Interview: Feodor Chin on portraying Zenyatta in Overwatch 2 and the power of human connection

What does it take to bring a character like Zenyatta from Overwatch 2 to life, and who is the real person behind Zenyatta's voice? In an interview with esports.gg, Feodor Chin, talked about his voice acting journey, the relationship between Zenyatta and Ramattra, and more!

In his interview with esports.gg, Chin shared how his journey into voice acting began after training at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the American Conservatory Theater. When he returned home to San Francisco, he really took notice of its thriving theater community. Therefore, he began auditioning for projects through a local agent. This agent later encouraged him to explore voiceover roles, and it didn’t take long before Chin landed radio spots, industrials, and even his first role in a video game.

"She sent me out on a lot of voiceover auditions, and I think some of my first jobs were radio spots and industrials," Chin said. "My first video game was a game called New Legends that I was the lead character in. This is how long ago it was [ago]. It was for a brand-new platform at the time called the Xbox!"

He continued, recalling how that was a lot of fun to record at the legendary Skywalker Ranch. "It was good to get to go there and just kind of see all the history. We recorded on one of the sound stages where I think they did a lot of the foley work for some of the Star Wars films. So that was pretty cool. I think from there, I was pretty much hooked. It was a love at first sight kind of thing."

Voice acting can often be a solo experience, which doesn't involve many opportunities to connect with others in the field. However, everything changed with the launch of Overwatch. The first iteration of the game, which was released in 2016, meant meeting voice actors such as Jennifer Hale and Matthew Mercer. While Hale voices Ashe, Mercer voices Cassidy in the Overwatch franchise.

"It was really special because you don't ordinarily get the chance to meet the folks that you're working with," Chin added. "Because Overwatch was so big, it gave us that chance to meet each other either through conventions or other events. It was great because everyone is just so supportive. We got very fortunate in that way. Working on Overwatch was certainly a chance to meet some of my heroes, and they've all certainly lived up to the expectations that I might have had."

Speaking of heroes, Chin also got to experience what it's like to be one for the Overwatch and Overwatch 2 players themselves. He told esports.gg that during the pandemic, when many people were stuck at home, there was a newfound appreciation for video games.

"It's this human connection that we're all trying to make," he said. "It became so clear just how important entertainment or some kind of distraction — whether it be Netflix or video games — really was to humanity. A chance to escape, a chance to connect with friends. If you're playing Overwatch, [it's a chance] to connect with other people that you can't physically be in contact with. It really struck me that what we do does matter."

The voice actor then shared the story of getting cast as Zenyatta. Initially, he auditioned for Zenyatta and Hanzo. Chin was drawn to Hanzo, in particular, because of his really cool design. Ultimately, Chin got cast as Zenyatta and was inspired by Star Trek while voicing the omnic monk.

"I think of Zenyatta as an omnic or a robot who is striving to be more human. And so certainly, I think the characters of Spock from the original Star Trek and Data from The Next Generation were, to me, kind of like lodestones — people who aren’t human but are striving to be more human. I feel like that’s at the core of Zenyatta. His soul. I think that helped with those initial reads."

In the Overwatch 2 story, while some omnics are friendly with humans, others are not. Ramattra, for example, is the leader of Null Sector and would do whatever it takes to protect his people. He was once a monk of the Shambali like Zenyatta, but there was a difference in perspectives in terms of how to make the world a better place.

While talking about the Overwatch 2 story, Chin revealed to esports.gg that he actually got to record together with Ramon Tikaram. Tikaram is Ramattra's voice actor.

"Terrific, terrific actor. And just the most lovely voice, too. He was patching in from London, so I think it was probably really late for him," Chin recalled. "But we did record some things together, which was a treat because, as you know, you usually don’t get to record at the same time. I think we recorded a couple of cinematics and some in-game lines, and I’m not sure they’re all completely out yet."

He continued, "I think Ramattra and Zenyatta have a real history that maybe isn’t completely evident yet, but hopefully, you’ll all get to see that because I think it’s definitely very interesting."

Beyond Zenyatta, Chin said he's proud of voicing Xu Wenwu from Marvel's What If...? series. He said it was an honor to follow Tony Leung's performance in Shang-Chi. Additionally, one of his favorite moments was recording a scene with Cate Blanchett, who voiced Hela, even if it was only virtual. To Chin, some Marvel shows can get overlooked due to the sheer volume of content in that universe. However, he recommended folks to check out the show if they haven't seen it yet.

In terms of a dream role, Chin said that he would love to be a part of The Last of Us 3.

As for parting words, Chin talked about the ongoing conversations about the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike.

"You know, we as actors, we just want to continue making the games that you love," he said. "And that we ask that you continue to support us — even though it might be a little confusing."

He continued, noting the presence of artificial intelligence (AI) across industries as well. "AI can be a useful tool, but I think it has to be just that. We can't allow it to replace human beings. Like we were talking about with gaming and conventions, people are really just looking for a human connection. I think, as cool as AI is, if you remove that human element, I don't know that games or entertainment would be quite as compelling."

Here's how folks can support, learn more about, and get involved with SAG-AFTRA:

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