Video games have evolved from mere children's toys to multi-million-dollar projects, with engaging, emotional stories and complex characters. Naturally, that growth has brought plenty of talent from the traditional Hollywood entertainment sphere into the video game industry. Thanks to their mastery of the medium, some video game voice actors have become prominent stars of their own, too, but the two groups of actors can coexist comfortably.
History has shown Hollywood actors and video games mix quite well. In recent years, Norman Reedus in Death Stranding, Keanu Reeves in Cyberpunk 2077, and Rami Malek in Until Dawn have all delivered excellent performances. Though this isn't a new tradition, it's becoming more popular as the gaming industry continues to flourish and as more talent grows curious about its unique opportunities.
Video game-specialized actors have also given standout performances, of course, which aren't at all overshadowed by Hollywood talent stepping into the gaming industry. Melina Juergens as Senua in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Charlotte McBurney as Amicia in A Plague Tale: Innocence, and Melissa Hutchison as Clementine in Telltale's The Walking Dead, for example, have all performed unique and compelling characters in the same timeframe as the aforementioned Hollywood actors. Even then, there's little point in singling out a group of talent as not belonging in the games industry, since many gaming performances are ultimately delivered by actors who started elsewhere. The best example of this is Mark Hamill, who famously portrayed The Joker in Batman: Arkham Asylum (and other Batman media) but started as a TV and movie star, hugely popular for his role as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.
The creative director of God of War, Cory Barlog, recently weighed in on the issue on Twitter. In response to a TheGamer article arguing games don't need Hollywood actors, Barlog said "good casting is good casting," adding that, although a Hollywood name shouldn't be chosen just for the sake of it, what matters is picking the right person for the role. In the end, creating a character is a personal experience for the writer or director of any piece of media, whether it be a movie, game, or book. It only makes sense that they would pick the actor they think can make a part unique and special, regardless of their career's origin. In fact, video game roles are even uniquely positioned to branch out to non-actors, such as musical artists, to tap into their talents and offer something truly different.
Any concerns of Hollywood actors not understanding the voice-over medium are easily assuaged by the many great game performances from famous actors out there. Mark Hamill, Charles Dance, Kristen Bell, and so many more have proven Hollywood actors aren't stuck to one form of acting. If these actors were never given the chance to play their respective roles, players would have missed out on excellent portrayals. Charles Dance's performance elevated The Witcher 3's Emhyr Var Emreis to become one of the best characters in the game. Kristen Bell helped make Assassin's Creed 2's Lucy a comionate character that players quickly grew to care for.
Any given video game character's portrayal is of utmost importance to creating a lifelike person players can get attached to and understand. Whether the actor is a big-name talent or a first-time performer doesn't matter. The gaming industry is flourishing and will continue to grow, but seeing Hollywood actors among video game casts doesn't decrease the value and importance of voice actors that aren't as famous.
