Mini Interview – Back To The Future: The Game – Episode 3: Citizen Brown (What Does AJ LoCascio Think?)

By Marty Mulrooney

It’s about time! Following on from our recent review of Back To The Future: The Game – Episode 3: Citizen Brown, AMO is proud to present our third exclusive monthly mini interview with Marty McFly voice actor AJ LoCascio!

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Hey AJ, welcome back to AMO!

‘Ello ‘ello – good to be back per usual.

What have you been up to since we spoke last month?

Working, auditioning and playing that terrible ‘acting game;’ really trying to get that next ‘thing’ in there so the whole wonderful Marty experience acts as a first step into a larger world – rather than a fluke.

Episode 3 has just been released and many are calling it the best episode yet! Would you agree?

I did have a soft spot for ep. 2, but considering I do several voices in this one (no doubt the reason for it being the best) I have to agree… insert coy smile.

I really did love doing this episode the most as it was simply the most fun to perform since all the stuff with Doc and Marty is so desperate and emotionally charged. It’s great when Marty is freaking out and I wish there was more of that.

Jennifer is back! I know you had a helping hand in getting Claudia Wells involved: can you tell our readers exactly how this happened?

Well… funny story, and get ready for a kind long one too.

I was at the 25th Anniversary celebration (hosted by weregoingback.com) to recreate the Johnny B. Goode scene, and afterwards I saw Claudia Wells making her way through a crowd. Now I’ve learned, through much trial and error, not to bother celebrities, but my mouth spoke before my brain stopped it – so I just blurted out her name as she passed me. I was surrounded by people taking pictures, since I had just gotten off stage, and she was fighting her way through to get the hell out of there – so it was a hectic moment.

She heard me – spun around and looked at me, and I realised I had nothing to follow that up with – so in a moment of intense verbal diarrhoea I told her I was Marty Mcfly… “in the game”

That was all I said… there really wasn’t an exit strategy here.

Thankfully that was enough because she had apparently wanted to be in the game, but couldn’t get a hold of Telltale. She said “Promise me you’ll give them my card and get me in the game. Promise me.”

I said “I promise.”

Needless to say – I was quite overwhelmed by her reaction; I half expected her to sign my face and walk off, but now I suddenly had the enormous responsibility of getting the original Jennifer Parker back to her rightful place… heavy.

So I talked with Dennis Lenart – the Director of episodes 1 and 5 – and gave him her info.

Good – that was taken care of – or so I thought.

A couple months down the line – I asked if they had gotten Claudia for ep.3, but I was told they had gotten someone else cast since no one could get a hold of her. I knew Dennis and several of the folk were pushing to have Claudia play Jennifer and there was only a week until we had to record, so I talked with the sound guy Julian, who had apparently tried to contact her multiple times as well, and I told him – “Listen, I’m a couple miles from her store (ArmaniWells.com) – let me just go in there and get her.”

So I did, gave her their contact info and a week later she was in the booth.

Man – I’m exhausted just thinking about all that.

How does it feel to be acting alongside Claudia? I really like the new spin on her character!

It’s great! I love that she’s back because – lets be honest – she was the better Jennifer. Elizabeth Sneakers – or whatever her name is – kinda…sucked. It’s also super weird since I play her boyfriend twice (Leech). I also love the new spin on her. As those who are familiar with my dating track record can tell you – I tend to gravitate towards females with issues – and alt. Jennifer certainly has her share.

Which is your favourite demerit in Episode 3 and why?

Hmm… I liked getting demerits from myself on the Squawkbox.

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I thought you would choose the PDA!

That was what I thought of first, but I honestly had a real rough time recording the stuff for the PDA.

The sound guys have to sit in a dark room blasting my voice, and of course for all the PDA I had to make sloppy kissing noises and moan. So it was just plain uncomfortable to have a room full of guys listening to me moan in stereo. They eventually just stopped me and said “We’ll just have Claudia do it.”

Do you feel more comfortable acting as Marty now we are at the halfway point?

I think comfort is bad thing. If I get too comfortable in Marty’s shoes I’ll stop thinking about sounding like Michael J. Fox. I’m certainly more confident about being in the character now, but all I’m here to do in this game is make you believe that Michael J. Fox is playing Marty.

You get to have a pretty epic guitar battle in this one! It must be pretty cool for you seeing the character do that outside of the films. Did they let you play the guitar yourself by any chance?

Nah – that wasn’t me playing in the game – they best leave the in-game guitar playing to the professionals. But it was cool and really weird to watch both my characters duke it out.

You voiced Leech too, right?

Yep.

Would you like to do a larger variety of characters in the future?

Hell yeah. I pray Marty will just be one of many.

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Marty obviously has a soft spot for Einstein. Are you a dog lover in real life?

I have a soft spot for Einstein too. And yeah I love dogs – I’ve had 4.

Marty has to eat something pretty disgusting this month! What is the most disgusting thing you have ever eaten?

Popcorn flavoured Berty Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. Nearly puked after eating one that I thought was lemon – tasted like feet.

Have you ever actually driven a golf buggy? They look quite fun!

I’ve been in one, but was too young to drive it.

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I thought the final scenes between Marty and the Doc were incredible… I find it hard to imagine that their lines might have been recorded separately! Is it hard to do Marty’s voice in certain ways/with different emotions?

Thanks – I don’t really have any trouble doing Marty in distress or with different emotions because he shows them all in the films. Once you get a voice down and it really becomes a part of you it becomes exactly like an instrument – all the sounds are there – you just gotta know what notes to play.

Do you feel that your character has grown since Episode 1?

I like to think so, but knowing Marty – probably not. Perhaps he’s learned more about himself and Docs relationship, but well see how this all ends up.

Who do you work most closely with at Telltale?

The sounds guys Julian and Jory are really the only people I work with regularly, and each episode I work with a different writer or director.

What are you playing the episodes on: PC, Mac or console?

I’m a Mac.

How excited are you about next month’s episode?

Super excited as always – but every new episode brings me one step to it being over – and that just makes my eyes rain.

Thank you for your time!

Thank you!

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