Hellena Taylor (Voice of Bayonetta) Describes How She was Offered only $4,000 USD to Voice Her Again in Bayonetta 3.

Fbh said:
I don't know how many work hours voicing a game like Bayonetta takes, nor what the industry standard is, nor what she was paid for the previous games, so it's hard to rally have an opinion on it.
From the way she describes it it sounds like they were offering very little compared to the previous games so that sucks. And yeah not wanting to pay for the original actress but then going an getting a famous one that's probably a lot more expensive seems weird. Maybe there's some other reason they didn't want to work with her?



I'd get it if it was a very story heavy game but at least for me the plot is always the worst part.
I'm there for the cool gameplay, if anything if they announced this was going to have 90% fewer cutscenes I'd see it as a positive.
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They do seem to really be focusing on the story for this one
 
Yea something is off, Jennifer hale in all likelihood costs more than Helena. Makes me think the lowball was just to not work with her.
She's definitely not getting work after this though.
 
TexMex said:
Is anyone on earth buying this game because of her vocal performance? Could 99% of people even named the actress behind the voice before today?

Looking at her IMDB - she hasn't worked since....Bayonetta 2. Assuming this is accurate, it isn't like anyone is beating down her door to voice their games.
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No buy her voice is iconic to the role. It was perfect for the character.
 
Nautilus said:
I do have to start saying that she thinking that's her RIGHT to be bayonetta, and that the new actress doesn't deserve to play her is very petty, to say the least. I get that she is frustrated and angry, but still.

Having said that, 4k for the role of the main protagonist, in a game that Bayonetta personality carries alot of the plot and atmosphere, is nothing. Like, 4k in that situation is a begger's pittance. I'm completely out of the loop on how much these things cost, but someone of her talents, and the role(and ammount of lines) she plays should have to cost at least 100k.

I imagine Nintendo knew they could hire someone else to do a job at least as good as her, and I honestly can barely tell the difference between the voices(so congrats to the new actress), so Nintendo went for it. Its a business at the end of the day
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I bet people would feel differently if Nintendo did this to Charles Martinet as Mario...and that guy mostly makes noises and grunts.

Fans associate certain actors with certain characters. The same backlash happened when Kojima canned David Hayter...and many are STILL salty about it...and by the same token actors tend to feel attached to a character after years of portrayal and using part of themselves to give that character life. I can completely understand her frustration and disappointment. At this point she's probably more upset qbout not being Bayonetta morseo than the whole money thing.
 
Oh please. Oh PLEASE. I wonder how much work one of the coders of this game had to put in before he or she made 4000 bucks. I'm guessing 5X - 10X the hours she would have. What a stereotypical fart sniffing actor. Go do Hamlet in the park, snob.
 
Matt_Fox said:
I think she may regret that.

There is secondary income to be made from doing autographs, appearances, etc that would eclipse the $4k.
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She potentially won't even get that any more. She voiced her concerns about exactly that, but a subset of GAF is throwing a shit fit because apparently that's unprofessional (or some shit):

"I wish the new actress all the best luck in the World, but she's not the voice of Bayonetta. I created that voice. She has no right to sign merchandise as Bayonetta, anymore than I have the right to sign as Eva Green even though I was her parrott in the video game The Golden Campus."

The ultimate insult will be if Jennifer Hale goes to the conventions and signings as 'the voice of Bayonetta' now. I can understand completely why Hellena Taylor is mad about it as it goes beyond just the money. It's basically the only big thing her VO career is known for:

bE8cVbh.png


While the role is just another feather in Jennifer Hale's very long career. I'm siding with Hellena Taylor as she is absolutely the little guy in this whole charade.
 
saintjules said:
Parts 2 and 3






I mean I would be. Think about all the mechanical/neighboring rights, royalties, etc. that she can't claim when this game makes millions in sales. Anytime her voice is featured from the game in media, commercials, etc. that's monies that gets paid in a percentage to her. That's why they gave her the flat rate, so Nintendo can recoup all those sales without giving out the profits.
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Do you think Nintendo hires her? they have nothing to do with this. Bayonetta 2 flopped, this is not a monster franchise. Why would you give some percentage to a voice actor that probably spends a week or two recording the lines, that aren't vital to the part? her part in the Bayonetta franchise is relatively small.

She also tried to use everything from mental health and poor people and everything in between to somehow justify her decision.
 
4k for such a iconic role in a successful series is a slap in the face. Good for her for stepping away. Not many people have the self respect and the spine required to do that.
 
Rumpleforeskin said:
She potentially won't even get that any more. She voiced her concerns about exactly that, but a subset of GAF is throwing a shit fit because apparently that's unprofessional (or some shit):

"I wish the new actress all the best luck in the World, but she's not the voice of Bayonetta. I created that voice. She has no right to sign merchandise as Bayonetta, anymore than I have the right to sign as Eva Green even though I was her parrott in the video game The Golden Campus."

The ultimate insult will be if Jennifer Hale goes to the conventions and signings as 'the voice of Bayonetta' now. I can understand completely why Hellena Taylor is mad about it as it goes beyond just the money. It's basically the only big thing her VO career is known for:

bE8cVbh.png


While the role is just another feather in Jennifer Hale's very long career. I'm siding with Hellena Taylor as she is absolutely the little guy in this whole charade.
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But she is a small guy in this charade. That's why she should have clung to the part, it's her ticket to getting more jobs. She has a small role in the game and she gets paid 4K for it. That's it.

Jennifer Hale is now Bayonetta.
 
Rumpleforeskin said:
"I wish the new actress all the best luck in the World, but she's not the voice of Bayonetta. I created that voice. She has no right to sign merchandise as Bayonetta, anymore than I have the right to sign as Eva Green even though I was her parrott in the video game The Golden Campus."
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This is the dumbest thing she said. That's not an apples to apples comparison at all. She would only have a point if the new actress went around signing her name as Hellena Taylor, which she obviously would not to because that's fucking dumb. She's signing it as the character she is voicing for some dorks at a convention.
 
Other people have already pointed it out but when I heard about this the first thing that came to mind is that Jen Hale would probably be way more money than that.

Doesn't make any sense unless Hale just really liked the character and agreed to the same or less just for the opportunity…. But yeah I kinda doubt that.
 
It's really amazing how viral this got. Def gonna make Bayonetta sell way more than anticipated. If I thought Nintendo had the chops for this kind of marketing I would think they did it themselves. If they are smart they will respond around Wed and explain more to keep the fire going.

Even mainstream outlets like TMZ picked this up. It'll be ironic if this is the first successful game in the franchise.

Also, no VO in video games has created any character. It's the director that created that character.
 
Let's be honest... If with Metal Gear Solid V The phantom pain, Snake's voice was not incorporated and it was still a success....

What could be expected from Bayonetta 3?
 
Rumpleforeskin said:
She potentially won't even get that any more. She voiced her concerns about exactly that, but a subset of GAF is throwing a shit fit because apparently that's unprofessional (or some shit):

"I wish the new actress all the best luck in the World, but she's not the voice of Bayonetta. I created that voice. She has no right to sign merchandise as Bayonetta, anymore than I have the right to sign as Eva Green even though I was her parrott in the video game The Golden Campus."

The ultimate insult will be if Jennifer Hale goes to the conventions and signings as 'the voice of Bayonetta' now. I can understand completely why Hellena Taylor is mad about it as it goes beyond just the money. It's basically the only big thing her VO career is known for:

bE8cVbh.png


While the role is just another feather in Jennifer Hale's very long career. I'm siding with Hellena Taylor as she is absolutely the little guy in this whole charade.
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I know it sucks to be offered so little for her biggest role, but I think that she should have accepted the 4k and just moved on

She could reprise the role in future instalments and etc. Now Hale will take the character from her from now on.

Dumb decision on her part, imo. She will never be Bayonetta again.
 
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I dont see videogames the same as TV or movies. It is about the gameplay. The acting doesnt hold the same weight IMHO.

I would have offered her more, but Im not gonna boycott the game. Sorry..
 
A lot of pretty edgy takes on here. You really think $4,000 is acceptable for the voice actress of the iconic lead character, in the third entry in a studios flagship game? It's not, it's fucking insulting. Hellena played a role in building Bayonetta's legacy with her iconic voice and has every right to feel salty about it. Now if you want to disagree with her take to boycott the game, there's a discussion to be had there. But acting like she should be grateful for $4k is such a shitty uniformed take, and honestly goes to show how cheap and easy to take advantage of you would be if you were in her shoes.

Know your value. That's ancient wisdom when it comes to your career trajectory. If you know what you're worth and you're being offered less than that, then seek other opportunities. PlatinumGames severely lowballed her, and she told them to flock off.
 
Nintendo trying to be cheap. Who would've guessed lol, but how how much was she paid for the last 2 games? Can't be more then she was offered now? 2k?
 
Offered money to do a job, don't think its enough cash and don't accept job. Then go on social media and torpedo the chance of getting any more work. That about cover it?

Can't see why she's got the hump here.
 
Madflavor said:
A lot of pretty edgy takes on here. You really think $4,000 is acceptable for the voice actress of the iconic lead character, in the third entry in a studios flagship game? It's not, it's fucking insulting. Hellena played a role in building Bayonetta's legacy with her iconic voice and has every right to feel salty about it. Now if you want to disagree with her take to boycott the game, there's a discussion to be had there. But acting like she should be grateful for $4k is such a shitty uniformed take, and honestly goes to show how cheap and easy to take advantage of you would be if you were in her shoes.

Know your value. That's ancient wisdom when it comes to your career trajectory. If you know what you're worth and you're being offered less than that, then seek other opportunities. PlatinumGames severely lowballed her, and she told them to flock off.
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They low balled her ( apparently) and she said no. What's the issue? I turn down jobs all the time.
 
Fuz said:
How many lines?



Very petty.
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Yeah, that "she can't sign as my character!" line lost me. I like the games, and 4000 is a very bullshit offer, but she isn't really that iconic. This isn't really a David Hayter, Mark Hamill, Roger Craig Smith, or Michael Ironside situation.

Still, kind of tired of VAs getting fucked over in the games industry.

EDIT: Holy shit, the new voice is Jennifer Hale? She and Cherami Leigh are my top two voice actresses. Kind of cool, but we'll see what Commander Shepard does with the role.
 
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TexMex said:
This is the dumbest thing she said. That's not an apples to apples comparison at all. She would only have a point if the new actress went around signing her name as Hellena Taylor, which she obviously would not to because that's fucking dumb. She's signing it as the character she is voicing for some dorks at a convention.
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Seriously? I guarantee if you were in hers or David Hayter's situation you would be singing a different tune.

When you basically voice, create and give life to a character from its first inception and portray that character for years, you aren't going to act like its no big deal now when "some other dude" is basically taking credit as a character you raised and nutured.
 
Still gonna get the game regardless.

But if Jennifer Hale is now Bayo I would be curious to know how much Jennifer made for her work in any single Metroid Prime game as a comparison just for grunts.

Helena is always going to be the OG Bayonetta and is irreplaceable. To the point many believed that the Bayo we place as is a different Bayonetta and was not the original.

If the thing was to offer Helena a low amount of income or for her to walk out and they knew that she would likely walk out compared to previous earnings then this was a low business tactic to get rid of her in favor of someone else.

It would not shock me if ironically Hale is being paid much more which would make it more insulting.

Or I guess a more interesting question would be how much Helena made for Smash Bros Ultimate.

-----------------

But I think Helena just burned her bridges effectively so now Hale is just gonna add Bayo to her long long list of roles she's played. Nintendo wise she has voiced Samus Aran previously for the entirety of Metroid Prime.
 
I haven't a clue what standard rates are for voice actors. I don't know if there are tiers, just an hourly rate or whatever. So I don't know if $4000 is reasonable or not.
 
Bayonetta 1 and 2 were originally bombs. The fact that a 2nd and this 3rd game even exists is pretty surprising. Sega seemed done with the series, but Nintendo took up the tab and paid to have a 2nd game made to spice up their Wii U exclusive library. I don't know what catalyst got the third game green lit, but it happened, and they spent an awfully long time with it too, so obviously, this wasn't a cheap game to make. With Nintendo, the money is obviously going to go to the game itself (game play prototype builds, trial and errors, and maybe development even had to be rebooted like RE4 and MP4, etc), and everything else is second. Voice acting has never been prioritized. I have a hard time time justifying boycotting a game that a slew of people will be playing in Japanese regardless, or barely paying attention to what's being said, as I doubt the game's narrative will be why people even play to begin with.

Big question I have is will this end up being the best selling Bayonetta ever? It already has more publicity going for it, in this era of social media. Or will it bomb, just like the other two (the ports and late sales must have really made some grinds if they can be considered remotely successful today, as they most certainly were NOT when they came out).

As far as Nintendo voice acting pay is concerned, I'm sure there is a lot of questions we could ask there. I mean, didn't they get Jenna Cox back to play Melia for Xenoblade Definitive Edition (and ahem). That girl's famous now thanks to Doctor Who. Chances are she played the role on the cheap, for the fans. Troy Baker did it with Catherine's Remaster or whatever it was, and implied he was willing to reprise Yuri for Tales of Vesperia's remaster, but Bandai Namco didn't ask him (likely thought he was outside their pay range as Mr. Baker has gotten much bigger and prolific since voicing Yuri many years ago). I don't think Bayo's original voice was being treated any differently by these standards, though I imagine she gathers that the title character is a big draw for the game and deserved more helping create that image for English speaking audiences. Nintendo and BN don't like playing much for voice acting. I have no idea how the Japanese VA side get's paid, considering the Tales of games seem to make a big deal out of the VA's they get for those characters, and they do a lot of BN sponsored PR and publicity for the games, like Hollywood actors do for their movies and clients. I don't think Nintendo will budge much on the VA budget unless they know the game is gonna sell 50 million copies, and even then, I don't see them doing anything different for Tears of the Kingdom from what they've done for BoW and Age of Calamity, and Chris Pratt is probably not voicing Mario for the next Mario Kart.
 
You're talking about a 9 hour game (bayonetta 2) with about 2 and a half hours of cutscenes.

Let's be generous and say this has like an hour and a half of dialogue for her. We're probably talking a day or two in the studio.

In reality, they can really rack up the money if they're talented and get enough gigs.
 
Gambit2483 said:
Seriously? I guarantee if you were in hers or David Hayter's situation you would be singing a different tune.

When you basically voice, create and give life to a character from its first inception and portray that character for years, you aren't going to act like its no big deal now when "some other dude" is basically taking credit as a character you raised and nutured.
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Get fucking real, most voice actors would never throw a temper tantrum over this.
You can voice dissatisfaction over the whole falling out but calling for the boycott of the game and shit talking the VA that is going to substitute you is crossing the damn line.
 
The Cartographer said:
Ahem...
Four days of working that translated in four recording shifts.
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Sean Chiplock, Gunvolt VA said how much he earned on Gunvolt Striker 3



Yeah, a much smaller game paid a VA more per hour than a famous AAA franchise whose last game had 3x bigger recording session, doubt that even a discount for such size of work would end at 4K.
 
Madflavor said:
Yeah that was the point of my last sentence. She did the right thing. The issue is that they lowballed her.
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Happens all the time, that's my point. I get low balled in my industry and i just turn those jobs down. Just because its entertainment and we recognize a character we should be outraged?
 
Madflavor said:
Know your value.
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Your value means dick if no one is willing to pay for it.
It takes two to tango... and Platinum just walked off the dance floor.
All we have is heasay from both sides, a "he said, she said" situation. Until more evidence comes out, both are full of shit.
 
bender said:
Fuck Troy Baker and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn forever.
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I get Baker, dude is overrated. But you keep Mary McGlynns name outcha flippin your mouth!

EDIT: Should have read, we're talking about the abysmal SH collection. Didn't get far into the SH2 remaster (I still have access to my OG system copy). I had no idea McGlynn voiced Mary/Maria in it. I take it she didn't do a good job? Maria was the best voice acting in the original IMO.
 
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I'm very ignorant to this line of work, but why would it take 7.5 years to say things into a microphone ?
 
clarky said:
Happens all the time, that's my point. I get low balled in my industry and i just turn those jobs down. Just because its entertainment and we recognize a character we should be outraged?
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Helena is probably too attached to the character and believes they are that character and that no one else should voice them. Half her career was Bayonetta. That's what I am seeing.
 
MagiusNecros said:
Helena is probably too attached to the character and believes they are that character and that no one else should voice them. Half her career was Bayonetta. That's what I am seeing.
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If half her career was Bayonetta she needs to look for other work out side of acting.
 
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Not sure if somebody answered this yet but, why would they get Hale? Wouldn't she be asking for more than $4,000, I don't understand what's going on here.
 
Dane said:
Sean Chiplock, Gunvolt VA said how much he earned on Gunvolt Striker 3



Yeah, a much smaller game paid a VA more per hour than a famous AAA franchise whose last game had 3x bigger recording session, doubt that even a discount for such size of work would end at 4K.
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Having finished that game recently, yep, that was nowhere on the scale of Bayonetta games. He also made a tweet that two lines of dialogue offscreen in Detective Pikachu paid wildly better than all of his dialogue in BOTW.
 
bender said:
Both Baker and McGlynn are massive cunts.
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I could definitely believe it, but why? Is it because they voice acted in the remaster or did something happen in behind the scenes I'm not aware of? I'm always up for more reasons to further my distaste of Baker. Dudes a douche.

Soltype said:
Not sure if somebody answered this yet but, why would they get Hale? Wouldn't she be asking for more than $4,000, I don't understand what's going on here.
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That seems to be the main point of contention ITT. It doesn't make sense.

I do know a lot of companies are defaulting to a few VAs like Baker due to avoidance of union VAs (same reason Chris and Claire Redfield's VAs got replaced). I'm wondering if it's the same case here. That or maybe she's just difficult to worth with.
 
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