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Behind the Voice: An Interview with Johnny Young (Crypto)
Johnny Young is the voice actor for the new Legend, Crypto
What got you into voice acting?
I originally started acting about 15 years ago doing film, television, and theater. I did a few shows here and there but never got a “big break”. I always gamed on my free time with my best friends and would always geek out over trailers thinking how cool they were but never connected acting with games. I started to notice that my friend, Charlet Chung (aka D.Va), was voicing titles and I totally geeked out. I reached out to her and asked how she got into it. Although I had decades of gaming under my belt, she was ultimately the one who really guided me through everything and acted as a Mama bear through it all.
According to IMDb, you've been in movies, TV shows, and video games. Any favorite roles?
Oh man, to be honest, Saving Private Ryan was my favorite movie growing up so doing this Turkish Film called Ayla was awesome! It’s about the Turkish, American, and Korean Soldiers that fought in the Korean war and I got to play a hero! We almost made it to the Oscars! But we didn’t make it lol. I had a small but awesome part in it so it was a childhood dream come true.
And, if I was being honest, it’s been working on Apex as Crypto. No joke. As a kid, I used to collect cards and comics. I would watch Saturday morning cartoons like X-men and Exosquad and play video games all day so as a “grown-up (not really)”, it’s just so cool I could be a part of a video game that I actually love and play and I mean come on, it’s Respawn! Seriously! I mean, I literally bought my Xbox One at release just for Titanfall when it was an exclusive. And the trailers?! Wooo hot damn... I mean, I worked on them but when I watch the trailers, I became 10 again.
How was it to work with Respawn and the other voice actors?
Oh man, they’re literally the best and when I say best, I mean BEST. Super chill guys, just a bunch of guys that are as geeky as us and love what they do. They work their asses off and really really care about the game and are meticulous about trying to bring you guys the best experience, seriously. I really wanted to tell everyone that. I told myself if I had ever gotten a platform, I wanted to let everyone know. There’s a lot of work that goes into stuff like this and I know that sometimes it can be frustrating as a player and understandably so but they’re really doing their best.
Oh, I got to work with Roger Craig Smith!!! (Mirage VA) My god, that guy is talented. It was so amazing just watching the guy work. I mean, half of the stuff we’re laughing at in the trailers wasn’t written; it was just him being him. He is such a goofball, an amazing actor, and all-around good guy. It was so hard not to laugh or stay in a grounded Crypto around him. I learned so much just watching him.
You've most recently worked on a few different video games. Are you also a fellow gamer?
Yes, I am. I’m not a pro or anything but I can confidently say I’m ok in Tekken and MK11 (I’ll beat you son *ahem) I’m joking - I can hold my own casually. I play Apex and actually was a fan before I got cast lol. Huge Titanfall, Call of Duty, Battlefield, Overwatch, Rainbow 6 Siege, God of War, Division, Destiny, Can’t wait for the new Last of Us and Star Wars! You get it lol.
This might divide the subreddit a bit but what platform? (Keep it civil in the comments, everyone)
I pretty much owned all consoles and don’t mind playing on whatever to be honest but I recently built a RIG so P….C… Mmmmaster race.
Out of everything you've played before... What's your all-time favorite game?
That’s such a hard question to answer. There are so many games that impacted me in so many different ways but as a whole package, it might have to be Battlefield 3 or Modern Warfare 2... ahh I don’t know
Not only are you a gamer, but you're also a Titanfall fan! Did you play both Titanfall 1 and 2?
Hell yeah! What you know about Angel city and BT. When your bar fills up and you hide and Titan drop another player or you Kamikaze Nuke and eject woo
Since you also play Apex, here's some Apex specific questions….
What's your favorite Legend? (besides Crypto)
I usually use Gibraltar. Totally noob shield self nuke when my team is down to pick them up.
What's your favorite gun?
Depends on the situation but you can never go wrong with the PeaceKeeper Bruh
What's your favorite map location to drop?
Supply Ship or furthest away from the chaos lol
Some more Crypto specific questions... You must have been super excited when the Crypto teasing started. Was it hard to stay quiet?
Omg I wanted to say something soooooooooo bad, it wasn't even funny. People would talk about Apex and inside I wanted to tell everyone. I have friends that I play with and I had to pretend I knew nothing while we would play or when I would see Reddit posts like “man… I hope they do more trailers”, I’d want to shake my monitor and be like IT’S COMING WOOOO YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S COMING! < that's me being excited
What do you think of Crypto's character and storyline?
I was really excited when the Respawn guys, specifically Manny Hagopian (writer), sat me down and talked to me about Crypto, his lore and the Apex Universe. I loved all the mystery that surrounded him and the stuff that lead up to Crypto becoming Crypto, I mean, he’s such a badass. He’s ice-cold but for good reason. He has a lot going on internally. Getting his background story and having that animated trailer was like the 10-year-old Johnny’s dream come true.
Is there anything you feel like you would have personally changed about Crypto's personality or behavior?
No, not really. Respawn definitely had a specific type in mind and I gave them what I thought he might sound like and they loved it!
Did you get a chance to see or play Crypto while recording?
I didn't really get to see too much while recording. Just bits here and there.
Apex Legends has a massive amount of diversity within the game that allows people to play a character that they identify with, instead of just being "generic male #9". What does it feel like to represent a Korean character within such a massively popular game?
It feels super awesome because, on the one hand, I was like Yeah a KOREAN character! but on the other hand, like you said it’s such a big game and him specifically being Korean (even though he’s a fictional character), I wanted to try and represent him Correctly. So, I felt a bit of pressure. It’s just so cool to see Respawn getting so specific and making bold choices like this.
Here are a few questions from our Discord community: Were you able to watch the trailers and story videos before they came out? What were your thoughts on them?
Yes, bits here and there. It was really cool to see everything come together. I only really got to see the barebones structure of everything, but you pretty much got a general idea of what it was going to look like while it was being constructed.
There have been some questions about characters from other games tying into some of the Legends. You played a hacker in the Overwatch short and are now THE hacker for Apex Legends. Any thoughts on that? Are you actually a hacker?!
Coincidence ? or maybe Crypto is just the “Front” and Johnny is the hacker who plays an Actor who is a hacker. Now you’ll never know. Confused ? exactly. Your brain has been hacked.
What hobbies do you have outside of work and gaming?
I trained in Muay Thai and Juijitsu for a bit but had to stop due to injuries. These days it’s traveling and working out. Oh, I love watching UFC; totally look forward to the weekends watching the fights. Big fan and a big coffee lover < that totally can be a hobby.
What type of music do you listen to or enjoy?
This is totally stereotypical but I listen to mostly Korean music. Kpop, Korean Hiphop, Korean Indie bands. When it comes to American music - Drake, Eminem, Logic, Post-Malone, Kanye, Foo-Fighters, Jazz
You have quite a few food pics on your Instagram... What's your favorite food?
I totally do lol. I’d have to say Korean food. It just feels comfortable. My dad always used to say that growing up and I never understood that, but I guess I’m an old fart now because I know what he means.
What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
Vanilla!
Last, and possibly the most important question: Instagram suggested you might have a couple of dogs... Is this true? Do you have other pets? If so, we're going to need names, pictures and to know if they are a good dog.
Oh man I love doggos and all the goodest bois. But no, the dogs on my Instagram are unfortunately not mine :( they’re my friends' pups. My family does have a toy poodle and his name is Henry. He’s 16, so he’s a Gramps.
Where can we find you online?
Huge thanks to Johnny Young for answering our questions! He’ll be checking out the comment section later today (/u/thereal_JohnnyYoung), if you have any other questions you’d like to send his way. Please keep in mind that he won’t be able to give us specific details of Season 3: Meltdown or of Crypto until it releases on October 1st.
What did you think of this post? Want us to do more? There are a couple of other voice actors floating around here somewhere.. Maybe they’ll be next? Let us know what you think!
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