Arcane's Kevin Alejandro Recruited An Avatar Voice Acting Pro To Help With Jayce
"Arcane" is one of the best animated shows of the past decade, a masterclass in adapting and reinterpreting a popular franchise for a different medium. Studio Fortiche delivered one of the most stunning pieces of animation in years with this show, which draws from the world of the hugely popular video game franchise "League of Legends."
The story follows a group of characters across the socioeconomic spectrum in the dual city of Piltover and Zaun. They are caught in the middle of a revolution when the discovery of a century is made — arcane technology, which is essentially magic. There are compelling characters and stories, exquisite worldbuilding, and gorgeous fight scenes to boot.
"Arcane" also boasts a fantastic voice cast that includes Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, Katie Leung, and many more actors who are set to return for season 2.
Most of the cast was unfamiliar with the "League of Legends" universe — and with this being an animated project where everyone recorded their roles separately, that meant they had to find creative ways of immersing themselves in their characters and the world. For Kevin Alejandro, who plays the popular character Jayce The Defender of Tomorrow, the solution was to go to an expert. Alejandro relied on a legend in the field of voice acting and a former leader of the Lost Boys of Neverland: Dante Basco.
The league of League of Legends experts
Speaking with Buzzfeed, Kevin Alejandro talked about being new to "League of Legends" but being inspired to audition for "Arcane" thanks to his son's love of the property. As soon as he got the role, however, it was time to prepare. Rather than play the original game (which shares rather little in common with the show, to be honest), Alejandro "enlisted the help of fellow voice actor and family friend, Dante Basco, to help him familiarize himself with the world of 'League of Legends.'"
Basco, of course, is no stranger to big franchises or animated projects. He played Rufio in "Hook" (a role Basco has tried to revive in recent years) and has voiced hugely popular characters in beloved cartoons like Jake Long in "American Dragon." Of course, Basco is best known for voicing Zuko in "Avatar: The Last Airbender," the recipient of the greatest redemption arc in cartoon history. According to Alejandro, Basco is also a big "League of Legends" fan and helped him with his character and the lore.
Like the millions of people around the world who've become obsessed with "League of Legends" since it launched, some Hollywood actors got into the hobby too. Take Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan, who have a podcast about their friendship and experience making "Lord of the Rings."In the podcast, they also share their journey with discovering "League of Legends" ... and their failed attempts to get the other Hobbit actors hooked on the game. Basco even made an appearance in an episode and explained why "League of Legends" is now like playing pickup basketball in the playground.
"Arcane" season 1 is streaming on Netflix.