The disrespect that voice actors receive in the entertainment industry is a shame. In the world of film and television, legendary performers with a litany of credits and voices to their name are consistently passed over for superstar actors without an equivalent vocal range. Chris Pratt's heavily criticized turn as Mario in the upcoming Super Mario Brothers movie from Illumination is the most topical example of Hollywood's growing desire to opt for stunt casting instead of competent casting. Lately, the practice has extended from the world of cinema into video games as well. Games like Death Stranding boast a cast of recognizable leads as opposed to seasoned veterans that make a living through voice acting.
Sadly, in addition to games' growing reliance on stunt casting, several actors within the industry -that have been instrumental to giant franchises- are frequently underpaid for their performances. One such example is Bayonetta 3's studio only offering $4,000 for the lead character's voice actor to reprise her role.
As Nintendo's Bayonetta 3 closes in on its long-awaited release date of Oct. 28, the video game franchise's fanbase has been rocked by a statement shared by the series' original lead voice actor, Hellena Taylor, who shares that she did not return for the new entry after being offered only $4,000 to reprise her role. "The Bayonetta franchise made approximately $450 million. That's not including merchandise. As an actor, I trained for a total of seven and a half years," Taylor shared in a statement on her Twitter. "What did they think this was worth? What did they offer to pay me? The final offer to do the whole game — as a buyout, flat rate — was $4,000. This is an insult to me [and] the amount of time that I took to work on my talent and everything I've given to this game and to the fans."
