Voice Actor, David Bateson - Hitman 20th Anniversary Special

(TSAP S03E14)

In this very special episode, Sam Hughes chats with actor David
Bateson as he celebrates 20 years of portraying Agent 47 in the
acclaimed Hitman series this year.  They discuss how it all
began, some of the highlights, how the character has been a part
of him for so long and... The Chuckle Brothers?? Plus so much
more! 


This is definitely one of our best episodes so don't miss
this!

"David Bateson has played the leading character of Agent 47 in
the Hitman game franchise for 20 years since its first release in
2000.


Agent 47 is an immensely complex character. David Bateson has
brought a brooding, melancholic intensity to the Hitman
character. His portrayal of a cloned assassin-for-hire is both
dangerous and appealing in its flawed humanity.


In the latest entry in the series HITMAN 2, the story of Agent 47
was told in a more personal way than in previous games -starting
with his very recruitment as an assassin more than 20 years ago,
through to the most challenging contracts that he has ever
completed.


Agent 47 must explore his own sense of identity, his relationship
with his long-term handler, various intricate characters and
roles as part of his professional work, and deal with the
revelation that somebody has been tracking his movements for more
than two decades. Having voiced Agent 47 for 7 Hitman games,
David is intimately familiar with this enigmatic, multifaceted
character. His prowess as an actor delivers a varied, different
approach to many scenes than were originally conceived. Agent 47
is often required to take on the disguise of others and David
convincingly plays a sundry of roles while on occasion, leaving
room for the player to pick up a sense of the game’s very dark
sense of humour and self-irony.


As the beginning of the game starts 20 years in the past, David’s
long and extensive history with the character allowed him to
connect with the memories of voicing the character for the first
time 20 years ago and build that into the sense of nostalgia that
our players would have been feeling at the same time.


He meticulously performs the different personalities and plot
developments of Agent 47, whilst maintaining the integrity of the
character. Added to which, his subtle and very dark sense of
humor draws the player ever deeper into the world of
assassination. Disguised as an Estate Agent, he calmly describes
the dubious qualities of a house’s various rooms (as seen through
the eyes of an assassin) to some prospective buyers while
simultaneously planning an assassination, is just one such
example.


David has added a new level of depth to the already complex
character of Agent 47 while strengthening the relationship of the
fans to the personality of this trained assassin."

Big thanks to Caullum Tennick for editing.

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