Interview: Frankie Kevich on portraying Conduit in Apex Legends, Rinko Nishida in Silent Hill f, and more!

The voice of Rinko Nishida from Silent Hill f is none other than Frankie Kevich, who is also known for her roles as Conduit in Apex Legends, Machyua in Fire Emblem, and Cantabile in Arknights. Esports.gg sat down with her for an interview about portraying Rinko Nishida and Conduit!

In her interview with esports.gg, Kevich shared how exciting and intense it was to work on Silent Hill f. She said that horror games usually make her nervous, but growing up watching her brother play games that were on the more mature side sparked her curiosity about them.

"When I started diving into the gameplay and the other stories and just what made Silent Hill so big and so special, I really started to fall in love with it," Kevich continued. "The way that they were telling the stories and the way that they were approaching the horror that was so psychological and introspective and slow. And it was more about the things that you don't know than the jump scares that do come and find you. I thought that was so cool."

Kevich then shared that recording was challenging because she had to dub over the Japanese actors' lines while matching their pacing. To her, the slow, quiet moments were the most difficult. Overall, however, playing Rinko was really rewarding.

"I think it was like the really quiet moments, the really soft and slow moments that were the hardest for me because you really want to do it justice," she said. "And also you have to match the actions and everything, but also bring your own spin to it and try something new and unexpected each take. So it was a really big challenge, but it was really rewarding. And I think that that arc is going to be a really fun one for people."

In terms of Kevich's other roles in voice acting, she recalled auditioning for Conduit by giving two very different takes. One was full of energy while the other was more serious. She was surprised and pleased when the team responded positively to the brighter, more fun version. Therefore, she leaned into that..

"So I kind of took that note and just really went with it and tried to check in every once in a while. Like, is this too much? Is this not enough? And when we got to the actual recording stage, they were giving me the breakdown of Conduit -- what they wanted out of her and what they didn't. And they said that we want Conduit to feel like she's a fan that finally gets a shot at the games."

She continued, "But she deserves to be there and she's earned her spot. So we don't want her to be too overwhelmed and too flustered. We want her to also have that aspect of strength and power and confidence in herself."

Kevich then recalled her time at a 2023 Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) tournament. It was her biggest Apex Legends event and a special experience because many other voice actors were there. She also loved seeing fans cosplay her character and hearing how much it meant to them to see her portrayal of a positive, bright character.

"It was the finals of the big competition," Kevich said. "So it was just everybody in there that really loved the game. And I think for quite a few people, it was the first time that they really saw me -- the voice actor behind the voice. And that was really special because I saw some people cosplaying her and they looked amazing. And I also saw a lot of Asian American -- AAPI fans come up to me and tell me how much it meant to see her and when she joined and everything. And for her to be such a positive, bright energy -- it was just really special to hear that."

She praised how Apex Legends treats each character as unique as well. To Kevich, whether a character is queer or Asian American, their identity is just one part of who they are, and what makes them truly lovable is their energy, personality, and the artistry behind their design.

"It's been such a fulfilling experience getting to blossom in this area of entertainment because I grew up on a lot of video games and grew up on anime and animation," she said. "If you follow your passions, then you're able to bring something special to your artwork that does connect with other people."

She continued, "It's just a very validating experience that the path that I'm on is something good for me and something that I'm bringing more things to. Like I said with Conduit, when I booked her and then I was hearing more about her lore and her story, it just really resonated with me a lot because I feel like her in so many ways. I feel very scrappy and I've always felt like an underdog, but at the same time, I try to bring a lot of positivity and energy into the rooms that I go into."

As for parting words, Kevich told esports.gg that bringing these stories and characters to life has been incredibly meaningful. Whether it's for Apex Legends or Silent Hill f, voice acting in video games lets her explore a wide range of roles without being pigeonholed by appearance or age. Kevich also teased upcoming projects, including her first performance capture role, and said that she's excited to share them with the world.

That's all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more news, interviews, and updates!