The Fallout TV show went the extra mile – by creating a real-life Pip-Boy for its cast to use

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By Bradley Russell
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"The attention to detail was insane"

Ella Purnell wearing a Pip-Boy in Fallout
(Image credit: Prime Video)

Fallout has gone the extra mile with its upcoming TV adaptation – by creating a real-life Pip-Boy for its cast to use on the show.

Speaking to GamesRadar+, Kyle MacLachlan – who plays Overseer Hank MacLean on the Prime Video series – recalled using the iconic wrist gadget, a mainstay of the player character in the Fallout series that acts as both an inventory and information hub.

"I love working with the little Pip-Boy. Taking that idea, an animated concept, and turning it into a real piece of working equipment, that was really fun," MacLachlan says. "They actually did program some stuff in there that we could play with."

When pressed on what exactly was on the Pip-Boy, MacLachlan revealed there were "little location things [and] some other movement".

"It was all pre-programmed, of course, but you actually had something you could interact with which is not just a blank something that you’re looking at. There was actually activity going on there, which is very helpful as an actor," MacLachlan explains.

Kyle MacLachlan’s on-screen daughter, Yellowjacket’s Ella Purnell, also had a similar reaction to the tactile nature of the game-accurate sets and props.

"Putting on the Vault Suit for the first time, and the Pip-Boy, and walking into the Vault that was built up in real life in this set in New York was insane," Purnell recalls. "The attention to detail was insane."

Purnell continues, "I really do think it allows you to be better at your job because you’re reacting in real time. You’re able to improvise a little and collaborate with your director because you’re able to say, ‘Well, what if I did this?’ because you’ve got props all around you, every notebook is full. You get to really play. It is a playground, isn’t it?"

Fallout, starring Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins, and Kyle MacLachlan, is streaming on Prime Video from April 11. For more, check out the rest of our coverage:

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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