Matilda Smedius has always been a voice actor, but nothing could have prepared her for the upswell in popularity and fan engagement after her role voice acting Brigitte went public. Raised in Sweden and similar to Brigitte in her love of cats and food, Matilda poured over every line Blizzard gave her, describing the process as "Intense but necessary".

I had the opportunity to ask Matilda a few questions and she graciously obliged me. Her schedule has never been busier, so I was particularly thankful to learn she agreed to answer my questions about sprays and cats.

What first attracted you to voice acting?

I actually grew up in voice acting. My parents are voice actors here in Sweden so when I was only about 6 years old I did my first voice acting job. I have been doing it ever since and it really is the best job.

I understand you are a talented singer as well! Are there any similarities between voice acting and singing?

Well, I think singing and being a musical person makes voice acting a lot easier, especially dubbing. When you dub a character your job is to sound like the original voice and when you have a good ear for melodies and good control over your voice it makes things easier. So in that way, I guess there are some similarities.

When did you first learn you were to be the voice of Brigitte? What was your reaction?

It was during my third voice test. I was reading a line that said something like: “Escort the payload” and I freaked out by myself in the studio. I started looking through the whole script and I kept finding more lines from the game but I had to keep my cool until the voice test was done. It was so hard!  

What type of inspiration or influence were you given when bringing the character to life?

We went through her backstory and discussed the script for the origin story video a lot. Every sentence was analyzed and we talked about why she said what she said and how she felt about it. It was intense but necessary to really get who she is.

" I am a huge cat person myself and, while I don’t love working out, I do love food! "

Did you have any favorite lines or expression when voice acting Brigitte?

Her voice lines in Swedish were the most fun to record! I just love it when there is Swedish in such a huge game. “Den är paj” and “Släng dig i väggen!” are some good ones.

Editors Note: The literal English meaning of Den är paj is "It is pie". As an analogy, it means "It is broken."

"Släng dig i väggen" in English literally means "throw your self into the wall" which has a general meaning of "get lost!"

What was your first impression of Brigitte? Is she similar to you in some ways?

My first impression of Brigitte was that she is hard-working and dedicated to her craft and helping others. She never gives up and if she gets knocked down, she realizes the value of that experience. I wish I was more similar to her. She’s awesome and I wish I had her drive. We both love cats though!

Did you expect the massively positive community response to Brigitte's reveal?

Nothing can prepare you for all the love and appreciation that will hit you after something like this is announced. I expected people to play Brigitte and like her but I never expected all the attention I would get. It’s been insane and scary but absolutely amazing.

" It’s an experience unlike anything else and I honestly can’t explain what it is like. "

Also, did you expect to gain such a large following so quickly? How does that make you feel?

I expected a few more followers on social media but nothing even close to the 11k followers I have now on Twitter. I couldn’t believe how much my Twitter was blowing up just during the first hour. It was overwhelming but such a cool experience.

Do you ever think about the reality of your performance being immortalized in such a massively popular game?

I think it’s impossible to fathom. It’s an experience unlike anything else and I honestly can’t explain what it is like. I don’t think I have realized yet that all of this has happened to me! I’m still confused as to why I am doing interviews, to be honest.

For this next part, the fans would love to hear your reaction to Brigitte's in-game personality. The link below shows some of her in-game animations and emotions.

What do you think of her personality? Seems tough but tender!

I love Brigitte! I mean, obviously I have to say that, but I truly mean it. She brings this young energy to the group but at the same time, you can tell she has learned from her father and godfather’s mistakes and that she values their opinions as well. Her positivity is just amazing.

In addition, here are some in-game sprays of Brigitte that fans adore. Fans use these sprays whenever they are playing as Brigitte to show off.

What are your thoughts? What about Brigitte's love of food?

I felt really connected to her when I saw the sprays! I am a huge cat person myself and, while I don’t love working out, I do love food!

Have you had a chance to meet with any other Overwatch voice actors?

I have not met any of the other voice actors, unfortunately. But I have been chatting with a few and they are so helpful! Any questions I had they would answer and they also would make sure I feel good about this whole experience. I can’t wait to meet them all!

Is there any last thought or message you would like to leave our readers with?

Hope you're satisfied and like my answers!  Feel free to get back to me if you have any questions.