Giving distinct voices to Space Marines, a legion of genetically engineered super-soldiers often described with gruff, flinty tones, presents a unique challenge for voice actors. Black Library veteran Toby Longworth, who has lent his voice to numerous characters in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, including iconic figures like Nathaniel Garro and Ezekyle Abaddon, highlighted this difficulty in a recent discussion about his work on Dawn of War 4. "The big problem with Space Marines... is getting them to sound different to each other," Longworth explained. "They're all pretty tough and flinty, so you've got to start with a tough flinty one."
Longworth recounted how, when voicing multiple Space Marines within the same narrative, the vocalizations can easily become indistinguishable. He noted that as more characters are introduced, the imperative to differentiate their voices grows, leading to variations in pitch and inflection. He humorously described how one character might be "slightly higher" than another, escalating to the point where a marine might declare, "I AM ENORMOUS AND WILL BE A DREADNOUGHT ONE DAY." The challenge, he suggested, is to avoid vocal pitches becoming so high that "only ground squirrels can hear you."
Longworth's expertise extends to many different Adeptus Astartes chapters and even Primarchs, giving him ample experience with the subtleties required to portray these characters. His work on Dawn of War 4 sees him voicing a variety of Space Marines, continuing his long association with the franchise and its lore. Fans of the original Dawn of War series can anticipate shorts featuring Longworth delivering lines from the upcoming game, which are expected to capture the iconic unit barks that the original was known for. Further discussions with Longworth regarding Dawn of War 4 and the broader Warhammer 40,000 universe are available on the PC Gamer YouTube channel, including a session focused on painting miniatures with Alex Jordan.