Fichtner breathes life into Sandman, the Delta operator who plays a pivotal role in the game's campaign mode. The actor talks about Call of Duty, his own gaming background, and Black Hawk Down helped prepare him for the role in this exclusive interview.
Can you talk about Sandman? Who is this character in your eyes?
Sandman is even a little bit of a mystery to me, which I guess is kind of the point, which is kind of cool. He's a Delta operator and Delta is one of those things that doesn't even exist. I'll give you an example. I had the great fortune of preparing for Black Hawk Down, and Jerry Bruckheimer set it up for all the young guys that were playing Rangers to go to Fort Benning for a week where the Ranger school is. Some of the helicopter pilots were going to Fort Campbell, which is one of the big helicopter bases in the U.S., and some of the Special Forces guys, the Delta guys, were going to Fort Bragg. It was amazing. It was like a fantasy baseball camp for Special Ops. But even when you got there, you didn't really bring up the word Delta because everybody looks at you like there is no Delta. So it has that sort of mystique. And it's well-earned because they're amazing. They move at their own speed and when they want to go they make their own decisions on-the-fly.
That's the kind of character Sandman is. He's put into the circumstances of what's happening in the game and the places in the world that are being affected, and he just free wheels and he moves and he moves quickly. He's got a group with him that are just as tough and as good as he is, and that's my guy. He's the man, but the Delta guys that walk around never say that. They don't. They just like to walk softly and carry a really, really large stick.
When you went to that Black Hawk Down boot camp, did you get a sense of how popular video games are with the military?
You know, I didn't. You've got to figure, it was ten years ago, and even though the video game industry was around then and strong, it was nothing like it is now. I didn't get a sense of what the guys were playing at the time, though I hear it's incredibly popular, especially for guys that are deployed outside the United States. It's really popular with those guys and I think the tremendous success that the Modern Warfare games have had is partially because of the attention to detail in these games. So apparently these guys think that, and let me tell you something, if you're getting Special Ops guys thinking that what you're making is pretty cool, I think you're in good company.
How much work was involved in bringing this character to life?
When I first heard about the game and they said it's probably going to be about six sessions. I was thinking, "Great, I'll do them all in a week." But they explained to me that I had to do one a week. And then when I went to do one I realized you can't do more than one a week because it's so intense to perform and do that.
What was the process like for you over those six weeks?
Keith Aram, who directed the game, was in charge of really steering the ship while we actually recorded the game. He's fantastic and knowledgeable. Keith is like a walking encyclopedia about the game, where it's at, where it's going and what we're doing at that moment. Without having somebody like him, I would have been winging it. I felt like I knew the next step to take every step of the way.
Did they show you sequences from Modern Warfare 3 to help you in the audio booth?
Absolutely. A lot of it wouldn't be complete at the time, but they'd show me pieces and they would fill in the blanks and explain where we were going and what the moment was about. And that's just great direction. When you have great direction, you don't have to take a guess at where the moment is. They'd show me clips and say, "We're in this tunnel right now, so there are changes because the intensity level goes up." And then you have to act accordingly even if it's just you in a sound booth. I had a really good sense by the time we were finished, believe me. It's a lot. It's a lot to do. That's what makes it just a thrilling game because there's so many places that you can go and you will go there. You know if you play this game, you've got a lot to explore and I had a lot to record.
What's the reaction been like when you tell people you're in the new Modern Warfare game?
I have a lot of nephews and they're about college age now. Of all the things I've ever done in my life, when I mentioned to them this summer when we were at a big family gathering that I was playing Sandman in the next Modern Warfare, they all looked at me. Uncle Bill went up like five notches on the ladder. I got serious status out of just telling them that. Then they started asking me for the t-shirts. It's always great in the entertainment field to have anybody be excited about something. The folks that love this game are thrilled about it and so I'm proud of it. I'm happy. I think we made something to be proud of and people are going to love it.
