It’s a huge day for gaming and movie nerds here at The Nerds of Color blog. With Ryan Reynold’s Free Guy around the corner, the NOC had the immense privilege and super special opportunity to speak with two of the gaming world’s biggest names.
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Seán “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin, two of gaming and social media’s biggest superstars the last decade, sat down with The Nerds of Color to talk about their cameos in Shawn Levy’s Free Guy. The film focuses on the life of a bank teller named Guy (played by Ryan Reynolds) who soon realizes that he is a background character in an open world video game called Free City that is set to go offline.
The film, which releases August 13, is directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum series) and stars an amazing cast, featuring the likes of Jodi Comer, Taika Waititi, Joe Keery, Channing Tatum, Lil Rel Howery, and Utkarsh Ambudkar, to name a few. The film also features cameos from popular streamers and content creators, like Ninja, Jacksepticeye, Pokimane, DanTDM, and Lazarbeam.
About the Icons
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins first started gaming professionally in Halo and through dozens of tournaments and sponsored events. It wasn’t until late 2017 that he started gaining a large following with the release of Fortnite Battle Royale. What really sent his reputation into the cosmos was a stream he did in 2018 with artists Drake and Travis Scott, as well as with NFL wide receiver John Sherman “JuJu” Smith-Schuster that broke a Twitch record. Since then, he’s gained millions of followers across all social media platforms, has organized and sponsored Ninja themed gaming events, and has even worked on a graphic novel and merchandise with various clothing brands.
Seán “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin got his nickname after sustaining an injury during a football match where he injured his eye. Originally from Cloghan, County Offaly, Ireland, Jacksepticeye was the drummer for a melodic death metal-influenced metalcore band called Raised to the Ground back in the mid and late 2000s. Although he started his YouTube channel back in February 2007, he didn’t regularly upload videos until another five years later, leading to an increase in popularity on the platform.
Throughout the last several years, he’s consistently uploaded content, collaborated with several high-profile YouTubers, and even starred in a YouTube Red show. After signing onto the Disney Digital Network and working on multiple projects there, Jacksepticeye began to produce exclusive content for Twitch in 2018. Since then, his YouTube channel has exploded and his videos and collaborations continue to be a hit with fans.
Be sure to catch Ryan Reynolds, Ninja, and Jacksepticeye in Shawn Levy’s Free Guy on August 13!