The latest videogame adaptation to come to a streaming service, Halo was up against heightened expectations. The series and its main character, the taciturn but heroic Master Chief, have been major fixtures since the original game debuted over twenty years ago. Now, fans get an entirely new way to look at the character and his adventures thanks to Pablo Schreiber's portrayal in the Halo television series. Beyond bringing the character into live-action, the series faces a surprisingly tricky challenge of fleshing out a character largely defined by his ability to be the perfect avatar for any gamer.
During an interview with CBR at the red carpet premiere for Halo, Pablo Schreiber spoke about stepping into the iconic shoes of Master Chief. He also detailed how the series, now available on Paramount+, gives fans a new way to look at the character that doesn't lose sight of what made him special in the first place.
CBR: This is such a beloved character and series -- this is a genuine global phenomenon that you're stepping into the boots of. How does it feel to take on a role that's so important to so many people?
Pablo Schreiber: It's amazing. [I mean, fans attending the premiere] are from a costume group called the 405. A bunch of them were in Austin for our world premiere. They're super, obviously, passionate and excited about the franchise, which is amazing. They're just very organized and detail-oriented. They all make their own costumes, which is just mind-blowing. They look fantastic, so obviously great to have them here.
I've got to imagine Master Chief as a character is strangely intimidating to tackle. There's so much love for this character, but we've never seen him without his mask before. So much of his personality is left purposefully vague -- especially in the early games. What was that like to approach as a performer?
Well, Master Chief in the game is a symbol, right? [He's] a symbol for bravery and courage, but he's kept quite vague for a reason. You're meant to feel like you're him. If you tell too much about him or make him very effusive and talky, people no longer feel like they're him. If you show his face, obviously the illusion's broken. There are certain things that are established about the character that are untouchable, that you have to nail for the show. Certain basic elements of this character just have to be there.
Then from there, it's a matter of filling out the details that are normally left for the gamer to fill in with their own personality. You're filling in those subtleties with storytelling. In the process of the first season, it's the process of him, first of all, learning details from his childhood that were kept secret from him. Through that process, he begins to learn about himself as a human in a way where we are learning with the Chief through the first season more about who the Chief is. We are filling in the details that have been left unfilled over the course of the game because of the difference in the media.
The first episode of Halo is now available to stream on Paramount+. New episodes premiere every Thursday.