Lizzie McGuirealum Jake Thomas might have expected a challenge when stepping into the role of Marco Silva inMindsEye, but he might not have expected he’d walk away from some sessions with a completely wrecked voice. According to Thomas, the character of Marco is volatile, self-absorbed, and always one breath away from another eruption. Bringing that kind of intensity to life, then, wasn’t just a matter of acting chops. It also meant pushing his voice to the limit for the sake ofMindsEye’s story, sometimes to the point of exhaustion.
In a recent interview with Game Rant,MindsEye’s Jake Thomas spoke about his character Marco Silva and the role that he plays in the game’s setting of Redrock City. During the interview, Thomas briefly touched on what it was like bringing Marco Silva to life for the game, and with all the shouting his character does, it understandably took a considerable toll on his voice.
MindsEye’s Marco Silva Pushed Jake Thomas' Voice to Its Limits
Bringing any character to life can be a challenge, butMindsEye’s Marco Silva pushed Jake Thomas in some unexpected ways. Ultimately, the role called for him to tap into thepersonality of a characterwho was harsh, calculating, and constantly on edge. In his obvious intensity, Marco Silva is unrelenting, loud, and extremely self-centered. According to Thomas, the character was built from the ugliest traits imaginable, exaggerated to the point of his own personal discomfort:
“My character of Marco Silva is probably just the worst qualities of me, just amplified. Marco is extremely egotistical. He’s basically just everything that is the worst part of a tech billionaire inMindsEyethat you could imagine behind the scenes. He is absolutely that, by all means. He’s just angry most of the time. We had an ongoing joke that, throughout the entire project, Marco is either angry, injured, or a combination of the two.”
In other words,MindsEye’s Marco Silvabelieves he’s the smartest person in the room, no matter the room and no matter the people who fill it. It’s from that place that every one of his outbursts is formed, making his anger much more than a mere personality trait. Thomas explained that the real challenge, however, wasn’t necessarily in portraying that anger well, but primarily in understanding why Marco is the way he is. Ultimately, his anger comes from a place of entitlement, fueled by the belief that his vision is the only one that matters.
Thomas also described Marco as someone who processesRedrock Cityand the world around him with almost no emotional consideration. To Marco, it’s pretty simple — either people are useful or they aren’t. If someone doesn’t serve his larger plan, they’re simply tossed aside. That binary outlook makes him dangerous and a bit of a ticking time bomb, but it also makes him fascinating. Thomas elaborated on Marco Silva’s personality and relationships when asked about what he found most challenging in bringing the character to life:
“I think the most challenging part of portraying Marco Silva is understanding his motives because I think he has a clear view of what he wants for humanity, but the way that he goes about it is so detached from anything that is remotely human. He doesn’t understand people beyond what makes the most logical sense in his mind. If someone is not following the order of the plan that he has orchestrated in his head, then they’re just in the way. He sees everything in ones and zeros, in a way. Everyone is just a digit that needs to fall in line with a code, and he gets very, very angry if things don’t go the way that he wants exactly.”
That anger wasn’t easy to fake. Anyone can yell and sound angry, but Thomas said that voicing those emotions often took a physical toll, especially during scenes where Marco had to scream, bark orders, or simply explode in rage. By the end of some filming days, his voice was completely shot. Thomas continued:
“Oh, he is extremely volatile in his anger. I actually had quite a few days in filming where I would go home and my voice would just be absolutely trashed because of how angry Marco is. He yells and he screams constantly, barking orders or just letting out all the rage that he has.”
Marco Silva may be one of the most abrasivecharacters inMindsEye, but he also carries a presence that demands attention. Jake Thomas gave that presence a voice, even when it cost him his own. It’s a performance rooted in frustration, control, and a vision of the future that refuses to bend, no matter who gets in the way.
