Lance Reddick, In Memoriam
A good performer has at least one thing they’re known for. They might not do much beyond said performance, but they make their name known. A great performer has numerous things they’re known for. Many people have different roles they recognize that performer from. The best performers give these performances across multiple types of media. Lance Reddick fell into the last category, and sadly was taken way too soon.
Yesterday, Reddick passed away at 60. Many nerd-culture social media communities were ablaze with tributes and condolences to Reddick and family. Fans, fellow actors, and other organizations he worked with expressed their grief for his death.
Many People First Met Reddick on TV Shows
Many live-action show watchers may have a role they know him for. He played Cedric Daniels on The Wire in the mid-2000s, Phillip Broyles in Fringe, and Matthew Abaddon in Lost. Beyond television, Reddick played Charon in the John Wick franchise, which releases its fourth entry next week. Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski, the John Wick director, said John Wick 4 will be in honor of Reddick.
Recently, Reddick played Wesker in Netflix’s adaptation of Resident Evil, and many fans enjoyed his performance. He was also going to play Zeus in the upcoming Disney Plus adaptation of the Percy Jackson series. Personally, I learned about him due to Fringe. His performance as Broyles gave an already fascinating mystery show a grounded leader character, despite the extreme supernatural nature of the show.
Lance Reddick Was a Versatile Performer
Reddick’s TV career aside, many gamers and animated show watchers can pick his voice out of a crowd. These roles range from the highly intelligent Sylens in Horizon, Thordak, the Cinder King, in The Legend of Vox Machina, and most notably, Zavala, the Titan Vanguard in Destiny.
Sylens uses Reddick’s likeness, making the character more than just a voice performance. Zavala has been a Destiny staple since launch in 2014. Most recently, Reddick was the Critical Role team’s dream choice for the leader of the Draconic Chroma Conclave.
I do not pretend to be an expert on acting, but I understand the importance of changing your performance to the medium. When you’re on screen, you need to perform for the camera, and convey the additional nuances body language grants. Behind a microphone, however, performers rely on voice. They need to convey the emotions their characters are expressing entirely in their speech.
Every time I watched one of Reddick’s animated performances, I never felt like I was just watching Lance. None of the three gaming character above sound quite alike. Zavala is a leader with conviction, Thordak is a merciless tyrant, Sylens is a smart asshole. Reddick knew exactly how to distinguish each performance to cater to the roles’ needs. Giving these varied performances
Above All Else, He was a Man of the People
Destiny fans know a lot about Reddick’s commitment to the fans. First of all, he played the game. Reddick played Warlock, despite his character’s Titan Vanguard title.
Reddick also routinely posted and hinted about things coming in Destiny on his social media pages. Some of the game’s most iconic lines and monologues come from Zavala. Most notably, he was willing to give the people what they wanted. Fans loved him and have shown their respects in Destiny. Zavala is still in the Tower, acting as the Vanguard Strike mission giver, so players all over (ourselves included) have paid their respects over the past day.
For fans wondering how we can support Reddick’s history, his widow did point towards something. On Saturday, March 18th, Stephanie Riddick made this post through her late husband’s official social media pages:
— Lance Reddick (@lancereddick) March 18, 2023
For those with issues reading the tweet, it says “Lance was taken from us far too soon. Thank you all for all your overwhelming love, support and beautiful stories shared on these platforms over the last day. I see your messages and can’t begin to express how grateful I am to have them. And to the thousands of Destiny players who played in special tribute to Lance, thank you. Lance loved you as much as he loved the game. Donations may be made to momcares.org in Baltimore, his hometown. – Stephanie Riddick.
