The head of Expedition 33 is fighting for his acting career

When it comes to careers, few are as challenging as acting. Being one of the most competitive fields one can choose, trying to become an actor when so many others have the same goal is hard enough, but maintaining this career requires an even rarer blend of patience, discipline and resilience. For many performers, the process becomes a constant cycle of auditions, rejections, and self-improvement, where success is never guaranteed and progress often comes down to inches, not miles. Genshin ImpactPaul Castro Jr. is a gaming voice actor who really enjoys the challenge of getting the right role or selling it once booked.

Best known for his roles in NEO: The world ends with you and Genshin Impact as the protagonist Rindo Kanade and the playable Freminet character is Paul Castro Jr. as big a fan of games as acting. For him, however, the joy of his chosen career is not limited by his success, but lies primarily in the arduous journey it takes to get there. This perspective ultimately plays into how Castro approaches both sides of his creative life. The same mentality that makes him accept rejection and long odds as an actor also guides how he approaches difficult plays like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33where persistence and patience often matter more than playing things the “right” way or waiting for the numbers to be in his favor.

Paul Castro Jr. of Genshin Impact compares the gameplay challenge to beating Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Boss Fights

During a recent interview with Naomi Kyle on Game Rant's Character Select, Paul Castro Jr., the voice of Freminet v Genshin Impacthe delved into his passion for acting, which is ultimately rooted in the challenge involved. In his eyes, the most fulfilling part of acting is not the success that can come with it, but the pursuit of that success. Ultimately, while Castro probably hopes his path will lead to industry prominence, he seems to have a very balanced view of it, seeing difficulty rather than victory as the real reward.

“Not all of us [like a challenge] to a degree?” Castro said when asked about his apparent love of a good challenge. “Some people maybe not; they like easy street. But for me, it's just rewarding when something is difficult, and whether you succeed or not, the pursuit of success is very gratifying.”

That philosophy carried over almost perfectly into a recent game session, which ended up reflecting Castro's take on acting in an unexpected way. While traveling he found himself deep in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33facing boss encounters that were clearly designed to be dealt with later. Rather than walking away or waiting for the game to say he was ready, Castro approached the situation the way he approaches an audition or a challenging role. He focused on mastery and repetition, believing that skill and endurance could compensate for a lack of strength, even if success was not guaranteed.

“One day I was on a plane playing Expedition 33,” Castro explained. “And there are these boss fights that they throw at you where you're definitely not strong enough to handle them this early in the game. But I was like, 'If I parry or dodge every single attack, I think I could beat it now.' And so I spent the 8 hour plane ride doing it. And I ended up being the first boss.”

Castro came right up close Clair Obscur: Expedition 33The boss fights this way because the game allows players to face challenges that they don't have to overcome so soon. There are plenty of bosses in the game that players can discover while exploring off the beaten path only to realize that they are underequipped, underequipped, and all unprepared. However, with enough patience, many of these battles can be won simply by parrying and dodging them.

For Castro, this story neatly sums up how he views acting and games. It's not about waiting for perfect conditions or guaranteed wins, it's about showing up, taking a hit, learning the rhythm and trying again. Whether he's in a cockpit, an exam room, or locked in a losing battle on an airplane, he finds satisfaction in the challenge itself and seeing what happens when effort is the only weapon he has to fight with.