Halo: Pablo Schreiber Talks Master Chief Finally Getting a Face

Halo came out back in 2001, and for more than two decades, gamers haven’t seen the face of the series protagonist Master Chief. You would think they would be doing the same with the series on Paramount+, but lead star Pablo Schreiber explains why it was necessary to finally show MC’s face after all these years.

Talking to Deadline’s Character Select, Schreiber explains why it was time for Master Chief to have a face because of the television medium. He says, “In order to connect with a character, in order to know a character…you kind of have to take the helmet off. There’s no real reason not to. It’s not like in The Mandalorian where there’s a rule where he can’t take his helmet off, right?.”

While gamers are supposed to put themselves in the role of Master Chief, the television series is supposed to have the audience realize that he’s different from themselves. Schreiber continues:

“You only don’t see the Chief’s face because it’s a first-person shooter and you’re supposed to feel like you’re the Master Chief. This is a very different medium, it’s a television show not a video game and you’re not contested by the the need to feel like the audience is the Master Chief. This is now an opportunity for so many people who love this universe and who love this game so much to get to sit back and watch a story being told about the Master Chief, rather than being a part owner or a part creator of the story, which is what you are in the video game.”

For now, reception of the series has been a tad divisive, while there are some people singing its praises, there have been several complaints about the look of the show—but that’s already expected in a franchise with gamers.

We’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out. I mean, if Paramount+ is so eager to greenlight the series for a second season, it can’t be that bad.

Catch Halo now streaming on Paramount+.