It’s a pretty common occurrence, actors being confused for the characters they play, and it’s one that put Robert Kazinsky into a pretty dark place. And according to this former Eastenders “tough guy,” his light at the end of the tunnel was none other than the MMORPG, World of Warcraft.
Several years back, Robert Kazinsky played a character named Sean in the BBC’s popular television series, Eastenders. A rough-and-tumble sort, folks on the street started treating Kazinsky as if he were actually Sean; which is to say they were frequently rude, threw rocks at him and even tried to get into fights with him.
Obviously, this led to Kazinsky turning into something of a recluse. In a recent interview with Conan O’Brien, the bullied actor explained that after dealing with the harshness of the real world, he found some solace in the video game, World of Warcraft, going so far as to say the game pretty much saved his life.
There is an ugly side of fame, such as it is, that didn’t really appeal to me. And that was when I did find World of Warcraft... 18 Hours a day, just sat there in my parents’, ordering Chinese food and using Coke cans from last week as ashtrays. It was really a glamorous…
Kazinsky’s WoW experience isn’t exactly uncommon, but it’s the kind of tale that’s usually told with a different slant. Staying connected to a game for the majority of the day isn’t what most people would call “healthy,” but it turned out to be exactly what this particular guy needed to get his life back on track. After being treated so poorly by the public, he used it as an escape from reality where his actions in the game helped build his confidence, rather than his fame. In WoW, he was just another adventurer trying to have some fun, not the TV show thug some drunk wants to pick a fight with. Sure, he put on 50 pounds in the process, but at least he’s reached a better place mentally in the process.
“There was a particular thing where this game suddenly became my life. And this game would slowly give me rewards, and it allowed me to talk to people, and make friends on there who were judging me anonymously…”
Long story short, Kazinsky’s love of World of Warcraft has now evolved into a job. He’ll be playing Orgrim the orc in the upcoming Warcraft movie, which will probably qualify him for the “cosplay of the year” award.
Kazinsky’s brief chat with Coco is definitely worth a watch, and you can catch the whole thing in the video below.
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