Crime Boss Investigator - Major Roles Casting

Matthew Ewald for Samuel Blackwood

Matthew Ewald
Matthew Ewald auditioning for Samuel Blackwood in Crime Boss Investigator - Major Roles Casting
Junebug Jam Productions
Junebug Jam Productions

This is probably the best one I've gotten so far, and not just for this role! Thank you for the submission!

    Matthew Ewald
    Matthew Ewald

    That is far too generous of you to say, but please know that I truly appreciate the kindness and words. Thank YOU for writing an incredible character & dialogue.

Junebug Jam Productions
Junebug Jam Productions

Hello again!

I want to start by saying your audition continues to stand out above the rest. The control, intensity, and presence you brought to Samuel were on another level no one else really matched.

Just really quickly, there was one small note I had in a specific moment: when Samuel talks about Shadowstrike being like a son to him, the rage was excellent for the other parts of the monlogue, but just for when we get to official recording, at the part where he specifically mentions Shadowstrike I was imagining just a touch more fracture or brokenness underneath it.

And just to be clear, the anger you delivered was phenomenal and absolutely works for most of that monologue, I just want to make sure we fully explore that more vulnerable layer in that particular beat when we do official voicing!

That said, I am almost certainly going to cast you for the role, as there are no issues with your audition that minor direction wouldn't fix! In fact, because of how strong your audition was, and because I’m currently animating Episode 2 (which is heavily Samuel-focused), I’m considering moving forward with you for this role earlier than the casting deadline for the other 2 roles so production doesn’t stall.

Since Samuel is such a large and emotionally demanding role, I’d like to keep things standardized and professional by having you run a few additional lines privately (around 3) just to confirm range, lines that will just explore a couple different emotional contexts before contracts to finalize this decision. I have no doubt you can handle it, this is simply a careful final step given the scale of the role's importance.

And lastly, as mentioned above: production is at a bit of a stall due to a lack of Samuel voice lines. Because of that, my idea was for you to record Episode 2 first and submit that separately (preferably within 3-5 days after contracts signing), but after that you would be free to take as much time as you like for the other episodes (seriously no rush, it will be months before we start animating those).

Apologies for the long message, just wanted to catch you up on all my ideas! If you're still interested and that sounds like a solid plan, I'll add you on Discord as soon as I'm available! Thanks again, and just to reaffirm: I'm almost 100% sure you will be the one casted for this role.

Thanks for the fantastic work,

- Ethan

Samuel Blackwood
Voice Actor Voice Actor

Samuel Blackwood

closed
Deferred: Profit Share
Role went to: Matthew Ewald

Samuel is magnetic power with a brittle center. He commands rooms with a quiet cruelty, charms when it serves him, and detonates when everything he built starts slipping. He’s a strategist, an ego, and a man who thinks control is the only language that matters until it isn’t.


He's an absolute incarnate of vocal range:


• Charismatic leader

• Calculating strategist

• Cold manipulator

• Explosive when cornered

• Deeply wounded when his empire collapses


He can command a room with quiet confidence or unravel into feral desperation. He’s not a cartoon villain. He’s intelligent, emotionally layered, and prideful. When he breaks, it’s because something inside him snaps, absolutely not because he’s chaotic.


As mentioned earlier, Episode 2 has his whole upbringing all the way from age 17 to 30+, and he's in his mid 40's in the main series. During his younger scene you don't really need to change his voice that much, but if you can make it slightly lighter that's preferred (if you end up voicing him, those lines won't be found here). He has moments of rage, seductive manipulation of enemies, threatening anger, and much more.


This role is a scene stealer on reel material. It’s packed with moments directors notice. If you nail him, you’ll have plenty of showcase clips that casting directors remember.

Language:
  • english
Voice description:
  • male adult
  • american (midwest)
The sides they read from:

  • "You're really trying to take me out? I thought my men would be smarter than that." He's mocking them, almost coldly laughing. You could even add a slight, brief chuckle between the 2 sentences. This line gets delivered through a controlling smirk.

  • "I DON'T GIVE A SHIT! Don't you get it?! Don't you understand?! This is more than just... SURVIVAL! My Mafia, my EMPIRE, is crumbling to the ground before my eyes, because of one OBSESSED FREAK! This fucking kingdom I built with my BLOOD, ripped from me in just DAYS! Shadowstrike was the last man I trusted. The only one who—who understood what we built. He was like a SON TO ME! And now he’s been butchered like a dog!" THIS is his emotional climax. If you can do this line, you're almost guaranteed a place in the shortlist. He's completely breaking down; the egotistical, murdering maniac who thought he controlled everything is slowly starting to realize he doesn't control a thing.

  • "Helping people’s a great thing... but it doesn’t pay the bills. And let’s be real, you’ve got a talent. Why not make it work for you?" This is that seductive manipulation talking. He's pressuring someone he's taken a keen interest in into joining his Mafia while it's still up and coming.

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