Ben Prendergast Interview
The Doll Trilogy will be staged at the Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre in St Kilda, Melbourne from 10 February to 19 April. The Trilogy heads to Theatre Royal in Hobart (28–31 May) and Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat (20 June).
In this rare full staging of Ray Lawler’s landmark Australian cycle, Ben Prendergast returns home after nearly a decade in Los Angeles working across some of the world’s biggest film, TV, and video‑game franchises. Known to millions as Tyr in God of War Ragnarök, Fuse in Apex Legends, and characters across Hades, Diablo, Call of Duty, The Simpsons, and Zootopia 2, Prendergast describes The Doll Trilogy as “the role of a lifetime” — a demanding eight‑hour theatrical marathon performed across a single day.
After years spent embodying gods, soldiers, and mythic heroes through performance capture and voice acting, Prendergast says returning to the Australian stage — and to Red Stitch, where he’s been an ensemble member for over a decade — has been both grounding and creatively invigorating. The trilogy’s emotional immediacy, its deep Australian identity, and its exploration of the “Doll People” across decades offer a rare challenge even for an actor with a global career.
We sat down (virtually) with Ben to talk about coming home, the craft behind his most iconic roles, and why these 70‑year‑old plays still hit with surprising force.
You’ve voiced iconic characters across some of the biggest franchises – God of War, Apex Legends, Hades, Diablo, Call of Duty. When you step into a role like Tyr or Fuse, what’s the first thing you look for to understand who that character really is?
Like almost any creative endeavor, my first thought is “What am I advocating for?” Is there a cause, a trait, a unique perspective that I want to show in that character? I’m asking myself what it is about this game or character that aligns with my own experiences and worldview. What do I want to shine a light on? What do I want to create that the world might not have seen before, and how can that creation help in some way? Drama in all its forms is empathy therapy; we immerse ourselves in these worlds to understand ourselves. Usually that’s when I’ll book the role—when I’ve thought deeply about those things. Otherwise, you get a relatively stock or generalized character that we’ve seen before.
For a character like Tyr—a fallen God of War in his own right, drawn to justice and a sense of equality, but also carrying another agenda—that kind of role requires a duality that is baked into the writing and is fascinating to play. With him, oftentimes I was playing one thing, but there was a second intention hidden from the player until they discovered what was really going on. That kind of secrecy is something I relish in any character; it always creates an extra edge that draws the viewer in.
For a character like Fuse, while he’s a fictitious Salvonian bombardier, he’s also strongly based on my father (in the 1980s!). So he’s partly a historical figure, which is always fun. In that case, you have an opportunity to work directly with the writing team to bring an Australian character (and vernacular) to the world stage.
Gamers form incredibly strong emotional connections with characters. How does building a character for a video game differ from building one for the stage, where the audience is right there in front of you?
They are very similar; the only difference is that players spend more time with these characters (days/weeks/years!), whereas on stage there is usually only an hour or so with the characters. In the case of The Doll Trilogy, this is closer to eight hours, so maybe it’s closer to the gaming experience. Also, I guess when I’m playing a game, I’m also a little more like the actor playing a character—we all know how it felt in Red Dead Redemption 2 when Arthur Morgan passed on. I think about this in my film and theatre projects all the time.
You’ve spent the last 7–8 years in Los Angeles working across film, TV, and games. What was it about The Doll Trilogy that made you pack up and return to Melbourne for this production?
It’s really the role of a lifetime, and having my wife also in the show helps a lot! We’ve been blessed to be part of the Red Stitch ensemble for over a decade now. The Doll Trilogy is something that hasn’t been done in over 40 years and is a huge acting challenge: three plays, around eight hours of stage work, over a single day. We play from February (2026) through June (including tours), so it’s also a really long-form project with a fantastic cast and creative team.
Ray Lawler’s Doll Trilogy is rarely staged in full. What has surprised you most about revisiting these Australian classics as an actor who now has such a global career?
The most surprising thing has been how universal and immediate these stories still feel, some 70 years later. Often with period plays you worry that the drama won’t translate, but as soon as we started rehearsal it was immediate, and the stirred emotions through even reading these plays aloud were obvious.
Also, for so long I’ve worked in Australia and the US predominantly on non-Australian characters, but spending so much time in the US you come to appreciate the Australian perspective on life. Playing Fuse and other Australian characters in the gaming world has really made me hungry to pursue these opportunities in film, TV, and theatre.
Ray Lawler created an instant classic in 1955 with The Summer of the Seventeenth Doll. It was the first truly global Australian play, traveling to London and New York, and has been a staple for every Australian actor. After that success, Ray wanted to explore his “Doll People” further and wrote two fantastic prequels in the 1970s: Kid Stakes (set in 1937, post-Depression, when the characters first meet) and Other Times (set in 1945, when the boys return from World War II). Everything is set in the same Carlton Victorian-era lounge room.
Performance capture and voice acting require a different kind of physicality compared to theatre. Has your work in games changed the way you approach live performance?
Actually, theatre is MUCH closer to performance capture work than film or TV. Working at Santa Monica Studio on God of War was a real pleasure, as it felt a lot like stepping out into a theatre. For a start, there’s a lot of pressure to get the text and blocking accurate, but also to affect your acting colleagues in a way that satisfies the story. And much like a theatre—and unlike film—the audience of a video game gets to choose who they look at when a scene transpires. So, for example, in scenes where Kratos and Atreus aren’t getting along, if you look closely at Tyr you’ll see exactly what he thinks about that!
So, to be honest, my work on video games hasn’t changed how I approach stage work. In some ways, it’s made me realize that the best video game performers come from a theatre background.
You’ve played everything from gods to soldiers to mythic heroes. Is there a particular game role that pushed you the hardest—emotionally, vocally, or physically?
There’s a game arriving in June of 2026 that was announced recently (Saros) that promises an incredible journey. I had a blast working on that, and the director and I stretched my character into so many beautiful and painful places. I can’t wait to play that game.
Otherwise, oddly, it’s the uncredited or minor-character games that physically demand the most. In COD I played a series of Australian/British soldiers. Battle chatter is the hardest and most demanding of all voice work. Shouting for eight hours isn’t something I’d recommend. I’d say those projects are the most vocally demanding; God of War would have been the most emotionally and intellectually demanding, and Apex Legends is the hardest to play. 8)
Many players know you as Tyr, a character who became a fan favourite almost instantly. What was the most rewarding part of bringing him to life, and what do you think resonated so strongly with players?
As we all know now, Tyr was hiding an incredible secret for all of Ragnarok, and playing that secret was a real pleasure. I challenge any player to go back and play that through and watch his every move. Then of course we had our DLC, where he got to be a world-skilled fighter coaching Kratos to his own truth. The thing I love about SMS is that they told me early on that I was their Tyr, and for that I’m truly grateful. I can’t wait to see what Amazon does with the God of War series!
You’ve worked on The Simpsons, Zootopia 2, Star Wars, Ark, and more. Do you find there’s a common thread between animation and game performance, or do they demand different muscles?
Despite what I said previously, I do think there is a difference between game performance and animation. Game performance (voice only, not performance capture) is a little more focused and personal—it’s usually you in a booth with a voice director and writing team. But with animation, sometimes it’s a whole studio behind the glass! And often more than one actor in the session (which I love). On Zootopia, I think we had something like 20 people rolling through, and there’s a bit more of a game-time pressure that comes with that. What can you bring in your three or four takes that can make the product shine? I love that kind of pressure. I love working with directors and writers at the very top of their game, and I love when it all culminates in incredible success for the project.
As a long-time Red Stitch ensemble member, how does returning to this company—and to Melbourne—influence your craft compared to working in the US studio system?
It’s always nice to rekindle a skillset like stage work. I’ve done a lot of that work, and Red Stitch has always supported me, so I’ve loved being back. They have the best texts, the best directors, dramaturgs, and you’re always trying to punch above your weight with a Red Stitch project (which is why the company is so well regarded).
Returning to Melbourne and working with an Australian ensemble again is great. Everyone here is always so focused and pragmatic. The system is more compact, so everyone is just trying to do the best they can. Again, it’s attractive to work with the best and try to create something truly unforgettable for our audiences.
By comparison, the US studio system can be a lot slower—still focused, but in a different way, more demarcated—and thus you have a much more specific role. In the case of something like Wolf Man (where I played Grady Wolf, the monster hunting the family), that was six months of stunt training, fight choreography, and months on location (including over 120 hours of prosthetics), and not a single line was spoken! A very different prospect from eight hours of theatre.
You’ve built a career that spans theatre, film, TV, animation, and games. What advice would you give to young Australian actors who want to break into performance capture or AAA game voice work?
Breaking into anything is going to take time and dedication, and it’s a big old wooden wheel that you have to push on for years before it starts turning. But in that time while you’re waiting, join an acting class, take a stunt course, learn an instrument, make shorts with your friends, find people who think positively about what you do, and then keep at it. As Bukowski said, “Find what you love and let it kill you.” It’s a morbid thought, but my take is: pick your own path and walk it every day.
About the Author
Andrew Bistak When he's not trying to save the world, Andrew enjoys travel (although loathes turbulence), going to the movies, reading and being a dad to his two dogs (and now twins) with his wife.
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