Halo actor Pablo Schreiber attempted to shut down criticism of the show for having his character, Master Chief, remove his helmet. Not only did he attempt to shut down the criticism he did it by insulting fans of the franchise.
A scene from Halo Season 2 (2024), Paramount+
Speaking with SFX Magazine, Schreiber said, “People who don’t feel the helmet was necessary to come off, they’re at such an early conception of what the show could be.”
He continued, “In order to examine the discrepancy between these two versions of the character [Chief and John-117], you can’t tell that story without taking the helmet off.”
He then decided to insult fans of the franchise, “If you don’t agree with the helmet coming off in the show, you don’t like our show. So, there’s no point discussing it.”
Pablo Schrieber as Master Chief in Halo episode 1, season 2, streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Adrienn Szabo/Paramount+
Schreiber previously addressed the show having Master Chief removing his helmet telling Slashfilm, “I always knew that the helmet off was going to be a big part of the show because, just quite frankly, it’s the only way to tell this story in long-form television format. The game was made as a first person shooter, where you’re meant to believe that you’re the Master Chief. So the character was kept vague for that reason, and you infuse the character with your own personality and your own subtleties.
He added, “This is a TV show being made for long term success. In order to do that, you have to bring the audience along with you. And really, the only way of doing that is seeing the face, knowing how the character’s feeling about things. That’s how you empathize with them. That’s how you go along with them on the journey.”
A scene from Halo Season 2 (2024), Paramount+
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Schreiber also said, “So it was always a necessary thing, and it was a necessary thing to do early, to get the audience comfortable with going on this journey. Also because the character has been kept vague for so long.”
“The process of the first season is really the process of John learning who he is as a human being. So, ‘Who is the Master Chief?’ is kind of the big question that we’re going to fill in, in the first season. It’s through the process of him learning about himself, and therefore, we, as audience members, will all learn about that along with him.”
A scene from Halo Season 2 (2024), Paramount+
He reiterated these points in an interview with Tech Radar telling the outlet, “One thing I learned very early on is that there’s as many different opinions in the Halo universe as there are Halo fans. So obviously, you’re not going to be able to please everybody. But what I would say is that we are tailoring an entertainment experience that’s tailored to the medium that it’s for.”
Schreiber continued, “When you play a first person shooter, the way that a character is developed is very different than what’s necessary when you’re making long form television. To go on this journey with your protagonist, you’re not going to be able to bring an audience along in a long form story without having access to a character’s face, which tells you what they’re feeling, how they think about everything. That access to a character’s emotional life, over the course of time, is what makes you empathise and connect with a character.”
He concluded, “I’m sorry, but it’s the only choice for long form storytelling in television. What I would say to anybody who disagrees with that, I totally respect that opinion. But it’s a pretty basic place to start when you’re talking about making a television show of quality.”
A scene from Halo Season 2 (2024), Paramount+
These comments at the time were quite laughable because they are so absurd and seemingly devoid of reality, and they still are. Some of the most well-known and popular fictional characters of all time wear masks and do not remove them or if they do it is extremely rare, and audiences have no problem empathizing with the characters and following them on their journey.
The most popular character in the G.I. Joe franchise is Snake Eyes. He hardly ever removes his mask. In fact, when they removed his mask for the most recent film adaptation, it bombed at the box office and an entire G.I. Joe universe they were planning was gutted. In fact, Hasbro sold off their entire eOne film studio to Lionsgate in the wake of the box office bomb.
Judge Dredd is another example. The character rarely takes off his helmet. Not only that, but Karl Urban portrayed the character in one of the most underrated comic book adaptations of all time in 2012’s Dredd. He didn’t take his helmet off and audiences had no problem empathizing with him and going along on his journey with him.
Similarly, Din Djarin in The Mandalorian rarely takes his helmet off and like in Dredd, audiences had no problem knowing how the character feels about things.
The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and the Child in THE MANDALORIAN, season two. ©.
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Given Schreiber’s comments it feels the second season will be as out of touch from Halo as the first season. And the first one even saw Halo: Combat Evolved Creative Art Director Marcus Lehto note how the show is “pretty far outside the core fiction I helped create.”
Lehto shared on X at the time, “Yeah, I’m not sure where the inspiration for the show comes from now. Not the Halo I made.”
Marcus Lehto on X
In a follow-up, he clarified, “I didn’t say I hate the show. Some parts are interesting. Just confused by many of the choices that were made which feel pretty far outside the core fiction I helped create.”
Marcus Lehto on X
What do you make of Schreiber’s comments about the upcoming Season 2 of Halo?
