Oleksandr «Sei» Laptiy, a soldier of the 12th Brigade «Azov», spoke about his role in the continuation of the cult Ukrainian game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
A theater and film actor before the war, and now a defender of Ukraine, Laptiy revealed the unique details of his contribution to the sequel. He shared the peculiarities of working on the project, spoke about the difficulties of combining acting with military service, and described his experience of voicing a character in wartime.
Before the war, Oleksandr took part in well-known Ukrainian films, including The Rising Hawk», The Rule of Battle», and Cherkasy». He was invited to join the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 project through a message from the casting director. «They started with a question: “Do you know this game?” «. I said: “Not only do I know it, I’ve played it a few times,” the actor says.
Working on a game differs from the usual film process. Oleksandr describes the complex process of character animation: «You have a bunch of markers on you so that a bunch of cameras located around the perimeter can “catch” you, you have to do a ritual. For example, position A, position B, and some position C. The cameras are fixed, they are calibrated to you, they capture your movement, and the work begins».
The full-scale invasion changed Alexander’s plans. He survived the siege of Chernihiv and later decided to join the ranks of «Azov». «I applied for the BCBP, the basic combat training course, and on June 17… By the way, it will soon be a year since I came to the training ground and joined the Azov Brigade», — Laptiy recalls.
Despite his military service, Oleksandr managed to continue working on the game. He received permission from the command to participate in the voice acting. «Literally in the evening, the commander came and said: “That’s it, my friend Redis has given the go-ahead”. I then went to the first three-day session in Kyiv,» the actor says.
The process of creating the game is shrouded in secrecy. Oleksandr signed non-disclosure documents and received only parts of the script before the voice acting. «Several possible endings. Several options for plot development. By the way, it was quite difficult. You write down, for example, 6 options for the development of one scene», — he shares.
Oleksandr embodied one of the most interesting characters in the game, in his opinion. He even added a personal touch by whistling «How can I not love you, my Kyiv», which will be played in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. «Some actor’s improvisation was positively received by the production team», — Laptiy notes.
Finally, the actor shared a touching moment: «”A bunch of guys say: “Sei, now we have to live to see the release.” I said: “Yes, definitely, guys. We have to live to see the release.” And we have to end this war and integrate into peaceful life».
Game release «S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl» planned on September 5. GSC Game World has even published a video that allows you to listen radio from the game. Also on sale appeared limited edition energy drink Non Stop S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Moonlight.