Raphael Sbarge (Kaidan, Mass Effect) interviews Jennifer Hale [bad word] Shepard, Mass Effect). Part 1 in a series.

Hi. This is Raphael Sbarge, and I’m so excited today, because based on the success and the response of all the audioblogs that have sort of gone before this, and people have written such wonderful notes of appreciation. I wanna sort of bring to you, for the first time in actual present time, my friend Jennifer Hale and I actually speaking live together.

We’ve spent hours and hours and hours speaking together in Mass Effect, and have never actually done so in real time – of course, because we recorded on separate days. So I wanted to, with no further ado, bring and introduce you to Jennifer Hale. Hold on one second.

Raphael: Jennifer, are you there?

Jennifer: Yeah.

Raphael: Hey, we’re on.

Jennifer: Awesome!

Raphael: How are you?

Jennifer: I’m well, how are you?

Raphael: I’m good. I just was saying that this is sort of for the first time in actual, sort of present time, that we’re actually sort of speaking live together, as opposed to being on separate days.

Jennifer: We’re actually really talking to each other.

Raphael: We’re really talking. I just went online and watched a scene, sort of the, I guess the final, romantic farewell between Kaidan and femShep [Editor's note: It was a video on YouTube. NOT a spoiler.]

Jennifer: Oh … how was it?

Raphael: It’s pretty uh … it’s pretty uh … It’s a hot scene!

Jennifer: Awesome! Awesome! I remember that, I remember recording that scene. OK, now it’s weird talking to you.

Raphael: I know! It’s sort of: Hello!

Jennifer: Yeah, that was fun. That was fun. You know, there’s such a certain safety in what we do, because you know, there’s that iron curtain of actually no one else is in the room.

Raphael: Right [laugh]. It’s sort of you alone, in a room with a microphone; you can kind of go anywhere.

Jennifer: Right?

Raphael: So, amazingly, and I didn’t know this until just recently, I guess you now have the distinction of being in the Guiness Book of World Records as the person who has recorded more videogames than anyone else. Is that right?

Jennifer: I guess so! That’s what someone told me. I had no idea. It’s a trip.

Raphael: Incredible; so if you’re not in a videogame, either it’s not been released, or they haven’t even thought about it yet.

Jennifer: Hey, I like that. I like that. There’s room for all of us. We all need a break.

Raphael: That’s great. That’s great. Well, you started, obviously back with Mass Effect 1. When you came onto it, did you just audition for it, like the rest of the world? How did they find you?

Jennifer: Yep. Just auditioned along with everybody else. Yeah.

Raphael: And what did you make of this whole idea that essentially, that you would be the female version – someone would effectively be sharing the part with you?

Jennifer: You know what’s funny, is I only realized like, probably a few days ago that I never even thought about that. You know, to me, I get so focused on whatever it is that I’m doing, I don’t – the big picture is important to me in terms of context, and what the writer wants. And then I just don’t think about the rest.

Raphael: Yeah, yeah.

Jennifer: I kind of threw into the femShep 1,000% because that’s what’s required, and I don’t even think about manShep unless [bad word] into the moment of recording and I need to. Or broShep, I suppose we’re calling him. Yeah.

Raphael: Is he referenced in the game?

Jennifer: Um.

R: As an alter-ego? Or is it just…

Jennifer: Nope. Never. You either are female, or you are male. One or the other.

Raphael: Right. Right. Right. Has femShep, in a certain sense – from a character development point of view – has she changed from 1, 2 to 3?

Jennifer: Yep. She has totally evolved.

Raphael: How?

Jennifer: She’s [bad word] … you see