Hellena Taylor, Who Voiced Bayonetta, Reveals She Was Offered $4,000 For Her Voice Work In 'Bayonetta 3'
Image Source: IGN
Bayonetta 3 is just around the corner. However, though the character will be returning, the original voice actress, Hellena Taylor, has been replaced by veteran voice actress Jennifer Hale. Though it was initially unclear why this switch occurred, Taylor revealed in three Twitter videos why she did not reprise her role: She was only offered $4,000 for the entire game.
The actress stated that this rate severely underrated her training and experience as an actor, especially compared to the $450 million the Bayonetta franchise has made. Taylor stated that she initially had to re-audition for her role and was cast for it, but Platinum Games’ initial offer was apparently lower than $4,000. She then wrote to Hideki Kamiya, the director, and creator of the Bayonetta franchise, asking to be paid what she’s worth. Though Kamiya did reply with a letter praising Taylor for her work, it was only after this letter that she received the $4,000 offer. Platinum stated that Hale was brought in to voice Bayonetta due to conflicts within Taylor’s schedule, but the actress said that she has “nothing but time.”
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In response to this revelation, voice actors and fans have overwhelmingly voiced their support. Some even compared it to similar situations occurring in the English dubs of anime. This is similar to when Ryan Drummond, the original English voice for Sonic the Hedgehog, was asked to return to the role only if he left his union. Sean Chiplock, a voice actor, known for various roles, including Revali in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Keiji Mogami in Mob Psycho 100, and Guido Mista in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind, used this situation to be more open about how he has been paid for his work, stating that his two lines in the Detective Pikachu film made him more than his entire performance in BOTW.
Though fans and those in the industry have been supportive, the creator of Bayonetta, Hideki Kamiya, has not. Instead, he released a statement on Twitter stating that Taylor’s statements were untrue.
Taylor has asked fans to not purchase the game and instead donate the money they would have spent to a charity. This has been met with mostly positive reception, with several people either committing to not purchasing the game or canceling their pre-orders. She has also asked fans not to buy any spin-offs using Hale’s voice.
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