It's been nearly three years since Dragon Quest XI released internationally, introducing longtime fans and newcomers to a beloved cast of new characters. Set in the world of Erdrea, Dragon Quest 11's darker themes were always juxtaposed with the game's colorful aesthetic and Akira Toriyama's playful designs. Perhaps no character better embodied the fun spirit and multi-layered themes in the game more than Sylvando - an entertainer who wants to make the world smile, even when times are tough.
The voice behind Sylvando in the English version of Dragon Quest 11 is Shai Matheson, whose voicework has also been featured in video games like the highly-acclaimed Chicken Police - Paint It Red!, as well as titles like Cyberpunk 2077 , Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint, and more. He'll also be voicing Mark Twain in Neil Gaiman's upcoming The Sandman: Act II and currently voices Dollop on the Jessy and Nessy TV series.
Shai Matheson recently discussed what it was like to work on Dragon Quest 11 with Screen Rant, as well as what it was like to voice such a fan-favorite character like Sylvando.
Can you tell us a bit about what it was like to record lines for Dragon Quest XI? Were you ever recording with other actors, or were you alone for most of it?
"Well the first thing I can tell you about recording lines is that it was incredible fun! Sadly no, I never got to be in the studio with any of the other actors - and until the game was released I didn’t know who most of them were. It’s all very secretive! I had our wonderful voice director Jon Ashley to bounce lines off of, and sometimes you get other actors' lines fed in if they were recorded, so it never feels too disjointed."
What was it like channeling all that Sylvando energy alone? Did you ever find it difficult?
"Oh no, I actually think it was quite beneficial at times to be alone, as I was less shy and more willing to try things out, which maybe with other actors there I’d be more self aware. Sylvando needed to exude levels of confidence and presence that I probably would have been too careful with around other actors. He definitely isn’t afraid to steal the limelight - which I am…"
Since Dragon Quest XI’s release, Sylvando has become a fan-favorite character. When you were doing voiceover work for him, did you expect fans would have such a positive reaction to him or that he would develop such a following?
"I certainly never anticipated a 'following' and could never have predicted the levels of love he receives from fans of the game. It really blows my mind that we’re here, over 3 years later, still talking about him! I’m so flattered by the positive reaction, but of course it’s not just me - it was a collaborative effort, chiefly the guys at Shloc who adapted the script, director Jon, and of course the wonderful team at Side UK (the studio where so many incredible games are recorded). Well, and of course Square Enix - the big chiefs. We all really loved Sylv and we were probably aware that he is different to other characters in the game, and a bit 'out there.' We loved that about him - but you can never anticipate how people will react. We just wanted to show him as confident in his own skin and proud and unapologetic about who he is - being a fierce fighter but also a huge lovable sweetheart - and I’m glad that carried through to the players."
Can you tell us what the process was like for figuring out Sylvando? How did you get into the character and prepare for the role?
"It’s hard to say, as so much of it is instinct and on the spot or happens organically in the studio, in collaboration. I think the notion of the accent being somewhat South American came from the casting team at Side or from Shloc, as a suggestion, and I just ran with it as it’s an accent I feel very comfortable with. Now when I say 'an accent,' it really isn’t one, haha - we didn’t want it to clearly belong to any specific country. It probably started as Argentinian and then moved around. That gave a sense of flamboyance and warmth that maybe comes more naturally to people in that part of the world. That, combined with him being a circus performer, natural entertainer, brash and confident - all just created this personality that we ended up with. Like I said, we were always conscious of making him as fierce and badass as any character in the game. It would be easy for some to discount him at first for being effeminate or camp - and we wanted to flip that on its head and show that you judge him at your own peril. We wanted him to own his flamboyance and revel in it - rather than apologize for it! He’s never the butt of the joke - he’s the one making the joke and he’s three steps ahead of you!"
Is there an iconic Sylvando moment or line that stands out to you the most? And why is it so memorable?
"Ha! I find it so hard to answer this question! The whole experience is one long memorable stand out! It’s hard to now separate in hindsight what I liked at the time - 'cause so many clips have come up since that have taken over in my head as new favorites. I definitely like the parts where he performs, either by imitating other characters or disguising himself as Sterling Silva, etc. Silly stuff really. I love some of the random fight sounds… the 'yoohoos' and screams and anything fun! Basically whenever I was allowed to go full out with him."
Do you have a favorite part about Dragon Quest XI? Is there anything about it that stood out to you from your work on other video games?
"I hope I’m not repeating myself - but my favorite thing was the great freedom I had to play around with the lines and go all out trying different things. I was able to contribute more than in some other jobs, and the team had a lot of faith in me, which was great and liberating (they did, of course, pull me back when I went too far, believe it or not)."
Sylvando is all about acceptance and optimism. He’s also a great entertainer. What do you think you have most in common with him?
"I do love making people laugh and have done since I was a kid. I always found my comfort zone in being the joker, and ended up making it into a career, I guess... I think mine came from insecurity whereas Sylvando’s comes from great confidence and, like you said, great optimism!"
And what’s something that’s totally different about the two of you?
"I’m a lot more of a cynic than he is sadly. And… he’s in much better shape…"
Speaking of acceptance, a lot of fans in the LGBTQ+ community have seen Sylvando’s relationship with his father as a sort of allegory for coming out to their parents. That’s something not frequently touched on in video games. When you were recording those moments between Sylvando and his father, did you have a feeling that would be so impactful? And what’s it like being behind such an iconic and important moment?
"Like I said - we never anticipated the overwhelming positive reaction, and definitely didn’t think at the time that we were making any kind of 'history.' All we wanted was to be respectful to his story, and fully embrace who he was. We loved him and wanted everyone else to as well. Whenever there were moments we thought could be misconstrued as mocking or stereotypical, we made sure to come at them with full confidence and not apologize for who he is, or how others may perceive him! A person that fully embraces who they are and says to the world “accept me as I am, and if you don’t - it’s your loss not mine!" The fact that people, especially from the LGBTQ+ community, found that identifiable or inspiring is wonderful and humbling! The fact it’s rare in games is a shame - hopefully we’ll start to see a shift in that."
In terms of just working on Dragon Quest XI, was there anything about the game that really stands out to you? Something that you’ll always remember?
"My answer is quite self-centered here. It was my first big and significant part in a game. Up until then I did smaller characters, although in quite big games - so the fact that the team not only trusted me with it, but also let me really put my own spin on things with great freedom, was a real vote of confidence and encouragement. I definitely came to subsequent parts with greater assurance as a result."
Fellow DQ11 character Erik is getting his own spin-off with Dragon Quest Treasures. If Sylvando ever gets his own game (or shows up in a sequel) would you be up for reprising the role?
"Do you even need to ask? Of course!"
You can find Shai Matheson on Twitter @ShaiMatheson.