Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Actors Reflect on Voicing Hit Game — “We’ll Also Be in Some Duds”
IT Home — The voice cast of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — including Ben Starr and Jennifer English, both known for standout roles in Final Fantasy XVI and Baldur’s Gate III, respectively — recently spoke openly about how, as actors, not every project will be a masterpiece. In a behind-the-scenes interview, they admitted that despite joining a critically praised title, they expect to participate in less successful games in the future.
What They Said
Ben Starr emphasized that an actor’s performance is only one element among many (game design, direction, budget, technology, etc.) that determine how well a game is received. He suggested that often voice actors don’t even know what the final product will be, because much of the work (writing, editing, post-production) happens after their recording.
Jennifer English added humor to the conversation, joking that she has “17” projects lined up that might qualify as “stinkers,” and noted that actors don’t always get the full script or context for their characters.
More from the Cast
Charlie Cox (who voices Gustave) admitted that he did only a few hours of voice work without being very familiar with the game when recording. He said he feels “fortunate” that the public is praising the performance, but also that he was surprised by the game’s success. PC Gamer+2The Verge+2
The cast also shared amusing moments from their voice-recording sessions — especially when dealing with French words or profanity (e.g. merde, putain) in the script. They relied on the director, who speaks French, to help with pronunciation. GamesRadar++1
Takeaways
Even high-profile voice actors acknowledge they don’t always control which projects turn out well — there are many factors beyond their performance.
Some actors are trying to be selective about their roles, curating a portfolio they feel proud of.
For fans of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, these behind-the-scenes insights add humility and humanity — and show how collaborative game development is.