Interview: God of War Ragnarok’s biggest plot twist left Tyr voice actor fearing for his job

God of War Ragnarok’s biggest plot twist briefly left voice actor Ben Prendergast fearing for his job. Here’s how the cast and dev team at Santa Monica Studio brought that moment to life.

While the God of War franchise was once best known for its over-the-top violence and staggeringly ambitious boss fights, the rebooted Sony series has turned a new page. Now capturing the minds of players worldwide with its heartwrenching narrative and extraordinary performances, the Kratos-led games have never been more popular.

It’s this pivot that earned the 2018 entry game of the year awards by the dozen and the same can be said of its 2022 sequel. One moment in particular from that most recent entry may even stand the test of time and be recognized as one of the all-time greatest plot twists in our industry.

But exactly is it and how did it all come together? And why was the central voice actor behind it all left fearing for their job? We sat down with Ben Prendergast at PAX Australia to learn how this legendary moment came to life.

Major spoiler warning for God of War Ragnarok. Do not continue reading this interview if you wish to experience the 2022 title with a fresh set of eyes. 

A “cold” first recording session on God of War Ragnarok

When Aussie talent Ben Prendergast arrived on set in Santa Monica for the highly anticipated God of War sequel, two things stood out. Firstly how “intimidating” Christopher Judge was before they became good friends and even “golf buddies”. But secondly, just how “cold” most of the cast was to him.

Breaking down the recording process on a AAA game of this magnitude, he outlined how the crew bands together for a full rehearsal day before any proper shoot. “There are no pickups,” as he put it, meaning there’s no room for mistakes on the day. Your takes have to be spot on.

“When I went into the first session, I had this whole other take on Tyr that was slightly different,” Prendergast told us. “We did this whole rehearsal and it was a little bit cold. I felt it was a bit weird… I was like, wow, some of these people are really cold.”

What he didn’t know was almost everyone else on the production had their reasons for being so frigid. 

After that unnerving first day of practice, Prendergast was only left more confused when Kratos himself, Judge, accidentally let slip not all is quite as it seems with his role.

“We get to the shoot day, and Chris is like, ‘Oh, so you’re that guy…’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean? I’m Tyr, you’ve been through his temples, you’ve got his armor, what are you complaining about?”

It didn’t take long from that point before the game’s director stepped in to explain just what was going on. Though for a few hours, the Tyr we all know and love today was fearing he might be replaced.

Tyr briefly feared for his job

“It got to the end of the first day and the director pulled me aside and wanted to have a meeting,” he said. “I’m like ‘Oh no, I’m being fired.’ I 100% thought I was being fired.”

One of just a handful of cast members not clued into the shocking plot twist, it wasn’t until after he flew to sunny Los Angeles and made it through the first day of shooting that Prendergast learned of the truth behind his now doubly important role.

“I go in, sit down, and they’re like ‘Look, we really have to tell you something… You are also Odin.’

“Wait…what do you mean?” he replied. “I thought that was [Richard] Schiff?”

From there, it was off to the races, with Prendergast now fully aware of the scope of his performance. Not only was he responsible for bringing Tyr to life, but also for subtly representing Odin’s mannerisms and energy without going overboard. A delicate balance he was constantly trying to refine throughout the rest of the recording process.

“I’m so thankful,” he continued. “They legitimately could have said nothing. But because they trusted in me being able to play both sides…” they clued him in early into the gig so it could help inform his direction, “which in the end became really important.

“When you’re in a scene as Tyr, you’re also in a scene as Odin. They’re two different objectives. So it became a conversation after every take, we’d huddle up and ask ‘Is Odin doing enough of this? Is Tyr doing enough of that? Are players actually gonna cotton onto anything? 

“The whole time we were so afraid [of players catching on]. Tyr doing something too weird.”

It’s clear now to everyone involved they did indeed strike that balance. Countless players were left stunned by the shocking revelation, and watching their reactions has now become a favorite form of entertainment for Prendergast.

And while the events of Ragnarok post-Odin revelation seemingly set our characters off in a new direction, it appears there’s every chance Prendergast isn’t quite done with his work just yet. A few months prior to our conversation he teased we haven’t “seen the last of Tyr.”