"We know Saren is a Turian, which gives him a reptile (raptor like), sometimes cat-like vibe. I live with cats and a giant iguana (named Twitchy), so I felt very much at home with it. Using this cat and lizard idea, there’s a stillness, intensity, and intelligence inherent to him, which only makes him a stealthy and wise warrior. As a man, he has tremendous honour, no matter how Machiavellian. He is efficient, genius, and strongly directed. I then try to find his tone (both spirit and voice), and attempt to create, borrow, and steal from my life and characters/actors that I know (like a spice rack, or effect pedals for an instrument). Not that you want to “copy” something, but use it as an inspiration. As a social critic, supremely intelligent, efficient killer, who gets what he wants, reminded me of Doctor Lektor (a lizard like one). His pitch and tone felt like rhythm of Ian McShane’s Swearington on Deadwood (kinda), in that he knows where he’s going, way before he gets there. Saren’s spirit reminded of Vader in that there was inner conflict of serving an overlord of seductive power and a good, yet betrayed heart, who wants what is right, and ultimately, be set free."
"In most all cases, you rarely play a “villain” (meaning, “I’m a bad guy”). Most people are protagonists who want or need something, and if they hurt you, it’s because they feel wronged in some way (unless they are just complete sociopaths, and those are fun to play, too). There is for me, certain villain “tones” that I like to play in some characters to portray something that would scare or creep me out if I were facing those characters. In Saren’s character, there is a method in his madness- he needs to serve The Council, and eventually, The Sovereign effectively. He has brutally efficient methods that get the job done. He is a soldier to the end. He lost his brother in the First Contact War, and sees humans trying to dominate. It is for these reasons and more why he dislikes and distrusts humanity (and even has little regard for life). So in his sadness and unbroken and calculating resolve, there is tremendous humanity, and I tried to play that by keeping this hidden under his cold austerity, not tipping the hat too much (hopefully). We find out he is a cold beast with a heart of gold. He has hidden empathy, and justifiable reasoning."
"Retroplayer- Fred, Saren is some ways is a victim himself. When eventually overpowered by Sovereign due to its “indoctrination” he is merely a tool of higher and more malevolent being. How did you tackle portraying Sarens steady decline into complete subservience?
Fred Tatasciore (Saren)- To start, he was already at odds with humanity, even beings he was working with. Like I said before, he has a cold tough exterior, and an impenetrable wit to begin with (and underneath it all, a heart that wants the right thing). Again, he reminded me of Darth Vader getting pulled into something so seductive. Also, Doctor Faustus finding true meaning though leading him to hell, or even Hellraiser’s Pinhead, completely lost in something, yet feeling the desire for discipleship of a new and twisted way. The Sovereign (beautifully voiced by Peter Jessop) offers Saren a completely seductive existence, an upgrade of a kind of immortality, fusion of organic matter and machine, with the best parts of both, and neither weaknesses. After all Saren’s been through, and his quest to serve, this far exceeds any of his expectations, this is a whole new way of life, like a new heaven (sign me up!). So I had to play this enthusiasm, which he hopes will be infective (he really believes in this, and it’s the first time he’s believed in anything for a long time). Now the setback is, it’s taking him over, and he only realizes this when it is too late. He cannot even control himself bodily, if he even questions it, and questioning is what made this man so smart to begin with. I wanted to show that he was smart enough to know he was losing himself at some point. His subservience makes him a tragic slave, he knows it, and has to face an ultimate choice. Though a villain, he’s kind of a tragic hero of sorts. I was hoping to have him lose control slowly."
"Like I said, most villains think they are their own heroes, so the line between them is very thin. It’s usually based on a morality or lack thereof, how far will they go to get their wants. So I like playing both, equally, although villains tend to have the most color (even humor sometimes). But as long as the character has pathos, and something I can connect to, I love it. I like playing a variety of roles. Saren is one of my favorites, because he is a villain with pathos. All the heroes and villains you mentioned (thanks), all have earnest desires and survival needs, and my job is to honestly portray them and help them get what they want, be they “good”, “bad”, or other."
— Fred Tatasciore's analysis of Saren Arterius
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