The first Alan Wake game was released in May 2010 by the Finnish studio Remedy Entertainment. Sam Lake, the charming Creative Director of the studio, spearheaded the project. Remedy was hot off the heels from the second Max Payne game, of which Sam Lake had lent his face to the game’s protagonist. With Max Payne, Remedy hired American actor James McCaffrey (RIP) to voice the gruff, hard-boiled New Yorker protagonist. Due to budgeting restraints, the studio felt forced to utilize existing staff members for in-game character designs. This penny-pinching process led to Sam Lake himself becoming the face of Max Payne. This double-down philosophy bled into the production of the thrilling adventure game Alan Wake.
The first Alan Wake game follows the effortlessly cool protagonist, Alan Wake, and his wife on a vacation to the Pacific Northwest. Upon arrival, Alan finds himself immersed in a supernatural whirlwind fighting the dark forces emanating from a mysterious lake. The Twin Peaks-inspired title became a cult classic with critical acclaim, nabbing Time Magazine’s coveted best game of 2010. A highly demanded sequel was released in 2023.
As the team shifted focus from Max Payne to Alan Wake, a similar approach emerged with the actors. Local performer Ilkka Villi did the facial capture and mocap performance because he lives in Finland and could commute to the studio to film his segments without hassle. While Ilkka Villi speaks English and had even spent time living in the United States, his American accent isn’t native, and the studio opted to hire an American vocal performer. Remedy hired Matthew Porretta for his ‘cool but terrified’ tone and natural New Yorker accent. Both performances came together to form the fully fleshed-out character of Alan Wake- exactly as Sam Lake had envisioned.
In a recent interview with Abhi Jha, Sam Lake said he based this decision on “the history of how games have been made.” Sam Lake states they “didn’t even realize this person could be one and the same.”
The core reason two different performers parallel play Alan Wake is simply studio standard culture and a practice followed to this day. Within the larger Remedy-verse, many actors play multiple roles. Matthew Porreta also plays the live-action Dr. Casper Darling in Control, and Ilkka Villi does double duty in Alan Wake 2 with his role as filmmaker/poet Thomas Zane. The late great James McCaffrey lent his voice to Sam Lake’s likeness twice within the Remedy-verse with his role as Max Payne and as Alex Casey in Alan Wake 2.
Sam Lake also discusses how Remedy was among the “first to start using real-life people as models for the characters. Up to that point, it was essentially just creating the characters and then bringing in voice actors to perform the lines.” He also cites this process as similar to how animated films are created.
While single-performer mocap and vocals is a more streamlined process, pairing a voice to a different performer is an art Remedy has mastered. This process in lesser hands would land more like bad anime dubs. There’s a reason it’s not a popular procedure- it’s simply easier to hire one performer for one performance.
Matthew Porretta recorded his lines in the United States, while Ilkka Villi recorded his performance locally in Finland. Despite the distance, their collaboration was seamless. They would study each other’s performance to piece together the full puzzle of their shared character. This unique collaboration culminated in a live performance at the 2023 Game Awards, where they shared the stage for Alan Wake 2’s “Herald of Darkness” alongside David Harewood (Mr. Door), Sam Lake (Alex Casey), and The Poets of the Fall (The Old Gods of Asgard).
Interestingly, on the inverse, 2023’s Alan Wake 2 had two characters played by one actor. Jaakko and Ilmo Koskela, the entrepreneurial twin brothers behind Coffee World and the Watery Lighthouse Trailer Park, are both played by Finnish actor Peter Franzén. He played serious double duty by performing vocals and mocap performances for both brothers. The role was designed for one actor to play both brothers to lock in that true twin power. The actor has discussed his role as a challenge but clearly a welcome one.
After learning about the unique process of character performances in Alan Wake 2, we’re curious: what was your favorite performance in the game? Share your thoughts, and let’s continue the discussion.
