You weren’t supposed to see Kellen Goff in “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.”
The popular voice actor has famously been behind several characters in the hugely popular indie game series of the same name, and even lent his voice to singing animatronic Foxy in the first film.
He was all set to voice Toy Freddy in the sequel flick produced by Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, but franchise creator Scott Cawthon had one more idea — putting Goff on screen, too.
“I was at a fan convention in New Orleans at the same exact time that they were filming the big ‘FazFest’ fest scene to put into the movie where, coincidentally, Toy Freddy was,” Goff recalls.
He texted Cawthon asking to visit the set, with no ulterior motives. While the duo watched footage roll in, Cawthon made an unexpected request: “Do you want to be in there?”
“I think he might have seen how I was looking longingly at the screen,” Goff says with a laugh. Eagle-eyed fans can spot Goff walking closely behind Toy Freddy during a key sequence in the film.
Goff says the team’s willingness to create moments like his cameo for the fans that have stayed along for the ride is exactly why the “FNAF” films have been a hit.
“We make these movies for the fans. You know, it’s packed with stuff that the average ‘FNAF’ fan would know – maybe not the average movie-goer, but the ‘FNAF’ fan is going to be rabid about that. We get to make more of that and make them happy. That’s what life’s about.”
The Universal film has grossed over $180 million worldwide so far and earned the top spot at the box office on its opening weekend, surpassing projections by a significant amount.
Goff says he was “beyond relieved” by the film’s performance. “It just it feels so validating that this thing started out as a small indie game on Steam, and to see it blow up into this worldwide phenomenon where everybody knows the name Freddie Fazbear now is surreal. I don’t feel like I’ve woken up yet.”
That success wasn’t a sure thing – especially after critics piled on the movie, earning it a dismal 16-percent on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
But the fans still showed up in force – and liked the film more than the critics, giving it an 86-percent “fresh” audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes (a 70-percent difference, if you’re into numbers).
“Makes you wonder if maybe it might be a prudent course of action to watch the movie for yourself and come to your own conclusion,” Goff says with a cheeky smile.
Goff is known for his work on other games including “League of Legends,” “The Last of Us Part II,” “Diablo IV,” but he’s an even bigger deal in the anime world.
The actor is behind the signature sounds of genre favorites including Kai Chisaki / Overhaul in “My Hero Academia,” Diavolo in “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure,” Porco Galliard / The Jaw Titan in “Attack on Titan” and Sasaki in “Sasaki and Miyano,” to name a few.
A lot of those characters have something in common — they’re terrifying. So fans may be a bit surprised when they meet Goff, who’s a veritable teddy bear (the cuddly kind, not the Freddy Fazbear kind).
“Portraying a horrible person, you have to know all sides of it. I feel like you have to know what’s good to know what’s bad, and vice versa. Honestly, every actor you’re going to meet is just excited to work and excited to connect with other humans, especially me, being on the spectrum.”
A passionate autism advocate, Goff revealed six years ago that he has Asperger’s Syndrome, writing on Instagram, “If you like me, you like the syndrome as well. Because it’s a part of me.”
He hopes his success story can inspire aspiring voice actors, especially those on the spectrum like him.
“Learn to accept yourself. It’s one of the biggest challenges I’ve had to conquer, and one of the biggest strengths, because once you can be cringe, you will be free,” he tells Page Six.
“Fear is a great battery for the energy and mindset that it takes to do acting.” Goff says. “It’s easily convertible once you recognize that everybody’s just trying their best. Nobody wants you to fail. Really, everybody just wants to be entertained. So entertain them the way you get entertained, and maybe they’ll like it, too!”
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