differentiate between big budget games and more indie games. What makes it different and exciting for me is the quality of the writing and the excitement of the team. If they'[ve] written me an exciting character and the team is fun to work with then I know I’m going to have a good time. And HA had it all!”
On his favorite performances in video games…
“Man, this community is so talented. I gotta say, though, as far as recent (ish) games, I always go back to the performances of Cissy Jones and Rich Sommer in FIREWATCH. I LOVED that game. And Bill Salyers as Doc Ock in the Spider-Man game because he was so good he made MY performance better. But if I single out anyone else, my other friends will get mad so…”
On what drew him to video game voice acting…
“I came out to Los Angeles to be a movie star like a lot of people, and luckily, in my exploration of any acting job I could do I found voice acting. I was familiar with it because I grew up a fan of video games and animation, but I didn’t think it was a job anyone could get! And luckily when I got into it, video games were becoming more complicated and there was more room for actors!”
On working on Ben 10…
“It’s Hero Time!! I loved working with that team. We were like a family and I LOVED showing up every time to record. It was also cool to see who they would cast in the guest star roles. So many of them were people I had to pretend that I didn’t know because I didn’t want to scare them with how big a nerd I am…
“I’ve LOVED playing Ben. And Ben. And Vilgax!”
On how his approach to animation differs from his approach to video games…
“I’d say my approach is more or less the same, despite the fact that they’re different mediums. I bring what I bring to the table, then it’s all a team effort after that. I love working with other people. It’s my favorite part.”
On what drew him to Homestead Arcana…
Well I will say that it was a lot of things. The story, the world, the message, the character, the team, the music, and the director were a few off the top of my head, but I also have to say the fact that they asked me to audition was a big deal. I don’t just get to choose whatever project I want to work on, and I don’t even always get asked to audition, so that was part of it, too. Thanks, Serenity Forge!”
On the roles he’s played that have impacted him the most…
“They all leave their marks, for better or worse, but getting cast as Superman on LEGION OF SUPERHEROES was a BIG DEAL for me, as a kid who grew up reading comics. And then, of course, Spider-Man was a dream come true. The Prince in the POP series also took up residency inside my heart for whatever reason, and Sasuke on NARUTO has definitely forced me to access some dark places of my own…”
On the biggest challenge he’s experienced in his career and how he overcame it…
“Impostor syndrome. And I haven’t overcome it, I’ve just learned to make friends with it ;)”
On the Skybound character he’d love to voice in a game…
“Renfield!”
Note: Read the full AMA chat with Yuri Lowenthal here, and be sure to wishlist Homestead Arcana on Steam!
