Halo actor Pablo Schreiber describes the challenges of wearing Master Chief’s Spartan armor in the upcoming series. Inspired by Bungie and 343 Industries’ video game franchise of the same name, Halo follows Spartan John-117, aka Master Chief (Schreiber), a super soldier serving as humanity’s greatest weapon in a 26th-century war against aliens known as the Covenant. Though an adaptation was initially announced in 2013, the series is just now finally coming to fruition on Paramount+.

As an Xbox launch title back in 2001, Halo and Master Chief have been cornerstones of the video game landscape for the last 21 years. Releasing its 6th entry last year (not including spin-offs), the gaming franchise has only strengthened its already-established fan base with novels, comic books, the live-action miniseries Halo 4: Forward unto Dawn, and digital feature Halo: Nightfall. So there’s a lot of pressure on the series to do right by its source material. However, the Paramount series has made notable changes to Halo mythology as it takes place on the “Silver Timeline” and doesn’t follow the games’ narrative. Still, the core war remains, and the series’ trailers have offered faithful looks at the Covenant, sword-wielding Elites, and, of course, Master Chief’s armor.

Related: Halo Timeline: When The Show Takes Place Compared To The Games

In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Schreiber was asked if wearing Master Chief’s iconic armor made him feel like a badass. “The short answer is yes,” said Schreiber. “Wearing the suit is one of the great pleasures and cosplay moments of my life. I mean, I'm the Master Chief. Who would've thunk, right?" The actor then went on to talk about the pitfalls of being a Spartan, describing the challenges of wearing Master Chief’s armor. Read what he had to say below:

"The reality of getting the suit right was very challenging, as most things on the show were. It was a huge challenge because it's such a massive universe and such a crazy visual experiment to try to realize... So I went to London about five or six times, to FBFX Studios who made the costume, this is all before we shot, just to try to get the suit right and make it fit right. And eventually, we ended up with something that was the best version of what we could do with it. And still, it was incredibly hot, incredibly uncomfortable and really makes you quite immobile and makes movement quite difficult. To then try to bring that to life and make it feel like it's this piece of future tech that actually makes you super capable rather than weighing you down with 50 pounds of plastic was one of our big challenges."

master-chief-halo-trailer

Similar to the games and other media, the Spartans are all enhanced beings who have undergone experimentation and rigorous training at a young age to become super soldiers. Naturally, the MJOLNIR armor—which also makes them stronger and faster—would be heavy and uncomfortable and/or crippling for the average human being. It was important to make practical costumes as opposed to CGI, making the Spartans all the more believable compared to their video game counterparts. However, working with 50 pounds of plastic has proven to be a common complaint among the cast, as Bokeem Woodbine also admitted to having trouble removing his armor.

A defining element of the Halo franchise is the fact that Master Chief never removes his armor. Or, at least, gamers never see his face. but Schreiber will take off his helmet and show his face in the series. That, compiled with a lack of original Master Chief voice actor Steve Downes, might result in longtime fans approaching the series with a fair amount of trepidation. However, it appears the character will look and feel like the powerhouse soldier seen in the games. On top of that, Cortana voice actor Jen Taylor reprises her role, serving as Schreiber’s A.I. for the series. It remains to be seen if all that time wearing Master Chief’s armor paid off when the 9-episode series premieres on Paramount+ on Thursday, March 24.

More: Halo Already Revealed Master Chief's Perfect TV Show Story

Source: ComicBook.com