Interviews

Published on April 1st, 2026 | by Andrew Bistak

Jay Anthony Franke Interview (California Dreams, AI and Deus Ex)

Jay Anthony Franke has lived several creative lives, teen heart‑throb guitarist on California Dreams, the iconic voice of JC Denton in Deus Ex and a long‑time Melbourne local working in the world of film and broadcast technology. With AI reshaping entertainment, classic roles finding new audiences, and conventions such as Supanova bringing fans together across the world, Jay sat down with Impulse Gamer for a candid, thoughtful and surprisingly funny conversation about his career, his craft and the things that keep him grounded.

Welcome to Impulse Gamer Jay! First up, the virtual elephant in the room. AI has exploded recently. As an actor, both on screen and behind the mic, what are your thoughts on the technology?

It’s amazing what it can do. At the same time, I’ve heard some pretty terrible renditions of my voice as JC Denton. The voice and inflection were uncanny but the material being produced was stuff I’d never say, it was bigoted and gross. With great power comes great responsibility, and a lot of people aren’t being responsible.

We’ve opened a very crazy Pandora’s Box. Too many hands are in there — defence contractors, people chasing money, people pushing out content and unfortunately people doing bad things with it.

Skynet is well on its way.

**Going back to California Dreams, what did you personally bring to Jake?**

By that point in my life, I’d experienced quite a bit — though now I know I still knew nothing. The older you get, the more you realise you don’t know anything. But I had a quiet confidence then and I brought that to Jake. He was a teenage kid who knew who he was, didn’t take a lot of crap, and could stand on his own in any situation.

If the series were revisited today, where do you think Jake would be?

When we left him in the finale, he’d just signed a record deal and was promised stardom. I imagine he’d be touring, songwriting, storytelling and probably a bit of a philanthropist. I think he’d have gone back to Tiffany, the love of his life on the show and they’d have kids. If there were a reboot, it’d probably be us watching our kids do the same things we did.

Do you still have Jake’s iconic leather jacket?

No. I wore it out once because it was cold, ended up at a friend’s niece’s 16th birthday and I hadn’t brought a gift. They were fans, so I gave her the jacket. I regret it — she lost it or it was stolen within a week.

We could do a whole series on finding Jake’s jacket.

**You voiced the legendary JC Denton in Deus Ex. How did you develop that vocal style?**

I was actually the QA lead at the development office as well as doing the vocals. I didn’t know I’d be voicing JC until the sound producer and I went out for drinks after a late night at work. He asked me to say a line in a gruff, cybernetic voice. I did it rough, he said “that’s it” and the next thing I knew, I was the voice.

I kept trying to sneak humanity into JC with little bits here and there. But he was a clone, six months old, half machine. So it was always a balance between automaton and human.

I got a few human touches in but he’s mostly deadpan.

Fans around the world quote JC Denton constantly. What lines do they ask you to say?

“A bomb.” That’s the big one — I sign most things with it.

Another is:
“You may have copper wiring to reroute your fear of pain, but I’ve got nerves of steel.”

And:
“You’ve got ten seconds to beat it before I add you to the list of NSF casualties.”

There’s also a more human one:
“That must make me one ugly son of a bitch.”

**You also voiced Randall Ezno in Mass Effect. What was your favourite part of that role?**

It was like getting to do JC Denton again but as a human. Same type of voice, but this time I could use emotion: fear, anger, pain. That was nice.

Is there a role you regret not taking?

Yes. I was offered the part Justin Whalin ended up playing in Serial Mom. I’d just finished a callback when my manager told me I’d been offered Jake on California Dreams but John Waters’ team also wanted to offer me Serial Mom. I could only do one.

I’m glad I picked California Dreams as Jake became iconic but I would’ve loved to have a John Waters film under my belt.

If you could choose your dream role?

If Goodfellas had never been made and they were making it now, I’d love to play Jimmy.

If Scarface were being made today, I’m old enough to play Frank Lopez rather than Tony Montana.

I would’ve loved to be part of those incredible films.

If you could cosplay anyone at Supanova, who would it be?

Darth Vader. Easily. I’m a Rebel Alliance guy, but Vader was just so badass.

And is Lucasfilm offered you a role in a Star Wars movie or series, what would you choose?

Yes to either.

I’d rather be a Jedi Knight because the message is nicer.

But playing a Sith would be fun. Jedi for the aesthetics, Sith for shooting lightning out of my fingers.

Lastly, how do you wind down after intense acting or voice work?

I like a good scotch. I pour one or maybe grab a beer and play guitar for an hour or two.

I’m surrounded by guitars, eleven of them plus a bass, a mandolin, a ukulele and a cigar‑box guitar.

That winds me right down.

Closing Thoughts

Jay Anthony Franke remains one of those rare performers who balances humility, humour, and a deep love for his craft. Whether he’s reflecting on iconic roles, discussing the future of AI, or talking about life in Australia, his grounded perspective shines through. And with Supanova appearances and a passionate fanbase, it’s clear his legacy continues to grow.

https://www.supanova.com.au/guests/jay-anthony-franke/

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