You know that feeling when you're playing a game and a character speaks, and you just know that voice from somewhere? It happens constantly in Sledgehammer Games' 2017 title. The Call of Duty WW2 actors didn't just show up to a booth, read some lines about grenades, and collect a paycheck. They went full HBO miniseries. If you’ve ever sat through the campaign and thought, "Man, Pierson looks exactly like that guy from Transformers," you aren't crazy.
Digital faces have come a long way, but back in 2017, the leap in performance capture was massive. We moved past the "uncanny valley" where faces looked like melting wax. Instead, we got Josh Duhamel’s weary, squinting eyes and Jonathan Tucker’s frantic energy. These aren't just voiceovers. These are full-body, performance-captured roles.
Honestly, the campaign for Call of Duty: WWII lives or dies on the chemistry between the squad. If you don't care about Zussman or Daniels, the whole "brotherhood" theme just falls flat on its face. Thankfully, the casting director knew exactly what they were doing.
The Heavy Hitters: Josh Duhamel and the Burden of Pierson
Let's talk about Technical Sergeant William Pierson. He’s the guy you love to hate for about eighty percent of the game. Josh Duhamel plays him. You probably know Duhamel from the Transformers movies or maybe Las Vegas if you’re a bit older.
In the game, Pierson is a hard-ass. He’s cynical, borderline cruel, and carries a chip on his shoulder the size of a Sherman tank. Duhamel brings a specific kind of gravelly exhaustion to the role. It’s not just "tough guy" acting; it’s "I’ve seen too many kids die" acting. During the performance capture sessions, Duhamel actually had to wear the full head-rig with cameras pointed at his face to catch every twitch of his lip.
A lot of fans don't realize that Pierson’s character model is almost a 1:1 replica of Duhamel’s actual face. When he’s screaming at you in the rain, that’s not just a clever animation. That’s a digital reconstruction of a Hollywood actor’s frustration. It makes the eventual reveal of his backstory—and why he is the way he is—actually hit home.
Jonathan Tucker as Robert Zussman
If Pierson is the soul-crushing reality of war, Zussman is the heart. Jonathan Tucker is one of those "actor's actors." You’ve seen him in Kingdom, Westworld, and Snowfall. He has this jittery, high-strung intensity that translates perfectly to a soldier trying to maintain his humanity in a ditch.
The relationship between Zussman and the player character, Daniels, is the anchor of the game. Tucker’s performance is vital because he represents the stakes. When Zussman gets captured, it doesn't just feel like a mission objective. It feels like you’ve lost your best friend. Tucker reportedly did a lot of research into the Jewish-American experience during the war to make sure his portrayal felt grounded and respectful.
The Rest of the Big Red One
Beyond the big names, the squad is filled with character actors who do the heavy lifting. Brett Zimmerman plays our protagonist, Ronald "Red" Daniels. It’s a tough gig because the protagonist in a Call of Duty game can often be a blank slate for the player. Zimmerman had to balance being a "player avatar" with being a farm boy from Texas who is scared out of his mind.
Then you have Jeffrey Pierce as 1st Lt. Joseph Turner. Pierce is a legend in the gaming world. He’s the voice and performance behind Tommy in The Last of Us. In WWII, he plays the "good cop" to Pierson’s "bad cop." He provides the moral compass for the squad, and his rivalry with Pierson creates the best tension in the narrative.
- Kevin Daniels plays Josh Turner. No relation to the Lieutenant, but he brings that steady, reliable presence the squad needs.
- Bella Dayne portrays Camille "Rousseau" Denis. She’s the French Resistance leader. Her mission in Paris—the "Liberation" chapter—is widely considered the best mission in the game because it deviates from the "shoot everything" formula. Dayne brings a cold, sharp intelligence to Rousseau that makes the stealth segments feel high-stakes.
Why the Call of Duty WW2 Actors Mattered for the Franchise
Before 2017, Call of Duty was going through a bit of an identity crisis. We had jetpacks. We had wall-running. We had Kevin Spacey in a mech suit. It was becoming a sci-fi franchise. Bringing in a grounded cast for a return to World War II was a "back to basics" move.
The use of high-profile Call of Duty WW2 actors was a signal that Activision wanted to compete with prestige TV. They weren't just making a twitch shooter; they were trying to make Band of Brothers. The nuance in the performances helped bridge the gap between "shooting gallery" and "interactive drama."
There's a specific scene where the squad is playing cards. It’s quiet. No explosions. No screaming. Just guys talking. The facial animations here show the subtle shifts in Zussman's eyes and the way Pierson lingers in the shadows. That’s where the investment in real actors pays off. You can't program that kind of "vibe" with just generic assets.
The Zombies Cast: A Horror Pedigree
We can't talk about the actors without mentioning the Nazi Zombies mode. Sledgehammer went in a completely different direction here, leaning into pure horror. They brought in:
- David Tennant (Doctor Who) as Drostan Hynd.
- Elodie Yung (Daredevil) as Olivia Durant.
- Katheryn Winnick (Vikings) as Marie Fischer.
- Udo Kier (every creepy movie ever) as Dr. Peter Straub.
- Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction) as Jefferson Potts.
Tennant, in particular, is fantastic. He uses his natural Scottish accent and brings a cynical, dry wit to the chaotic zombie slaying. Ving Rhames brings that powerhouse presence he’s known for. It’s a weirdly overqualified cast for a mode about shooting undead soldiers, but it makes the lore feel much more "occult horror" and less "arcade game."
Misconceptions About the Performance Capture
Some people think these actors just did the voices. That’s a common mistake. In modern AAA development, especially for Sledgehammer, "voice acting" is a bit of a misnomer. These performers were on a soundstage in skin-tight suits covered in reflective balls.
When you see Daniels crawling through the mud, Brett Zimmerman was likely crawling on a carpeted floor in a studio in Los Angeles. When Pierson punches someone, Duhamel was actually throwing that punch at a stuntman. This "full-performance" approach is why the characters don't feel like they are "skating" on top of the environment. Their weight, their gestures, and their facial tics are all synchronized because they were recorded simultaneously.
Technical Realism and Historical Weight
The actors had to deal with more than just scripts. They had to learn how to handle period-accurate weaponry. You can tell the difference in the way a character holds an M1 Garand versus a modern M4. There’s a clunkiness, a heaviness.
The cast also had to navigate the heavy themes of the Holocaust. The game doesn't shy away from the Berga concentration camp. For Jonathan Tucker, this meant portraying the sheer terror of being a Jewish soldier captured by the Wehrmacht. It's a heavy burden for a video game actor, and the fact that it doesn't feel exploitative is a testament to the performances.
How to Appreciate the Performances Today
If you're going back to play the campaign in 2026, here is how to actually see the work the Call of Duty WW2 actors put in:
- Turn off the HUD: If you can, play with minimal on-screen clutter. It lets you focus on the character models and the "cinematography" of the cutscenes.
- Watch the eyes: During the cinematic interludes, look at the micro-expressions. Sledgehammer used a specific tech for ocular hydration and light reflection. It sounds nerdy, but it's why the characters look "alive."
- Listen for the breathing: The sound design captures the heavy breathing and the "huffs" of the actors during physical exertion. It’s not a canned sound effect.
The legacy of this cast is that they proved Call of Duty could still tell a "human" story after years of futuristic warfare. They grounded the spectacle in something real. While the multiplayer gets all the long-term play, the campaign remains a high-water mark for performance in the series.
To get the most out of your next playthrough, pay attention to the "Liberation" mission with Rousseau. Notice how the voice acting shifts from French to English depending on who she’s talking to—it’s a small detail that adds a massive layer of authenticity. You might also want to look up some behind-the-scenes "MoCap" footage on YouTube; seeing Josh Duhamel in a grey velcro suit while yelling about the "Big Red One" really puts the technical achievement into perspective.