Halo's Master Chief Was Based On A Hollywood Legend
While there have been many examples of games that have taken inspiration from famous faces and notable figures in history, this one, in particular, is pretty interesting if you’re a fan of the Halo franchise.
According to the voice actor who plays Master Chief, Steve Downes, when he was given the brief on his role, he was told to incorporate characteristics of Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood. You may recognise the guy from all the old school iconic Cowboy/Western-genre films.
As per a report by the Chicago Tribune, Downes said that when the game creators first approached him to take on the role, they described Master Chief as: "He's a super-soldier, a man of few words, a lone wolf, a guy in a spacesuit. You never see his face behind his reflective helmet visor. Think spaghetti Westerns, Clint Eastwood. But in space."
You’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who has owned an Xbox and doesn’t recognise the iconic Master Chief, after all, he is the poster child for the console. The voice acting role was Steve Downes’ first, and he has continued to lend his vocals for every game ever since.
In fact, Downes once spoke in an interview where he was concerned that he wouldn’t be asked back for Halo 4, and Bungie (the game developer before 343 Industries took over in 2009) also considered bringing on a celebrity as the voice of the Master Chief but Downes managed to keep his role - even featuring in the upcoming Halo Infinite. Downes isn’t the only one lending his voice to the 2021 game, however, as a lovely pug called Gyoza has also been an exceptionally good girl and provided the voice clips for alien noises within the game.
With Halo Infinite now touted for an August 2021 release date, it’s believed the game will finally be fully launched around E3, and after fans have waited so patiently, it needs to deliver.
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Images via 343 Industries / Bungie
