Tom’s Father, Supporting Role

Tom’s father is a supporting character in The Hollow Tells, an episodic psychological-horror game developed in Unreal Engine 5.

He is heard during a painful childhood memory involving seven-year-old Tom and his mother. He is stern, emotionally distant and increasingly frustrated by Tom’s fearfulness. He believes harshness will make his son stronger, but his behaviour has instead made Tom terrified of him.

The performance should feel natural, restrained and psychologically believable. We are not looking for a theatrical villain, constant shouting or exaggerated anger. His authority should come from control, impatience and the sense that his anger could escalate.

The actor must convey emotional repression, frustration and intimidation while allowing brief traces of confusion or helplessness to emerge. His final line should not sound deliberately cruel. It should reveal a father who genuinely does not understand how to connect with his son.

This is a supporting voice role with deferred compensation. Final responsibilities, compensation, usage rights and credit will be established in a written agreement before recording begins.

Recording requirements:

• Clean audio recorded in a quiet environment
• Consistent microphone quality
• Ability to provide unprocessed WAV files
• Reliable communication through Discord
• Willingness to follow performance direction and provide reasonable revisions

Please do not include music, sound effects or heavy processing in the audition. Directions inside brackets should not be spoken.

Scene context:

Seven-year-old Tom has locked himself inside a room after becoming frightened. Tom’s mother wants to comfort him, but his father insists that they leave him alone. The father believes Tom needs to overcome his fear without being comforted.

The argument begins quietly because Tom is nearby. His anger should build naturally, but the performance should remain grounded and controlled rather than becoming exaggerated.

[Low and firm. He expects the discussion to end here.]

“Leave him.”

[More forceful after being challenged. A warning rather than a shout.]

“I said leave him.”

[Frustrated and dismissive. He has convinced himself that Tom’s fear is the problem.]

“He’s terrified of everything. All he does is cry.”

[Defensive. He compares Tom with his older brothers because he cannot understand why Tom is different.]

“Michael and Liam never acted like this.”

[Brief pause. The anger falls away slightly, revealing genuine confusion and emotional helplessness. This should not sound like a dramatic villain line.]

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with a boy like him.”

Please perform the complete scene in order as one audio file.

One carefully directed take is enough. You may also include a second take with slightly stronger anger, but both performances should remain believable and restrained.