Antony Del Rio, voice of Pit and Dark Pit

Last year saw the resurrection of Kid Icarus, with 3DS title Kid Icarus: Uprising. It is the third game in the Kid Icarus series and the first since Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters back in 1991 - a whole twenty-year wait, with the small exception of the heroic angel featuring in Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. The title had been Pit's first major appearance, and with him, he brought a voice.

21 year-old Antony Del Rio is the cheery-chap behind the voice of Pit and Dark Pit, and Nintendo Life was lucky to journey to the Underworld to catch up with him.

Nintendo Life: Welcome Antony, thanks for taking the time to chat with us here at Nintendo Life, we're big fans of your work! Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?

Antony Del Rio: Hey this is Antony Del Rio, voice of Pit/Dark Pit in Kid Icarus: Uprising!

NL: How did you begin your journey into voice acting? How did you come to pick up the role of Pit in Kid Icarus: Uprising?

ADR: To tell you the truth, voice acting was never something I thought would be part of my career. It first started out just me recording a few things for my agents when I had nothing else to do. Then, it just so happened that out of the possibly 100+ things that I recorded, one of them stuck and it was a show for Cartoon Network called "The Super Hero Squad Show". I was lucky because on this show I worked with some heavy hitters in this business like Tom Kenny, Charlie Adler, Steve Blum, Tara Strong, etc. I gained so much respect for voice acting and I started taking it seriously from then on. The voice director of Kid Icarus: Uprising heard about me from another voice director I worked with on previous games. Then she brought me in for an audition and thankfully I booked the job!

NL: How aware were you of the NES title, or how much did you know of the 3DS game, before voice recording started?

ADR: I didn't know anything of the NES title or even of Pit for that matter until Super Smash Brothers Brawl. As far as the 3DS game goes, I didn't even know I was recording for Kid Icarus: Uprising until the first day we started. Everyone is very secretive and careful with the information they let out to the public, even to their actors.

I didn't even know I was recording for Kid Icarus: Uprising until the first day we started. Everyone is very secretive.

NL: What were your thoughts on the script when you first saw it?

ADR: I never saw the script before hand. I would get the parts of the script I'd be working on that day just a few minutes before we started, and I was given some time to look it over briefly. Then I would have to just trust the director to steer me in the right direction as far as what my intentions were in each scene.

NL: Did you record your parts on your own, or were you in the studio at the same time as voice-actors on other parts?

ADR: For half of the game I recorded alongside Ali Hillis who voiced Lady Palutena. Then our schedules made it hard for us to be in the studio at the same time so we started to record everything separate. She was the only one I recorded with during this process though, everyone else I either had to listen to a recording or the director would read their lines for me.

NL: Were there any particular highlights throughout the whole recording process for the game? We found the script between yourself and Ali Hillis (Palutena) quite entertaining!

ADR: Thank you! Ali is amazing, I learned so much from her. I think a lot of the highlights for me are what happened behind the scenes. The team was so amazing to work with, and there was so much material that could have made the gag reel if there was one. As far as in the game goes, I really enjoyed singing Pit's song.

NL: Before you began voice acting for various video game roles, you had a part in a couple of TV shows; how did voice acting compare to live acting?

ADR: It's VERY different and VERY alike. They're different because on camera you have your facial expressions and body language to help portray your emotions and of course in voice acting you don't. They're alike because essentially it's all just acting. I bet some of the best actors are voice actors, some people just prefer to stay behind the mic.

NL: Are you interested in doing any more game voice roles in future?

ADR: Absolutely! There's plenty of stuff that I've recorded and am very excited to come out. Unfortunately I would get in trouble if I mentioned anything in particular.

Pit in action

NL: Is there any hint of a sequel to Kid Icarus: Uprising? Even a slight chance?

ADR: I sure hope so! I personally think the game is very special and deserves a sequel. If not a sequel, then just another Pit game entirely... I may be biased.

NL: Can you tell us about your gaming habits?

ADR: I actually never played a lot of video games, I was never any good at them. But I loved watching my brother drive around as Mario.

NL: Are you a Nintendo fan, and if so what systems or games do you like the most from the company?

ADR: Big Nintendo fan. I loved Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers.

NL: Have you played through Kid Icarus: Uprising at all?

ADR: Played through the whole game in a week, I loved it! It's not only the only game of mine that I've played, but the only game I've actually played all the way to the end.

NL: Thank you so much for your time Antony, it is very much appreciated. All the best for future projects!

ADR: Thank you!