Recently questioned by Game Informer on the replacement of Hellena Taylor, the director of Bayonetta 3, Yusuke Miyata, had mentioned a simple incompatibility with the schedule of the actress. An explanation deeply contradicted by the interested party who took the floor on Twitter to deliver her version of things. A version that Nintendo and PlatinumGames would probably have gladly skipped 10 days from the launch of the Switch exclusivity.
Ignoring any non-disclosure agreement, Hellena Taylor indeed reveals that she refused to take on the role of the emblematic witch again because of the offer made to her for this 3rd episode. A salary of $4,000 all in all, a judged proposition”legal but insultingby the actress, who allegedly contacted PlatinumGames Vice President Hideki Kamiya directly with the help of an acquaintance who could write in Japanese.
“As an actress, I trained for a total of seven and a half years – three years at the Academy of Music and Drama in London with vocal coach Barbara Berkery, and four and a half years with the legendary Larry Moss in Los Angeles. And what did they think it was worth? What did they offer to pay me? The final bid to make the entire game was four thousand US dollars. It’s an insult to me, to the time I’ve spent working on my talent, and to everything I’ve given to this game and the fans. I ask fans to boycott this game and donate any money you spend on this game to charity. I did not ask for the moon. I was just asking for a decent, dignified salary to live on. What they did was legal, but it was immoral“, testifies the actress in front of the camera. At the time of writing these lines, her intervention has already been viewed more than 9 million times, much more than any trailer for Bayonetta 3.
Friends, Worldlings, Bayonutters. Hear ye!#PlatinumGames#Nintendo#Bayonetta#Bayonetta3#Bayonutters#Boycott#NintendoEurope#NintendoAmerica#NintendoJapanpic.twitter.com/h9lwiX2bBt
—Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 15, 2022
Obviously touched, Hellena Taylor also wishes the best to the one who accepted the offer in her place (Jennifer Hale) but believes that the actress known in particular for having camped Commander Shepard in Mass Effect does not have the right to claim to be Bayonetta’s voice. “They will probably try to do a spin off with Jeanne. Don’t buy this either“, slips Hellena Taylor.
To support her demonstration, Hellena Taylor also claims that the Bayonetta franchise would have generated a turnover of 450 million dollars, “not to mention merchandising“, she says. A surprising sum whose source is unknown and which, to tell the truth, seems clearly disproportionate compared to what we know of the sales of Bayonetta games. Released in 2014 on Wii U and in 2018 on Switch , Bayonetta 2, for example, only recently crossed the million copies mark.And since the first episode was not a great success either, the account is not there.
However, this is not the most important in a story that will remain marked by the desire to break the law of silence, something that clearly displeased Hideki Kamiya whose tweet concerning “a false, sad and deplorable attitudeSeems to be a direct reference to the release of Bayonetta’s former voice. Clearly on edge and challenged from all sides, the Twitter chain blocker actually deactivated his account overnight before resurfacing.
Sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth. That’s what all I can tell now.
By the way, BEWARE OF MY RULES.
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) October 15, 2022
In addition to the popular support shown to her, Hellena Taylor has also aroused some reactions in the professional world. Bryan Dechart, well known for his role as Connor in Detroit: Become Human, supported his colleague by explaining that he had had a similar experience. “I got the lead character role in a AAA game from a studio that’s done a LOT of games. They refused to record the project with SAG-AFTRA [ndr : le syndicat des acteurs aux États-Unis] and offered to pay $4000 for the entire game. I declined, but someone else did and no progress was made…“
For those curious, yes, this has happened to me
I booked the lead character of a AAA game by a studio that has made MANY games. They refused to register the project w/@sagaftra & offered to pay $4k for the entire game. I passed, but someone else did it & no ground was gained…
— Bryan Dechart (@BryanDechart) October 15, 2022
“$4,000 to voice the protagonist of an entire game is crazy, I think. I’ve worked with union and non-union voice actors for over twenty years and I’ve never heard of such a low amount from a reputable studio. I don’t know the specifics in this case, of course, but I’m sure I can say it’s insanely low“, adds Joshua SawyerFallout veteran and director of Pentiment at Obsidian.
- See also | Luma measured himself against Bayonetta 3 for a few hours