You know that feeling when you're playing a game and a character's voice is so familiar it actually starts to distract you? Far Cry 5 is basically the king of that experience. Ubisoft didn’t just hire "voice actors" for this one; they went full performance capture, meaning the Far Cry 5 actors you see on screen are often the literal faces of the people in the recording booth. It’s why Joseph Seed feels so unsettlingly real and why Nick Rye has that specific, tired-dad energy that makes you want to protect his plane at all costs.
Honestly, the casting in this game is what saved it from being just another "shoot the cultist" simulator. Without the specific nuance brought by the lead performers, the Project at Eden’s Gate would have been a cartoon. Instead, we got a group of antagonists that feel like they could actually live in a remote Montana valley.
Greg Bryk as Joseph Seed: The Man Behind the Father
If we’re talking about Far Cry 5 actors, we have to start with the man who carried the entire marketing campaign on his shoulders. Greg Bryk wasn't a huge name to everyone before 2018, though fans of The Expanse or Bitten definitely recognized him.
Bryk’s performance as Joseph Seed is legendary in gaming circles because he didn't play him like a villain. He played him like a savior who was genuinely heartbroken that you wouldn't just let him save your soul.
Ubisoft’s creative director, Dan Hay, has mentioned in several interviews that during the casting process, they were looking for someone who could hold a gaze. Bryk did more than that. He brought a soft-spoken, almost melodic quality to the Father. He’s thin, he’s wiry, and he’s often shirtless or wearing those yellow-tinted aviators that became iconic. But it's the eyes. Because Ubisoft used high-end motion capture, every micro-expression Bryk made—the slight twitch of a lip or a tear welling up—translated directly to the game engine. It’s why that opening scene in the church feels so suffocating.
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The Seed Family: Casting the Heralds
The "bosses" of the game’s three main regions needed to feel distinct but related, which is a tough needle to thread for any casting director.
Rick Roberts as Jacob Seed
Jacob is the "soldier" of the family. Rick Roberts brought a gravelly, authoritative tone to the character that made the "Only You" brainwashing sequences genuinely stressful. Roberts has a long history in Canadian television, appearing in shows like Designated Survivor and Traders. He played Jacob with a cold, utilitarian logic that contrasted sharply with Joseph’s religious fervor.
Mark Pellegrino as Jacob Seed
Wait, let’s talk about the talent overlap. Mark Pellegrino is a name you’ve definitely seen if you watch cult TV. He was Lucifer in Supernatural and Paul Bennett in Dexter. In Far Cry 5, he plays Jacob’s brother, the manipulative and violent Jacob Seed (often confused in credits with other roles, but his voice is unmistakable).
Janina Gavankar as Amita? No, wait.
A lot of people think Janina Gavankar (from Star Wars Battlefront II) is in this game, but that’s actually a common mix-up with Far Cry 4. In Far Cry 5, the female lead energy is split between the villains and the allies.
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Jenessa Grant as Faith Seed
Faith is probably the most complex of the Heralds. Jenessa Grant had the impossible task of playing someone who is both a victim and a victimizer. Her performance is airy, ethereal, and intentionally "off." You can tell she’s high on Bliss half the time, and Grant nails that glassy-eyed devotion. It makes the eventual boss fight feel a bit more tragic than the others.
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The Far Cry 5 actors who played the allies—the "Guns for Hire"—had a totally different vibe. They had to provide the comic relief and the emotional stakes for the player.
- Steve Byers as Nick Rye: Byers is a veteran of the Far Cry series (he was also in Far Cry 4), but as Nick Rye, he’s the heart of the game. He sounds like a guy who just wants to take care of his pregnant wife and fly his plane.
- Murry Peeters as Grace Armstrong: She brings a hardened, no-nonsense military vibe. Her performance is grounded, which is necessary when the rest of the world is literally on fire.
- Dylan Taylor as Sharky Boshaw: If you’ve ever laughed at a pyromaniac’s lines in this game, thank Dylan Taylor. He played Sharky with a sort of "lovable idiot" energy that made him a fan favorite for roaming the open world.
Why the Performance Capture Mattered
In older games, you’d have a voice actor in a booth in Los Angeles and an animator in Montreal trying to make the mouth move in sync. It always looked a bit like a dubbed Godzilla movie.
For Far Cry 5, the actors were on a stage in full mocap suits. When Joseph Seed grabs your face in the helicopter at the beginning of the game, Greg Bryk was actually reaching out and performing that movement. This creates "true" acting. It’s not just about the lines; it’s about the posture. You can see the way John Seed (played by Seamus Dever) carries himself with a sort of arrogant, lawyerly swagger. That’s not an animation trick; that’s Dever’s physical performance.
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The Weird Trivia Most People Miss
Did you know that many of the Far Cry 5 actors returned for the spin-off, Far Cry New Dawn?
Because New Dawn is a direct sequel set 17 years later, Ubisoft brought back Greg Bryk to play an older, more weathered Joseph Seed. They also brought back the actors for Kim and Nick Rye, but they had to age their voices. It’s a rare level of continuity for a shooter franchise.
Another fun fact: The music in the game—specifically the cult hymns—was written by Dan Romer but performed by a real choir. However, the lead "cult singer" you hear on the radio is often meant to reflect the tone of the Seed family members.
How to find more from these actors
If you loved the performances in Far Cry 5, you really should check out the actors' other work. It’s the best way to see the range they have outside of a digital skin.
- Watch "The Expanse": You’ll see Greg Bryk in a very different (but equally intense) role.
- Check out "Supernatural": Mark Pellegrino is essentially playing a more powerful version of a Far Cry villain for about ten seasons.
- Follow them on socials: Many of the cast members, especially Greg Bryk, are very active and often post throwback photos from the mocap sessions.
The reality is that Far Cry 5 actors set a new bar for the series. While Far Cry 6 brought in a "big" Hollywood name with Giancarlo Esposito, many fans still argue that the ensemble cast of Far Cry 5 felt more cohesive and "local." There was something about the chemistry of the Seed family that felt genuinely dangerous.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the lore, your next step should be playing the Hours of Darkness or Lost on Mars DLCs. They feature some of the same voice talent but in completely absurd, non-canon scenarios that show off the actors' comedic timing even more than the base game does. It’s worth the playthrough just to hear the banter.