Assassin's Creed 2's Ezio actor says getting to play the iconic assassin remains "the single coolest thing I've done in my career"

Altaïr may be the first face of the Assassin's Creed series, but Ezio is the fan favorite by a mile. The man behind the voice, Roger Craig Smith, featured in a Ubisoft video celebrating the 15th anniversary of Assassin's Creed 2.

"Getting to be the voice of Ezio Auditore da Firenze was the single coolest thing I've done in my career," says Smith in an impeccable Italian accent. He's not lost his touch.

Ezio was a stark contrast to the self-serious Altaïr. Over the course of three games we got to see Ezio grow from a young, rich, Italian playboy to a master assassin. He befriended historical figures Leonardo Da Vinci, Niccolò Machiavelli, and Caterina Sforza, even made an enemy of the Pope, and, if I'm being honest, never really grew out of his playboy habits.

"To this day, one of my fondest memories of working on Assassin's Creed 2 is the fact that what was created then has not ended, and that is this sense of community around people who love the stories, the music, the gameplay, the characters," Smiths says.

Whenever I hear that chorial voice singing the theme song I'm activated like a sleeper agent, and all I want to do is roam the streets of Florence and Venice again.

"It's just getting to be a part of something like that. It is the best. May it never change", he adds, slipping back into his Ezio voice to redo a line he says to his brother shortly before he, his other brother, and father are hanged for trying to reveal a conspiracy.

Assassin's Creed 2 was the entry that made me fall in love with the series. It was a huge improvement over the first in just about every way possible, but I still don't understand why it didn't have a mission replay, something almost every other game in the franchise had.

If you want to revisit the series, check out our list of the best Assassin's Creed games. My favorites are 2 and Black Flag – I just love pirates so much.