Written By: Jayme Face
Chad Michael Collins has had an action packed career and he’s not stoping now! He can be seen and heard on the highly anticipated new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and he told us all about it! (Release date October 25th)
Photo Credit: Doug Pasko
upfrontNY: Can you tell us about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and your role in that?
Chad Michael Collins: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is the latest entry in the globally popular Call of Duty franchise. It’s the first Modern Warfare entry in 8 years – a soft reboot of that universe with a whole new storyline, but also some familiar touchstones with characters like the beloved ‘Captain Price.’ I play ‘Alex,’ a CIA Special Activities Division Tier One Operator who embeds himself with freedom fighters in the fictional Urzikstan. He represents government interests there and supports their cause during Russian occupation, while we track down the where’s and why’s of stolen chemical weapons. I’m a playable character, and fans will enjoy suiting up as ‘Alex’ as the drama unfolds.
upfrontNY: How does it differ from the others in the franchise?
Chad Michael Collins: As above, our Modern Warfare is a soft reboot, reinventing the universe and telling a new, original tale. I think MW3 in 2011 ended up in a nuclear war, and there wasn’t much room to build on that catastrophe. So, we have reset the franchise with ours. Fans seem really excited to go on a new MW adventure with us – 8 years is a long time to wait!
upfrontNY: How is starring in a video game different from filming other roles?
Chad Michael Collins: Having done quite a bit of TV and film work, starring in a video game is a totally different animal. Instead of two cameras, you have 50+ on a mocap stage. Movement and volume, energy and infusing life into the characters becomes more paramount. We are telling a 360-degree story at all times, and we are also letting players be an active participant in the unfolding of that story, so it feels like an epic interactive, playable movie.
upfrontNY: Are you a gamer yourself or were the games new to you?
Chad Michael Collins: Oh yeah, I’ve been a gamer my whole life and to this day. So it’s been a real bucket list acting experience suiting up for COD: MW! From Nintendo to Super Nintendo, PC, Xbox and PlayStation consoles, I’ve always gamed, and I can’t wait to play through ours next.
upfrontNY: You star in the Sniper film franchise and they are set to film the fifth can you tell us more about that?
Chad Michael Collins: Yes, I’ve done four Sony military action SNIPER films to date, and there’s talk of doing another. It’s been a blast playing ‘Brandon Beckett’ – the son of Tom Berenger’s famous Thomas Beckett, the legendary Marine sniper. I hope the franchise keeps going and we keep fighting the good (pretend) fight!
upfrontNY: Your credits include a lot of action packed roles; how do you train for those and keep yourself in shape?
Chad Michael Collins: My acting fitness philosophy goes like this: if you never get out of shape, you don’t have to get back in-shape. So I always keep myself fit and ready to rock whenever an action movie or show calls. I’ve always enjoyed staying fit and active as a lifestyle preference. I keep myself moving with lots of basketball, some boxing and more.
upfrontNY: You’re a comic book fan, what superhero would you love to play and why?
Chad Michael Collins: To put it mildly, yeah I’m a fan. A huge fan, since childhood. I still read tons of comics to this day. There are so many great characters I’d love to play, and most of them exist on the fringe. Less aspirations to play Captain America, more to play lesser known characters like Moon Knight, or Havok from the X-Men universe. On the DC side of things, I’ve always loved characters like Animal Man. The more obscure and B-List, the better.
upfrontNY: You are originally from NY, us being upfrontNY have to ask, what do you miss most about NY?
Chad Michael Collins: Yes, I was born and raised in central New York, in the countryside. It was a great upbringing, surrounded by nature and living life through a blue collar, rural lens. I miss the seasons, the quiet, the greenery and the wide open skies. I’ve adapted to city living quite seamlessly, but it’s always wonderful to get back to my roots and enjoy the simplicity.
upfrontNY: Is there anything else you would like to let our readers know about?
Chad Michael Collins: I’m excited for your readers to fire up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on October 25th , and I hope they enjoy playing it as much as we loved making it! Find me on social media and please share your experience!
Photo Credit: Call of Duty
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