Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Abby Brammell is first playable female character to answer Call of Duty in Black Ops 3

abby brammell first female call of duty black ops 3 specialist battery
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Actress Abby Brammell made history with the launch of Activision and Tryarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, and it wasn’t because the game made over $550 million in its first three days at retail. The 36-year-old actress brought to life the first ever playable female character in the franchise’s campaign mode.

Brammell spent three years playing a Special Ops soldier’s wife, Tiffy Gerhardt, on the CBS TV series The Unit. Now she’s letting players kick ass and take names in the new video game’s cooperative campaign. Brammell spent time at a motion capture studio to provide all of the performance capture and voice work for the playable female character.

Recommended Videos

“I didn’t really understand that I was the player until the first day of work.”

Brammell said she was thrilled to be “the female warrior” in COD and to embody the archetype of the feminine warrior.

“It’s so exciting for me because I feel deeply connected to that energy in my life, my own fantasy world, and my own longing for putting out into the world my own strength, magic, and intelligence,” Brammell said in an interview with Digital Trends.

The actress was kept in the dark when she auditioned for her first video game gig.

“It was so secretive,” Brammell said. “They just said ‘popular video game, very strong female character, and theatrical training would be nice.’ I was like, ‘great.’ Once I got the gig they told me it was for Call of Duty. And when I told my nephew, he was like ‘Oh my God, this is amazing.’ I didn’t really understand that I was the player until the first day of work. I was totally shocked and surprised to be given the task to take on this awesome archetype.”

According to the Entertainment Software Association, 44 percent of gamers today are female. Brammell got a crash course on today’s gaming world through Treyarch and the Internet.

“When I got the gig I had no idea there was so many girl gamers,” Brammell said. “I started to do a little research online and found out that they’re one of the biggest populations of gamers. I don’t know what the impact of this role is going to be, but I think they’re going to be happy. Maybe we’ll see some more empowerment coming.”

Black-Ops-3_Evac_Beware-of-Blast_WM
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Brammell grew up spending a lot of time watching her brothers play games like Legend of Zelda in Kentucky, and later boyfriends playing Halo and Mortal Kombat at Carnegie Mellon University.

“I got totally wrapped up watching these worlds, even if I didn’t always have the controller in my hands,” Brammell said. “They were so compelling that we’d get lost in them for hours.”

After college, Brammell completely left the video game world. But thanks to her starring role in one of the biggest game franchises of all time, she’s going to spend time getting reacquainted.

“I’m totally excited to hear my voice, going around kicking ass and sounding very dangerous,” Brammell said. “I’ve got to get my nephew. I’m going to be like ‘you’re going to sit here all day and you’re just going to play.” Just so I can see what I sound like.”

As to actually picking up the controller herself after watching her nephew play, that’s in her future.

“When I got the gig I had no idea there was so many girl gamers.”

“I am totally open to that,” Brammell said. “In fact, I was saying that I got to go get a PlayStation. I don’t know what would happen if the control was in my hand right now. It would be hilarious. I should film it and we should put it on YouTube. It would be an awesome adventure. I don’t know how to work the buttons, but I am sure people would be willing to teach me.”

With the announcement of Activision Blizzard Studios, Call of Duty is actively being developed for potential TV shows and movies in Hollywood. That’s something right up the actress’s alley.

“There’s a lot of potential,” Brammell said. “The stories could get more involved. Coming from an acting point of view, the ability to get more intimate with the characters is something people respond to. With movies and television, people love watching the human journey unfold. To really start to engage that aspect would be interesting. In the game, you’re calling all the shots and you’re deep in the action. But what if you get to just sit back, relax and tell the story. That’s what I love about being an actor and a storyteller. It could just go and go.”

The video game universe has come full circle since Brammell logged hours watching others play. The YouTube “Let’s Play” phenomenon and eSports now rule the games industry. And Brammell is linked to both through Black Ops 3.

“My mom told me about eSports, she’s like ‘you know people play and people come and sit in huge stadiums to watch?’ I can see it, because I did it. It was part of my growing up. I was thrilled with watching people play. I guess it’s like the new cyber athletes, right?”

Treyarch designed Black Ops 3 with a live event button so fans can watch the upcoming Call of Duty World League seamlessly, and then jump back into the action and play as Brammell’s character in the game.

Available from: Amazon | Best Buy | Gamestop

Topics
John Gaudiosi
Former Digital Trends Contributor
John Gaudiosi has been covering video games for over 25 years, dating back to his work for The Washington Post while in…
The best movies on Amazon Prime Video (November 2024)
Mark Wahlberg in Infinite.

Amazon Prime Video is turning over a new leaf in November. Or at least turning over its movie library. Many movies left Prime Video at the end of October, but new additions have arrived, including The Godfather, one of the all-time classics. Meanwhile, Infinite, a little-seen action film starring Mark Wahlberg, has suddenly found its audience on Prime Video. It's been the No. 1 movie on the streamer for almost two weeks now, which is impressive for a film that skipped theaters. Usually, it's Netflix that makes random action flicks into hits.

Last week's additions, Canary Black and Monkey Man, are still streaming for the action fans in your life. But if you still want some scares after Halloween, Terrifier 2, Constantine, and 10 Cloverfield Lane are sticking around through the end of the month. You can find these films and more among the best movies on Amazon Prime Video right now. We update this list every Friday morning so you can stay on top of the newest arrivals.

Read more
Christopher Nolan’s next movie will feature ‘never-before-used’ IMAX equipment
Christopher Nolan sits in front of an IMAX camera.

After reaching the mountaintop with Oppenheimer, how can Christopher Nolan raise the bar for his next film? Two words: new technology.

During a quarterly earnings call, IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond revealed that Nolan will shoot his next film with "never-before-used" technology.
“I’m pleased to share that Chris will be utilizing new Imax technology in the making of the film — never-before-used equipment that our teams have been developing through this past year,” Gelfond said (via Variety).
For over 15 years, Nolan has been one of IMAX's most prominent filmmakers. Nolan's The Dark Knight was the first major motion picture to be filmed with high-resolution IMAX cameras. Several of Nolan's best action films — The Dark Knight, Interstellar, and Tenet — utilized IMAX cameras for their elaborate sequences. Nolan even defied the odds by becoming the first movie to use IMAX for black-and-white film photography. The gamble worked, as Oppenheimer won seven Oscars and grossed nearly $1 billion.

Read more
The 50 best movies on Netflix right now (November 2024)
A woman puts her head up against a window.

Netflix has a pair of original films in the top two slots of the list of the most popular movies on the streamer: Don't Move and Time Cut. The former is better than the latter, but you won't hear Netflix complaining about having two homegrown hits to kick off the month of November. They both qualify as horror films too, although they take very different approaches to the genre.

Thankfully, there are still a lot of other options, including the family-friendly animated flick, Kung Fu Panda 4, as well as Woman of the Hour, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, and A Quiet Place Part II. Netflix has a particularly strong lineup of movies on loan from other studios at the moment, so enjoy it while it lasts. But if you need more options, check out our list of the best movies on Netflix right now. There's something here for everyone, and we update this list every Friday.

Read more