If you’ve played any major video game in the last decade, chances are you’ve heard Elias Toufexis’s voice. The Canadian-American actor, best known as the gravelly voice of Adam Jensen in Deus Ex, recently sat down to discuss how the industry has evolved – from recording in professional studios to directing Fortnite sessions from his home booth in LA.
“My friend Carrie always said to me, ‘You were no plan B Elias,'” Toufexis recalls with a laugh. From Montreal theater to becoming one of gaming’s most recognizable voices, acting was always the only path. These days, he juggles multiple roles: voice actor, performance capture artist, voice director, and writer. “I make a living as an actor, most definitely. But it’s not to the point where I don’t have to work anymore… I was just on Star Trek, okay, what’s next? Because I have to pay my bills.”
The pandemic forced a seismic shift in how voice work gets done. Toufexis invested in a professional home booth – a decision that saved his career during COVID. “I remember Ubisoft giving me a job in the middle of COVID when everything stopped for Phoenix Rising. It paid for everything that I was losing.”
The transition brought unexpected challenges. As a voice director, he’s dealt with actors recording near airports and neighbors taking marathon showers that interfered with sessions. Perhaps most surprisingly, even motion capture has gone remote. During peak COVID, a team set up a limited mocap rig in his garage.
While the flexibility is liberating – “I could be living in somewhere in New Mexico for a hundred bucks a month and do everything I’m doing now” – Toufexis is candid about what’s been lost. Audition callbacks now happen over Zoom with connections cutting out. “I’m reading with nobody. I’m in my house and I’m like, how is this conducive to a good performance?”
His Netflix series Blood of Zeus exemplifies this change. The first season was recorded with actors together in-studio. Now? “The last two seasons have been just me here, just doing it by myself.”
Despite voicing iconic characters and appearing in Star Trek: Discovery, Toufexis describes actors as “contract workers, like roofers.” This reality led him to diversify into directing and writing. “I did Star Trek. I’m the main bad guy for a whole year… and it hasn’t really led to other jobs. I still have to hustle.”
On AI replacing voice actors, Toufexis takes a nuanced view. His main concern is for newcomers losing entry-level opportunities like background voices in games. “Who’s gonna hire an actor to yell ‘grenade’ in the background anymore?” But he’s confident about performance: “AI’s never gonna have connection. You’re not gonna find amazing choices and heartfelt performances from a computer.”
His advice to aspiring voice actors? “If you know you’re actually good at this, not if it’s just your dream, but you’re literally good at it, then never give up. Because the cream rises to the top.”
As the industry evolves, Toufexis remains committed to the human element of performance, whether in a motion capture studio or his home booth. Because ultimately, it’s about connection – something no technology can replace.
Blood of Zeus Season 3 is available on Netflix now.