From FFXIV’s Emet-Selch to Warframe’s Roathe: A chat with actor René Zagger

It’s a bit of a running joke that Warframe creative director Rebecca Ford is “collecting voice actors like Infinity Stones.”

In just a short time, the beloved developer has recruited the likes of Final Fantasy XVI‘s Ben Starr (Clive Rosfield), Resident Evil‘s Nick Apostolides (Leon S. Kennedy), Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Amelia Tyler (narrator) and Mario‘s Kevin Afghani (Mario and other voices) for Warframe. Ford has also made no secret of her love for Final Fantasy XIV, and, specifically, fan-favourite Shadowbringers villain Emet-Selch, and so, it’s only fitting that his performer, René Zagger, was one of the latest actors to join Warframe as Vice Regent Grand Carnus Roathe in last year’s The Old Peace expansion.

At TennoCon 2026 last weekend in its hometown of London, Ont., developer Digital Extremes (DE) brought out Zagger and several other actors to celebrate both Warframe and Soulframe with the community. During the convention, MobileSyrup sat down with Zagger to learn more about his experiences joining the world of Warframe, the overlaps between the massive communities of both Warframe and Final Fantasy XIV, parallels between Emet-Selch and Roathe, his Toronto tourism plans, and more.

What did you know about Warframe and the popularity of the game going in?

René Zagger: I knew about the game, and then through my agent, it was a casting, self-tape recording for an acting job. And it was a very detailed brief of what they wanted from the character. And it was so layered, and the character was really cool. It was “Peter O’Toole meets Paul Bettany with a touch of Russell Crowe from Master and Commander.” So it was very clear what they were looking for. And then once you see the sides and you’ve got the dialogue, it all just takes off. And then being here and discovering sort of its reaction… Because I’m very much one of those actors where I do a job, I finish it, and then I move on to the next one. I struggle watching myself in things I’ve done in the past.

So to then go and find snippets of what I’ve recorded, I always find that the more I enjoy the process of making something, the less I then want to hear it or see it because I don’t want it to take away from the enjoyment of making something. I had to record five or six four-hour sessions, and from the very first one, the character just took off. And so we had a lot of fun. I was in London — UK London — recording, and there was Rebecca, there was [writer] Kat [Kingsley], and there was someone else. There’s about four people always Zooming in. It was just me and the engineer in a lovely little studio in London.

Rebecca’s made no secret that she’s such a big fan of Final Fantasy XIV and Emet-Selch. But from your perspective, what did you want to bring to the character?

Zagger: I had absolutely no idea that that was the case! It came to me as a casting, as an audition, with that brief. And I think the second-from-last session that I had to do, and I think this was December, Rebecca was coming to UK London, so we met and had a coffee. And it was only then that I discovered that. So I didn’t intentionally go, “Right, I’m going to make him sound like him [Emet].” But the brief was so to the mark, I just sort of committed to that. But yeah, Rebecca’s been absolutely wonderful. She was there from the very first recording session.

What was the collaboration like with the DE team?

Zagger: Fantastic. They couldn’t have been more supportive. As a performer, as an actor, the most important thing is a clear, defined character to play with the backstory, and that’s what I got. So I love sort of delving deep and finding out things about a character, where he’s come from, where he’s going. So for me, it was all there, and Warframe has always been such an established game that Roathe was just sliding into this and bringing The Old Peace to life.

Something that unites both Final Fantasy XIV and Warframe is they’re both known for having positive and welcoming communities. You don’t always see that in games — they can often be a toxic place. But these games, specifically, are often quite praised. From your perspective, being in both of those franchises, what’s it been like to join those communities and meet the fans?

Zagger: [laughs] So this is the first time I’m meeting fans from any game I’ve ever done, and I’ve done a few games. I have always been reluctant to sort of, “What do people think?” It’s a dangerous place to be. The minute you sort of read one little negative thing, it will ruin all the positive things that you’ve read. So I’m open to it, but I don’t go actively looking for it. And every now and again, someone will send me a little soundbite or a little snippet of a reaction or a response, and it’s amazing. It’s lovely. I can’t imagine being part of something where the community isn’t positive, or isn’t forthcoming, or isn’t rewarding in their comments. So, what I’m discovering from the Warframe community is only love and support, which is lovely.

To that point, since it’s not something that you’ve necessarily dabbled in that much… I’m a big Final Fantasy fan, and I got into XIV over the last few years. I’ve played almost all the Final Fantasy games and even in this 40-year-old franchise, people think that Emet-Selch is one of the best characters in all the games.

Zagger: Really? [laughs]

Yeah! So I’m curious, have you seen much of that sort of response?

Zagger: [laughs] So somebody once sent me a cut together thing of Emet over — who’s that wonderful singer? [starts singing] “You’re a bad guy, a bad guy…” Who sings that?

Billie Eilish?

Zagger: Billie Eilish! Sorry. Look at me, you’re going to have me singing. And it was all cut stuff of him over that Billie Eilish song. And I was like, “Oh my God, this is so cool!” And there was like a moment where he did something, and I was like, “That actually looks like me, apart from the hair.”

Listen, I can’t help myself but go, “Oh, hang on, let me have another little look.” And then, as I say, the minute you start to read something that isn’t so favourable, I back away. Because I don’t think it’s conducive to me as a person growing as an actor. So I’m very, very conscious of, “It’s about that moment and doing that job the best to your ability.” And hopefully people take it to heart and love it.

You mentioned earlier how as an actor, you do a job and you sort of move on. But something that I find really interesting with something like Final Fantasy XIV is you do three expansions over the course of several years, so it’s a character that you keep coming back to and who will live with people for so long. What’s it like as an actor to get to play a character that allows you to keep coming back and explore different things each time?

Zagger: What’s interesting is my agent would always — like you say, it would be like a year and a half or two years, and then I’d just get an email going, “The job that keeps giving.” And when I was first booked for Final Fantasy, it wasn’t Final Fantasy. I think it was called “Samurai.” That was the working title [for the 2017 Stormblood expansion], and it would always be Samurai. But when I went back two years on to record, I would look at the material that I would then be going into record for the next expansion, and you literally take about five minutes of the session just to find your way with the voice, and then it’s in, and I was back. And I think I could do the same for Roathe, and although people will say, “Oh, it’s Emet, it’s a variation of him,” there are moments where I consciously didn’t ever think about playing that character in a new guise. It was somebody completely different. There was different parts to him that I wanted to bring out that I don’t think I did for Emet.

That segues into one of the questions I did want to ask. There are some similarities between them, of course. But what were some of the differences that you did want to explore?

Zagger: I think that it was his passion, 100 per cent. Passion — like something that really he cares about, Emet, and something that Roathe really cares about is very evident, and they’re not afraid to express their feelings or how. And empathy. I’ve been speaking about it today. You have a character that is, for all intents and purposes, a bad character. He’s the baddie. He’s the villain. But there’s got to be something that you like or you love about them, or you’re drawn to them, and there’s something that you can empathize with. So I think that’s quite important — that both characters you can empathize with.

Since you mentioned TennoCon is actually the first convention you’re doing. Final Fantasy XIV has a dedicated convention…

Zagger: I was asked to do it! But I was away filming, so I couldn’t do it. And this [TennoCon] never nearly happened because I was away filming in Belgium. I’m still contracted, but they’ve cleared me, and all I’m contracted to do is sort of any extra days, catch-up days, or scenes that we couldn’t get. And I could not be happier. I could not be. I’m starting to get a little bit excited now.

So what’s it like for TennoCon to be your first convention?

Zagger: It’s amazing. It’s amazing. I’ve just been to Digital Extreme’ offices. It’s so many people that have come together for this event. We just rehearsed and we’ve been in the arena. It’s brilliant. It’s exciting. So I’m really looking forward to it. It’s something that I never thought I would do. Not because, “Oh, I’m not going to do that,” but because, “Will that opportunity ever come about?” I was in Doctor Who back in UK. I did a couple of episodes of that — a very pivotal storyline, and I did a couple of things off the back of that. And it’s insane how amazing people are and devoted to those characters and the story. And since then, whenever I do plays in theatre, the people at stage door are Doctor Who fans, are Final Fantasy fans.

So after this, we’ll have Warframe fans there, too!

Zagger: I hope so, yeah! I will embrace you. [laughs] 100 per cent.

I’m actually from Toronto, so local media. So that’s why I always love when all the actors from abroad come out here for it. What’s it like to get to come here to London? Are there any things outside of your DE commitments that you wanted to check out or experience while you’re here?

Zagger: So once this event finishes, I basically extended my ticket and I’m going to go and spend four days in Toronto.

Oh, very nice!

Zagger: My father, my late father, many years ago, before he met my mum, emigrated to Canada.

Oh, no way!

Zagger: But something didn’t quite work out. And after a year, he returned and met my mum. So Canada’s loss was my mum’s gain. Without that, I wouldn’t be here.

That’s a lovely anecdote. Thank you for sharing that.

Zagger: No problem.

Is there anything specifically that you’re hoping to see when you’re in Toronto? Maybe something your dad told you about?

Zagger: You are going to laugh. You’re really going to laugh. It’s not that my dad told me. My 12-year-old daughter is obsessed with The Next Step, which is a [Canadian teen drama] series that was shot here in Toronto. And I said to my daughter, “I’m going to TennoCon 26, and I’ll send you some –” “I’m not interested. If you’re going to go to Toronto, could you go where they filmed The Next Step and get me a selfie outside?” So that’s what I’ve got to do in my four days. I know where I’m going. I’m going to find it! [laughs] So I’m going to go and get a selfie outside of the studio. It’s probably an office block. People will be in there working and see little old me with a camera doing a selfie for my 12-year-old.

That’s amazing. In general, you’ve done a few games now, and obviously movies, TV shows, etc. What is it about games, specifically, that you enjoy doing, and how does that process differ on your end versus other media?

Zagger: I love the craft of it. When I was at acting school, my acting teacher used to say, “Yeah, you can act, but you’ve got to go and learn your craft now. You’ve got to learn your craft.” And he said it to a lot of us, and none of us really quite understood. “What does he mean by craft?” And it’s only when you’re there experiencing it do you realize it. And with gaming voicing, it’s so personal, it’s so intimate, that you don’t have a lot of time to indulge. You don’t have a lot of time. You don’t have rehearsals. Maybe you’ll have a quick look at the lines. With [Warframe], we did four passes, and any little sort of notes from anyone would be directed to you, and then you’d then do another four passes. But it’s the technical side of it, and how your voice works, and keeping your voice active, and keeping your voice working. So I love doing the game. I love doing gaming.

On that note, are you much of a gamer yourself?

Zagger: I’m not! No, no, no. And I wish I was. I turn 53 this year. So when I was growing up, it was Atari. I love the thought of maybe playing that again one day. But it’s evolved. It’s become something amazing. The stories and the immersive experience of gaming. I’m desperate to, and if it was, there’d only be one game that I would play. That’s Warframe, all day long. All day long! But it would be, because it’s the only game that’s made me go, “Oh, I really want to do it.” I’d love to. I’d love to play. I probably will. Maybe the next time you talk to me, Brad, I’ll be a complete gamer.

And then you’ll have beaten yourself in the game.

Zagger: [laughs] Completely!

That must be a weird, out-of-body experience, fighting yourself.

Zagger: Oh my god, I do that all the time. It’s a mental fight I have with myself! [laughs]

Since you’ve enjoyed the process so much of working on these games, are there any other gaming properties you’d maybe want to join?

Zagger: Oh, I mean, there’s like Call of Duty… [But] there’s something about Warframe, that family feel, that sort of inclusivity. I could do this for a much longer period of time because it’s been such a great experience and the process of working with Rebecca and the team, being here — you just get that collaborative feel to it.

With TennoCon, besides meeting the fans, is there anything else that you’re looking forward to checking out?

Zagger: I’m looking forward to seeing the concert. I’m looking forward to see the people coming in their costumes and things, and everything. I just want to just sort of take in and absorb as much of it as I can.

Reflecting on this whole experience as Roathe, is there a particular moment that stands out to you with the character, either a line or an interaction or anything?

Zagger: It’s the blood proposal where Nitokh calls him to her bath and devises the plan, “Let’s take over and kill the Orokin.” So it was that moment. But the wording of it sort of encapsulates so much of life, death, the lust between them, the aggression, the authority. It’s just like five or six lines, but it’s got a bit of everything in it. And another thing was the repetition of things. He calls himself a coward as he relives moments in the story of what he feels people will see him as is a coward. And the repetition of “coward” — I like that as well.

On that note, I have to ask — with Emet-Selch and FFXIV, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?

Zagger: That was a while ago! Back in the day, I was totally immersed in it and I loved it. But no, he’s very far from my thoughts. It’s all about Roathe, really! 100 per cent.

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Warframe is free-to-play on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android and iOS.

Image credit: Square Enix/Digital Extremes