Ben Starr Interview: That Guy's In Everything - Kinda Funny Gamescast

Summary

Kinda Funny Gamescast: Ben Starr Interview - "That Guy's In Everything"

Release Date: June 30, 2025

Hosts:

• Greg Miller
• Ben Starr

Overview: In this deep and heartfelt episode of the Kinda Funny Gamescast, Greg Miller sits down with the versatile voice actor and performer Ben Starr. The conversation delves into Ben's prolific career in the gaming industry, his personal struggles with mental health, the intersection of his acting passion with video games, and his ambitious plans for the future.

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1. Streaming Marathon and Host's Birthday Celebration (00:09 - 04:10)

The episode kicks off with Greg Miller and Ben Starr bantering about the ongoing marathon livestream hosted by their friends Roger and Mike. Greg humorously notes, “They are freaking it,” highlighting the dedication of their friends who have been streaming Death Stranding 2 for over 48 hours (01:06). Amidst the lighthearted conversation, Greg mentions the stream's goal to set a record and acknowledges the significance of Tim Gettys' birthday, intertwining personal celebrations with their regular gaming discussions.

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2. Introducing Ben Starr and His Career (04:10 - 07:02)

Greg transitions to the main topic: Ben Starr. He reminisces about their memorable time at Pax East, stating, “We did the keynote. We had a great time” (06:05). Greg highlights Ben’s extensive work, including roles in Final Fantasy 16 as Clive, Hades 2, Prometheus, The First Berserker Khazan, and Expedition 33. He emphasizes Ben's rapid rise in the gaming voice acting scene and his desire to be recognized beyond a single character.

Notable Quote: Ben reflects on his career trajectory, saying, “I wanted this. I ran at it with you... It wasn't accidental” (07:13).

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3. The Intersection of Acting and Video Games (07:02 - 13:40)

Ben provides insight into how his passion for acting seamlessly merged with his love for video games. He shares his proactive approach in seeking roles within the gaming industry, likening it to “a fan being given the keys to the kingdom” (07:13). Ben discusses his collaboration with Kinda Funny Gamescast, expressing gratitude for the platform it provided to showcase his talents.

Notable Quote: Ben emphasizes his dedication, “I wanted to exist in a space that I understand and I love” (09:07).

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4. Early Life and Introduction to Video Games (13:40 - 20:31)

The conversation shifts to Ben’s childhood in Liverpool, where his passion for acting began early. At age 11, he landed his first professional role as Gavroche in Les Misérables. Parallel to his acting pursuits, Ben developed a deep love for video games, starting with a Game Boy at seven (16:35). He recounts saving his allowance to purchase games and the pivotal moment of winning a PlayStation, playing classics like Gran Turismo and Resident Evil 2.

Notable Quote: Ben shares, “Gran Turismo and Resident Evil 2 were my first games on there. And from that moment on, it was all of my money” (17:09).

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5. Navigating Success and Personal Challenges (20:31 - 25:35)

Ben opens up about his struggles with severe depression following years of theatrical success. The transition from intense acting training to seeking roles that match his passion for video games led to a personal crisis. He candidly discusses battling alcohol dependency and the emotional toll of defining his identity solely through his work in Final Fantasy 16.

Notable Quote: Ben reflects, “I went from everything to nothing... that was my thinking behind the whole thing” (23:09).

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6. Coping with Loss and Mental Health (25:35 - 36:00)

A poignant part of the interview addresses the sudden passing of Ben’s father during the launch of Final Fantasy 16. Ben describes the emotional devastation and the challenge of finding solace in his work while grieving. He emphasizes the therapeutic role of video games, sharing how they provided structure and an escape during his darkest times.

Notable Quote: Ben shares his grief, “Nothing can prepare you for death... It is the most sudden it could possibly be” (28:12).

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7. Rebuilding and Rediscovering Passion (36:00 - 47:35)

After his father's passing, Ben discusses his journey toward recovery, including therapy and redefining his relationship with video games. He highlights the importance of balancing his career ambitions with personal well-being and the continuous support from his fiancée, who also understands the demands of their acting careers.

Notable Quote: Ben states, “I have the confidence to go up and say, I really want to do this because I don't want to let this thing go” (33:53).

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8. Future Projects and Ambitions (47:35 - 54:18)

Looking ahead, Ben expresses his ambition to diversify his roles beyond iconic characters like Clive Verso and Khazan. He aims to be recognized for a wide range of characters, aspiring to build a legacy that reflects his versatility as a performer. Ben discusses upcoming opportunities, including hosting the Golden Joystick Awards and engaging with diverse gaming communities like Magic: The Gathering.

Notable Quote: Ben shares his vision, “I want you to know me from 110 characters” (47:35).

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9. Personal Life and Relationships (54:18 - 61:36)

Greg touches on Ben's personal life, particularly his relationship with his fiancée. They both navigate the challenges of demanding careers, balancing time apart with strong mutual support. Ben highlights the complexities of maintaining a relationship amidst frequent travels and busy schedules but underscores the strength and understanding they share.

Notable Quote: Ben admits, “It's a very complex issue that she understands and I understand” (50:07).

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10. Community Engagement and Influence (61:36 - 68:50)

Ben emphasizes the importance of the gaming community in his life, celebrating fan creations like fan fiction, art, and cosplay. He appreciates how projects like Expedition 33 inspire fans to create their own art, enhancing the collective gaming experience. Ben encourages fans to engage passionately with games, fostering a vibrant and supportive community.

Notable Quote: Ben enthuses, “Art is inspiring. Art that inspires art. And I just. I just love it” (22:00).

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11. Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks (68:50 - 70:15)

As the episode winds down, Greg and Ben share lighter moments, discussing upcoming announcements and engaging with fan questions. Ben wraps up by promoting his D&D group, Natural Six, and hints at exciting future projects, reinforcing his commitment to both his craft and the gaming community.

Notable Quote: Ben concludes, “I don't want to be one of these people that's kind of just doing stuff... I want to do stuff that's a little bit different and maybe no” (55:16).

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Key Takeaways:

• Ben Starr's Versatile Career: From iconic video game characters to hosting major events, Ben showcases his adaptability and ambition in the gaming industry.
• Personal Struggles and Resilience: Ben’s honest discussion about his mental health challenges highlights the often unseen pressures faced by voice actors and performers.
• Passion for Gaming and Community: His deep love for video games and appreciation for the gaming community underscore the symbiotic relationship between creators and fans.
• Future Aspirations: Ben aspires to broaden his repertoire, aiming to be recognized for a diverse array of characters and contributions to the gaming world.

Notable Quotes:

• "I wanted this. I ran at it with you... It wasn't accidental." (07:13)
• "Gran Turismo and Resident Evil 2 were my first games on there. And from that moment on, it was all of my money." (17:09)
• "Nothing can prepare you for death... It is the most sudden it could possibly be." (28:12)
• "I want you to know me from 110 characters." (47:35)

This episode provides a comprehensive and intimate look into Ben Starr’s journey, blending professional achievements with personal revelations. It serves as both an inspiration and a testament to the resilience required to thrive in the dynamic world of video game entertainment.

Transcript

[Greg Miller]

What's up, everybody? Welcome to the Kinda Funny Games cast for Monday, June 30, 2025. I'm one of your hosts, Greg Miller, alongside the voice of everything, Ben Starr.

[Ben Starr]

Hello.

[Greg Miller]

Hello, Ben. How are you?

[Ben Starr]

I'm really good, thank you.

[Greg Miller]

Is this the most comfortable gaming chair you've ever sat in?

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, it is. And I just. It makes me feel like I'm outside even though I'm not outside 100.

[Greg Miller]

It does feel like we're camping out for something or we're gathered around a fire.

[Ben Starr]

It makes you sit in a weird way though, because, like, the ass is always further down than the front. So.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, you gotta be constantly readjusting.

[Ben Starr]

Have you ever played video games in a chair like this? In a camping chair?

[Greg Miller]

Oh, yeah, of course.

[Ben Starr]

All the time.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. Well, not all the time, but I've done it before.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

Especially camping out for stuff. Yeah, camping out for a PS2 or something like that.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, it feels nice. It feels nice.

[Greg Miller]

It does feel nice. Of course, if you're an audio listener, you might not understand what's happening. The boys are freaking it. Roger, Mike have been streaming for how many hours now? No, you're over 48.

[Roger]

7:58.

[Greg Miller]

They're counting. I don't know if their mics are on 65 hours, they've been streaming straight of Death Stranding 2. They are freaking it. As they say, if you have missed it, they are going as long as you pay them to go. They still have at least five hours on the clock and it's getting crazier, correct me if I'm wrong, all the super chats and all that jazz is going into the till as well today, right? Because this minute. Why did Tim say the other thing on Games Daily?

[Roger]

Roger asked him. He's busy. It's his birthday.

[Ben Starr]

It's his birthday.

[Greg Miller]

So anyways, you can go on a Twitch page, you can Twitch sub there. If you do that, it fills the till. They go longer and longer. They're trying to go even through tonight, which would be far and away the longest marathon stream we've ever done here. As they walk, they run, they bike, but mainly they eat. Every time I tuned in this weekend, Ben, they were eating.

[Ben Starr]

He's like, so much food. Food was delivered to him. And I don't think that's how energy works. You can't just like. It's just. I was like, this isn't science.

[Greg Miller]

Ye.

[Ben Starr]

This is mad.

[Greg Miller]

He's like, food go in, power come out.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah. You're not filling up a car. It's not how that works, it's just. I don't think it's good food as well.

[Greg Miller]

It's like when I like I'm playing Switch and I see that battery start dropping and I want to plug it in right away. Yeah, no, no, no, that's not. You don't just feel the gut.

[Ben Starr]

I said on games day later, it's not little enough. It's little and often. Not lots and often, but it was just. I just saw him being just like refueled like a Formula one would where they just shove it in and do the wheels on at the same time.

[Greg Miller]

See, I thought of it more of like a plane in the air. Oh yeah, yeah. Roger's feeding him donuts while he walks.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, yeah. It that surgical exercise where they kind of come over the top of the plane.

[Greg Miller]

Exactly.

[Ben Starr]

Right?

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ben Starr]

I don't think they've got planes right. If you keep having to refill them in the air.

[Greg Miller]

I mean they just never want to land, you know?

[Ben Starr]

Never want to land.

[Greg Miller]

That's pretty cool.

[Ben Starr]

Got to come down sometime though.

[Greg Miller]

Do you? This man's career is in. And we're going to talk. I don't know where this camera angle just came from. Is that just a zoom? What happened, Kevin? Doy. You freaked me out, Kevin. I wasn't prepared for that. We're streaming from the lab, of course, everybody where this streamathon marathon has been going. We will of course stop talking about that to a degree. I'm sure it'll come up again and remind you that this is the kind of funny games cast. Each and every weekday we talk about the biggest topics in gaming, whether it be reviews, previews or things we need to talk about. We discuss them here. Of course you should subscribe YouTube.com kindafunnygames, Twitch TV, kindafunnygames and of course podcast services around the globe. If you really like what we do here and like shenanigans like this, of course support them by going over and giving them a Twitch sub. But of course you could be part of this show with YouTube super chats. If you have a question for the one, the only Ben Starr, go to YouTube.com kindafunnygames while we're live here, Super Chat. In your question, be part of the show. If you really like what we do here, pick up a Kinda Funny membership. Of course, $10 gets you each and every episode of Kinda Funny Anything ad free. That's more than 80 episodes a month. You'll get your daily dose of me, Greg Miller In a 15 to 20 minute podcast we call Greg Way. And of course you get good karma for supporting a small independent 11 person business. You can pick up your membership at patreon.com kindafunny YouTube.com kindafunnygames Apple and Spotify. Housekeeping for you. Of course we're an 11 person small business. All about live talk shows. Kind of funny. Games Daily was asking if Xbox hardware is dead with Ben Starr.

[Roger]

Yep.

[Ben Starr]

And I said yep, it's dumb. That's not what we said.

[Greg Miller]

You should still go watch.

[Ben Starr]

That was nuanced.

[Greg Miller]

Go watch the episode.

[Ben Starr]

There was nuance.

[Greg Miller]

There was nuance. After this, of course it's a twofer for the day. You can go to YouTube.com kindafunnygames and watch the live premiere of Tim and Gia's wedding. The video is finally edited and ready here on their one year anniversary and of course Tim's birthday. Or you could stick around here as The Death Stranding 2 marathon rolls on again.

[Roger]

How.

[Greg Miller]

How are you trying to go for boys? As long as the timer goes, the.

[Ben Starr]

Timer goes as people in the chat keep reminding us. There is right now there are some people who actually in. In the audience of the Death Stranding to like concert tour or whatever thing that's happening right now.

[Greg Miller]

If you are in the audience of the tour right now, make sure they're airing this video.

[Ben Starr]

Someone show it to Kojima.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, he's seen it.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, he has.

[Greg Miller]

He has to know.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, he has to know. Everyone's talking about it. But like literally interrupt the whole thing and goes, guys, this is the most important thing happening right now.

[Greg Miller]

This is how you know he knows is that his people politely turned me down for giving them an encouragement video.

[Ben Starr]

Wow.

[Greg Miller]

You know what I mean? Cause I tried to get. I got you guys. I got you. Troy Kojima's people were like, he's too busy. And then I was like, hey, Caroline Palacek, you got nothing going on. And she was like, no. And so you got Troy.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah. I've always said that Troy is a poor man's Hideo Kojima.

[Greg Miller]

You know, we're gonna get into your thoughts about Troy Baker in just one second. Of course. Remember, like I said, that's all that you're kinda funny. Member your Greg way. Today is 20 minutes of me celebrating Tim's birthday. No fooling. Come hear me talk about how much I love Tim Geddes on his birthday. Thank you to our Patreon producers, Carl Jacobs, Omega Buster and Delaney Twining. Today we're brought to you by Cash App and Mood we'll tell you about that later. For now, start with the topic of the show, Ben Starr. The topic is you. Yeah, of course. We shocked the world. You and I went to Pax East. We did the keynote. We had a great time. You were nice enough to come out and interview me.

[Ben Starr]

Yes.

[Greg Miller]

We had a ball. We had some laughs, some great photos of us.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

The photographer's name slip in my mind right now. Great, great photos.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, we photograph really well together.

[Greg Miller]

We do photograph really. We work really well together.

[Ben Starr]

It's kind of a great couple. That's.

[Greg Miller]

That's pretty much all it comes down to. Yeah. You can do that. You can do anything that you say. I figured it was time to return the favor and interview you.

[Ben Starr]

Thank you.

[Greg Miller]

Okay. Because here's the thing about Ben Starr. The list of work speaks for itself. All right? We're talking about Final Fantasy 16, Clive. We're talking about Hades 2. Prometheus.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

The first Berserker. Khazan. Yeah, Khazan. We're talking about Expedition 33, which I feel like is your big. The one everybody's talking about nowadays.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, it really is.

[Greg Miller]

Reverso. Date everything. Then you got this thing called Natural six, which has to be copyright infringement with critical role. But we'll talk about that.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, yeah.

[Greg Miller]

When did or do you feel like you became synonymous with video games?

[Ben Starr]

I genuinely don't know, but I feel that. There we go. Just straight onto IMDb. I want. It wasn't like. This isn't accidental.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

Me being here and me being in as many games as possible isn't just like, oh, it's really. I'm really lucky. I wanted this. I ran at it with you, even remarked on it when, you know, I first kind of like came onto the scene. I came on like a loaded gun. I wanted to do everything. I wanted to meet everyone. I wanted to say hi to everyone. Because this is like a fan being given the keys to the kingdom. Charlie Keys, the chocolate factory. I get to go and I get to talk to people that I really, really like.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And I also didn't want to be a person who was. And I will be just known for Clive to some people. But I didn't want just that to be it.

[Greg Miller]

See, I don't think I'll give you the honest, God's truth. I thought that might be the case when you first came around.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

Because it was that you came up. You're very sweet. You got these big eyes, you know, these little doe eyes just looking. You know what I mean? And it was this innocent young man. And it was that I caught it. And I've told you this in private and I think we might have talked about it on the PAX stage because I said it before pax, but it was that idea that, like, you came on like a hurricane of like, every opportunity that was presented yourself. I think it's funny so many people think of you as, oh, he's been star. He's so tight with kind of funny when if you went to Giant Bomb, if you went to like any other organization you go to, they have a Ben Starr store that he's been on the show and done that thing. And I remember when that was happening around Final Fantasy 16 and you had introduced yourself to us and like, oh, he's a big fan of kind of funny. That's awesome. And then I saw you doing it everywhere Min Max. I was like, oh, he's taking advantage of every opportunity he can. That's so cool. But I didn't know if it would pay off. And here you are now, still doing so many amazing things again. Expedition 33. So many people are going to know you from that, but they're going to know you from Hades and they're going to know you from this. They're going to know you from thing that's getting announced tomorrow. I'll keep checking my email to see if PR says I can tell you.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, yeah, there's something being announced tomorrow which is fun. I. It's intentional. It was intentional because I wanted to let everyone know. Actors often come and do video games and they have a nice time and they go off and go back to film and TV or theater or whatever.

[Greg Miller]

I did Charlie Cox guy.

[Ben Starr]

Charlie Cox, Charlie Cox guy.

[Greg Miller]

I did four hours of work. It means nothing to me.

[Ben Starr]

I'm going to correct that. Jennifer Svedbert Yen has come out and said Charlie actually did eight hours in the booth and he was amazing and incredibly professional. So that has already been debunked in that way. But Charlie is a sensational actor, incredible career, comes in, does an amazing job as Gustav, and then, you know, he has this, this, this career outside of it. I very much wanted to exist in a space that I understand and I love and I really, really appreciate.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And very rarely does the. Your greatest hobby and love get to go and coincide with your job.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And that's a very weird thing for me. And I didn't want to let it go. And I didn't want to just be a person who was just one character and known for one character forever. I wanted you to know me as Ben Starr, a person who loves video games, who can talk about video games, who, you know, can contribute actively to the community and also be a person who can speak on it and be a vector of joy for people in that space. And I. And I will continue to do it. And it's been amazing that actually, as a result of that, more and more great opportunities come along.

[Greg Miller]

Sure.

[Ben Starr]

And I didn't know that I was gonna get to be in Hades 2. I didn't know that Expedition 33 was gonna kick off. I just chose stuff that I loved and it's just kind of paid off in that way. I didn't know that Trapdoorian here literally was gonna become like this breakout star of TikTok. I just picked stuff that I really liked.

[Greg Miller]

So then rewind for me and talk about how you made this happen. You said this wasn't by accident. Yes. I don't know the Ben Starr. He was a young lad in Liverpool working in the coal factory. They're still making big ships. I think that's a big deal.

[Ben Starr]

I wanted to be a ballet dancer and all that stuff. I was a young kid. I always wanted to be an actor. I did the. I did my first professional job as an actor. I was 11 years old and I played Gavroche in Les Miserables.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, okay.

[Ben Starr]

And I knew I wanted to do that from a young age. That's what. That's it. That's me. I'm good. And I did so much youth theatre. I did so many plays. I wanted to become a professional actor. I wanted to be at the rsc, the Royal Shakespeare Company. I wanted to be at the National Theatre. That's what I wanted to do. I went to university, did loads of theater, went to drama school, Lambda, this amazing school. And then I went, right, now you're an actor. And then I became severely depressed for, like, three years. Because you do everything and you're the greatest person at what you do and you excel in every single way until the moment when you don't excel. Because people stop telling you that you're excellent and they start telling you that you're as average as everyone else.

[Greg Miller]

Sure.

[Ben Starr]

Because everyone in that industry is excellent and brilliant. And you have to figure out a way of seizing upon those opportunities. And I. And it wasn't this kind of like, stardom story. I existed in film and tv and I loved it. My God, I was able to get to do some amazing, amazing TV shows. I got to meet some amazing people.

[Greg Miller]

You were on Jamestown for a Long time.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, three years. I met my fiance there. It's that I met some of my. Thank you so much. I met some of my closest friends there and we lived there for three years. It was like a second university or second college. Like six months of the year we're living in Hungary. We're filming this amazing TV show. But. And I thought that that's what my life would be like. Doing good roles in good shows.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And that would be it. And then in 2019, 6, Final Fantasy 16, this opportunity came around.

[Greg Miller]

And how does that opportunity come around?

[Ben Starr]

I get a 15 minute audition slot for a video game that was code worded at the time, Hope. And I went, yeah, sure, I'll do this thing at 5pm on a Friday. I'm tired. I don't want to. I've never really been successful at video games before. Like in context. Not long. Sometime before that I'd auditioned for a game. I did know what it was. It was Cyberpunk 2017. Play the lead.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And I really wanted it. And I thought, this is going to change my life.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And again, it's the story of opportunity of if had I got that, which I didn't, I would never have done Clive in Final Fantasy 16 and my life would never have, you know, spiraled in that way. There's me as Christopher Priestly.

[Greg Miller]

James. Dr. James.

[Ben Starr]

Dr. Christopher Priestly. I love that show. But this, when this game came around and I figured out that it was Final Fantasy 16, it changed everything. I went, well, this is cool. This is cool. I want this.

[Greg Miller]

How did you figure out it's Final Fantasy 16?

[Ben Starr]

Because I'm a massive Final Fantasy fan. So even when you code word something, pretty much any game that you code word, I can figure out what it is. Because I'm just so dialed in to the industry like I think it was. I saw the words Crystal and Sid and I knew that it was Final Fantasy 16.

[Greg Miller]

That's a pretty good giveaway.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, I'm not like a detective on that. I just figured that out. But I didn't know that it was going to be 16 because I thought they've never recorded Final Fantasy in the UK before. And then I just couldn't believe that I'd be the lead. I couldn't believe that this would be a thing for me. And then it's four years of silence. Four years of me just like existing in the space. Covid happened, not telling any. Be like I'm playing this character in this game. I can't tell you what it is.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting. So the moment that I'm able to talk about the game, I came out like a loaded gun because I was ready.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And I wanted this and I wanted to celebrate my contribution to the industry and my love of this franchise. Final Fantasy fans are amazing, but they are also very vigilant about imposters, very protective. And I needed people to know that I love this franchise in the way that they love it. I am one of them.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And so I. I very much told everyone, don't worry, I'm going to be a responsible custodian of your franchise. Do not worry.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And that was my main aim was to go, whatever you think about the game, please think of me as a person who is responsible enough to not fuck up your franchise. And that was my thinking behind the whole thing.

[Greg Miller]

Are you saying that to the folks at Square?

[Ben Starr]

Yes. I was dogged at Square. I met every single person I could and said, I can be a voice for you on this franchise. I can speak to this franchise. I can speak to my contribution to it. And I really would like the opportunity to. To do that. And I came over for the launch event in. In LA and I said, I really want to go to. Kinda funny I went to. So I specifically flew over to. Because I thought, I'm here. I may as well do that because I love. I love you guys. I'd watched you guys every single day for four years. Games daily was the thing that I would listen to at the gym every time I was there. It was just. It was a part of my daily routine. So I was really nervous. But I also knew that you guys are, I think, responsible enough with this sort of thing to be respectful of whatever it is that comes your way. I thought it would be a great platform to do. So I said, I spoke to you guys and said I'd like to come out. And they were very kind to fly me from LA to San Francisco and come and do that. And it's kind of. Everything snowballed from there. I was fortunate to go on Friends per Second. I was fortunate to go and do stuff with Min Max.

[Greg Miller]

Sorry, had to work with Lucy Allies.

[Ben Starr]

Horrible.

[Greg Miller]

The worst.

[Ben Starr]

Horrible.

[Greg Miller]

Lucy James.

[Ben Starr]

Nasty Woman. And that was the start of going, don't worry, I'm not gonna screw you over, guys. And it was to speak to the Final Fantasy like hardcore initially, because I wanted them to feel like I could be a person that they could rely on.

[Greg Miller]

We're putting a pin in that now because there's so much more I want to go Forward with and hear more about. But I want to go backwards as well. So take me all the way back because in your talk here of. Okay, we're a Shakespeare company, you know, you're a child. You're gonna go be in this Les Mis thing. When are video games put into your life?

[Ben Starr]

At a Game Boy? Since I was seven.

[Greg Miller]

Okay.

[Ben Starr]

So I had a Game Boy. Yeah. From seven.

[Greg Miller]

How were you brought into that? Was that a hand me down? Was that something you wanted?

[Ben Starr]

Given it, yeah, I got given it. My sister had one, but I was the one who kind of really took it and ran with it. I spent all my pocket money on or allowance on buying games for it. And then all I ever wanted. All I ever Wanted was a PlayStation. I wanted it more than anything. I would. I would watch. There was a show in the UK called Movies, Games and Videos and they'd have a phoning competition every Saturday and I would phone in because I really wanted to win a PlayStation.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And the moment where I finally got one, I got Gran Turismo and Resident Evil 2 were my first games on there.

[Greg Miller]

Good picks.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah. I mean, Resident Evil 2, that is a scary game for a young kid. And from that moment on, it was all of my money that I would get would be spent on PlayStation games.

[Greg Miller]

When did you figure out that the acting bug would apply to this as well?

[Ben Starr]

Never, Never, never. I never thought that those two things would cross over. I thought it was a completely impenetrable thing for me. I appreciate. I would preach from the rooftops about how video game performances are the ones that would influence a lot of the things that I did. So I would talk about, you know, the Nolan's, the Troys, the Lauras. Like these experiences, like are so influential in my life as a performer for sure. And I would say to people, this is a valid medium for performance. And even, even before I was a part of it, yeah, I would be, you know, I. My hobby has always been video games. What do you do in your spare time? Play video games. And then I would have to just felt like I'd have to justify it. And I go, no, it is, I fundamentally believe, to be the most advanced medium through which we can experience art in whatever capacity you want and then go on these big tirades. But also just then saying, also through performance, we are getting high fidelity games, high fidelity performances. I mean, look, you're playing death stranding, like the ability. Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

For once on the stream, they're not just eating or ordering food. You know what I mean?

[Ben Starr]

Let's get some lunch.

[Greg Miller]

Here we go. Here we go.

[Ben Starr]

Look at it.

[Greg Miller]

It's.

[Ben Starr]

It's what you. What? You can look at it right now.

[Greg Miller]

YouTube. This is, this is art. This is what we want.

[Ben Starr]

Somebody appreciate the art. Yes. But also cool. You can have what you want in it. It's, it's, it's amazing. And what Hideo Kojima has achieved is, is remarkable, for sure. And, and also the rest of the. Also the rest of the team.

[Greg Miller]

But did your parents understand acting? Did they understand video games?

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, my mum. My mum did loads of amateur theater, so she was massively supportive. My dad was an accountant, but he was incredibly supportive of everything that I wanted to do. You know, they drive me to my various, like, youth theaters that I do. And also my. Yeah, my, my dad and I bonded so massively over video games. Gran turismo. Gran Turismo 2, 3 in particular. A spec was a game that we built together so we would like, tune up cars. I remember waking up one time in the middle of the night and he's doing a 24 hour Le Mans race.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, that's amazing.

[Ben Starr]

And we would talk about what we're gonna do with our cars, how we're gonna spend our money. It was a way of bonding. They loved that I played Final Fantasy Games. They were like, these games are so long and so intricate. And I described the stories to them. They understood my passion for it because I spoke so much on it about how important it was to me.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And they loved it. And this was something that I didn't stop. As a kid. I took my PlayStation to university. I remember playing the Red Dead Redemption 2 for the first Red Dead Redemption, the first one for the first time. And thinking, this is just. This is insane.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

What we can do.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And it's always been a love. And it's always been the first thing that I bring with me whenever I travel to America. I bring my PlayStation 5 with me.

[Greg Miller]

Very cool. Very cool.

[Ben Starr]

Because I pack it first. Yeah, I do. But I now have my Steam deck that I don't need to do as much so I can have, you know, But I. Video games are the first thing that I focus on more than anything.

[Greg Miller]

Your fiance play?

[Ben Starr]

No.

[Greg Miller]

Okay.

[Ben Starr]

No, she. I mean, she'll play overcooked with me. We have to call each other chef.

[Greg Miller]

Sure, of course. Yes, Chef.

[Ben Starr]

We have to. Yeah, then we have to. We played It Takes Two together.

[Greg Miller]

Okay, cool.

[Ben Starr]

She is amazingly supportive of all the stuff that I do. She's an actress as well, but doesn't play games. But understands once again my love for it. And. And again, me. Me wanting to jump into here, into this industry is because this is, for the first time, I have a group of friends who also understand it and appreciate it in the way that I do.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

It's why I'm over here all the time, because I get to hang out with people that like games as much as I do. Is why jump on other people's streams who are playing stuff? Because I just like having friends who like the thing that I do. It's not just a private hobby that I should kind of be ashamed of. It's something that I like. I've come out and been like, hey, guys, I'm a weird friend. I'm a weird fucking nerd.

[Greg Miller]

I mean, that's the power where we're at right now. Right. I think that's what makes this all so cool, is that, I think for oldies like me and a little bit about you, but like, you remember growing up where. Yeah. You had to justify talking to somebody that you played video games or you were the only kid in your friend group that played games the way we played games and cared about games the way we cared about games. And now. Yeah, you turn on Twitch or anything, you're gonna see some jabroni walking. But you're also gonna find people who really care about games.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah. And people who are analyzing it and critiquing it in a way that I don't think you get in film and TV.

[Greg Miller]

Sure.

[Ben Starr]

Because there's a level of passion. Like Expedition 33 is a great example of a community that has been born out of a love, like an overwhelming love for this piece of art that's been created. And so they are inspired to create art on top of it.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

You see the people who are doing all the fan fiction, which, again, I read it. I tell you, I read the fan fiction. I've seen. I've seen what you. What you write.

[Greg Miller]

Is it cheeky?

[Ben Starr]

It's great. I love it. The Gustav Verso stuff is really kicking off. It is. But they saw the people that do the compositions. They take the music and they make it themselves. They make it heavy metal, rock. Yeah, that's. And then the fan art is amazing. And the cosplay. We turn up to IGN live dressed up in the baguette. The baguette outfits. Because it's fun and engaging and playful, and it's. Art is inspiring. Art that inspires art. And I just. I just love it. I feel very, very fortunate.

[Greg Miller]

Take me back to you, graduate people Are done telling you you're awesome. You have three years of depression.

[Ben Starr]

Yes.

[Greg Miller]

What does that look like? What does that actually mean? How do we get out of it?

[Ben Starr]

The best way I would describe what it is that I went through is I went from everything to nothing. I went from an intense theatrical training which is 12 to 14 hours a day, every single day for. For two years. And then you go. And now go and be an actor.

[Greg Miller]

How quickly can you memorize something?

[Ben Starr]

Something?

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. Like a line of monologue.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, it's. I'm pretty good at it.

[Greg Miller]

That's cool.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, that is. That is a really cool skill. But like, I'm probably not that great at the moment. But it got to a point where I was. I could do stuff very quickly. Because you just had to.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And your brain can do it. I measure. I measure learning stuff in sleeps as well. So actually if it depends how long I want something to be embedded in my brain, sure. You can learn something in a day and then Forget it by 6, 6pm Go to bed, wake up, and you'll know the whole thing. Because your brain rests and you just kind of sits in there. It's an amazing thing.

[Greg Miller]

So I'm back to it.

[Ben Starr]

But yeah, I. Then I go and do some really cool jobs that I enjoyed but weren't acting. But it's the structure. I go from everything to nothing. And the depression comes from. I need to create my own sleep cycle. I need to create a healthy work environment. I need to do one thing a day. That means that I'm fundamentally improving myself because otherwise I'm just doing nothing.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And also my years as an actor before this is a lot of sitting around and waiting for someone to give you something. You are owed nothing in this industry. Even. Even with the launch of Final Fantasy 16, I was like, no one owes me anything. No one owes me another role. No one owes me to cast me in anything. Great. You were good in one game. Fine. What have you done for me lately?

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And so this kind of almost like feverish work ethic that I have at the moment is because I recognize that no one owes me anything and no one is going to advocate for me other than myself. So if I want something, I will just say I want it. And I can say, you can tell me I'm not worth it, but I really want to place myself out there and do stuff that betters me, makes me feel happy, and also is just. Is cool because I spent years sitting back and waiting to be given things that I didn't deserve. And I didn't want to think that, oh, I sat there thinking, oh, this other person's got this role or whatever, and I feel really salty about it and we'll just do something about it.

[Greg Miller]

How did you get over that? You said, you know, years of sulking over stuff you didn't deserve.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

How did you eventually depression that mindset.

[Ben Starr]

Oh, my God. So the. The life. The life of an actor is you hate yourself for a long period of time, then you get given a role and suddenly get validated and you're fine. That's it. We are. We are really. We are really kind of flimsy. Flimsy emotional beings. Life is terrible. I hate it. And then suddenly you can get an audition and you're fine.

[Greg Miller]

Top of the world. Best.

[Ben Starr]

Because advice that you're you, you are given, but you have to experience is do not define yourself by your job. Have other things that are not your job that define you.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And actually, I'd say one of the most difficult things at the launch of 16 and then the past couple of years, I've been quite open about this is actually, I felt pretty down after that came out. This. Because I no longer had an outlet. I was literally defined. My. My passion became my job. And therefore there was no escape. I didn't have video games to escape to because video games were my job.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

So actually I then had to pivot and figure out what did define me. You know, I didn't. I couldn't. Yeah. And so I hit. I hit hardcore draws and I. I had to struggle with that. And I fell out of love with video games quite a bit. And then obviously took a step back and went, check yourself. Took some time away and then came back and went, actually, video games are great.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

But that was difficult, not having that refuge from it.

[Greg Miller]

Sure. Did you not have the refuge because you feel like you're coming into it and you're trending to that I deserve more thing or because you saw how you see the matrix? You see how this got made.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, pretty much.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, pretty much.

[Ben Starr]

And also I'm analyzing in a way that I never analyze it before. I'm looking at certain things that are just kind of ruining it for me a little bit. I saw how the sausage was made. I was thinking unhealthily about the whole experience, when in fact, the pure joy. Video games is that level of escapism that you just get that we sit. Video games have the power to recontextualize, allow us to recontextualize the world around Us. When my dad passed away, I went to death's door. I went to Life is Strange. I went to games that unintentionally. I didn't mean to, but. But were just. They. They were both escapes, and they maybe kind of, like, understood stuff. Like, I played. Oh, God. What's the game where you play the guitar? That's basically all you do. And you, like, slide along.

[Greg Miller]

Grateful escape.

[Ben Starr]

Artful escape. Some people love it, some people not. Massive fans in it. My dad was a huge fan of electric guitar.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

So I named a character after my dad and just played that for three hours. And it was a really therapeutic experience to experience. And they have that power to do that. And maybe somewhere along the way, when it became my job, I lost sight of that. And I still battle with it. I still battle with it. I get in the weeds about certain things, and I'm not. And I'm not perfect, and I'm not happy all the time. I'm quite. You know, I can get salty about stuff, but I try and be as positive as possible because I recognize that there are so many people who would kill literally, to be where I am. Where you are. But I also try and say to people, my experience is it's okay to be bad. It's okay to feel like shit.

[Greg Miller]

Be human. Yeah. Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

You've got to be human. Otherwise, you can't be strong all the time.

[Greg Miller]

Was Dad's passing sudden?

[Ben Starr]

It was the most sudden it could possibly be. Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

I mean, and obviously. Feel free to share.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, I think it's. I think it's. I think it's fine to talk about. It was. My granddad was passing my dad. My grandma was dying of old age. My dad's dad, and he was very unwell, and he passed in his sleep on the. I think the Thursday night. And my dad wasn't well in the lead up to it, he just was kind of feeling a bit bad. We thought he had pneumonia. And then. But because granddad's passing was so imminent, there was. That's what we were focusing on. And he went, I'm gonna go and get checked up after. After his. After he's kind of gone. And as we all do, we go, I need to get through this. I'll push on.

[Greg Miller]

I'll push through this.

[Ben Starr]

We don't care about our. Our own health. And then, so, yeah, on the Thursday, he passed. On the Friday I spoke to him. He got a checkup. It was fine. On the Saturday morning, he died in his sleep of a heart attack.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, my God.

[Ben Starr]

So we ended up having to. Ironically, he planned his own funeral, but because we had a double funeral of my granddad and I, of my granddad and my dad. And so I then stopped working on Final Fantasy 16. I went home, I looked after my family. We kind of regrouped and we planned my dad and my granddad's funeral at the same time. Nothing, nothing can prepare you for death. Even if you. If. Even if you know all the Runway in the world. And my experience is entirely my own, as exemplified by the fact that my sister and my mum reacted differently to it. It as well. It's horrific. The worst thing, the worst thing that could ever happen to me happened to me. That is it. Nothing like, nothing worse could happen than that. For me as a kid, the thought of losing my dad was unbearable. And that it happened, and it happened in such a horrible, horrific way. It's the overwhelming denial, the refusal to accept the truth in front of you, and then the anger that the world continues on. I remember someone made a joke trying to cheer me up on the day that he died. And I was so angry at them, Sure. I was so angry at anyone trying to make light of the situation. I was so angry that people were doing shopping. I was furious that people weren't stopping and the world wasn't going. This monumental human in my life is gone. And you have the audacity to keep living your life. How dare you.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And that is something that you kind of have to get over. And the realization that, you know, you can't really do anything about that. That's a work you have to do on yourself. I went to therapy. I threw myself into Final Fantasy. And a lot of people have said, oh, you can really tell that Ben lost his father in the making of the game. And I'm like, well, I hope not, because my doing. I'm pleased that you saw nuance. And certainly there was understanding and there was vulnerability in the performance, but a large portion of the game was me escaping the reality of what my life was at the time. It was allowing me to get on with the work and have that structure that otherwise I would have just collapsed and fallen apart.

[Greg Miller]

Did he get to see anything from Final Fantasy?

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, he did. He did. He was incredibly proud because he knew that Final Fantasy was my favorite franchise. So that's cool, but it's just difficult. Like, again, it's very hard when the person that you do, you should always do stuff yourself, but it's always, like, outside validation. I did stuff for my dad. I did stuff to make my dad proud. So it's very difficult to achieve success on something and not have that immediate validation from that person. Because I'm like, who am I doing this for? And I had to relearn to do things maybe for myself. And I just fell off a cliff. I was so, like, I would. I would drink a huge amount of alcohol and keep it quiet from people. I would. I think I. I think I drank consistently for a year, every single day. And I was very, very good at hiding it. But it's what you do to medicate. And it's like I needed to get through this. This is how I get through it. And many parts of my life collapsed. I felt incredibly nihilistic. But at the same time, one of the greatest things in my life was Final Fantasy 16 was taking off and my career was taking off. So why did I throw myself into all of this? Probably. Probably because I wanted to make something of this. I didn't want to get. Be left with. With nothing. At the end of it. What would I have like a half assed career and a dead dad. And that is being very reductive. But I was like, I refuse to accept that that's what I was gonna be left with. I'm like, no, I want this to be a success for me. Obviously it grew into other things, but that was a huge driving factor.

[Greg Miller]

Did you recognize being on the other side or coming out? I know grief is always with us, but I mean, the idea that you were drinking every day, that you were. You had this nihilistic view. Right. That's not the bed star. I know because I know you after all.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

And also, when does this happen? In the timeline around Covid.

[Ben Starr]

This. No, this, this happens. This happens towards the launch of 16 and beyond. Like, I was great when I saw you. I was still. I was still absolutely medicated and I wasn't an alcoholic, but I was absolutely alcohol dependent.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

I also would just. I would just push myself a little bit further if I was. It's the. It's the not drinking with other people. People. It's the drinking by yourself.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

That's the hard part.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

That's when you're like, you know what? I am going to have another three gin and tonics. Because why the. No. Yeah, you feel happy, you feel happier, you feel bound in that way. But I was also aware whilst I was doing it that I had the capacity to stop.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And I did. And I still enjoy alcohol. I love it. It's really fun. But I also have that self control to know you don't need to do that. And I certainly don't. I don't drink alone as much as I used to.

[Greg Miller]

Did you lose the nihilism?

[Ben Starr]

No, I think the nihilism's still there. I think that I sometimes feel. I get a call of the void sometimes. I think that's. But that's humanity, isn't it?

[Greg Miller]

Everybody.

[Ben Starr]

Everyone does it to some extent. But, yeah, I feel that way, but I think it's also pushed me to. There's a positive to that. Which. Is it what they're gonna do, say no? So that a lot on the.

[Greg Miller]

What do I have to lose?

[Ben Starr]

What do I have do to. So a lot of. A lot of that. A lot of that. Well, you know, things don't really matter is I have the confidence to go up and say, I really want to do this because I don't want to let this thing go.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And I feel like in this conversation that it's been driven to. That maybe it's making this sound a lot more dark than it actually is. But there are obviously layers to humanity and compensation complexities to the human condition. But this is. This is a truth for me. You know, this is. I can be both the fun, silly Ben and I can also be the. Ben is sad and fundamentally misses his dad every single day.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And that's. That's a hard thing to reconcile. But when someone told me that you're always going to miss him, I went, okay, that's cool. I don't feel ashamed.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, for sure, for sure, for sure.

[Ben Starr]

And I, like, for anyone else who's missed people, like, I still dream about him. I have. I have dreams where he's still alive or that he's done the soap thing.

[Greg Miller]

Of it's all a dream.

[Ben Starr]

He's off and he's like, sorry, I. I was trying to escape from the law and I pretended to be dead. I'm like, that makes sense because you wouldn't. You wouldn't just die on me in the middle of the night. But they're. They're the hardest ones because you wake up and you've. Then you've, like, lived a moment with him, and then you wake up and you're like, oh, you're still here. You're like, you're gone again. And that's the hardest. That's the hardest thing.

[Greg Miller]

Where do we come down as Ben Starr and spirituality?

[Ben Starr]

I am. Oh, my God. It's a weird one. I was raised. I was raised as a. Within the church. I went like, my. My grandmother Was very, very Catholic. I was not. I was not baptized. My dad was an atheist. I. I like the idea sometimes that I can ask the universe, whatever that might be, whether that might be a being for something, because it kind of says that maybe I don't have to be in control. It's like sometimes saying I don't have to be the thing. There is some fortune and fate to it. Yeah. I think. Yeah, I would say that I've got some spirituality.

[Greg Miller]

Do you ever allow yourself the happy thought that the dreams of your father, him visiting you or something to that effect?

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, maybe.

[Greg Miller]

I feel like there's comfort in that, then. Of the waking up and, yes, he's gone, but you got to see him.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah. Yeah. It's. It's. It's really hard. It's really, really hard. Especially because of the broken pieces of our lives that you have to like. It's when someone who is that pivotal to your life disappears.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

It's. It's absolutely devastating.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. The world shifts.

[Ben Starr]

World shifts just in every single way. And I. I don't miss him every day, but he is on my phone screen. Like, that's. And he'll never not be on my phone screen.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

So, you know, it's just. It's. And also thing it's tough is I think I'm older now than he was when I was first born.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, wow. Yeah. When you start catching up.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah. So I was. You know, that picture. There's a picture of him on my phone, and it's him holding me on the first day that I went back to the house. And I'm older than him now.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, that thing.

[Ben Starr]

And that's kind of strange.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, for sure.

[Ben Starr]

And also, I'm getting married next month, and I'm getting married on his birthday. I specifically picked it because of that day. But at the same time, I. Even though I'm talking about him quite freely on here, I feel this reticence, the one. To talk about him. I don't want to have to speak about him on the day.

[Greg Miller]

It's a lot to intertwine. The happiest day of your life. And then this bittersweet memory, this thing that's.

[Ben Starr]

We're still kind of like tackling whether that's the thing we want to do because ultimately he's gonna be there because it's his birthday. And I wanted to kind of reframe it so that our. You know, my.

[Greg Miller]

Take a day back.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah. Reclaim it a little bit.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

Christmas has been ruined by the way he died over Christmas. So that's just kind of shit.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

You know, that's a rough one. It's a rough one because also Christmas goes be with loved ones. And I'm like, yep, kind of. That ruined it. Death is terrible at any time. It ruins any part of it. Top tip.

[Greg Miller]

Death's gonna ruin any day.

[Ben Starr]

And it will. Yeah. Yeah. Death's in every day. Kind of like. Yeah. No discrimination. Kind of ruin it. But it really. Especially when the entire world is trying to tell you that now is the time to be.

[Greg Miller]

Let's be happy and together with family. Let's make some cherished family members.

[Ben Starr]

Oh, my God. Yeah. And it's. And it's hard.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And you feel really resentful. I was super.

[Greg Miller]

I was bad. Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

I was super angry about people making his death about themselves. I was kind of numb to it. I was not. I would put on a fantastic face because I had to. And I'm very, very good at projecting certain versions of myself that are. That I think to be kind of acceptable for people because I don't want to. I don't want to burden them with it.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

You know, even now I'm going to look back on this stream and go, why did I decide to dedicate a large portion of this to talking about ultimately my sadness, the loss of my dad, all of this stuff? But actually I feel that if it's an exercise for me and hopefully it allows other people to, you know, look into it and see that, you know.

[Greg Miller]

Scooby, scoopy, super chats. I'm sorry you went through this, but I'm glad to hear your journey. I eventually accepted I needed help and today marks five months sober for me. People should know that they aren't alone.

[Ben Starr]

So.

[Greg Miller]

No, that's the power of it.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

Like talking about and sharing your story and again, for people to know you and know you as the deep V. Balatro guy. You know what I mean? Like, you're so many things, but I think giving them a human look into this, the creation of Final Fantasy and all these other things of, like, who makes it, what makes up.

[Ben Starr]

And star also the fool. The fool I love. I get to play again. I'm so lucky that because I play such serious characters in, you know, Prometheus, Clive Verso, they're very. They have fun to them, but they're serious. I as a person can be very unserious, of course. And growing up, I was always the clown.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

I was always the idiot. I was always that. So, like the Ben star that you see who is the Balatro clown who is the, you know, the idiot online who does the silly publisher sale stuff. That's. That is me. I love that version of me because it is such an expression of who I enjoy being and I feel like I have permission to do that because I play such serious roles. I. You don't have to take me seriously as a person, which I really take.

[Greg Miller]

You seriously as a person.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah. Yeah, you should do.

[Greg Miller]

I wish you're right here. You could get me out. It's scary. I want to talk more about Final Fantasy and then this Push the explosion of Ben Starr everywhere. But first I'll remind you about the explosion of Kinda Funny. We would explode if it wasn't for you. We need your help. Patreon.com kindafunny YouTube.com kindafunnygames Apple and Spotify is where you can go to get your Kinda Funny membership to hear each and every episode ad free. Get your daily dose of me Greg Miller In a 15 to 20 minute series we call Greg Way and of course get good karma for supporting and alone 11 person business. So I'm gonna have Kevin number one, kick it over to ads so you can do that. But number two, Kevin, can you go through my mail Ben's weddings next month, but I haven't seen my invite yet.

[Mike]

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[Greg Miller]

You know that one friend who somehow knows everything about money? Yeah. Now imagine they live in your phone. Say hey to Experian, your big financial friend. It's the app that helps you check your FICO score, find ways to save and basically feel like a financial genius. And guess what? It's totally free. So go on, download the Experian app. Trust me, having a bff, like this is a total game changer. And we're back everyone with Ben Starr. So, Ben. Yes, we touched on it. We touched on a lot of stuff here. Yeah, but we touched a bit on you talking about fuck it, what do I have to lose?

[Ben Starr]

Yes.

[Greg Miller]

Is that what fuels the push at Final Fantasy and Beyond? Because I talk about it and I've talked about you with you privately about it. Right. Of like, this is how obviously I feel like I've treated my entire career. But a very specific thing of like when they were like, oh, you can host this WWE show. And I was like, well, can I get on the website? Can I get in the video game? Can I do this? You know, I mean like they didn't ask me to do any of that stuff. I just wanted to go do it. So I made it happen.

[Ben Starr]

Yes.

[Greg Miller]

Is that fueled then by coming out of this thing with your dad?

[Ben Starr]

Yes, it's fueled by that. And wanting to stay around and making. Make something of myself. And I've always been a very ambitious person, but I think sometimes I felt quite nervous to put that ambition forward for fear that it might come across as selfish or arrogant. But this. I know this world. So I was like, yeah, of course. And I'm very similar to you. Like, you give me a little.

[Greg Miller]

I've often said it's like looking in a mirror.

[Ben Starr]

It is. We're the same. It's like twins, except I'm Danny DeVito in this.

[Greg Miller]

I don't know if that's true, buddy. I don't know. That's how the Internet would say it.

[Ben Starr]

But, like, it is. Yeah, I know. And I want it. And if you give me the opportunity to do something, I will. I will take it. And so I will burn myself out a little bit. But also, I'm very good at taking breaks and relaxing in between that. So I don't literally burn out.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

But I like PAX East. I was doing. I did the thing with you. I did the magic, the gathering thing. I did my live shows and my DND group.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

Like, that isn't healthy. That isn't healthy. But it's healthy. But it was. It wasn't. Because I was just really, really tired. But also, why not? I'm there.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. That's the convention life. You're there to do the thing.

[Ben Starr]

You gotta just graft and you grind. And I want to do more stuff. And. And I. And I was given this amazing opportunity to host the Golden Joystick Awards. Like, is it daunting? Yes. But am I gonna do it? Of course. What am I gonna do? Like, fall on my ass? Fine.

[Greg Miller]

These opportunities don't come around.

[Ben Starr]

Exactly. And I'm not gonna say. I'm not going to say no to them because I. I feel like I can do that, actually. I like speaking to the community, for the community, for the people that I like. And it's. What a wonderful thing to be an ambassador, not just for, like, a franchise, but also for an industry. That's cool. And I think that's what. When you host an award show, that's what you're saying. You're going, this is the state of the industry.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And so, yeah, I. But also, like, you asked me to do something, I'm going to ask to write something. That's the thing that I specifically ask for, because I really think that there is. Brand. Is a brand is a weird and maybe capitalist way of looking at it. But there is a version of me that I think is fun and is silly. And I think that some people find that hard to write for because it's authentically me.

[Greg Miller]

Sure. But that's why it resonates. Right. That's why you keep getting these opportunities. The weird commercial, the balatro, like, the hosting this enjoys gold golden joysticks.

[Ben Starr]

Because I fundamentally want. I spent the first two minutes, the golden joysticks, asking my famous friends to tell me why I'd be terrible at the job.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

So. Because I think that would be a silly, stupid thing to do because I have only been around for five minutes. I've been around for two and a half years. Maybe it'd be three years now, but that's it. That's what I've been in the industry for.

[Greg Miller]

Have you surprised even yourself, then, by the amount of opportunity you found in these three years?

[Ben Starr]

I've actually been surprised by how willing people. People have been to engage in it.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

I still feel like a massive imposter. Hugely. Because the people that I'm getting to hang out with and spend time with have been around in the industry and have paid their dues, and they paid their dues quite rightly by doing incredible work.

[Greg Miller]

Sure.

[Ben Starr]

And as great, as lucky as I've been, I still feel unworthy by comparison to these people. So that's what drives me to do more and more and more. I see myself in 10 years time being in the positions of the people I get to hang out with now.

[Greg Miller]

Sure.

[Ben Starr]

I don't want to go anywhere, and I want to. I want to have that great legacy of work. You know, I don't want you to know me just from one character. I want you to know me from 110 characters.

[Greg Miller]

Sure.

[Ben Starr]

And. But so I feel a little bit. A little bit unworthy. And that's what drives me is going.

[Greg Miller]

I want to feel like you're dues right now, right?

[Ben Starr]

Completely. Yeah, completely. And I'm happy. And I'm happy to start at the bottom. Like, I'm not expecting to kind of like, do. I'm really like, I will do stuff to. To prove to you that I can do this and build a legacy that feels authentically me and not. I'm saying no to a lot of things because great opportunities are coming through, but they don't feel right and they certainly don't feel authentic to what I want to do. I could do a cash grab. People saying, do you want to do this? Do you want to say this? This? I'm like, great. After I accepted this award at the baftas dressed as A clown. I got so many offers to do stuff. Huge amounts of money, like, were gone. Ben, do you want to do this? And I went, nope, because I didn't do that for money. I did it because it was stupid.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

Funny, silly. And I do it because it feels right, not because I have a financial investment in the thing that I want to do.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, the one. One of, the one thing. One of the many things I've heard about you from the other side is like. Yeah, it's not about a paycheck with you in terms of the size. Like, if the project's cool, if this is a good fit, you're going to go do it. You don't care about that part.

[Ben Starr]

No. Because also, what if it's. It's. It's worth so much more doing something that you believe in and you love than. Than taking the easy road and taking the short buck.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And that isn't always. I think also some actors should absolutely do that. If you go. I think actors should be rightfully compensated for their time. And if they have, you know, if they have something to give and they want to do it for the money. Absolutely. But for me, I am so fortunate with so many fingers and so many pies that I don't.

[Greg Miller]

So many pies, so many fingers. You're like an AI.

[Ben Starr]

You're an AI drawing, but all the fingers are pies.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

I just. Can I have the opportunity to do stuff maybe that I wouldn't otherwise say yes to? Because. Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

So here's a question for you then, and it's an interesting one because your partner, your fiance here is an actor as well.

[Ben Starr]

Yes.

[Greg Miller]

Has she always gotten it the. Hey, I'm leaving again to. I'm going back to America. We were talking today, like, I'm used to the 11 hour flight now. It's no big deal. Like, you come over to America a lot.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

You know what I mean? You're doing all these conventions now and you're obviously not only doing work, you're then going and being on podcasts. You're running the D and D with the D and D group helping run it, all that stuff. Like, you're so busy. Does she understand that? Or. I mean, she's married. She does. Did she always understand that can be a hard pill to. To swallow. Like, cool, I'm with you, but I gotta go do XYZ Topline.

[Ben Starr]

Yes.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

And then under that is the complex, which is still fundamentally frustrating. She is a working actor as well.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

At a baseline, and I should imagine.

[Greg Miller]

That gets rough of like, she's gone for three months, but you're here not this weekend, but 90.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah. And because we know what that's like, we are able to understand that that is also something that is the case. Even if it's annoying.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ben Starr]

It would be so much easier if we could do stuff together. We can't. But it, you know, it's, it's. It's a very complex issue that she understands and I understand. Would we like to spend more time together? Absolutely.

[Greg Miller]

Of course.

[Ben Starr]

Can we know? Because actually she understands that this is something that, that we. I have to run at and I would never. And the same situation. I'd go, whatever it is that you need to do professionally, you've got to do it. But yes, that is also important. So we're very good at supporting each other. It isn't as easy as that because it's still very difficult because you'd like to spend more time and actually you're away from someone, you can get quite annoyed that they're not doing this or this, that and the other. That's just the complexities of a relationship.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

But she's great and I'm very, very lucky to have someone that supports me in that way.

[Greg Miller]

And you made a comment about it a couple seconds ago. But to catch up, I think if people missed it in this context. Right. It's the idea that this isn't forever.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

This is how I, you know, I've talked to Jen about the WWE thing or even early days of kind of funny of like, this won't be this way forever. But like, while these opportunities are coming, I gotta jump on them. I gotta go. I gotta do the thing.

[Ben Starr]

You ha. You have to. Because also, you know, it's not gonna be forever because you create, you create this foundation that you. That kind of then generates itself. You can then have the opportunity to, to pick the things. But when you're, when you're accelerating at this speed, you kind of need the fuel to do it. But once you're in space, you're kind of fine.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

So it's, that's the way I see it. And it will take a couple more years. I'm not done here. I will keep pushing and doing interesting things in interesting ways, but I'm eventually going to get to a point where I sit and I, and I Thanos and I go, yeah, exactly.

[Greg Miller]

You look at your field like, I've done it, I've accomplished this.

[Ben Starr]

But yeah, that is weird that we both, we both, you know, associate With a villain. But also, he nailed it.

[Greg Miller]

And was he really the villain? Yeah, he was trying. He was right. They were eating up all the resources. This could have fixed it.

[Ben Starr]

I'm glad Spider man was dead.

[Greg Miller]

So right now. Yeah, we know you're announcing a project tomorrow. Yes, I keep saying that, by the way. Yeah, you're not in trouble, Finny. No, they still have an email. Oh, I got two emails. Let me see. No, neither of them.

[Ben Starr]

Great.

[Greg Miller]

This is a tough question, I know, but how many things are you sitting on? Like how many other projects, games or whatever? And then I do that part and then we'll get the next part.

[Ben Starr]

A few.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ben Starr]

But it's really great that I don't have to feel the pressure to say that I'm sitting on them because there are so many things at present to be able to talk about.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ben Starr]

Like when a game comes out. After the game comes out is when sometimes you have to double down more. And Expedition 33 is something that I will probably continue to talk about for years and years and years. So many people are now just finishing the game, so they really want to have that discourse. So many people want to kind of get in the weeds with it and explore the possibilities of the life afterwards. So I don't need to do that. And I think people enjoy me talking about games. Like, there'll be people in your chat that will know me for. From day everything, or, you know, Hades or Final Fantasy or, you know, whatever it is that I'm doing. Warframe is like, there are some people that only know me from Warframe that I love. And I love it when Warframe fans come up to me like, you're Arthur Nightingale and yeah, I love those projects. There are so many things that I can't talk about. And I feel so lucky that I. That I have that. And I'm really excited to speak about them when they come out. But also, I don't want to spoil the surprise.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, of course, of course, of course.

[Ben Starr]

But yeah, it's a weird. It's a weird thing. It's a weird thing.

[Greg Miller]

So for you to accomplish as much as you already have, and I know you feel like you're still a spring chicken and all this stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What is Bucket List? You've done a Final Fantasy game. But I mean, like, what else is on the list of, like, this is what I'd love to add to the IMDb page, the resume.

[Ben Starr]

There's. I mean, I joke about wanting to be in love and deep space, which is so Silly. I, like, I'd love to be. I'd love to do that, but I'm in kind of in a, you know, a love and deep space adjacent everything. I want to do more stuff that like, like Expedition 33 is new IP, new properties, really deep characters. And I'd like to be seen as a person in this industry who continues to show how as a person, performer, we can take the medium forward in the next five, 10 years, whatever that means. I feel like we've had such great ambassadors for that who have kind of led the way. And I would like to continue to be one of those people that you go, oh, Ben Starr's in this game. He's hopefully he's contributed to it in a meaningful way and whatever that means. Whether it is, you know, being in an amazing, epic PlayStation first party game that you spend 60 hours or 20 hours doing. Love that.

[Greg Miller]

Or, yeah, stealing the bread from.

[Ben Starr]

He's. Oh, my God, I'm so excited. I'm so excited for that game. I freaked out when I saw him.

[Greg Miller]

As well, of course.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, that was so cool. But, yeah, whether it's that or whether it's something completely different, I don't mind. But I've done a lot in a short space of time. I'm looking forward to doing a lot, continue to do a lot in stuff that excites me, that I'm proud of. I don't want to be one of these people that's kind of just doing stuff and you're like, okay, right? It's more of the same. Yeah, I want to do stuff that's a little bit different and maybe no.

[Greg Miller]

One north in Dark Void. Am I right? Oh, my God. You know what I mean?

[Ben Starr]

No, I won't be drawn in.

[Greg Miller]

You want to call him? Usually when I mention Dark Void, I call Noah, but I won't do that.

[Ben Starr]

He. God, man. That guy, that guy. What a career. What a career he had. Has like, I feel. Yeah, no, he's dead now.

[Greg Miller]

He's done. He's blazing the monster machines. That's all he does now.

[Ben Starr]

He.

[Greg Miller]

When I turn that on. When Ben wanted to watch Blaze in the monster Machines for the first time, I turn on the fucking blazes, Nolan. I'm like, oh, he Text him. Like, I'm gonna have to listen to you forever now.

[Ben Starr]

He's. He's so, so everywhere in that period. Like Desmond Miles.

[Greg Miller]

Nathan Drake.

[Ben Starr]

Nathan Drake. But like Spec Ops, the line. We don't talk about spec line enough. But, man, what a game. Walt Williams, WRITER Just incredible, incredible video Game. Yeah, he did the Future game show and a line was written for him that I was the substance version of him. And Jen English, who plays Maelle in Expedition 33, said, yeah, he had no idea what that meant.

[Greg Miller]

And I was like, yeah, like very on brand for the substance version of me.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah. I think they have paved the way in what, you know, performers can interact with communities.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, my God. Of course. Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, that's it. Really.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. I was doing a Greg Way last week. Right. Because it's Monday. Yeah. About best interview ever. And I was talking about this, like, very special moment where up at noon at IGN for me in 2012, 2013, 2014 was just perfectly intersected with the rise of the audience. Understanding voice actors mattered. And bringing in Travis and Laura and Troy and Ashley and Nolan and like Jennifer and like all these people who were there, like, who were like, this is weird to be treated like a celebrity when it's like you are like, so celebrity to us. And now that's ubiquitous and every gets it. You see them embracing that because they.

[Ben Starr]

They are the ones that forged the path really of. There are so many celebrated actors before them. You know, you can talk about, like, Metal Gear Solid and David Hazler and, you know, all the team from Soul Reaver and like, there are iconic performances that we value, but there was just something about that period of time where they felt tangible. They felt. Yeah, they felt like people who were willing to speak on the projects they were a part of and just be.

[Greg Miller]

A part of, educatedly speak on them. Right. They mattered to them. It's like, it's not what you're talking about. Oh, we brought in a Hollywood actor and they recorded a bunch of lines and they walked away and they have no idea what this was.

[Ben Starr]

It wasn't Bruce Willis in Apocalypse, which is a great PS1 game if you haven't played it. But it didn't feel like hash grabs. They felt like. They felt like ours. They feel like our celebrities and people that were kind of we owned. And again, it's weird that I got to meet. I got to meet Laura Bailey and Travis for the first time at just over Summer Game Fest recently. And it was just so strange that I have such a huge amount of fondness for their work and just suddenly like they're. They're in my face and yeah, I feel really starstruck for people whose work that I just. I don't think they're just great people. I think they're just great, like performers and just technicians of their craft.

[Greg Miller]

Like, when you met Jack Quaid on the Gamescast last week.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah. Can I just say I commented on these?

[Greg Miller]

I prefer if you didn't.

[Ben Starr]

You can look. You can. You can take pictures in Expedition 33. There just isn't a photo mode.

[Greg Miller]

And that's what we're talking about. There's no photo.

[Ben Starr]

I know, I know. Notice me, Senpai.

[Greg Miller]

Mike.

[Ben Starr]

Hello.

[Greg Miller]

Before we went live, you had a conversation with Ben out there about his future in video games. What? You want to tell him what you said? Because I like that a lot. Or do you want to keep it? Is he miked or does he need to yell? Kev, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. We're mic up so that we can hear you that way because I don't want you. No, you're doing great, Kevin. Roger, how many donuts for Mike? Is that Second donut.

[Roger]

Second sausage McMuffin as well.

[Greg Miller]

Oh, second sausage McMuffin. Te Mcdom juice.

[Ben Starr]

Can I say that isn't how food works? This is really unhealthy. He's doing great. He's doing great.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, It.

[Roger]

It only fuels me, and so.

[Ben Starr]

No, it doesn't.

[Roger]

Here I was walking, thinking about.

[Greg Miller]

But think about how many calories he's burning by walking.

[Roger]

Exactly. Just think about that.

[Greg Miller]

What are we getting for lunch?

[Roger]

Can't wait. You know, I had a salad, two.

[Greg Miller]

Of them, and sweet greens or whatever.

[Roger]

Yeah, Roger called that a salad. That sucked. I'm mad at him about that one.

[Greg Miller]

Anyways, Ben Starr prediction about Ben Starr.

[Roger]

I'm like, man, this guy is so amazing. He's doing it all. And I said, I betcha that when this older cast moves out, Ben Starr will be in Call of Duty. He will be part of the team. He'll be the Soap McTavish of the world. He will be the Frank Woods. I can't wait. So, Ben, if you ever get in Call of Duty, just know that Big Mike is going to be smiling.

[Ben Starr]

Big man, thank you so much. I'll do it for you. You'll hear me whisper under my breath if I ever get to do it. This is for Mike. Every time I shoot someone in the head, it'll be, this is for Mike.

[Greg Miller]

All right, hold on. You know my wife, right? Yeah, she's calling me. Hold on. Okay, let's see. I think it's fun stuff, but you never know with her. Yeah, you know what I mean? You get to talk to her, too. Hello. Hi. You're on the Gamescast with Ben Starr. How are you, Jen?

[Ben Starr]

Hi.

[Greg Miller]

I'm good.

[Ben Starr]

How are You.

[Greg Miller]

Hi, Ben. Hi.

[Ben Starr]

How are you? I'm great.

[Greg Miller]

I'm shopping for slutty little shorts for Greg and I need to know his size. I think I'm a 38. Ben, look at my tag on my pants.

[Ben Starr]

I'm really got to get in there.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, I know. Okay. Oh, wait. What? You have to go in the inside. The pants. There should be on the little belt buckle.

[Ben Starr]

On the belt buckle, like, Right.

[Greg Miller]

Isn't there like a Levi's thing?

[Ben Starr]

Because I've just looked. I just looked directly at your ass. I just lose your ass crack. I don't know, but I'm just gonna. I'm gonna touch him.

[Greg Miller]

I'm gonna say do 38. We're gonna say 38 on that one. And how short am I allowed to go? As short as you want. You're the one I'm trying to impress. Hell yeah, brother. Okay, cool. All right, thanks. Bye. Bye.

[Ben Starr]

I just looked directly at your ass.

[Greg Miller]

How'd it look?

[Ben Starr]

Like a 38.

[Greg Miller]

I like this guy.

[Ben Starr]

See as some Amanda is a 38.

[Greg Miller]

Ben, we winding down?

[Ben Starr]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

I want to give you some super chats in here. A lot of supportive ones. Of course. Nicholas Chambers says, lost my best friend about four years ago unexpectedly. Grief doesn't get smaller. You grow around it. No one's alone. Heart.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, thanks for that.

[Greg Miller]

Tim C. Says, my mom died on Christmas 12 years ago. I totally feel you, Ben. It kind of makes the holiday. Going forward. Dot. I'm sorry. Going forward. Not great.

[Ben Starr]

Because that's what it kind of feels like. I just. Just not great anymore.

[Greg Miller]

Gary the Third changes the topic here and goes. Thanks for being a joy to talk to @MagicCon. And working through that line, I finally pulled the Clive card. Much love and congrats on your success.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, thank you to everyone that waited for me at magicon.

[Greg Miller]

We haven't talked about magic. Talk to me about magic.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah. What a cool thing. Final Fantasy Magic collaboration. Wizzes were really kind to kind of bring me in and kind of help, like host a lot of their events. I did a really silly commercial which I accepted that I wrote, go check it out. It's on my Twitter. It's very stupid. Loved it. And I love the Magic the Gathering community. I feel like Final Fantasy has brought in so many new people into this, into this card game. And it's made a lot of people feel like it's accessible for the first time and it's a hell of a lot of fun. And the pre existing community, it's been built over the past kind of 30 years or whatever.

[Greg Miller]

So welcoming.

[Ben Starr]

Oh my God, they're so nice.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, when we first came here, they were all so great about it.

[Ben Starr]

They won people, they want people to play their game because they recognise how cool it is. They don't care how you get into it. So yeah, shout out to everyone I've met. Thank you for being so kind.

[Greg Miller]

Resar says. Thanks for sharing the context, Ben. I have chronic anxiety and use games as a way to center myself, especially at times of grief. You rule heart. Thanks J. Barrel or maybe Jay Barry the First Berserker Khazan and Claire Obscure Expedition 33 are both my favorite games this this year so far. Leaning towards Expedition 33 is my game of the year. Congrats Ben on your success and I'm looking forward to your future endeavors beyond.

[Ben Starr]

Thank you very much. Can I just also say, I don't think Expedition 33 needs to be game of the year in order for it to be a great game.

[Greg Miller]

No, no, I don't think anybody's saying.

[Ben Starr]

That, but I really love, I really love how many people have taken it and it's really changed them. It's a cool game. So thank you for everyone who's played it and supports it and I hope that it allows you to make your, your life a little bit easier or worse, depending on how you feel about the game. But yeah, thank you for everyone's support on that game. It means the world.

[Greg Miller]

Ty Wilkinsvo says as a voice actor at this point, after five years, what advice would Ben give to an actor at the weird time frame of having agents but being in that in between space lull of larger online, indie and early mainstream pro work to move forward?

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, you just got to stick with it, man. Like that's it. Like my, my career is a testament to perseverance more than it is talent. And it's a right place, right time. You just got to be. You got to be nimble, you've got to be ready. And by the sounds of it, he's already got all the stuff in place and it's just. Mine is luck. Mine is right place, right time, right attitude and just keep doing it, man. If you, if you're good at your job, which you clearly are, then you've, you've got this.

[Greg Miller]

Oh yeah. Mount Daniello says. Does Andy's voice acting career threaten you at all?

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, it does. Yeah. It's why I spend so much time trying to bring him down because he's too good.

[Greg Miller]

Somebody has to, you know what I mean? Recon. Awesome shout out to first, Berserker Kazan. Ben, you were awesome in that game.

[Ben Starr]

There's an amazing Kazan community. That game is hard, Hard as nails. But if you get into it, it's a super, super rewarding game. And I had such a great time talking about it, promoting it, being a part of of it. So thank you to everyone who continues to play and support it.

[Greg Miller]

JBC says, quote, I don't want this life. End quote. Was peak voice acting.

[Ben Starr]

Ben, thank you very much. No more. No more comments or spoilers.

[Greg Miller]

Patrick Perez says, Ben, what are three of your favorite Final Fantasy Edition magic cards?

[Ben Starr]

Oh, this is a fantastic question.

[Greg Miller]

He lit up on that magic question.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah. What? My three favorite cards. So I'm naturally an 8 fan, so I love the fact that they've shoved triple triad in there. I think it's really sick. I adore the. I adore the Aerith card that they've added. And then if I'm going to say, the most exciting one for me is the combined Vanille and Fang cards that when you meld them together, they become Ragnarok and you turn them around and it becomes one giant Ragnarok card. Because I just think that is the amazing way of it, like making a story beat into a mechanical thing, I think is so neat.

[Greg Miller]

What's your favorite Ghostbuster magic card? Began?

[Ben Starr]

I don't know.

[Greg Miller]

I'll get you. I'll get it for you. What's your favorite one, man? The Ecto one. That's my favorite one. It's one of the ones you can play and it changes the game radically. They got a good slimer one as well. This is my foil.

[Ben Starr]

Have you got it in foil?

[Greg Miller]

Of course I do. I'm Greg.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, sorry, I'm Greg.

[Greg Miller]

It's more offensive, though, that you guys got an entire set and I just had to settle for, like, the secret layer.

[Ben Starr]

Secret Laird. But, I mean, Secret Lair is cool as hell. It's very cool because they become really rare.

[Greg Miller]

I know. Just saying. I could go for the entire set, but whatever Hasan says. Ben, what character would you like to voice In Final Fantasy 7?

[Ben Starr]

In 7?

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Ben Starr]

Oh, man. In 7. I think I. That's a. That's a really good question. I think I'd like to. I mean, I like. I'm in kind of my villain era, so I'd love to have a go at, like. By the way, everyone in the 7 remake is amazing. Any villain like Rufus Shinra is a kind of like a delectable piece of shit. I mean, Final Fantasy tactics coming out And I play a delectable piece of shit in that as well, so it's fun to do.

[Greg Miller]

Okay, two more parks view says Ben. Compared to how bad the UK heat is at the moment, how is it to be in San Francisco?

[Ben Starr]

Oh, my God, it's so nice. The wind is actually lovely. The UK is now it's close in the uk, like, you can't really move in the night, otherwise you'll just sweat. It's horrible right now.

[Greg Miller]

I don't like that. I don't like that at all. And final question comes from Mr. Hawkes, who says, Ben, what Expedition 33 tattoo should I get?

[Ben Starr]

The most popular one right now is an Esquier tattoo. They're really cute as hell. People really like Gustave's arm. That's beautiful with a rose in it. I've seen. I want to get an Expedition Zero tattoo. For those who know. No. Yeah. Or if you want to be a real one, get an expedition 60.

[Greg Miller]

Strongest expedition to ever do. Nice. Why not just go for those who come after?

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, that's cool. There's so much, like, the art in that game is so iconic that you can pretty much get anything. And it's painting.

[Greg Miller]

Get that world. Eiffel Tower.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, you do that.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. Yeah. Ben, thanks for hanging out.

[Ben Starr]

Thanks for having me.

[Greg Miller]

You need games daily. Go watch games daily. If you missed that, of course, Ben's in everything. But Ben, what would you like to promote that you can promote?

[Ben Starr]

I say stay tuned. Tomorrow, there's a fun little announcement we're gonna make.

[Greg Miller]

But then also, natural six, right? There's a YouTube channel. Go get that.

[Ben Starr]

Oh, my God. I play D and D with five of my closest friends. We're really fun. We're really silly if you've never played D and D before. Neither had some of us. So we got into it and we. I'm really good at it now. Yeah, I'm great. We're like 34 episodes in.

[Greg Miller]

That's awesome.

[Ben Starr]

But, yeah, it's really fun. And we get to travel the world. Thank you for everyone who supports Natural six.

[Greg Miller]

There it is.

[Ben Starr]

There we go. We recently did a tie in with the Alters, which is fun as hell. Alters, an amazing game which Alex Jordan plays 11 different characters in, and we all play different versions. He created an entire TTRPG system for us to play. But, yeah, we love it and we get to do it for a job. It's cool.

[Greg Miller]

Okay, well, everybody, Ben Starr will be in other video games. He'll be coming to a convention near you. And of course, he'll be getting married next month. Congratulations. Yeah, for now, of course. We'll remind you that this has been Kinda Funny gamescast each and every week for sometimes two best friends gather on this table to come talk about the biggest topics in video games, whether they be reviews, previews, or just things we need to talk about. If you like that, pick up a kinda funny membership. YouTube.com kindafunnygames patreon.com kinda funny apple or Spotify. $10 a month gets you 80 episodes of content ad free gets you 4 hours of exclusive podcasts from me. And of course it gets you good karma supporting an 11 person small business that is still marathon Streaming. Death Stranding 2. We might be on YouTube going into the live premiere of Tim's wedding, But on Twitch TV, KindaFunnyGames, the marathon walkathon stream for Death Strandy 2 continues. Mike, how we feel Feeling? How's the bubble?

[Roger]

The fun don't stop. I got a bubble in my leg and I got a bubble on my belly. Andy says that I should get the doctor to look at my belly, but I said it's fine.

[Greg Miller]

We'll get Dr. Feel Good in here. He'll look at your belly. Don't worry about it. That's gonna keep going right there. Ben's gonna say goodbye, but maybe hang out. I don't know.

[Ben Starr]

Yeah, I'll be around. It's fine. Whatever.

[Greg Miller]

All right, whatever. Until next time, it's been our pleasure to serve you.