Matthew Mercer, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Liam O'Brien, Taliesin Jaffe, Marisha Ray, and Sam Riegel from long-running and beloved D&D campaign web series Critical Role visit WIRED to answer their most searched questions from Google.
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00 - Hi everybody, we're the cast of Critical Role.
00:03 (all cheering)
00:04 And this is the Wired Autocomplete Interview.
00:08 (dramatic music)
00:11 - Me first?
00:12 - Yeah, Laura, you're up first.
00:13 (dramatic music)
00:16 - Rip away.
00:18 - All right, here we go.
00:19 - Who does Laura Bailey voice in Naruto?
00:22 - Oh.
00:23 - That's a good question.
00:24 (all laughing)
00:26 - We're all through the races.
00:29 - I know my voice is mom.
00:32 - Ma'am, that's how she sounds.
00:34 - Naruto!
00:35 - Sam and I have both written and directed for that show
00:38 and I don't know the answer either.
00:39 (all laughing)
00:41 - Where does Laura Bailey get her dice?
00:44 I get my dice from all over.
00:46 Conventions, gifting, Etsy.
00:48 I get my dice from the Critical Role store, obviously.
00:52 Thanks, Sam.
00:52 - Good, go ahead.
00:53 - How did Laura Bailey, Travis Willingham meet?
00:57 When we were extras, right?
00:57 - We were background extras.
00:59 - We were background extras on this random internet show,
01:01 I don't even know what it was.
01:02 - 1999.
01:03 - Oh my gosh, we had to sit at a table for 12 hours
01:07 and we weren't allowed to actually talk.
01:09 We just stared at each other and fake talked.
01:10 - It was love at first watermelon, watermelon, watermelon.
01:13 (all laughing)
01:14 - I can see him being charming
01:15 if he never had to actually say anything.
01:16 - Oh!
01:17 - Did Laura Bailey sing Daughter of the Sea?
01:19 I did sing Daughter of the Sea,
01:20 that was for World of Warcraft.
01:21 (singing)
01:23 That's the one!
01:24 Is Laura Bailey left-handed?
01:26 Am I the only left-handies in the cast?
01:28 - I think so.
01:29 - I think so.
01:30 - Wow.
01:31 - Yeah, and all of, a lot of my characters in video games,
01:33 I make them left-handed as well.
01:34 - Oh really?
01:35 - Yeah.
01:36 - Yep, there we are.
01:36 (all laughing)
01:38 - All right.
01:39 - I only get four?
01:40 (laughing)
01:41 - Who does Travis Willingham voice?
01:43 - Myself!
01:45 Heroes, villains, animals that talk with white gloves.
01:50 Oh, I voiced Thor, Odinson,
01:53 for about 10 plus years for Marvel.
01:56 - What does Travis Willingham's tattoo mean?
02:00 - Ooh, right!
02:02 This is Elder Futhark, like Viking runes.
02:04 I always said that if I was lucky enough
02:06 to play Thor for 10 years, I would get a Thor tattoo,
02:09 and instead of getting a hammer,
02:11 or a winged helmet, or something,
02:12 worthy is a big thing in Thor's canon,
02:15 so I got something that represents worthy.
02:17 And now everybody that watches this,
02:18 some scholar's gonna be like,
02:19 that's not what that says, you dumb shit.
02:21 (laughing)
02:22 That says pepperoni pizza.
02:25 And our son Ronan will be thrilled.
02:26 (laughing)
02:28 - Why is Travis Willingham--
02:30 - CEO.
02:31 - Actually, that's a question for the group.
02:33 Why am I in that position?
02:35 - Because you're so smart.
02:36 - He's pretty smart.
02:38 - Yeah, you're our fearless leader.
02:39 - Someone said, we need to open a bank account.
02:42 (laughing)
02:44 Travis was like, I'll go do it.
02:47 - How tall is Travis Willingham?
02:49 - Barefoot and naked?
02:50 - 20 feet.
02:51 - Oh, okay.
02:52 - I wouldn't know the meters one.
02:53 - Three stone.
02:54 - I'm six foot four inches tall.
02:57 - Whoa. - Wow.
02:58 - In bare feet.
02:59 In shoes, much higher, depending on the designer.
03:02 Sinmeir stuff.
03:03 (laughing)
03:04 - Check that boat.
03:06 - That was good. - That'll do it.
03:07 - Who does Matthew Mercer voice in Vox Machina?
03:12 Oddly, myself a couple times.
03:14 I also voice Silas Briarwood in season one.
03:17 Umbrasyl, the Hope Devourer in season two.
03:20 And Orthax, the Shadow Demon in season one as well.
03:23 - And Trinket.
03:24 - And Craven.
03:25 - And Trinket.
03:26 - It's all over.
03:26 What makes Matt Mercer a good gym?
03:30 A good gym.
03:32 - Oh.
03:33 - Knowing the rules is fine, but that can be flexible.
03:36 Doing enough preparation where you're comfortable,
03:37 but also being willing to let it go
03:38 based on what the players are feeling
03:39 and just listening to them.
03:41 If you're not listening to your players,
03:42 you're not really collaborating
03:43 and creating something special.
03:45 I'll say that.
03:46 That, Travis, fuck, God.
03:47 (laughing)
03:48 - All right.
03:49 - It's the hair, it's the hair.
03:50 You gotta have amazing hair to be a good GM.
03:53 (sighs)
03:55 - 10 years of this.
03:56 (laughing)
03:57 Where does Matt Mercer get his minis?
04:01 A miniature market's a great website that you can go to.
04:03 There's Troll and Toad, which is fantastic.
04:05 - You do like the train mini place too,
04:08 like the little hobby minis.
04:09 - Oh yeah, I get a lot of cool like miniature train stuff.
04:11 Train stores are great.
04:12 How does Matt Mercer deal with these people?
04:14 Come up with names.
04:16 (laughing)
04:20 - Just chooses a body part and changes one letter.
04:23 (laughing)
04:25 Enus Mangina.
04:26 (laughing)
04:28 - There you have it, folks.
04:30 Say them out loud multiple times
04:33 before you say it to your players
04:34 'cause they will make you suffer for years to come
04:36 if you don't.
04:37 - Matthew Mercer, vest.
04:40 - That's it.
04:41 - I have a few.
04:42 They flow nice.
04:43 I call them my modern mage look
04:45 'cause it just has kind of a little bit of a weird,
04:47 different glare and you can get them online pretty cheap.
04:50 Anyway.
04:51 (laughing)
04:53 - Oh, I instantly got sweaty.
04:54 - Oh yeah.
04:55 - I'm like nervous.
04:56 - How did Marisha Ray and Matt Mercer meet?
04:59 - Oh.
05:00 - Oh.
05:01 - Oh.
05:01 - A sketch comedy show that was supposed to be a nerdy,
05:05 Saturday night live.
05:07 - For the internet.
05:08 - For the internet.
05:09 And we had one writer's room meeting
05:11 and then that's where that show ended.
05:13 Nothing came of that as many shows in Los Angeles do.
05:16 - One thing came from that.
05:17 - The only thing that came from that is me and him.
05:19 - How did Matt Mercer propose to Marisha Ray?
05:24 - Oh.
05:25 - Oh boy.
05:25 - I love all your questions are actually about Matt.
05:28 - Yeah, this is, wow.
05:30 I'm just failing the Bechdel test.
05:32 (laughing)
05:34 - He built a whole ass escape room
05:37 that was very like Lovecraftian, Call of Cthulhu-y themed
05:41 and there were a bunch of cultists in robes
05:45 and Travis Willingham was a tentacle monster.
05:48 (growling)
05:50 That I had to stab in the heart with a glowing dagger.
05:52 - And no one died, but it was close.
05:54 - It was close.
05:55 - There was supposed to be a blade switch
05:57 that happened from a real sharp pointy thing
05:59 to one that was not so much.
06:01 And somebody ended up shouting with like,
06:03 - Wrong knife.
06:04 - Wrong knife.
06:04 I was in a silicoed like mask and I heard wrong knife
06:09 and I was like, what?
06:10 - What is Marisha Ray's?
06:13 - Think of Matt Mercer.
06:14 (laughing)
06:17 - What is Marisha Ray's new character?
06:19 I'm assuming they mean in campaign three,
06:22 sorcerer warlock multi-class named Ladna.
06:25 Just a little joyful, undead,
06:29 kind of manic pixie dream girl is Marisha Ray.
06:33 Vegan.
06:34 - That's a top search.
06:35 - Do I give off vegan vibes?
06:36 - Well you do have red hair.
06:37 - She's been publicly talking about Taco Bell
06:40 for the entire time I've known her.
06:41 - Taco Bell's vegan.
06:43 - No, I am not vegan and yes,
06:46 I will be reevaluating what vibe I put out that,
06:49 (laughing)
06:51 that is a top asked question.
06:52 Marisha Ray, creator clash.
06:54 - Oh yeah.
06:56 - I fought in creator clash this year, 2023,
06:59 which is like a big internet creator boxing event
07:04 for charity.
07:05 I fought Hailey Sharp and lost,
07:07 but I went all five rounds.
07:09 So it was great.
07:10 Boxing's awesome.
07:11 - Don't throw it at my head.
07:13 - Hey, that's a good throw.
07:14 - Who does Sam Riegel,
07:17 - Work for.
07:18 - Who does Sam Riegel voice?
07:19 - You grew up watching me play Donatello
07:22 in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 20 years ago.
07:26 - Oh no.
07:28 - You don't ever say the time.
07:29 - Why would you say that?
07:31 - I also play Phoenix Wright from time,
07:34 that's his name, right?
07:35 Yeah.
07:35 (laughing)
07:37 I had a panic that it was something else.
07:40 Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney from time to time.
07:42 I've done other stuff too.
07:43 I've played Spider-Man,
07:44 Scanlan Shorthalt in the Legend of Box Marvel.
07:46 - Teddy.
07:47 - Oh yeah, Teddy.
07:48 - That's a cute one.
07:50 What did Sam Riegel win an Emmy for?
07:54 - Oh.
07:55 - Oh.
07:56 - Well, I'm very talented, so.
07:58 - Oh God.
07:59 - So it could have been for a lot of things.
08:02 - Yeah.
08:02 - The writing, the acting, the directing.
08:04 - But what was it for?
08:05 - Just to torment us with.
08:07 - I won for a great show for Prime Video
08:10 called Danger and Eggs.
08:11 I was the voice director of a show
08:12 and I won for best directing.
08:14 - Where does Sam Riegel get his shirts?
08:19 - Oh.
08:20 - Make it up shirts.
08:21 - I make these shirts.
08:22 (laughing)
08:23 I typically order them from really cheap places
08:26 and they're really, really bad.
08:27 They fall apart.
08:28 - And they smell like vinegar.
08:29 - They peel.
08:30 - How often do you get a rash from them?
08:32 - Daily.
08:33 - Are Sam Riegel and Liam O'Brien dating?
08:37 (laughing)
08:38 - For many, many years.
08:40 (laughing)
08:41 - I've never been happier.
08:43 - No, we are both married to women currently.
08:46 If we were both single, you know, who knows?
08:49 - Who knows?
08:50 - But for now, we are just in love as friends.
08:53 - Why did Sam Riegel wear that damn shirt?
08:57 Leave critical role.
08:58 - What?
08:59 - What?
09:00 - Guys, I have an announcement to make.
09:01 - Is this how you tell us?
09:02 (laughing)
09:04 - That is adorable.
09:05 - I got cast on Avid Elementary and I'm out.
09:08 Sorry guys.
09:09 (laughing)
09:11 - One of my characters left the group during campaign one,
09:14 but I would never leave critical role until forced out.
09:18 (laughing)
09:18 Which might happen any day now.
09:21 - Taliesin Jaffe.
09:22 How to pronounce Taliesin Jaffe.
09:24 - Oh shit, I just missed the answer.
09:26 (laughing)
09:28 - What are some of the good mispronunciations?
09:29 - Oh, Taliesin has been fun.
09:32 Taliesin, although that is actually
09:33 like the Welsh pronunciation.
09:35 I believe it means like radiant brow,
09:39 which is also shiny forehead,
09:41 which is why I have to pronounce it.
09:42 (laughing)
09:43 - Radiant brow.
09:44 - Yes.
09:45 - I'm gonna get corrected on that too.
09:46 - The Welsh are speaking some truth.
09:48 - What happened to Taliesin Jaffe?
09:50 (laughing)
09:52 How long do you have?
09:54 - That's an evergreen question.
09:55 - How much tape we got?
09:56 - I've asked my parents several times what happened.
09:58 (laughing)
10:00 Yeah, god, boarding school, bad clothing decisions,
10:04 very iffy hair dye, I mean a lot of things.
10:06 - This question has so many layers.
10:08 - Yeah.
10:09 - Where is Taliesin Jaffe, I'm assuming, from?
10:12 - Born and raised in Los Angeles, Venice Beach,
10:17 moved all the way to Santa Monica, Van Nuys.
10:19 I think I've lived in almost every neighborhood in LA.
10:21 We've kind of moved around, and yeah.
10:23 - Have you lived out of state?
10:25 - A couple times, a little over a year in Tokyo,
10:27 which was great.
10:28 I did a couple years in Colorado,
10:29 and then I did a year in Texas where I met the two of you.
10:32 I was like, wow, there are talented voice actors in Texas.
10:35 - Taliesin Jaffe, critical role characters.
10:38 - Well, there's Percy DeRolla, who you can watch
10:40 in The Legend of Vox Machina,
10:42 you get all the deets there.
10:43 Molly Mock Tea Leaf, who makes people cry.
10:46 There's Caduceus, who is just aw.
10:48 - Who makes people smile.
10:49 - Yeah, he's just lovely, and also vegan, so we have that.
10:51 - Dead people tea.
10:52 - Yeah, makes dead people tea.
10:54 And now we have Ashton Graymore, who is just,
10:59 he's angry about everything, and has a very big hammer.
11:01 - Checking.
11:02 - Checking's gotten weaker, I'm just saying.
11:05 - How--
11:05 - Moist.
11:06 - How tall is Liam O'Brien's critical role?
11:11 - Hi, I'm Liam O'Brien, critical role,
11:12 and I'm five foot 11 and a half.
11:15 I'm just under you.
11:16 It helps when I wanna look up into his eyes.
11:18 - Aw. - Aw, that's so sweet.
11:19 - How did Sam Riegel,
11:22 back on task,
11:24 and Liam O'Brien meet?
11:27 - Oh, boy, well, we sat down on a panel for a convention.
11:32 Five minutes into it, we were making each other laugh,
11:34 and I said, and he told me he was coming to LA.
11:36 I had moved to LA a year prior,
11:38 and I just said, "Hey, we should be best friends."
11:39 - Are Liam O'Brien--
11:42 - Sam Riegel married?
11:43 - And Laura Bailey related?
11:45 - Oh, twinsies.
11:47 - Yes, for sure.
11:49 - Yeah.
11:50 - Oh, that's it, we're all family.
11:52 - Yeah.
11:53 - Y'all got big sibling energy.
11:54 - Does Liam O'Brien,
11:56 ha, ha, ha,
11:58 speak German?
12:00 - Ja, aber nur ein bisschen.
12:02 No, I don't.
12:03 I remember bits and pieces from studying German
12:05 in high school.
12:06 I did German exchange program when I was in high school.
12:09 - That's nice.
12:09 - I'm gonna give you the world's largest paper cut.
12:11 (sputtering)
12:14 - Does Laura Booley have a kid?
12:16 - I do have a kid!
12:17 - Yay, kid!
12:18 - You all know the kid.
12:20 His name's Ronan, he's the best kid.
12:22 - Laura Bailey smells like farts, right?
12:24 Awards.
12:26 List them.
12:27 - I won the BAFTA.
12:29 That was for Last of Us Part II,
12:30 and then I won a video game award
12:32 for Last of Us Part II as well.
12:33 - Laura Bailey,
12:34 dice bag of holding.
12:35 - We talked about this before.
12:37 I like dice.
12:38 - What's your, do you have a favorite dice?
12:39 - Do I have a favorite dice?
12:41 Oh, I have a set of Gudetama dice that I'm--
12:44 - Those are so cute.
12:45 - Oh my god, okay, okay.
12:47 - Starpod dice, they're so great.
12:48 - Oh, Laura Bailey, Liam O'Brien, tattoo.
12:51 - We need a matching tattoo.
12:52 I was just thinking about this.
12:54 I wanna get a feather tattoo with you.
12:55 - All right, let's get a tattoo.
12:56 - We have tattoos.
12:57 We got tattoos as a group.
13:00 - Laura, Matt, and I have identical.
13:02 Oh, and Marisha.
13:03 - And Marisha, we all got the square one
13:04 that accidentally looks like a Gmail symbol.
13:06 (all screaming)
13:08 - Travis, I made better decisions than I thought.
13:10 - We did, so did I.
13:11 See, I've got the circle.
13:12 - The literal first thing someone said
13:14 when we walked out of the tattoo shop.
13:14 - I was like, oh, do you like Gmail?
13:16 (all laughing)
13:17 - Aw, damn it.
13:18 - The entire crew is laughing.
13:20 (all laughing)
13:21 - Is Laura Bailey in The Last of Us?
13:24 - Yes, I am in The Last of Us.
13:26 - What about the show?
13:26 - I am, so I did like a little Easter egg
13:29 in the actual series.
13:31 Neil asked if I would go and be one of the nurses
13:33 in the scene, in the final scene,
13:35 because I played one of the nurses in the game,
13:37 along with Liam O'Brien.
13:38 - Wah!
13:39 - Laura Bailey!
13:40 (all exclaiming)
13:41 - You killed her!
13:42 - Oh no, it's Laura Bailey eyebrow wiggle.
13:44 (all laughing)
13:46 - That's how she got me, folks.
13:47 - Beautiful.
13:48 (all exclaiming)
13:49 - No. - I'm sorry.
13:49 - Sorry, Sarah.
13:50 - We are gonna ruin your whole set.
13:52 - Did Travis Willingham play football?
13:55 - I did!
13:56 I played in high school for a few years.
13:58 I walked on at TCU, got hit by people
14:00 that were finally my size, and I was like,
14:01 "I don't like this very much.
14:03 "I'm gonna go act instead."
14:04 - Is Travis Willingham allergic to cats?
14:07 - You guys, I'm so allergic to cats,
14:09 if you showed me a picture on your phone,
14:10 I'd start having a reaction.
14:12 I can walk into a house, and if there are cats present,
14:14 but not visible, I will know within half a minute.
14:16 No problem.
14:17 - Does Travis Willingham do woodworking?
14:21 (all laughing)
14:24 - I was in the Weeblos, like the Boy Scouts,
14:27 for, I don't know, one year,
14:29 and in the back of the catalog,
14:30 they always had the cool go-kart kit,
14:33 or the hovercraft, and they had a Swiss Army knife,
14:35 and I was like, "I wanna take up whittling!"
14:37 And so I got a piece of wood,
14:38 and I cut myself on the first try.
14:40 (all laughing)
14:41 I was like, "I'm done whittling!"
14:43 (all laughing)
14:44 That was my woodworking.
14:45 - Did Travis Willingham make the airship?
14:48 - I did!
14:49 It's like little balls of wood with laser cutouts and stuff,
14:52 and it takes a minute.
14:53 - It took a long time.
14:54 - It didn't take as much as your stupid horse.
14:57 - That totally works.
14:58 - Yeah, I made the little ship,
14:59 and Robbie totally left it at the set.
15:02 - No, he did not.
15:03 - He kept it.
15:04 - He kept it.
15:05 - He gave it away to a kid in game, though.
15:07 - He did, it was so cute.
15:08 - It was just super sweet.
15:09 - Does Travis Willingham speak Japanese?
15:14 - Hi.
15:15 (all laughing)
15:17 No, basic stuff, yes, no, I'm sorry.
15:19 (speaking in foreign language)
15:23 Another beer, please.
15:25 - You dub enough anime, you absorb some of it.
15:28 - Or drink in Japan.
15:29 - How does Matthew Mercer organize his notes?
15:33 - Microsoft Word.
15:35 And printouts.
15:38 People swear by the laptop,
15:39 and that's probably a much smarter way,
15:40 but I'm a very tactile person.
15:41 I need to have printed sheets
15:42 so I can look like a complete imbecile
15:44 trying to figure out where I put the right thing
15:46 in this order.
15:46 - You find the characters so quickly, though.
15:48 If we ask you questions about something,
15:49 you're like, "Oh," and then you know.
15:51 - I lay 'em out in the back there,
15:53 so I have city information over here,
15:56 I have regional information,
15:57 I have all my notes for the actual session
15:59 in the back of the screen,
16:00 and then I have other ancillary things nearby,
16:02 and then my phone if I absolutely need something
16:04 that I don't have, so that's how I organize.
16:06 - Is Matthew Mercer in Zelda?
16:08 - Hey! - Oh, boy.
16:09 - I am.
16:10 I'm very honored to voice Ganondorf
16:13 in the Tears of the Kingdom that just came out.
16:15 - Does Matthew Mercer write his own campaigns?
16:19 - I do, it would be so much easier if I didn't.
16:21 It's the thing I love,
16:22 it's the thing I've always loved since high school,
16:23 and so I make this for my friends,
16:25 I make this for us to enjoy together,
16:27 and it's my hobby time.
16:29 I get to sit and create stories
16:30 and then have them destroy them
16:32 in wonderfully complicated ways.
16:34 - When did Matt Mercer start playing TTRPGs?
16:37 - It would have been '96 or '97.
16:42 It was my very beginning of my high school.
16:44 I found out later on my grandma played it,
16:46 my dad's side. - Really?
16:47 - Yeah, my granny, she played them for a bit
16:49 back when they first came out.
16:51 - Is Matthew Mercer leaving Critical Role?
16:56 - What? - No!
16:57 - You and Sam.
16:58 - This is the part in the documentary
17:00 where it's just the black and white.
17:02 - We both booked roles on Abbott Elementary.
17:04 - Is Marisha Ray sing?
17:10 - Can Marisha Ray sing?
17:12 This is not my forte.
17:13 - Objection, you're good.
17:15 You just don't have confidence.
17:16 - I don't have confidence in my singing.
17:18 I have to have at least two cocktails
17:19 before I sing at karaoke.
17:21 - And when she does, she does a mean rendition
17:23 of a crazy little thing called "Love."
17:24 - Ooh! - Ooh!
17:25 - Coming for you, Freddie Mercury.
17:28 (all laughing)
17:30 - Marisha Ray, anime voices.
17:32 - Oh boy.
17:33 (all laughing)
17:34 Oh, oh shit.
17:36 Laura Orsade in, oh no, what's the name of that damn game?
17:41 - "Hot Tech."
17:43 - She's gone away, she's gone somewhere else.
17:46 - I'm in some animes.
17:48 (all laughing)
17:49 - Awesome.
17:50 - I'm in some animes.
17:51 - Marisha Ray.
17:52 - Oh my God.
17:53 (all laughing)
17:54 - Tattoo meaning.
17:55 - Hang on, hang on for it.
17:56 I can blast through this really quick.
17:57 - Show the cards.
17:58 - Okay, okay, okay.
17:59 This was my first tattoo, kind of a Burning Man tattoo.
18:02 It means the line is long, but it is not infinite.
18:04 This is also kind of a Burning Man tattoo.
18:06 This was our camp art car called the Sincitron.
18:09 This is D&D tattoo.
18:10 These are the death saving throw dots.
18:12 Meaningful and practical.
18:14 (all laughing)
18:16 This is 'cause I love Gmail.
18:17 (all laughing)
18:19 This is a Hollywood Boulevard star
18:21 because for three years I was a street character
18:23 on Hollywood Boulevard to make ends meet
18:25 when I first moved to Los Angeles.
18:27 And then this is my lemonade stand that I had growing up.
18:32 And then my most recent one I just got.
18:35 This is the.
18:36 - Oh my God.
18:37 - Ashari symbol.
18:38 - Yeah, the Ashari symbol.
18:39 - I haven't seen that yet.
18:39 - It looks beautiful.
18:40 - Well, thanks guys.
18:42 - Marisha Ray, flex.
18:43 - Are you fine?
18:44 (all laughing)
18:45 - Yeah.
18:46 - First one's free.
18:46 (all laughing)
18:48 And finally, Marisha Ray.
18:50 - Dog.
18:51 - Oh.
18:52 - Oh wow.
18:53 - Easy.
18:54 (all laughing)
18:56 - Matt and I have a wonderful corgi named Omar.
19:02 - He's the best.
19:03 - I love him so much.
19:04 - Yay.
19:06 - Was Sam Riegel
19:07 on Broadway?
19:10 - Oh.
19:12 Boy, I love this show.
19:13 (all laughing)
19:16 - I always get to talk about myself.
19:18 I was on Broadway, yes.
19:19 I did the national tour of Les Miserables
19:21 and then I did the Broadway production
19:23 of The Sound of Music.
19:25 And I was very good.
19:28 - That was right before the Junior Rodeo?
19:31 - Yes.
19:32 - Yes.
19:33 - I also did some off-Broadway productions.
19:35 I was in I Can Get It For You Wholesale.
19:37 - Oh boy.
19:38 - And.
19:39 - You didn't ask about off-Broadway.
19:39 - I know, but I wanna go down my whole resume.
19:41 (all laughing)
19:42 I did some dinner theater.
19:43 - Does Sam Riegel sing?
19:45 - I do sing more than these folks probably prefer.
19:49 I was in an acapella group.
19:50 Even before the acapella group in college,
19:52 in high school, I was in a doo-wop group.
19:54 I sang 50s and 60s.
19:55 - Wow.
19:56 - Wasn't there a boys band?
19:57 - I was also in a boy band called City Boys.
20:00 With a Z.
20:01 - Oh no.
20:01 (all laughing)
20:02 - Oh no.
20:03 - Oh no.
20:04 - Is there an album?
20:05 - I think we recorded an EP or a single.
20:07 (all laughing)
20:08 - Is that on cassette tape?
20:09 - It probably is.
20:10 - Are you guys like posted up in front of a brick wall?
20:12 - For sure, we wore a Z cap Marichis.
20:14 - Oh, true.
20:15 - We had earrings because we were, hey girl.
20:17 - Oh my god.
20:18 (all laughing)
20:19 - And we danced and we sang
20:20 at Paramus Park Shopping Mall in New Jersey.
20:22 - Oh, I know this.
20:24 - Sam Riegel.
20:26 - ASMR.
20:28 - No.
20:29 (all laughing)
20:31 - Hi, hi Wired, it's me Sam Riegel.
20:34 Doing some ASMR for you, oh yeah.
20:37 (imitates ASMR)
20:38 (all laughing)
20:40 - Sam Riegel.
20:43 - Bert Reynolds.
20:45 (all laughing)
20:47 - It's true, we have never seen
20:49 them both in the same room before.
20:51 - To clarify, in campaign one,
20:53 my character, Scanlan Shorthalt,
20:54 would go in disguise frequently
20:56 and I think the first time this happened in our home game,
21:00 I was like, my name is Bert Reynolds.
21:04 - And you held your finger up as a mustache.
21:07 - But I had such a high persuasion stat that that worked.
21:11 - Yep, yep.
21:12 - Sam Riegel, Dungeons and Dragons movie.
21:15 - Ooh.
21:17 - There's some speculation that the D&D movie
21:20 references my character, Fresh Cut Grass,
21:23 because they say those words
21:25 three or four times during the movie.
21:27 I, not confirmed or denied,
21:29 I'm gonna say that yes, it's true.
21:31 (all laughing)
21:34 - Is Telson Jaffe his real name?
21:36 - Yes.
21:37 - As far as I know, yes, it is my real name.
21:39 - Beelzebub.
21:39 (all laughing)
21:41 - That was more of the obvious.
21:43 - If it's the real one, then I lose my power.
21:46 - I've tried to summon you using Telson
21:48 and it didn't work.
21:49 (all laughing)
21:50 - That's really good, Travis.
21:51 - Telson Jaffe, goth.
21:54 - Yes.
21:56 - Yes.
21:57 (all laughing)
21:58 - Jim Henson died and I wore black to school
22:00 and kinda never stopped.
22:02 So that was kinda--
22:03 - That's great.
22:04 - Yeah, that was more or less kinda the beginning of that
22:06 and then eventually I discovered eyeliner and music.
22:08 It was pretty good.
22:09 - Next one, Telson Jaffe.
22:11 - Mm-hmm.
22:12 Immortal joke.
22:14 - Well, it's not a joke.
22:15 - It's not a joke.
22:16 - It's not a joke.
22:16 Someone noticed that they couldn't find
22:18 a birth certificate on record
22:20 and one thing led to another.
22:22 They found some ancient tablets that had
22:24 a pretty good likeness.
22:25 They just assume I've been everywhere now
22:27 and it's like 70% true.
22:28 - Survivor of Pompeii.
22:30 (all laughing)
22:31 - Brassie Nolley.
22:32 - Could've been better.
22:33 - Telson Jaffe, graduating.
22:36 - Grandfather.
22:37 - Oh, thank you.
22:38 (all laughing)
22:39 - Are you a grandfather?
22:41 (all laughing)
22:41 - That's a lot of questions I don't know if I can answer.
22:44 (all laughing)
22:45 As far as I know.
22:46 No, my grandfather was a screenwriter and a playwright.
22:50 A lot of my family has worked in the industry
22:52 for actually like four generations.
22:54 - It looks like you're kissing yourself.
22:56 - Yeah, right there.
22:57 I really, here, I'm just gonna keep moving a little.
22:59 (all laughing)
23:00 But yeah, he wrote the film adaptation of Bus Stop.
23:04 He wrote The Seven Year Itch.
23:05 He wrote a whole bunch of films.
23:07 He did the adaptation of The Manchurian Candidate,
23:09 which is a lot of fun.
23:10 And a movie that called Lord Love a Duck,
23:12 which no one's seen, but you should.
23:14 It's a lot of fun.
23:15 - Telson Jaffe, hair.
23:17 - I do have hair.
23:18 (all laughing)
23:20 - Why?
23:21 - I've been dyeing my hair since high school,
23:22 and it's not always been this.
23:24 It's been, I've done like the long hair.
23:25 I've done the bowie.
23:26 - You used to be bleach blonde.
23:27 - It was bleach blonde.
23:28 It was jet black.
23:29 I've done kind of everything.
23:30 And I've kind of settled into the mohawk
23:32 for the last few years.
23:33 It's kind of nice.
23:34 - I like it.
23:35 - Liam O'Brien.
23:36 Eyebrows.
23:37 (all laughing)
23:40 - What's up with that?
23:43 - They're painted on.
23:45 - Oh my God.
23:46 - I pencil them in every day.
23:48 - There's a lot of people on the internet
23:50 who want to see that.
23:50 - I know a lot of people.
23:51 - Maybe it's how much I furrow my eyebrows.
23:54 - Maybe.
23:55 - Well, all right.
23:56 (all laughing)
23:57 - Carmen Sandiego.
23:59 - I am Carmen Sandiego.
24:00 No, I play Professor Maelstrom
24:04 in the recent reboot of the Carmen Sandiego
24:07 animated series.
24:08 It was really good.
24:09 - Liam O'Brien.
24:10 - Bane.
24:11 - Oh boy.
24:12 (all laughing)
24:13 - Oh, does anyone have a coffee cup for me to speak into?
24:17 Let's read the next question.
24:19 (all laughing)
24:20 Liam O'Brien.
24:22 - You were born into the tall.
24:24 Liam O'Brien.
24:24 (all laughing)
24:27 - Pull out all the tricks.
24:29 - The last three are characters that you're not.
24:33 (imitating growling)
24:36 - That does not work.
24:38 (all laughing)
24:40 - It's still three characters and eyebrows.
24:43 (all laughing)
24:46 - When did Critical Role--
24:49 - Eyebrows.
24:50 - Eyebrows.
24:51 (all laughing)
24:53 - When did Critical Role start?
24:56 - Technically the home game was 10 years ago.
24:58 - Was it 10?
24:58 - Wow.
24:59 - It was in 11.
25:00 - Almost 11, 2013.
25:01 - 12.
25:02 - 12?
25:03 - I've pinned this down to a single moment
25:04 so many times and fail 'cause it's so many.
25:06 I think it was--
25:07 - I think it was December of 2012.
25:08 - Yeah, so it's been a while.
25:10 - Why is Critical Role so popular?
25:14 - I think it's our looks.
25:16 I think it's--
25:16 (all laughing)
25:18 - I think it's our eyebrows.
25:19 - It's our--
25:20 (all laughing)
25:21 - Yeah, we're just so handsome.
25:23 - How much of Critical Role is scripted?
25:27 - I thought that was gonna happen.
25:28 - I knew it, I knew it.
25:29 (laughing)
25:30 - Zero.
25:31 - 100.
25:32 - None of it, y'all.
25:33 - Before the actual episode starts,
25:34 some of that's planned.
25:36 Like we have advertisers and sponsorship groups.
25:38 But after that, after the intro starts,
25:41 it's just Matt making it up as he goes.
25:43 - I have no idea what you guys are gonna do.
25:45 That's the joy of it, is keeping it secret
25:47 and letting you guys experience it in the moment.
25:50 - How do Critical Role know each other?
25:54 - We were all acquaintances.
25:55 - Yeah.
25:56 - Some of us were closer than others.
25:57 I think I met Marisha for the second time
25:59 at that very first game.
26:00 - I didn't know Ash, the first time I met Ashley
26:02 was when she came over to play.
26:03 - Same, yeah.
26:04 - And I think a lot of us had just kind of met
26:06 through voiceover stuff.
26:08 - Actually, to go back to the previous question,
26:10 I think that's why it is popular,
26:11 is 'cause we're just like doing us.
26:13 Like we weren't cast or put together,
26:15 we're just friends.
26:16 And I think when you watch, you can see us enjoying it,
26:19 but also fucking it up the entire time as well.
26:22 And there's just like a certain draw to that.
26:23 So I think people get to feel like they're hanging with us.
26:25 - Will Critical Role campaign two be animated?
26:30 - Oh shit.
26:32 - The answer's actually yes.
26:33 - It will.
26:34 - Mighty Nein is coming to--
26:36 - It's been green lit for Prime Video.
26:38 - It is baking in the oven right now.
26:41 - What is Critical Role?
26:43 - About?
26:43 - Well we should have started with that one.
26:45 (laughing)
26:47 - Critical Role is about a bunch of nerdy ass voice actors
26:49 that became really good friends by rolling dice
26:51 and making things up and making each other laugh and cry.
26:54 - Ta-da.
26:54 - Killed it.
26:55 - Nailed it.
26:56 - Who sings Critical Role intro?
26:59 - Which one?
27:00 - Oh yeah, there's seven.
27:01 - The current one is everybody.
27:02 - Everybody.
27:03 - Yeah.
27:04 - Everybody sings in the current intro.
27:05 The last one was Laura and Ashley.
27:07 - With some backups from the voice.
27:10 - Sam.
27:11 - Yeah, I did a little sample.
27:13 And the one before that was just music.
27:15 - Who owns Critical Role?
27:18 - We do!
27:19 - We do!
27:20 - It owns us!
27:21 - Oh no!
27:21 - They bought me out.
27:23 (laughing)
27:25 - That's why he's leaving.
27:26 - Is Critical Role making their own system?
27:30 - We've announced the Illuminated World system.
27:33 - And we announced Daggerheart.
27:35 - We're making two.
27:36 We're making two of our own systems.
27:37 - We have a game publishing wing called Darrington Press.
27:41 We made a game called Till the Last Gasp,
27:43 which is like a role playing dueling game.
27:46 And yeah, I mean--
27:47 - Queen by Midnight.
27:48 - Queen by Midnight's coming out.
27:49 - You could try it.
27:50 - All of these, by the way, are available
27:51 at our Critical Role store.
27:54 Shop.critrole.com.
27:55 - What Critical Role cast member are you?
27:59 - Oh!
28:01 - Who's the bad boy?
28:01 I think it's Marisha Ray.
28:03 - Yeah, that's probably true.
28:04 - Am I the silly one?
28:06 - You're the prom queen.
28:07 - The prom queen.
28:08 - What?
28:09 - Not the class clown.
28:10 - Class clown?
28:11 - It depends on the day.
28:12 You're in the makeup chair longer than most of us.
28:15 - That's true.
28:16 - That's true.
28:17 - Taliesin's goth kid.
28:18 - Travis is the jock.
28:20 Liam's the theater kid.
28:22 - I'm the nerd.
28:23 (laughing)
28:24 There's no argument there.
28:25 - That's nerd.
28:26 - Ashley's the art kid.
28:27 - You're the pretty one.
28:29 - Oh.
28:29 (laughing)
28:32 - Is this what you expected from--
28:33 - Not the eyebrows.
28:34 - Yeah, eyebrows.
28:35 - It's gonna haunt me.
28:36 - Many of them are gonna be gifts
28:38 that we'll continue to give from years to come.
28:40 So thank you, Google.
28:41 - Definitely some expected ones.
28:43 Definitely ones that will send us into an existential crisis
28:46 in the late of day.
28:47 - Yeah.
28:48 - What happened to Taliesin Jaffe?
28:49 (laughing)
28:52 - I'll be thinking about that all night.
28:54 (laughing)
28:56 [BLANK_AUDIO]