“I support every actor’s right to be paid well” Bayonetta 3 voice actor reacts to the ongoing situation surrounding the game

by Arthur · October 17, 2022

The upcoming release of the highly anticipated hack-and-slash, Bayonetta 3, has been mired in controversy over claims made by former voice actress Hellena Taylor. Following Taylor’s accusations about the low pay offered by the developers, the game’s current voice actress, Jennifer Hale, issued a press release regarding the issue.

Hale has voiced her opinion on the incident in a veiled manner due to an NDA she has with the parties involved. In any case, the industry veteran has come out in support of voice actors being paid what they are owed. She said in a press release:

“As a longtime member of the voice acting community, I support every actor’s right to be well paid and have advocated for this for many years.”

Bayonetta 3 voice actress Jennifer Hale encourages people to approach the game without prejudice

Jennifer Hale is a veritable giant in the industry, having voiced a number of popular characters in gaming and pop culture. Fans of Mass Effect will remember her as the voice of Commander Shepard, and she has also voiced characters in Overwatch, Bioshock Infinite, Metal Gear Solid, and even TV shows such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars and The Powerpuff Girls.

As such, her statement appears to both acknowledge and support the earlier allegations against PlatinumGames, as well as dampen the fallout that followed when the allegations spread across social media.

Public perception of Bayonetta 3 has taken a major turn after the main character’s original voice actress urged fans to boycott the game in a series of tweets in which she revealed she had only been offered $4,000 to reprise her role. Taylor’s video messages accusing PlatinumGames of paying her an “immoral” salary went viral on Twitter, garnering millions of views as people flocked to support the actress.

The incident quickly snowballed into a very large backlash against the game, and executive producer Hideki Kamiya’s response tweeting “Beware of my rules” sent even more fans into a frenzy. In the midst of this, Jennifer Hale came out with her statement in support of actors being paid well.

Hale admitted that she couldn’t talk much about Bayonetta 3 due to a non-disclosure agreement with the studio, but announced that her “reputation” was enough to make a statement on the matter:

“I am under NDA and am not at liberty to comment on this situation. My reputation speaks for itself.”

In the spirit of damage control, Jennifer Hale ended her statement by asking fans to keep an open mind regarding Bayonetta 3 because it was a team effort:

“I sincerely ask everyone to remember that this game was created by an entire team of hard-working, dedicated people, and I hope everyone will keep an open mind about what they’ve created.”

Twitter reacts to Jennifer Hale’s statement

Voice actors, people from the video game community, and fans of Bayonetta all expressed their opinions on the statement. Here are some of the reactions:

@jhaletweets Very professional response, pretty sure we all know you had no idea about the situation behind the scenes. I still want the game because I’ve waited so long, and understand if someone doesn’t get it as well

@jhaletweets I don’t know the context here…but I love your note about a game being made by an entire team. You are a true professional and we love you.

@jhaletweets Nothing but respect for you and all the work you do, Jennifer. I know that you always operate at the highest levels of professionalism and ethics, and that you are a constant advocate for the rights and protections of actors and all creators. You will always have my support.♥️

@jhaletweets Love you so much and here for you always.

@jhaletweets Based on Jen. Hopefully you won’t have to deal with anything hateful from people or with terrible conditions regarding Platinum. Here’s hoping things get better as a whole, for the future of the VA industry.

@jhaletweets Your life and career speak for themselves, and what they say, and have always said, is that you are a woman of tremendous integrity and talent. You have my respect and love today and every day! 💓

@jhaletweets The situation is as understandable as it is regrettable. I wish you only the best. 💜

Bayonetta 3 will be released on Nintendo Switch on October 28th, and while the controversy over underpaid voice actors has been raging on the internet for some time, PlatinumGames has yet to officially comment on the matter.