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The two beloved actors, who recently greeted our screens as Resident Evil Requiem's Alyssa Ashcroft and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Lune, were in Italy to discuss their techniques and recent works.
"Hi, Gamereactor friends. We're in Naples for the 26th Comicon, and we're talking gaming as well, not only comics, and a little bit of movies as well.
And I have the pleasure to be joined by both of you."
"I loved your characters in the past.
So let me start with you, Kirsty.
You played Lune in Expedition 33, right?
So this is a very disciplined, elegant, mystical sort of character."
"She's a very serious researcher.
How did it differ from other characters that you've played in the past?
Just any characters that I've played in the past?
How did it differ?
I don't think I've played a character like Lune before."
"I think often I am cast as probably more direct women than indirect women.
So I guess there's that.
But I think her getting to be the voice of the mission, I think even when I was doing it, I wasn't aware of how much Lune..."
"Because you're only doing your scenes out of sequence, and you don't get to hear everyone else's.
I kind of thought, when one falls, we continue, these kinds of phrases.
I know that they are the mission phrases, so I thought all the characters would embody that kind of part of the mission."
"And I didn't realise until after that it was often just Lune's scenes where some of those phrases are being said.
So I think that was very special, to be a character who embodies the heart of the mission for that game from beginning to end."
"Yeah, so maybe that she gets to be the strong one throughout the game.
Like the mage.
Lune takes us to Selene, which I think means the same, if I'm correct.
I have to thank you for that role."
"You were awarded [with a BAFTA], but I have to thank you personally.
To me, Returnal was a moving experience.
When you got the script and the description of your character, and you saw the reveal that happened later into the game, how did you approach this?
Because you had to portray something that is, without getting into spoiler territory, bending your mind, but also a science fiction, horror approach to it, and everything is so weird."
"So was it, I guess, very special and very different as well?
So how did you approach the whole variety of it?
It's interesting when you talk about the whole in a video game is actually an enormous amount of story."
"And as an actor, I think when you're in the moment acting, really all you're concerned with is what's happening in that moment.
You might have an awareness of the arc of the story, of the character, but what you're actually dealing with in a more granular sense is what is happening to me right now?
What do I want right now?
What are my challenges right now?
If you have another character, what do I want that person to do right now so that I can get what I want?
Especially for Returnal, because she does lose her mind, basically."
"Yeah, kind of.
I really felt like I just have to take it one step at a time.
Otherwise, I think it would be quite overwhelming, and it's too much to hang on to."
"And I think this is a nice approach to acting, generally, just to deal with what's happening in that moment, because that's what we're interested in, as you talked about presence earlier, and being present and just dealing with the now."
"That's when you get really interesting sort of stuff happening.
Fantastic. Thank you again.
I'm interested in your theatrical background.
You do theatre as well."
"How would you say it shaped you, or made you perhaps a better actor for video games?
Do you think is there anything special from theatre that you can bring to video games, or they are not related at all?
No, definitely. No, that's a really great question."
"I feel very lucky, because I think one of the things about theatre is that you get to rehearse for, say, six weeks, and then you do the production for like eight weeks."
"So already, that's a long amount of time that I'm getting to practice my craft as an actor.
And I think getting to do that over ten years has meant that I got to practice many times within the year, which I think a lot of actors struggle with, especially if they go to drama school and graduate."
"You might do a TV show.
Maybe it's a semi-big role, but you're only filming for a couple of weeks, and the rest of the year you might not be getting to do any acting."
"So I think, I know it's funny, because sometimes people say to me about the performance, and they're like, and it's your first video game.
I'm like, it is my first video game, but I have been acting for ten years, and I did go to drama school for three years before then."
"And for me, there's no difference.
I don't see...
OK, let me be specific.
There is a difference in the skills that are required."
"It's a very specific skill to be able to not have anyone around you, not be in costume, not have a set, be acting to someone through a glass who's sometimes giving you a completely dead read, and then give... That's a very specific skill, and there are a lot of actors who would maybe not enjoy or thrive doing that."
"So they are specific, but the craft of acting, I think every job that I've done has enabled me to do a character like Luné in a short, quick time."
"Because also with... Sorry, this is very long.
Also with...
With video games, it's really instinctual.
You might get two, three max takes."
"So it's like the first instinct that you have, and I think that's a...
Both Jane and I have this theatrical background where the craft is about building impulses."
"How to trust yourself, how to trust your gut.
You might be in front of thousands of people.
How do you go for it in that way?
So I think absolutely my theatre background has massively helped everything I do as an actor."
"Great, great.
I had you both on screen recently.
I saw you recently as Ashley Ascroft, of course, in Resident Evil.
This is interesting in terms of the character itself because it was born long ago, had a piece of lore in the past, and now it evolved into what we saw, and it played into Grace's arc this time around."
"So what does that mean to you when you approach this character, as in you have to respect what was before, but now there is a new story to be told, and then you give the baton to a new character?
Yes, that's a really good question."
"Before playing Alyssa Ashcroft, and even Diana Burnwood, because there were two actresses who played Diana Burnwood before I came along, if I sit and think about that too much, I probably get really freaked out."
"So I don't think about it.
The two questions were the same.
You freak out if you think about it.
Yeah, so I just avoid that."
"But actually with Resident Evil in particular, I was aware that game is a phenomenon, and the fans of that game are just extraordinary.
So I was peripherally aware of the fact that Alyssa already has a huge following, and I guess I wanted to just honour her and her story the best I could, and that was my biggest intention, was just to do a good job."
"I wanted to ask you about AAA, what we call AAA games.
You've been part of many of them.
If I'm correct, Baldur's Gate, Cyberpunk, Hitman."
"But they are different genres, studios, etc.
So is there any difference that you would like to share now in how you worked with them?
Because, for example, before you said how sometimes you don't have much context, but I guess it depends on the technique and if you're also capturing your performance or it's just your voice."
"Yes, that's a good question.
Yes, I mean, for example, with Returnal, one thing I really noticed, and maybe this was because I was essentially the only person in the game, Housemarque took a lot of time finding things."
"I mean, you're right, sometimes they're like, okay, that, you know, you do one take and they're like, that'll do, okay, let's move on.
There was none of that with Returnal."
"They were like, yes, okay, let's think this through and try different things.
And that was a big difference in that game because, as you said earlier, you know, time is money and oftentimes there is this pressure to just get it done really fast."
"So that was one of the differences that I noticed with Housemarque is they just, they relax, they find it.
When they've got it, they're like, okay, let's move on, very gentle."
"I like that one because that leads me to the last question.
I've been talking with Troy Baker before about, you know, voice actors versus performance, performance actors for video games, and also those who really actually get into storytelling and screenwriting for video games."
"So these are different sort of expanded role.
So is that something that you would like to explore as in coming from voice acting, then performance capture, and then perhaps getting involved into the wider narrative roles in video games for both of you?
You mean as a game developer?
Yes, more as a narrative designer, as part or screenwriter."
"You know what I mean?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
It is something that crosses my mind every now and then.
I haven't really crossed that bridge because I like acting in games so much."
"Okay.
But yeah, there are times when I feel, I sometimes feel like there's some stories that are missing in the game environment, and there's a part of me that would like to contribute to that or perhaps engender those stories and support them."
"But I'm not a writer, so it would be with maybe having conversations with somebody who is a writer.
You are a writer.
And collaborating that way."
"But yeah, I do love the idea of collaborating.
Of getting involved, right?
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah, I think I would love to do performance capture."
"Mocap would be interesting.
I think it would be difficult knowing that I didn't get to voice the character at the end.
But yeah, interesting."
"Perhaps for the next expedition, that's nice to try with more production values.
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
That would be great.
And writing, I've never thought about that, actually."
"And I would never say never.
I love writing and being introduced to this world.
I've loved everything I've seen.
The community is amazing."
"There's a kind of earnest, like even at the BAFTAs a couple weeks ago, which we were at, there's such a warmth in this community.
People in this industry are big fans of each other."
"And it doesn't matter if you're the biggest art director in the most successful game, you will probably fangirl or fanboy for someone else or not at the same level as you."
"So I think that's a wonderful part of this industry that I've loved seeing.
So yeah, for sure.
Let's see.
Let's see what happens."
"I think it has to do, I don't know if you agree, I think it has to do with the fact that they've been part of the story.
They've been actively dealing with the characters themselves in their own ways."
"Are you gamers?
I'm not yet.
I don't know if I can call myself a gamer.
I like the "yet".
Yes, not yet."
"I'm playing Expedition 33.
I'm like maybe two-thirds of the way through.
I don't know if two-thirds of one game could constitute a gamer."
"You're a gamer already.
It's a long RPG.
I'm a gamer.
It's official.
I can give you the title."
"We'll print gamer, other than an actor.
Gamer and an actor.
And you?
Sometimes I'm a gamer."
"I've struggled to find the time.
But yeah, I do play games occasionally.
That's fantastic.
Okay.
Thank you so much for your time."
"Thank you.
Please enjoy the show.
It's been a pleasure.
Thank you so much.
Thank you."
