Celebrity Byte

Dakota Blue Richards at the New York premiere afterparty for The Golden Compass.

What was it like working on Sega's video game adaptation of The Golden Compass?

I thought it was really fun, but it was really, really hard. I found it very difficult because there was nothing there to help you get into character. When you're taping, you have your sets, your costumes, props, your hair and make-up, and everything that helps you become your character. When you are doing voiceover work, there is nothing. You are in a room on your own and its silent and you have nothing to help you.

Did it at least help that you had brought Lyra Belacqua to life in the film first?

Yeah, I think it helped quite a lot because otherwise it would have been really, really, terribly hard because if you don't at least have the experience of being the character before then, I don't think I would have been able to do it.

Were you a gamer before this Sega experience came up?

Yeah. There was one game that I played all the time when I was little, then I kind of branched off and started playing other games. Spyro was my favorite game. Now I have a Nintendo DS and I play a lot of different games on that system.

It actually looks quite a bit like me. It's really odd, especially when you get lost at some point in the game and you're not sure what you're supposed to do and it's your own voice giving you instructions on how you're meant to play it and stuff. It's very strange.

Spyro has been a popular franchise with lots of sequels. Which game did you like playing when you were younger?

I don't remember which Spyro it was. I think it was the first one.

What do you play these days?

On Nintendo DS I like Sonic, Animal Crossing, Nintendogs, Charlotte's Web and Trauma Center on Wii.

Did you play your Nintendo DS while filming The Golden Compass?

I did during my breaks. It seemed like every time I started playing it, they would tell me I had to come on set and I didn't want to. It annoyed me, so then they told me I wasn't allowed to bring my DS to set any more.

Did you have a favorite game while filming?

Not a particular one. I just played any game I had with me.

Being a gamer, were you able to learn anything about how Sega makes games from your experience on The Golden Compass?

I wasn't actually there when they were doing any of the animation stuff. I was only there to do voiceovers so I learned how they do that process.

Actress Eva Green, actress Dakota Blue Richards, director Chris Weitz and producer Deborah Forte attend the New York premiere of The Golden Compass.

What's it like to see your virtual self in Sega's game?

I've been watching it today. It is really strange because it actually looks quite a bit like me. It's really odd, especially when you get lost at some point in the game and you're not sure what you're supposed to do and it's your own voice giving you instructions on how you're meant to play it and stuff. It's very strange.

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