Given that the developers of Warframe often joke that they “collect voice actors like Infinity Stones,” two of the latest gems gathered for Digital Extremes’ gauntlet are Will de Renzy-Martin and Elsa Pérusin. The pair joined the game in December’s Warframe: The Old Peace update as Father Lyon Allard and Marie Leroux, two-thirds of the “Devil’s Triad”—a shadowy group the player can encounter in the year XX99, locked in time thanks to the machinations of Albrecht Entrati.
CGMagazine had the chance to catch up with the duo on day one of TennoCon last week, to talk about the intricacies of their characters, the close connection between Warframe‘s writers and actors, and the fine art of realistic swearing in video game dialogue.
So how does it feel to be here at TennoCon, amongst the Warframe community?
Elsa Pérusin: Well, it’s been two days in London now, and it was so quiet and happy with us meeting each other and the Digital Extremes team that I completely forgot that the people were coming today. And then this morning…
Will de Renzy-Martin: Seeing the line of people…
Elsa Pérusin: And I was like, “Oh, now I remember, I’m so happy to meet everyone!”
Will de Renzy-Martin: You’re already having a nice time, and then you’re like, “Oh, but there’s more fun to be had!”
That’s probably the biggest line I think I’ve ever seen out there.
Elsa Pérusin: Oh, wow. We’re so lucky!
So this is the first time you guys have met in person then?
Will de Renzy-Martin: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, you very rarely even get to hear other people’s lines when you’re recording stuff, let alone do stuff at the same time.
Elsa Pérusin: I was actually in China when I was recording, because I was touring with a musical show and so I had no chance to be in the same room as everyone, of course. But yeah, we were separated, and now this is a meeting, and it is fun.
Will de Renzy-Martin: I didn’t know you did musicals?
Elsa Pérusin: I do. I didn’t know you could do a French accent, so this is only fair, I think.
Will de Renzy-Martin: [laughs] That’s fair, that’s fair. I don’t sing in the game, but yeah.
Elsa Pérusin: [laughs] Until now… This is your moment.
Will de Renzy-Martin: [singing] This is my moment…
Elsa Pérusin: Oh! He seized it!
How did you each get started in voice acting?
Elsa Pérusin: Well, voice acting, for me, started really when there was the COVID period, and the studios were asking for people that had material at home to record. And I had, and it’s been my start, my place to be at the moment. And I loved it so much. Since then, I record pretty much everything I can from commercial to documentaries, so cartoons and now video games.
Will de Renzy-Martin: Yeah, I started doing bits and pieces of voiceover in 2017, 18, and gradually that built into doing more and more. And in the last four or five years, I’ve mostly done video games, which has been a tremendous privilege.
When you were coming aboard Warframe, what was the initial sort of pitch or concept for each of your characters that you were given?
Elsa Pérusin: For me, for the audition, I had a few words of descriptions, and two references, I think. I knew she was religious and naive, and she was kind until the point you mention heresy, and then there would be a shift in her behaviour and in her tone. The references were Marion Cotillard in Inception… and Joan of Arc. Like, an Oscar winner and a literal saint. And I was like, “Cool, hope I’m good at what I do!”
Will de Renzy-Martin: Yeah, I don’t think I saw any concept art in the audition stage, and I can’t remember who my references were, but there was a lot of talk about, you know, “This is a dogmatic person. It’s a religious background as well, French accent…” And then once I got the part, I saw some of the concept art and then got to talk with the writers and see the lines, and that informs a lot of how the character is.
To that point, last year at the narrative panel, the writers mentioned that they had worked with Quincy’s voice actor, Trieve Blackwood-Cambridge, to fine-tune the character’s mannerisms and way of speaking to fit his own. Did you get a chance to work with the writers to add the French flair to the Devil’s Triad?
Will de Renzy-Martin: I think it was mostly there when we were working with it. There were a few lines where, you know, basically it just said “[swears in French]” and so you had to go ham for a bit. But yeah, mostly it was it was already in the writing.
Elsa Pérusin: They are really, really interested in keeping it as real as possible. So as a native French person, I was completely allowed to say, “it would be more like…”, and you write for the swearing because you have to be native to be exactly precise. Kat Kingsley, the writer, she was already always on the session, listening to everything and super ready to change everything so that it can be as natural as possible, as true as possible. And this is why it is so great and well-written—because she’s writing with us, and I wish for perfection.
The authenticity really shines through. Here in Canada, you hear stories of people who take a lot of French in school, then go to France, or specifically Paris, and their Québécois French doesn’t quite fit in exactly.
Will de Renzy-Martin: Yeah, it’s a very different accent.
Elsa Pérusin: It’s the Parisians’ fault. No no, we can understand each other very well, but Parisians are… who they are.
So, how did you feel about the relationship dynamics between the Triad in Warframe?
Elsa Pérusin: For me, the interesting twist is when the player dates Roath and suddenly [as Marie] I’m like, “What? How can you? And is it possible that he deserves love too, I guess?” There is this line, like: “…is it the tail? It is the tail, it must be the tail.'”
Will de Renzy-Martin: I think the relationships between the three of them are so fascinating. You’ve got this sort of fraternal relationship here that is really quite tender, the whole thing where Lyon won’t start talking to you until Marie trusts you. There’s that kind of barrier of the protective sister.
I think Lyon himself doesn’t really think of himself as being worthy of love, and then in all of his lines when you start talking to him, he’s like, “Oh, you must be joking. What’s going on?” Then with Roathe and being like, “I hate him, I don’t know why he exists,” but he’s also kind of protective of Roathe in his own way. Those dynamics between the three are fascinating.
Yeah, you have Marie and Lyon’s whole thing, and then you add Roathe and then the Drifter into it…
Elsa Pérusin: Yes, the whole dynamic changes.
It must have been interesting as well to record all the different dialogues, given the various possible routes the relationships can take.
Will de Renzy-Martin: Yeah. It’s like, “No, this line, you hate them. This line, they’ve just broken up with you. This line…”
Elsa Pérusin: My favourite is when the player is not sure if they want to date you anymore, but it’s the uncertainty. It’s time to make up your mind! Okay, not taking it personal.
Personally, I love the ones when you talk to them as a vendor, and then walk away from them without buying anything.
Will de Renzy-Martin: Lyon gets really sassy in some of those. “What a waste…”
I feel guilty every time. Speaking of dynamics for the characters, each member of the Triad offers a pretty distinct view on Albrecht Entrati, and the Drifter can conflict with their interpretations of his goals and morality. Do you agree with your character’s take on Entrati?
Will de Renzy-Martin: My feeling is that there’s a kind of respect for him being the cardinal, but also a distrust because he’s the one who lands Roath in their lap and says, you know, “look after him, I’ve got a plan, just trust.” As a religious man, Lyon goes, “Well, that’s just like everything else in my life.” I can see why he feels the way he does about Entrati—whether I would feel that way, I don’t know. Entrati is such a bizarre series of choices, really.
On a similar note, do you feel like Roathe is “saveable?”
Will de Renzy-Martin: That’s the question, isn’t it? I think so.
Elsa Pérusin: This is the point with Mary. She trusts people, and she trusts the good in people. So it’s like I must say yes.
Will de Renzy-Martin: It’s almost like she has to believe it.
Elsa Pérusin: Yeah, she wants to be loyal. She wants to be hopeful every time. So I have to say yes.
The Triad are kind of isolated within La Cathédrale—if they go beyond their little home there, are there any characters from the wider Warframe universe you would personally like to see them interact with?
Will de Renzy-Martin: I mean, I would love to see what Arthur would make of all of them, but also, I feel like there’d be a really begrudging friendship between Amir and Lyon. It’s kind of like, “the fast and the slow.” There’d be something going on there.
That’s such a dynamic; I never would have thought of that pair. Meeting with the Hex could be very interesting too, as the player can have one love interest in The Hex and one in the Triad…
Will de Renzy-Martin: True. Actually, that would be very difficult to untangle because they were in a different part of the universe, effectively. So that’s okay. Then if suddenly they can interact, then it’s a proper polycule.
Do you have any other favourite lines from your character in Warframe?
Elsa Pérusin: I usually say this is my favourite, because I laugh every time I think of it. In French, it’s “Je vais te botter le cul, sale maudit,” which means, “I’m gonna kick your ass, you’re doomed.” I don’t know. It makes me laugh every time because she’s so calm and grounded most of the time, but then it’s too rough, actually. It’s very surprising coming from her. I remember when I read it, my brain was in the English mode and suddenly I see this sentence in French. I was like, “Are you sure this is what you want? Is it exactly what you want to say?”
Will de Renzy-Martin: Yeah, I think we get away with a lot of swearing in French that wouldn’t be allowed if it was in English. [laughs] I think my favourite line has to be on the Transference: “Each time you enter, I taste elderberry. Should I be concerned?” It’s so silly. I love it.
Do you have any other hopes for the future of the Devil’s Triad, in future Warframe updates?
Elsa Pérusin: I really hope there are other opportunities to, I don’t know, make the link. I hope we will be back in some way.
With the Hex returning in a way through the roleplaying game-themed Shockwave, there could be a similarly fun opportunity for the Triad down the line…
Will de Renzy-Martin: There’s so much to them and the way in which they interact with the rest of the Warframe lore. Obviously there’s the whole Lyon/Harrow/Rell connection thing that has been hinted at and explored a little bit. And that’s just one element—obviously Lyon can see all of the Void going on in the background all the time. So you could pull any strand out of there, and that would be fun to explore. But yeah, I do like that idea, like a different alternate universe version of..
“Cathédrale-wave,” maybe? Lastly, do you have any other upcoming projects you’d like to let people know about?
Elsa Pérusin: I will be in China again for a few weeks for musicals, yeah. No, you know how it is: you are far from your home and your daily life, and this is the only reality I know for this week. It’s here, and I’m so excited to meet the players today.
Will de Renzy-Martin: There’s a game coming out in September called The Blood of Dawnwalker—I’m playing the protagonist in that. I’m very excited; I got to play a bit of it last week, and I’m very excited to play more of it when it comes out. It’s my jam.
(Warframe is available free-to-play now on all major platforms.)
