Temple of Geek’s Dana Reboe interviews voice actors Matthew Mercer, Marisha Ray, and Ashley Johnson about The Legend of Vox Machina, an animated fantasy-adventure series for adults that follow Vox Machina, a band of misfits with a fondness for boozing and brawling.
Interview with Matthew Mercer, Marisha Ray, and Ashley Johnson
Matthew Mercer is an award-winning actor best known for his roles in animation and video games. In this series, he plays “Lord Sylas Briarwood et. al.” Marisha Ray voices “Keyleth.” Marisha is a producer, voice actor and is known for her roles in video games and animation, as well as the massively popular hit show and media brand, Critical Role. Ashley Johnson is a Los Angeles-based actor known for her roles in television, film, animation, and video games. She voices the kind-hearted character “Pike Trickfoot.”
The Legend of Vox Machina
The Legend of Vox Machina is a production of Amazon Studios, Critical Role, and Titmouse for Prime Video and is based on the characters and adventures of Critical Role’s first live-streamed tabletop role-playing game (RPG) campaign.
Vox Machina is a group of mercenaries for hire who only care about making money and drinking. However, what started as a routine gig for some much-needed cash has led them down a path of discovery. They realize that their kingdom, Exandria, is being threatened, and they are the only ones capable of saving it. The Legend of Vox Machina is the origin story behind these reluctant heroes.
Something really fascinating about this series is that the Critical Role cast also serves as executive producers. This is because of the unique way that this show came together. It was something that came together because of its very devoted fanbase who raised funds to get this animated series made.
Vox Machina’s Critical Role Origins
The series stars Critical Role founders and cast members Laura Bailey (The Last of Us: Part II), Taliesin Jaffe (Final Fantasy XIV), Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us), Liam O’Brien (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Matthew Mercer (Overwatch), Marisha Ray (Final Fantasy XV), Sam Riegel (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and Travis Willingham (Marvel’s Avengers).
The Legend of Vox Machina is a production of Amazon Studios, Critical Role, and Titmouse for Prime Video. Critical Role is a story-driven media company created by a group of geeky voice actors that started out gaming together. In 2019, they launched a Kickstarter campaign to produce a 22-minute animated special based on the characters and adventures of Vox Machina, Critical Role’s original live-streamed tabletop RPG campaign.
Because they are so beloved among their fanbase, they were able to meet their initial funding goal within minutes. That says a lot about the power of storytelling coming from Vox Machina and the talent of the voice actors. The campaign raised over $11.3 million and became one of the most funded Film & Video projects in Kickstarter history.
With this campaign funded, they were prepared to put forth a 10-episode season when Amazon Studios picked up the series and ordered an additional 14 episodes, bringing the total number of episodes to 24 across two seasons, which will stream exclusively on Prime Video.
For more gaming and television coverage like this check out:
The Legend of Vox Machina, A First Look from Amazon Prime Video
Del Rey to Publish Critical Role: Vox Machina Kith & Kin
Exandria Unlimited, a new show from the minds at Critical Role
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