Fuse is the 16th Legend coming to Apex Legends in Season 8, an explosive new character with an Aussie flair. We spoke to the man behind Fuse, Ben Prendergast, to talk about his time playing Apex, being a character and more.
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Fuse will be playable for everyone on February 2, when Season 8 begins. Ben’s character hails from Salvo, and also brings with him a new weapon: the 30-30 repeater.
If you need to catch up on everything coming to Season 8 we’ve got you covered. But, Fuse’s voice actor tells us what he’s excited about – as a dedicated Apex player himself.
You’re already over level 370 in Apex Legends – were you playing before you got an audition, or did you dive in after?
I knew about Apex but when I got the audition I dove straight in! I was level 50 before I had my first session so the team was surprised that I knew my Mozambique from my Mastiff. I remember throwing shade on the Mozzie, I think you’ll hear that in his voice lines. Then by the time we came to voice the trailers I was level 200 plus and started playing ranked. I’m Gold I now in ranked and should hit Plat this week.
Who do you main currently, and do you think you will be switching to Fuse full time in Season 8?
I’m a Horizon main at the moment, switching between Bloodhound and Lifeline depending on my mood. Will I play Fuse? Hell yeah, because his tactical is – Oh I can’t say. But yeah I’ll play Fuse just to troll teammates with custom voice lines, but I know his kit is going to sit perfectly in the meta and give some surprising counters to some of Apex’s tougher characters to beat.
Favorite map in Apex?
I love all the maps. Seriously, I don’t get the shade on certain maps. Favourite spots on Kings Canyon (I will always drop in that donut hole thingy), World’s Edge (Geyser), but actually I’ve really dug Olympus this season and you’ll find me cruising around the PS5 or Hammond Labs gold loot bins! Oh and the Octane/Trident glitch is the funniest thing I’ve seen all season.
- Read More: Apex Legends voice actors for all characters
Have you had a chance to play on the new Season 8 patch yet, and try out the new weapon Fuse is bringing from Salvo? Or are you trying it for the first time with the rest of us?
I will be with you all on the first day, but the voice lines I’ve recorded give so much away. For example, I was recording Trident lines back in May thinking to myself “ah they’re bringing vehicles in!” The team would tell me what everything was if I didn’t know already, so I have a pretty good idea of what’s coming too. You’re going to hear some love from Fusey around the 30-30, what a gun! I’m a Hemlock/G7 loadout kinda guy so I already know the 3030 is probably going to suit my play style.
You have VA roles in a number of other games, including one of the best games of 2020, Hades. Do you always play the games you have a part in, and do you play any games besides that?
Hades was a total (and pleasant) surprise, because I knew that SuperGiant had produced some amazing games in the past, but it was the first job that I had recorded from my home studio so I had no idea how it would be received. The writing was great and the character (Patroclus) was super reserved, so to be honest I wasn’t sure how the game all hung together. I do play Hades though, but not as much as Apex right now for obvious reasons. I’ve been a gamer my whole life, when the pandemic hit I was smashing Red Dead Redemption and God of War (for a bit of outside time) but yeah I’ve clocked hundreds of hours on Skyrim, Fallout, FIFA, Gran Turismo, amongst others.
Classic VA question here, but as you also do Film & TV, do you have a preference? What are the best things about VA vs onscreen/stage?
I don’t actually have a preference but I will say I’ve been blessed with VA and Performance Capture work this past eighteen months. I think VA is moving closer to theatre in terms of the story/lore coalescing with the issues of the day (e.g. Inclusivity, Race, Gender politics) and I feel like a whole new generation of us are developing empathy from this form.
For me, VA is something you can dive deep very quickly with and with the help of a good voice director land on a fully formed character that hits just right for the brief. Film/TV takes a little more marination to create a character that works and can be a bit of a solo pursuit, but there are so many more moving parts. And theatre to me is the ultimate acting form, being able to develop and then live inside a character’s journey from start to finish every night and then discover the deeper complexities of that character and their relationships over weeks/months of a plays run (all whilst sharing that with a live audience).
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Our Australian editor says “Fuse is a little over the top with the Aussie-isms, but in a great way” – what was it like leaning heavily into the “Aussie” character?
It’s funny because I’ve definitely known people even more over the top than what we’ve seen of Fuse in the trailers so far. But yes you will definitely hear a fairly thick smattering of Ozzie in ol Fusey. He’s a bit of an anachronism. A mix of seventies Australian film characters, eighties sports stars, and modern-day rural/urban characters I’ve had the pleasure of knowing personally, my dad/uncles figuring heavily. There’s definitely things he says that I wouldn’t, but we were very careful with him and you could always feel when a line wasn’t quite right for him.
How much freedom was there to improv – i.e. add in some Australian flair of your own creation.
The team at Apex had already written so much fantastic dialogue that it became fun to riff with them and there was definitely the freedom to improvise. Where we needed to hit a certain vibe with Fuse I’d delve into my past and dig up something from an uncle or football coach, or borrow from some previous Australian pop culture reference. To be honest we had days of dialogue sessions and I know I like to throw out tonnes of options so I came out of every one of those sessions exhausted. Which is kinda when you know something is working hey? I’m looking forward to hearing what I said haha.
Without giving away any spoilers, how excited are you for future Fuse lore – if you’ve got that far ahead yet?
Mate I’m pumped to jump back in and see what else he gets up to, I can already see the writers/directors leading in a certain direction and there’s stuff going down next month that I can’t talk about that is something I’ve NEVER done in my entire acting career. I’m in constant contact with the writers (and other VAs for that matter) and obviously they have their seasons planned way in advance, but I expect that the collaborative process is going to continue.
Presumably, like the other voice actors, you’ve had to do a lot (all?) of it from home/remotely given the current situation – What were the challenges, or benefits, of that?
Well I had my initial auditions/callbacks in my home studio over zoom, but the main records were at an external studio, which is great because my booth is SMALL and I like to wave around like a madman when I record. But we did do some facial capture and voice record for the Season 8 trailer so the challenge there is to make a 3×5 box feel like Kings Canyon! So yeah, while its slightly more difficult recording remotely, I can’t complain about working from home in your pyjamas. I will say I’m looking forward to the 2021 cast/crew Christmas party, so everyone wear a mask!
After you were revealed as the newest VA, what was the reception like from the Apex community? Everyone seems to love the character already.
If you’re reading this and you responded to any of the announcements or my tweets I want to say THANK YOU. I read everything and I’ve been absolutely blown away by the response to Fusey. It’s truly humbling to not only bring an Aussie (Salvo) character to my fellow Aussies (Salvonians) but to also bring a flavorsome and fresh Australian cultural identity to the rest of the world. I feel really proud of the stitchwork Aussie that Fuse is, part Steve Irwin, Part Crocodile Dundee, Part 70’s Australian Cricketer, and underneath all that he’s just the proudest peacocky Aussie I could muster. I hope he’s the best of us, welcoming of everyone, dangerous to bad eggs, and someone who wants his fellow teammates to do their best.
Where can people find you if they want to keep up with you on socials?
I’m having a blast streaming on Twitch (BoppyPea) just playing with fans and inviting my favorite players, but you can also follow me on Twitter/Instagram at BenjiPea.
Have a great season everyone, and tell my old mate Caustic I said G’day 😉
Apex Legends Season 8 starts on February 2, and is available to play for free on PS4/5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and PC through Origin or Steam.
We’re also expecting the Nintendo Switch version to be announced in time for Season 8 starting.