Bethesda Game Studios executive producer Todd Howard was initially very skeptical of prolific voice actor Troy Baker playing the titular role in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, but he eventually came around to the idea after he saw Baker perform.
We know from a Rolling Stone story from October that Howard initially told Baker right to his face that he didn’t want him playing Indiana Jones, which, uh, must’ve stung a little, but now we’re hearing it from Baker’s perspective.
Talking to the BBC, Baker said Howard “rolled his eyes” when he heard Baker’s name be put forward for the role of Indiana Jones. “I never thought that my success would actually work against me,” Baker said.
Baker auditioned for the role just like any other actor and made it all the way to the two-actor shortlist being considered for the part. From there, Howard conducted a “blind taste test” in which a test audience listened to the two performances and decided on Baker unanimously.
“And I thought that was a compliment,” Baker said. “He was like: ‘No, it’s a challenge. That’s the standard’.”
Baker initially worried so much about Howard’s doubt in his casting that he thought he might be fired. However, during his recording for the role, Howard told Baker, “‘You’re doing a hell of a job’.”
“And I was like: ‘You have no idea how much I needed to hear that right now’.”
After 9 hours, I can’t bear to leave The Vatican in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.