'I’m so excited': Cork man who stars in video game to appear at Comic Con event at Marina Market
Michael Mellamphy said the Comic Con at the Marina Market would be like a homecoming for him.
He was the envy of young boys and girls across the world after being plucked from obscurity to become a “real life” video game character.
Now, Michael Mellamphy, who was the performance capture actor for the videogame Red Dead Redemption 2, is looking forward to meeting fans up close and personal.
The Ballincollig man — who lent his voice and movements to form the basis of gunslinger Sean MacGuire in the game — will be just one of the characters at this year’s Comic Con Ireland/DCC which comes to the Marina Market in Cork on October 4 and 5.
Now an artistic director of the Origin Theatre Company in New York, Mr Mellamphy continues to reap the rewards of his transition into the videogame world. He sometimes receives gifts from fans and says he is often touched by their stories.
He recalls being extremely humbled after meeting the survivor of a school shooting in the US who told him the videogame came as a distraction during a very painful time in her life.
“It’s always a privilege to meet fans with these kind of stories,” he told the .
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the Red Dead series and a prequel to the 2010 game Red Dead Redemption.
Set in a fictionalised depiction of the US in 1899, it follows the exploits of Arthur Morgan, an outlaw and member of the Van der Linde gang, who must face the challenges of a declining Wild West, while dealing with government forces, rival gangs, and other adversaries along the way.
Mr Mellamphy said the Comic Con at the Marina Market would be like a homecoming for him.
Speaking about how far he has come since auditioning for the videogame, the actor said: “It was 2016 when I first got the call from my agent asking if I would audition for a project. After one or two auditions, I was told I had the part. I still didn’t quite know what it was but I knew it was with Rockstar games. They sent me the script 24 hours beforehand. I would go into the studio for one or two days every month.
"What you see is performance capture, which meant we were wearing those suits with the dots on them and the video cameras on our heads. My character, Sean MacGuire, is an Irish outlaw and he's a very funny character to play.
He said people connected with the characters on a different level to films or television shows.
“It's not all about just shooting people. People can also pick flowers and find fossils or do anything they like, really. You can even get drunk in the game to the extent that the character is stumbling all over the place.
"Everything is in real time. Even if a character doesn’t shave, then his beard starts to grow back in the game. It’s no wonder that people feel so connected to the characters.”
He said the game had brought a lot of people together. “As awful as covid was, people found each other online. I’ve met people who have met and got married after meeting through the game. It’s always really nice to hear these kinds of stories.
"A lot of the Red Dead Redemption 2 cast still get together and meet each other at comic cons. There is always a really great atmosphere at these events which is why I’m so excited about being at the Marina Market in Cork.”
Mr Mellamphy enjoys interacting with fans. “I know there are fans travelling to Cork to see me and Roger Clark, who plays Arthur Morgan in the game. People from places like Britain and Spain have reached out to me online to tell me they have booked tickets. I always get a bit of thrill from that because it makes me feel a little bit famous.
"People, who are fans of the game have come to see plays I was in in the past so I always bring a picture of the character with me in case they need it to be signed.”
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