You know that feeling when you're playing a game and you swear you've heard that voice before? It happens constantly in Call of Duty: WWII and the newer Vanguard. People usually just focus on the gunplay or the historical accuracy of the M1 Garand ping, but the Call of Duty actors WW2 fans have seen over the years are actually some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Honestly, it’s kinda wild how many "A-list" actors have suited up in motion capture suits just to scream "Reloading!" at you while you're dodging mortar fire in Normandy.
Take Josh Duhamel. Most people recognize him from the Transformers movies, but in Call of Duty: WWII, he plays Technical Sergeant William Pierson. He isn't just a voice. He’s the whole performance. Sledgehammer Games used full performance capture for that title, meaning every sneer, every bead of sweat, and every angry blink from Pierson is actually Duhamel’s face. It makes a difference. You can feel the tension in his jaw when he's arguing with Daniels. It isn't just a puppet; it's a person.
The Faces Behind the Front Lines
The 2017 return to the European theater was a big deal. For years, the franchise had been doing the whole "jetpacks and wall-running" thing, and fans were exhausted. When Sledgehammer announced they were going back to 1944, they knew they needed a cast that could carry a heavy, cinematic story.
Brett Edit is the guy behind Ronald "Red" Daniels. While he might not be a household name like Duhamel, his performance is the anchor of the entire campaign. Then you’ve got Jonathan Tucker as Robert Zussman. Tucker is one of those "that guy" actors—you've seen him in Kingdom or Westworld—and he brings this frantic, desperate energy to the role of the best friend. It’s a performance that makes you actually care if he survives the next scripted explosion.
Jeffrey Pierce also shows up as 2nd Lieutenant Joseph Turner. This is a fun one for hardcore fans because Pierce is the voice of Tommy in The Last of Us. Hearing his gravelly voice bark orders in a foxhole feels familiar, yet totally different. It's a testament to the range these Call of Duty actors WW2 brought to the table. They weren't just reading lines in a booth; they were on a soundstage in Los Angeles, wearing spandex suits with white balls on them, pretending they were in the middle of a freezing German forest.
Why Vanguard Felt Different
Then came Vanguard. It was a bit of a departure. Instead of one cohesive squad, we got a "Special Forces" vibe with characters from all over the globe. The cast reflected that.
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Laura Bailey plays Polina Petrova. If you follow gaming at all, you know Laura Bailey is basically the queen of voice acting. She’s Abby in The Last of Us Part II, she’s Jaina Proudmoore in World of Warcraft, and she’s Mary Jane in Spider-Man. In Vanguard, she plays a Soviet sniper inspired by the real-life Lyudmila Pavlichenko. Bailey brings a cold, calculated rage to Polina that stands out. It’s a very different vibe from the "brotherhood" themes of the 2017 game.
Then there’s Dominic Monaghan. Yeah, Merry from Lord of the Rings and Charlie from Lost. He plays Jannick Richter, the interrogator. Monaghan is great at playing characters that are slightly unhinged or morally ambiguous, and he really leans into the villainous role here. Most people don't realize that acting for a video game is actually harder than film in some ways. In a film, you have a set. In a game, you're in a "Volume"—a giant empty room with cameras everywhere—and you have to imagine the burning Tiger tank in front of you.
The "O.G." Actors You Forgot
We can't talk about Call of Duty actors WW2 without going back to the beginning. Before the series became a billion-dollar juggernaut, it was just a gritty PC shooter.
Did you know Jason Statham was in the first Call of Duty? No, seriously. Back in 2003, before he was the world's biggest action star, he voiced Sergeant Waters. He sounds exactly like you’d expect—angry, British, and ready to punch a Nazi.
And then there’s Giovanni Ribisi. He was in the first game too. It’s fascinating to look back and see how Activision has always leveraged Hollywood talent. Even when the tech was just low-poly models and crunchy audio files, they wanted that cinematic weight.
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The Evolution of Performance Capture
The technology has changed everything for these actors. In the early 2000s, you’d walk into a booth, read your lines, and go home. Now? It’s a months-long process.
- Facial Scanning: Actors sit in a "Light Stage" where hundreds of cameras take high-resolution photos of every single pore and wrinkle.
- Mocap Suits: They wear suits that track their skeletal movement. If an actor has a slight limp or a specific way they hold a rifle, the game captures it.
- HMC (Head-Mounted Cameras): There’s a camera literally inches from their face while they act. This captures the micro-expressions—the stuff that prevents the "Uncanny Valley" effect.
This is why characters like Arthur Kingsley (played by Chiké Okonkwo) feel so real. When he’s stressed, you see it in his eyes. You aren't just looking at a 3D model; you're looking at a digital double of Okonkwo's performance. It’s basically digital theater.
Misconceptions About the Cast
A lot of people think that because it’s a "war game," the actors are just there for the paycheck. Honestly, that couldn't be further from the truth. If you watch the behind-the-scenes footage for Call of Duty: WWII, you’ll see the cast went through a "boot camp." They were sent out to learn how to move like soldiers, how to hold period-accurate weapons, and how to communicate in a squad.
There’s also this idea that these actors are "hidden." They aren't. Activision spends millions on these casts. They want you to know Josh Duhamel is in the game. It’s part of the marketing. But for some reason, the casual player often misses the depth of the performances. They’re too busy trying to get a 30-kill streak in multiplayer.
The Future of COD Casting
What’s next? We’ve seen Gary Oldman, Kevin Spacey, and Kit Harington in various Call of Duty titles over the years. But the WWII-era games always seem to pull in the best character actors. There’s something about the historical setting that attracts people who want to tell a "Band of Brothers" style story.
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The industry is moving toward even more realism. With Unreal Engine 5 and proprietary engines getting better at rendering skin and hair, the line between a movie and a game is basically gone. The Call of Duty actors WW2 of the future probably won't even need to be "captured"—they'll just be "simulated."
Practical Takeaways for Fans
If you're interested in the work these actors do, don't just skip the cutscenes. There is a massive amount of craft involved in these performances.
- Check the Credits: You’ll be surprised how many voice actors from your favorite anime or other games pop up in the background.
- Watch the Mocap Footage: Sledgehammer and Treyarch often release "Making Of" videos. Seeing Josh Duhamel in a Velcro suit is both hilarious and impressive once you see the final result.
- Support the Actors: Many of these performers, like Laura Bailey or Jonathan Tucker, have huge bodies of work outside of gaming.
The next time you're storming a beach or holding a line in a snowy trench, listen to the voice acting. Notice the breathing. Notice the way the voice cracks under pressure. These actors are the reason why these games stay with us long after the consoles are turned off.
To really dive into the world of game acting, look up the "Voice Actor" categories at The Game Awards. You’ll see the level of respect these performers are finally starting to get in the mainstream. It isn't just "doing voices" anymore. It's acting, plain and simple.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts
If you want to see the best examples of this craft, go back and replay the Call of Duty: WWII campaign specifically focusing on the interactions between Pierson and Zussman. Watch their body language during the "Collateral Damage" mission. For a deeper look at the technical side, search for "Performance Capture Tech Call of Duty" on YouTube to see the rigs these actors have to wear. Understanding the physical constraints they work under makes the final performances even more impressive.