Bayonetta voice actor rejected ‘immoral’ £3,500 pay offer and calls for boycott
As Bayonetta 3’s release looms, the series’ original voice actor has revealed how little she was offered to be in the sequel.
When the first proper trailer for Bayonetta 3 dropped last year, fans instantly noticed that Bayonetta herself sounded slightly different. Combined with comments from Hellena Taylor, who had voiced the character for the first two games, it seemed as if somebody else had taken up the role.
It wasn’t until earlier this month when Bayonetta 3’s director, Yusuke Miyata, confirmed not only who the new voice actress was – industry veteran Jennifer Hale – but also why Taylor was replaced.
Miyata claimed that it was due to ‘various overlapping circumstances’ making it difficult for Taylor to reprise the role, suggesting that it was a scheduling issue. Taylor, however, claims very differently and says it was a matter of not being offered enough money.
In a damning series of videos uploaded to social media, Taylor talks about her experience with developer PlatinumGames, explaining that she initially had to re-audition for Bayonetta 3.
While she did successfully get the part again, she was apparently offered what she calls an ‘insulting’ payment offer. With a friend’s help, she sent a message to PlatinumGames co-founder and Bayonetta series creator Hideki Kamiya to ask him how much he thought she was worth as the voice of Bayonetta.
The final offer was $4,000, roughly £3,550. An undeniably paltry offer for someone voicing the lead character in a series funded by a publisher as big as Nintendo.
Both the original Bayonetta and its sequel have roughly two and a half to three hours’ worth of cut scenes each, that Taylor features in extensively. Bayonetta 3 likely has just as many, which makes the amount offered seem
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