EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH YURI LOWENTHAL - ''The Lockout Weekly''

Rtan' Sansee

Wow. The lockout weekly has almost seemed inactive recently, but we've made it ALL up for you in this one killer release. I know Mr. Lowenthal from a summer party I attended for PCB productions a few months ago. He was very enthusiastic when I inquired if I could send him some questions for my internet 'column' I write for Halo enthusiasts. He claims ilovebees was his favorite project, and after going back and forth online for a little, I got some answers to questions that you I'm sure will love to hear. Without further ado, I present to you the Q&A!

Here you go Cairo. And you can call me Yuri. No Mr. required. Ever. Thanks for the questions. Lemme know if you ever need anything else. It was great meeting you at the PCB party. Sorry I had to duck out early before we really got to talk, but I'm sure we'll meet again. I've included the Q&A in the body of the email as well as an attached Word Doc.

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1. Did you enjoy working on ilovebees?

It remains one of my favorite projects ever to have worked on, and one of the ones I am most proud of. We definitely felt early on like, “This is something special, isn’t it? I have no idea what’s going on, but this is big.” And it was.

2. Did you work in the same booth with Kari, Olivia, Kristen, Zan, Dave, and Kristin, or were you recorded individually?

Sometimes separate, but when the team thought it would be important, they had us record together, which was always more fun. They are all amazing actors and most of them really close friends. When it was all done, we felt like we had been through combat together. Really close.

3. What was your favorite part of working on ilovebees?

Oh, man, I could never isolate just one. From the story to the characters to the team to the other actors I got to play with and the secrecy we had to keep and the scope of the project and the joy everyone involved felt being a part of it… It’s just one of those projects that came together on all levels and was so unlike anything I had been a part of before.

4. Was it easy to portray Kamal as a character?

Some days were easier than others. He goes through big changes. But I love him. There’s a lot of me in him, and I still look at him as one of my greatest characters.

5. Did you attend the private screening of Halo 2 that followed the end of ilovebees?

I wish. They never tell me anything…

6. Do you know of, enjoy, or play Halo at all?

I do play Halo, mostly by myself, as opposed to co-op or online, but (un)fortunately I never have succumbed to the addiction it can become. I’m really susceptible to falling into games and never coming out again. I’m also fond of my marriage and didn’t want to lose that…

7. You also provided additional voice acting for Halo 3, are you planning on working on any of the upcoming Halo games?

I don’t know where you heard that. I tried really hard to get in on Halo 3, but was unsuccessful. That said, I’d be honored to work on any of the upcoming Halo games.

So there you have it! Yuri is a very nice man, and it was a pleasure speaking with him. I'll give you that to chew on as you traverse through the day, but for now, this is Rtan Sansee signing out!