Shawn Ashmore stars in video game-TV hybrid Quantum Break

Shawn Ashmore's played heroes with super powers before, but he's never done it in a film and a video game at the same time.

The Canadian-born actor known for his role as Iceman in the X-Men films is the star of the new game Quantum Break, which launches April 5 on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs.

The action-adventure, third-person shooter has players take on the role of Jack Joyce, a man with time-manipulation powers. Joyce can use his powers to freeze time and enemies, and manipulate the environments around him.

Ashmore stars as Joyce in-game, but also in a series of live-action cut scenes that mimic a television show. These episodes are interspersed throughout the game, which also stars Aiden Gillen (Game of Thrones) and Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings, Lost).

"It's almost a superhero origin story," Ashmore told CBC News. "And that's fun because there's these fantastic elements to it, but I also think he's a very grounded character."

You got your TV in my video game

Ashmore realizes that hardcore gamers, many of whom eschew lengthy cut scenes that can interrupt the gameplay, might be apprehensive about such a project. But he's confident that Quantum Break will attract both binge gamers and binge TV viewers.

"I think people traditionally want to keep that separate," he says of games and television. "But the storytelling in the game and in the show is so intertwined, that I think once people go along for the journey, they're not going to want to skip the episodes."

The game is developed by Remedy Entertainment, best known for its past games in the Max Payne and Alan Wake series.

Click the video above to check out our interview with Ashmore. He also joined CBCNews.ca's Lauren O'Neil for a live chat with viewers on Facebook Live Video.