If you do not know him by identify, you definitely know Kellen Goff’s voice. A prolific voice actor with a powerful resume spanning video video games (Five Nights at Freddy‘s, The Final of Us, Fireplace Emblem), anime (JoJo’s Weird Journey, My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer), and flicks, and flicks (Depraved, Elio, Pokémon), Kellen Goff’s profession reveals no indicators of slowing down and it is not arduous to see why.
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Boasting unbelievable vary, Goff studied beneath legendary voice actor Bob Bergen himself. I had the chance to take a seat down with Goff forward of Five Nights at Freddy‘s 2 launch final yr and choose his mind about voice performing, the totally different mediums he is labored in, working with Scott Cawthon on FNAF, and his function as Toy Freddy in FNAF2.
GameRant: Did something about Toy Freddy’s function or the movie’s strategy to the lore strike you as one thing followers will debate or latch onto earlier than particulars go public?
Kellen Goff: Once I first bought solid as Toy Freddy, I believed that Scott and the management wished me to do my finest approximation of the legendary efficiency of Darren Roebuck in Final Customized Evening, and it was an honor that I might get to do this some honor.
However as time went on, I came upon extra about, Toy Freddy’s function within the film, and it began to turn out to be clearer, each by means of being instructed and seeing the scenes themselves that the, the goofy mascotty kind of voice he placed on, evoking Barney the dinosaur kind deal, may need thrown viewers for a loop a bit of bit when it got here to what these scenes wanted to be, which was a bit extra critical.
So we did completely attempt getting it correct to the unique portrayal in Final Customized Evening after which we tried one thing very, very, very scary and deep and growly. After which we tried a bit of one thing in between. Having simply gone to see it in Florida, the preview screening with Scott Cawthon, I got here to search out out that the scariest alternative was chosen.
To be candid, I am a bit anxious to listen to what Toy Freddy diehards have to consider it as a result of I’ve seen it expressed lots that they wished this portrayal of the character to do justice to the unique. The world of FNaF within the motion pictures is so geared towards the followers that almost all, if not the overwhelming majority of issues in these motion pictures, is 1:1 with what the followers keep in mind to utterly honor their dedication to the franchise and every thing.
However I perceive the choice, and I truly very very like the best way that all of it turned out in the long run there, and I really hope that diehard followers recognize the path that was taken as effectively within the context of the broader story.
So far as FNaF is anxious, what had been the most important variations between voicing characters for the video games versus voicing Toy Freddy within the movie?
To start with in 2016, it was manner looser than normal voiceover classes come to be, the place he solely gave me my strains; a Microsoft doc of simply my strains to say. And he mentioned, ‘Simply say every certainly one of them a couple of totally different instances, and I am going to choose what I like.’ And there, the shortage of context is each scary and thrilling, very like the sport.’ It let me take it in any path I wanted; he let me have full inventive freedom with whichever path I wish to take, as long as he bought all the alternatives. And I felt trusted due to that. I nonetheless really feel trusted to this present day due to that. My relationship with Scott is a bit, you understand, nearer than I might have with, say, a online game by like WB or AdRiot or what have you ever. It is a direct one-on-one with the creator and producer and sport maker and author multi functional.
This sense of belief has fueled lots of my efficiency relating to the online game portion of it. To reply your unique query, recording on my own, as I mentioned, it may get a bit of lonely, however it additionally supplied that freedom. As we went on in the direction of Safety Breach we bought administrators, Jason Toplovsky at Metal Wolf Studios, and Brian Friarmouth, each geniuses and likewise utterly open to play and collaboration and all that. They’re tremendous cool folks, tremendous inventive, and tremendous encouraging.
It felt extra like a small collaboration on a enjoyable, enjoyable mission we had been making collectively. And that is to not say that the flicks did not really feel like that. In reality, the primary film was similar to the best way that I did it at first with Scott, the place he simply gave me the diddly dumbs to do it with no context, and I gave him 8 totally different takes on my cellphone — truly, that is all I had on the time when he requested me to file it — and it turned out nice as a result of Hollywood sound editors are superior.
The second got here alongside, and it turned a bit extra conventional, because it, because it tends to be with film ADR, which fortunately I’ve finished earlier than for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Elio, Minions 2, an excellent little bit of theatrical dubbing, so I wasn’t strolling in blindsided. It felt like a terrific evolution of what led as much as that time, to have simply finished it fairly by the pores and skin of our enamel. Simply to say, we did all of it very scrappy. We did it by ourselves, we bought down, we bought soiled and did it by ourselves. So to go from that into an expert setting, felt to me like an evolution of the manufacturing of the entire thing and felt like the subsequent stage, each in my life and for engaged on this franchise.
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You have studied beneath some extremely prolific voice actors in your profession. What was it like coaching beneath Bob Bergen specifically?
That was transformative. Life-changing, I suppose you would say, as a result of on the time I used to be 16. My dad had lawyered me into the category as a result of Bob had by no means had a minor in his class earlier than, however Bob mentioned that I sounded similar to him, which I, after all, take as a serious praise to this present day.
He took away all of the misconceptions I had earlier than, that it was concerning the performing, not the voice. I got here in pondering. ‘Oh, I can do voice impressions. I can do humorous voices. This voice performing factor should be for me.’ I had performing coaching earlier than, however not like this. Bob was kind of the bridge that married the 2 totally different sections of my thoughts in that regard — the performing that I had discovered doing stage productions and the vocal a part of it. He described the entire enterprise of it.
He described auditions, introduced us by means of mock auditions, had us do an ensemble recording collectively for a script of Fraggle Rock, which I to this present day have by no means finished something like in any class, and I want we may, however, sadly, it appears ensemble classes are getting fewer and fewer because it turns into simpler to have every particular person actor within the sales space. However he opened my eyes on an excellent little bit of issues and taught me many, many methods and issues to have within the skilled a part of the world that I nonetheless use to this present day.
Definitely, yeah. Particularly, dubbing and localization involves thoughts first as having essentially the most problem behind it, in that we now have to provide not solely a convincing efficiency of this character that we’re dubbing, whereas honoring the unique intent and actors’ performances, however nonetheless Americanizing it, I suppose, bringing it into the tradition that we now have right here and making it extra accessible for the plenty. There’s lots to consider if you’re saying a line inside the course of no matter it needs to be, 3 seconds, 5 seconds: whether or not it matches the flaps, what you are saying, what inflections to make use of to intensify the performances wanted to be conveyed, that possibly the face is not displaying within the second.
That is kind of a factor in all voice performing, however it may be much more of a problem when becoming it right into a truncated period of time like that, however it’s so rewarding due to that. These safeguards truly can turn out to be safety a bit of bit, listening to what the unique actor did. And I am unsure if that is my actor intuition that I’ve discovered from courses or my being on the autism spectrum, however listening to what an actor has finished earlier than me to the image, it helps a lot in formulating how I will do it as a result of I’ve a distinct manner of being indignant than Kenjiro Suda does. And we each go all around the spectrum on that.
So I might say the dubbing a part of it has essentially the most gears that go into it, and previous dubbing, I might say common online game freeform, common animation freeform, that simply — the chains come off mainly. They’re golden chains, however with the freeform you possibly can nonetheless do what you probably did inside these deadlines, however you now have as a lot time to discover the sensation as you want. So there’s extra alternative for improv that manner, and in that sense, you kind of must be a bit extra on the ball in that different facet of your mind. The left facet of the mind elements far more into free type than dubbing. I might say left and proper work collectively extra in dubbing. I hope that was cohesive.
Touring again in time to 2016, what was the casting course of like for the 5 Nights at Freddy’s video games? What bought you concerned on this franchise to start with?
Nicely that, sadly, just isn’t as difficult of a solution. Once I was arising on the web, we had our voice performing membership. Numerous us had been up and coming and wished to verify everyone bought the identical alternatives, so we’d share auditions with one another — with consent, after all, from those that are casting — and guarantee that whoever, whichever pal of ours we really feel may nail a sure half will get their shot. A pal of mine was variety sufficient to ship me the unique sides for Enjoyable Time Freddy in 2016 for FNaF’s Sister Location.
On the time, it was closely, closely codenamed as a result of we didn’t know if Scott was coming again to do extra Five Nights at Freddy’s. We knew that this audition was from Scott Cawthon, however he had expressed a bit of little bit of a fatigue in having made the primary 4 video games so carefully to one another. So we weren’t positive if he was going to come back again for a fifth one, however all the identical, I adored 5 Nights at Freddy’s then, and even earlier than I bought concerned. I like animatronics, so having the ability to work with Scott Cawthon appeared like a really, very thrilling prospect.
The code identify on the time for the character was Costumed Entertainer, and all I needed to go off of for the specs of it was somebody that youngsters love, however mother and father wouldn’t wish to depart youngsters alone with. That was the outline. So I attempted two various things. I attempted the one that you just hear immediately — sort of an exuberant Krusty the Clown, Hannibal Lecter, clownish kind — after which I attempted one thing nearer to the Medic from Crew Fortress 2, German accent and all.
Years later, I might get permission to disclose the second tackle Recreation Principle Stay with Matt Pat, and followers to this present day have affectionately referred to that take as ‘German Enjoyable Time Freddie,’ ‘the non-canon Freddy that by no means was,’ [fans] come as much as my desk and ask about it once I’m at conventions. It is such a humorous Easter egg to have within the ether. However yeah, Scott ended up selecting Freddy, and I am very grateful for that as a result of these auditions had been finished with little or no sleep and took the final of my power earlier than I went again to mattress. To have the e-mail that mentioned you bought it if you get up, I’ve by no means had that occur since.
That will need to have felt superb.
It was. I’ve had lots of firsts with Scott, lots of issues that would appear fantastical in another state of affairs, however he makes them occur whether or not on objective or in any other case.
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Nonetheless speaking within the casting sphere, did it’s important to audition for Toy Freddy within the motion pictures, or had been you approached?
Toy Freddy, Scott already had me in thoughts, early on. Scott is so simple, it is so refreshing. All the e-mail mentioned is like, ‘You wish to be the voice of Toy Freddy?’ ‘Yeah, yeah, completely,’ and that is all it took. He is like, ‘cool.’ The folks will get in touch with you. Scott has been so, so extremely variety to me, having me for nearly each iteration of 5 Nights at Freddy’s, since Sister Location. I like being his little working gag, and I am grateful that the followers have additionally come to simply accept me, which they did fairly shortly, thank goodness.
In return, I all the time do my finest to have in mind what they discover enjoyable concerning the franchise, with all of the memes that they submit on TikTok, and do my finest to include no less than that power, if not the memes themselves, once I can get away with it. I attempt my finest to make each single character sound totally different from one another if I can, and I believe followers have cherished that as a result of they will do a variety of impressions due to it. The followers love doing impressions of my characters and I am all the time so flattered once I hear them.
You have voiced a number of characters since first becoming a member of the franchise in 2016. What’s essentially the most difficult asset of bringing their unsettling personalities and the various vary of voices you do to life?
The unsettlingness of it’s, fortunately, usually a byproduct of the author. The author usually offers me excellent automobiles to make seemingly regular dialog into one thing way more disturbing beneath the floor. It is a enjoyable little sport. So the identical as creating totally different characters for all of them. I do my finest in any given franchise the place I get to come back again for a number of characters to make them as dissimilar from one another as potential as a result of I really feel it helps the immersion higher. I really feel like in the event you hear the identical voice again and again, South Park makes it work, Smiling Pals makes it work, however it could not all the time in each given scenario.
So I do my finest to guarantee that they sound like totally different folks in order that the followers or the participant just isn’t taken out of the expertise. And I’m grateful that I practiced, stretching out my vary so usually once I was a child. Fortunately I’ve the throat for it as effectively, that majorly helps out with it to perform these items.
Possibly that is like choosing a favourite baby, however who’s your favourite character to voice in FNaF?
That’s precisely what I all the time say, it is like choosing a favourite baby, and sadly, I simply can’t do it, Renan. I want I may. I actually want I may give a greater reply, however reality of the matter is, no less than in my thoughts, I really feel if I picked a favourite, it could do a disservice to the remainder of them, as a result of there’s one thing that I like about every certainly one of them.
I’ll say there are ones that I bought to spend extra time with and have dug a deeper nook into my coronary heart. Glam Rock Freddy is the longest I’ve spent on any given character, I imagine at 10 hours of recording. We had lots of time to flesh out his dad-ish awkwardness, his sweetness, his willingness and wish to shield… and his juxtaposition very a lot from different animatronics in his approachableness and wish to shield versus hurt.
I actually like being good characters. Being the villain again and again — I like being the villain, do not get me unsuitable. It is all the time juicy, it is all the time a blast, however being characters that somebody comes as much as me at a conference and says ‘[that character] bought my nonverbal brother to speak for the primary time,’ or ‘[that character was] my father figured throughout lockdown,’ or ‘[that character] saved my life. Extra usually characters like that are usually the extra approachable ones, and I am simply very grateful once I get the possibility to be these.
And identical with Solar and Moon, I bought an opportunity to include elements of my very own autism into their characters as effectively, and I might wish to assume it gave a bit extra visibility to the autism neighborhood and confirmed that… we’re not hindered by the playing cards that life has given us; we’re empowered by them.
Talking about your historical past voicing villains, you voiced a few of the greatest anime villains of the previous decade. I imply, you are Overhaul. What kind of hero would you wish to voice if given the chance? Is there a specific character you’d wish to voice who’s not a straight-up villain? Overhaul is a little bit of an anti-villain, relying in your stance there.
Overhaul is — he would not wish to kill everyone. On the core of it, he needs to avoid wasting the world; he simply goes about it in a really damaged, disturbing, not kosher manner. But when I had been to be a hero, I do not know. Simply any sort of hero could be so enjoyable. I assume the reluctant hero is all the time actually enjoyable. The goofball, the outcast, the one which rises out of being shunned by society and turns into welcomed by it, like Denji from Chainsaw Man. That sort of factor. He is only a poor, sorry dude after which he will get the ability to assist folks, and so he does. And other people come to like him due to it. I believe that is the sort of character or the sort of hero I might wish to be.
Constructing off what you mentioned about Overhaul, typically villains do have a redeemable facet we are able to relate to, however most of the characters you’ve got voiced do are usually fairly monstrous or have a darkish facet to them. How do you get within the mindset to narrate to these characters? What headspace do it’s important to put your self in to essentially get these performances, performances down?
Whereas if it is a villain like Overhaul… he is despicable. I wish to say that there isn’t any excuse for doing what he did. However the place he comes at it from, having been an orphan and being taken in by this father determine who’s the pinnacle of the Shie Hassaikai, and simply eager to do every thing in his energy to pay again that kindness that was given to him, to honor the sacrifices that his pops has made. On the core of it, each villain thinks they’re the hero, and each villain thinks what they’re doing is totally justified if it brings a few end result they really feel will make their world higher. Dwelling on the road can and does mess with one’s head.
I’ve been honored to know many individuals who have not had houses in my life, and to speak to them about what it is love to do what that you must do to outlive, and I really feel that is the place Overhaul got here from. He took that instinctual, primal survival that he needed to depend on in his years on the streets and utilized it towards giving, giving again to somebody. And the 2 do not combine very effectively relating to methodology. So, yeah, I really feel like in one other life Overhaul may need been capable of assist lots of people. His energy is to interrupt somebody aside and put them again collectively with none illness, any wounds. He may have been instrumental in a revolution of healthcare, however sadly, he had the upbringing that he did and selected a distinct path. I’ve hope that he could be redeemed, however it should take lots of work on his half.
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Is there any character you’ve got performed that you just personally relate to or empathize with specifically?
Sasaki in Sasaki and Mino, that is without doubt one of the best roles I may have ever requested for, as a result of it’s so, a lot the juxtaposition of every thing that is come earlier than in my profession. He’s the cutest, gayest, nicest, fellow. He is only a delicate boy, and he is non-toxic. He all the time asks consent. He is simply every thing I aspire to be myself in a state of affairs like that. Bringing myself to Sasaki was an enormous collaborative effort by the beautiful director Emily Fajardo and myself. Numerous Sasaki’s reads and intonations, lots of the improv that we did is just about what I might say or do in the identical state of affairs, me, Kellen, I, these are, that is the best way, the place my voice would go. These are just about the issues I might say.
Numerous the time he will get sort of this cutesy little voice that does not actually translate effectively over textual content, I am sorry to say, however that’s the manner that my mother and I talked to one another rising up. So having the ability to carry one thing from my mother into a personality and efficiency as pure as this has been one of many best honors of my profession. And he additionally helped me turn out to be extra comfy and uncover extra my bisexuality. Dwelling what I used to be afraid to dwell by means of him made me notice that I may do it and there was nothing to be afraid of.
You are a part of one of the prolific horror franchises of the twenty first century, however are there another horror franchises you continue to dream of being part of?
Oh, does Bioshock depend? I like the BioShock universe. I might like to be a part of that. I used to be fortunate sufficient to be chosen to be part of Lifeless Area, which was certainly one of my favourite horror video video games rising up, a part of the Lifeless Area remake, in order that one was my reply earlier than, however being part of it now, I’m very grateful to be. Previous that, it is powerful. If Alan Wake ever bought one other installment, I might like to contribute to that universe as effectively. After which, after all, you understand, Scream and Chucky and all that. If we’re speaking massive display screen stuff, Common Monster stuff could be a lot enjoyable. I might like to contribute to any of these worlds.
So that you voice lots of scary characters. How do you describe the sliding scale of scariness relating to voice performing, if that is even a factor we are able to quantify?
I might say it is much less of a scale and extra of an alignment chart, however there are such a lot of totally different columns and rows that it is powerful to place one singular level. You understand if you’re enjoying Pokémon and you have got the chart between HP assault, particular assault and it is that form type. I might say it is lots like that, and that may be a long-winded approach to say there are a lot of various factors into making several types of scary, one thing could be delicate to be creepy, it may be loud to be terrifying, it may be delicate to be terrifying. There are a plethora of various strategies of the best way to make one thing unsettling.
I might say the best manner for a classically conventional antagonistic scary character is — the sliding scale could be their demeanor, and it may be wherever from only a whisper to all the time loud on a regular basis grating on the ears. However I really feel the very best is kind of someplace within the center, however sliding from the left finish to the suitable finish as time goes on. To be quiet and unsettling, suspicious, after which to have these suspicions confirmed as you get increasingly more unhinged as time goes on. I like staying within the subtler, extra creepier stuff. A enjoyable character has lots of variety of their actions and emotions, similar to a human does.
Sticking to the horror style for a bit of bit longer, are there any played-out horror tropes that you just’re simply able to see die off within the business?
Do not hate me. I am sort of sick of the zombie survival factor. I’ve been for an excellent bit. There are methods to do it very effectively, like Final of Us does it extremely effectively, Left for Lifeless did it superior, however it feels prefer it’s gotten to the purpose of oversaturation. You may inform a variety of other ways how the zombie apocalypse got here to be, however on the finish of the day, it is the zombie apocalypse. It is you holding your self up in a darkish, damp room with a shotgun and hopefully not getting observed by the hordes of what was once your finest pals outdoors for the remainder of your life.
It isn’t simply horror at that time. Personally, for me, it is simply miserable. I am sort of sick of going again to that, ‘it is all hopeless, and all we are able to hope for is to go to a distinct continent and begin life anew’ sort of factor. I am uninterested in apocalypse tales, no less than for now. I really feel like there are other ways to the touch on horror, one thing that may be overcome, some approach to remedy everybody, which zombie tales have finished. I’ll give them the advantage of the doubt there.
There have been zombie tales the place everybody bought cured, however most of the time, it is only a slog of hopelessness one bit after the opposite. Little highs of reprieve after they discover a Twinkie or one thing, however then simply going straight again into these characters that you’ve got cherished dying in horrific methods and turning into the person who needs to kill you. So, to reply your query: zombies. For me personally, regardless that I like enjoying zombies, it is simply not the sort of story I am actually concerned about anymore.
What’s your absolute favourite 5 Nights at Freddy’s sport?
It is bought to be FNaF World. As we have seen by means of this interview, I’m a little bit of a gamer and rising up with RPGs like Pokémon and Earthbound and all that and, Tremendous Mario RPG, seeing FNaF flip into that was a tough proper flip, however one which I used to be like, ‘What? Cool!’
That is what I actually like about Scott, he likes to do the factor that is not very anticipated. If he listens to the followers and he tries, no less than — I am unable to converse for the man, however based mostly on historic proof, it looks like he does his finest to subvert expectation at each nook, if he can, and to encourage possible deniability, I suppose, within the strategy of it.
As 2025 attracts to an in depth, what are a few of your favourite video video games and flicks of the yr?
I’ve such a short-term reminiscence. Dispatch was actually enjoyable. I cherished enjoying Pokémon Legends Z-A, I believed that there have been parts in there that I’ve been wanting from Pokémon for some time. The turn-based facet, I am glad they discovered a distinct approach to spin that the place it is similar to you possibly can truly dodge poison spikes or Shield would not essentially imply you are utterly protected anymore. The substitute simply places a doll in entrance of him and you’ll simply stroll round it. I believe that’s hilarious.
Have you ever seen Frankenstein?
I have never. I’ve actually wished to. Sinners, watching Sinners, masterful work there. I am curious to see what comes sooner or later, actually. I am an enormous MCU man nonetheless. Superman was superior. Superman simply — going again to the entire zombie factor, when every thing feels hopeless — that Superman simply introduced a lot hope and love and life into not simply my life, however everyone round me who’s seen it, and it simply, it felt pleased once more. I like seeing hopeful tales a few dude who does good as a result of it is good. I cherished Incredible 4 as effectively. I believe they bought lots of the traits of the household spot-on, and I cherished seeing on-screen a comic book book-accurate Galactus lastly. So yeah, these are my faves, I believe.
- Launch Date
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December 5, 2025
- Runtime
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104 Minutes
- Director
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Emma Tammi
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Matthew Lillard
William Afton
