A new report claims that Bayonetta voice actor Hellena Taylor was offered more money than she had previously disclosed and that she was recast after “lengthy negotiations” with Platinum Games.
On October 15, Bayonetta voice actor Hellena Taylor called out Platinum Games and Nintendo for “immoral” conduct, revealing that she will not be voicing the character in the upcoming third instalment due to only being offered a $4,000 sum to voice the role.
As a result, Taylor has been calling on fans of the series to boycott the game, with the situation now bringing to the forefront the larger discourse surrounding the role of voice actors and compensation for their work.
Most recently, Jason Schreier reported at Bloomberg that Platinum Games had originally wanted to hire Taylor for five or more sessions, each paying $3000 to $4000 for four hours of work in the studio. Schreier’s sources then added that Taylor refused the offer, wishing to negotiate for “a six-figure sum as well as residuals on the game.”
Platinum Games declined and were unable to come to an agreement after “lengthy negotiations”, with the company then beginning auditions for a new actor to take on the role. Voice actor Jenifer Hale has since taken on the protagonist and while she has acknowledged the controversy online, she is unable to comment any further due to an NDA.
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Schreier also reported that Platinum Games offered Taylor the chance to still feature in the game as a cameo appearance and were going to offer her the fee of one session, however, she allegedly turned down that offer as well.
The Bloomberg report then went on to offer up Taylor’s reaction to these claims, with the voice actor calling this recounting “an absolute lie” in an email, and adding that Platinum is “trying to save their ass and the game.”
“I would like to put this whole bloody franchise behind me quite frankly get on with my life in the theatre,” she wrote. At the time of writing, neither Platinum Games nor Nintendo have commented on this development in regard to the Bayonetta recast drama.
Bayonetta 3 is set to release on October 28, 2022.
