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[Scientist Supreme!]

In a recent trailer for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, the highly anticipated PlayStation 4 exclusive from developer Naughty Dog, protagonist Nathan Drake opens a door to find Nadine Ross, a brown-skinned, curly-haired, muscular adversary.

Nadine owns a South African security company, which provides her with ample weapons and troops. She is ready for combat, as is apparent in how quickly she puts our hero Nate on the floor.

People of color across social media sparked with excitement over seeing a main character of color in a popular franchise. Unfortunately, that excitement was tempered when it became known that Nadine Ross, a black woman from South Africa, is voiced by Laura Bailey, a white woman from the United States.

Once again, a black character is not voiced by a black person.

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/bl...oiced-by-white-actors-uncharted-4-nadine-ross

There's also a podcast with the writer Shonte Daniels, Kotaku's Evan Narcisse and voice actor Dave Fennoy:
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/video-games-are-missing-black-voices-nadine-ross-podcast-uncharted

Laura Bailey response from twitter

https://twitter.com/LauraBaileyVO/status/696875038343966720

Kinda old but I thought it was interesting/important article. It's a topic that was brought up before by me and other people on gaf but I never knew it was prevalent.It's just crazy that the few major black characters are voiced by white people. I hope the discussion doesn't devolve in another "but kratos" stuff.

 

[Jawmuncher]

Never saw that response from Laura Bailry. It's good.

 

[Get_craycray]

Funny, I just watched the SNL video titled "The Day Beyoncé Turned Black" like a minute before you post that thread. Unrelated, but kind of related.

 

[Platy]

Anyone knows examples of Black actors voicing white characters ?

The closest I can think is Kratos ....

 

[TheFurizzlyBear]

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/bl...oiced-by-white-actors-uncharted-4-nadine-ross

There's also a podcast with the writer Shonte Daniels, Kotaku's Evan Narcisse and voice actor Dave Fennoy:
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/video-games-are-missing-black-voices-nadine-ross-podcast-uncharted

Laura Bailey response from twitter

https://twitter.com/LauraBaileyVO/status/696875038343966720

Kinda old but I thought it was interesting/important article. It's a topic that was brought up before by me and other people on gaf but I never knew it was prevalent.It's just crazy that the few major black characters are voiced by white people. I hope the discussion doesn't devolve in another "but kratos" stuff.

Its something that needs to be worked on but we did get Locke last year. So not all are, but more need to be.

 

[Ishida]

Anyone knows examples of Black actors voicing white characters ?

The closest I can think is Kratos ....

Kratos was white before being covered in ashes?

 

[Silexx]

Anyone knows examples of Black actors voicing white characters ?

The closest I can think is Kratos ....

Ashley Williams from Mass Effect.

 

[Lime]

I'm glad that Michonne in the upcoming Walking Dead game is at least voiced by a Black actress.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Anyone knows examples of Black actors voicing white characters ?

The closest I can think is Kratos ....

Tom Servo's new voice actor is black.

Not sure if gumball machines count.

 

[nded]

Anyone knows examples of Black actors voicing white characters ?

The closest I can think is Kratos ....

Phil LaMarr does this a lot.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Anyone knows examples of Black actors voicing white characters ?

The closest I can think is Kratos ....

Vamp.

Spoiler

And the million other voices Phil LaMarr does. ^^

 

[BabyFaceKillah]

Anyone knows examples of Black actors voicing white characters ?

The closest I can think is Kratos ....

Kratos is white??

i thought he was just an ashy black dude.

 

[Roufianos]

Honestly, who gives a damn? As long as the voice fits the character, the VA's ethnicity is completely irrelevant.

 

[GhostTrick]

Allright, I'm for more representation. But come on, voice isn't tied to your color. Voice comes down to your talent and your work. And it's not because you are black you have to voice a black character, or because you're white that you have to voice white characters.

Phil Lamarr voiced Vamp in Metal Gear Solid 2 and 4.
TC Carson voiced Kratos.

Heck, I'll give you a funny french bonus:
Christophe Peyroux:

Voiced this little guy (Erik Per Sullivan):

in the French version of Malcolm in the Middle.

 

[ciddative]

Anyone knows examples of Black actors voicing white characters ?

The closest I can think is Kratos ....

Vamp in MGS2 & 4 (Romanian), voiced by Phil Lamarr

EDIT: Dammit Janet

 

[Mischifer6]

Why does anyone give a crap about the skin color of the actor or the character? It doesn't matter whatsoever - Laura Bailey's a fantastic actress, and if they found her to be the best choice for the role, then I trust and respect their decision.

 

[SixMachine]

Phil LaMarr does this a lot.

He also voices an asian dude. We need Samurai Jack back!

I believe he was also Vamp from MGS games.

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

kratos isn't white

 

[KZXcellent]

Anyone knows examples of Black actors voicing white characters ?

The closest I can think is Kratos ....

Marluxia (from the Kingdom Hearts series) and Basch (from Final Fantasy XII) were voiced by Keith Ferguson.

 

[SatoAilDarko]

He also voices an asian dude. We need Samurai Jack back!

I believe he was also Vamp from MGS games.

Also Aquaman in Injustice.

 

[Lime]

I like this quote from the article:

When asked whether black characters should always be voiced by black voice actors, both actors had mixed feelings. Fennoy said that on one hand, he would prefer black actors to play black characters “so black actors are able to work” and because "there is a history of whites in blackface doing degrading imitations of black people and in fact all too often we have continued the practice.” On the other hand, Fennoy said he knows white actors who can portray a black character authentically. “Lord knows I have played black, white, Latin, Asian, Eastern European, and hundreds of creatures with hundreds of accents both authentic and fabricated,” he added.

LaMarr also felt conflicted about his answer. “From an artistic perspective I would love it if race didn't have to be a factor, but from a "paying-my-rent" perspective, I'm glad it does,” he said. “If I have to compete for a Black male role with every Black male voice actor AND every white male voice actor, my chance of getting a job decreases immensely,” he said.

 

[Abriael]

They forgot "and the other way around."

I don't seem to see the mention of the known fact that there's also a black actor playing a relevant white character in the game.

Both cases are entirely fine, of course. Having worked in voice acting for 6 years (including giving input in the distribution of roles), a voice actor should be selected according to his voice, not according to his color, gender (there is a ton of women voicing male teens and pre-teens for instance, especially in animation) or any other factor not related to whether the voice fits the character.

 

[TurboButts]

Not exactly on topic, but related: I've seen some people going nuts over ever Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl and Jeffrey Tambor in Transparent. Honestly I don't agree with argument. I especially don't agree with it for voice acting. But I think its a discussion worth having, I'd like to listen.

 

[Mr. Smiley]

When asked whether black characters should always be voiced by black voice actors, both actors had mixed feelings. Fennoy said that on one hand, he would prefer black actors to play black characters “so black actors are able to work” and because "there is a history of whites in blackface doing degrading imitations of black people and in fact all too often we have continued the practice.” On the other hand, Fennoy said he knows white actors who can portray a black character authentically. “Lord knows I have played black, white, Latin, Asian, Eastern European, and hundreds of creatures with hundreds of accents both authentic and fabricated,” he added.

LaMarr also felt conflicted about his answer. “From an artistic perspective I would love it if race didn't have to be a factor, but from a "paying-my-rent" perspective, I'm glad it does,” he said. “If I have to compete for a Black male role with every Black male voice actor AND every white male voice actor, my chance of getting a job decreases immensely,” he said.

Interesting stuff. I glad LaMarr chimed in. I'm still really un-decisive on this stuff too.

 

[Scientist Supreme!]

Honestly, who gives a damn? As long as the voice fits the character, the VA's ethnicity is completely irrelevant.

Why does anyone give a crap about the skin color of the actor or the character? It doesn't matter whatsoever - Laura Bailey's a fantastic actress, and if they found her to be the best choice for the role, then I trust and respect their decision.

Allright, I'm for more representation. But come on, voice isn't tied to your color. Voice comes down to your talent and your work. And it's not because you are black you have to voice a black character, or because you're white that you have to voice white characters.

Phil Lamarr voiced Vamp in Metal Gear Solid 2 and 4.
TC Carson voiced Kratos.

Heck, I'll give you a funny french bonus:
Christophe Peyroux:
Voiced this little guy (Erik Per Sullivan):

in the French version of Malcolm in the Middle.

Did you guys read the article before responding?

 

[Platy]

Kratos was white before being covered in ashes?

Kratos is white??

i thought he was just an ashy black dude.

He was Greek .... closer to white than black I guess... but this was the reason "the CLOSEST I CAN THINK"

 

[Ceadeus]

Kratos is white!

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

Maybe that's why I sound "white"? Who is my voice actor?

 

[injurai]

Kratos is white??

i thought he was just an ashy black dude.

kratos isn't white

He is a Greek man, voiced by a black man.

 

[Boss Mog]

Didn't Naughty Dog say something about there being an unrevealed white character in Uncharted 4 that was being voiced by a black actor?

 

[LongDongJunon]

Anyone knows examples of Black actors voicing white characters ?

The closest I can think is Kratos ....

Danielle Nicolet voiced Shaundi from Saints Row the Third on.

 

[Get_craycray]

Allright, I'm for more representation. But come on, voice isn't tied to your color. Voice comes down to your talent and your work. And it's not because you are black you have to voice a black character, or because you're white that you have to voice white characters.

Phil Lamarr voiced Vamp in Metal Gear Solid 2 and 4.
TC Carson voiced Kratos.

Heck, I'll give you a funny french bonus:
Christophe Peyroux:

Voiced this little guy (Erik Per Sullivan):

in the French version of Malcolm in the Middle.

Holy shit! Mind blown (I used to watch Malcolm in the Middle a lot and in french because it's one of the rare series where I prefer french voices over the original ones).

 

[gigantor21]

The whole Nadine situation sucks.

As a black man, seeing Nadine kick ass is great, and Laura Bailey is one of my favorite voice actors; I absolutely love her take on the character. Her playing Nadine doesn't really bother me, but I can absolutely see why others wouldn't like it--mainly because it's emblematic of a much larger systemic issue of a lack of representation, both in terms of the games and the studios making them. It stands out a lot more because we rarely see characters like Nadine in big AAA productions, or in general really.

 

[SolidSnakex]

I don't get how the author found Druckmann's statement about Nadine yet asks how Laura got the job, as he explained how she did when he made the statement. Which is that Nadine didn't start out as a black character. They had her general character down, but not the design. Laura won the role and afterwards the final design was decided on.

 

[Cyber Caesar]

M. Bison is voiced by Gerald C. Rivers.

 

[Scientist Supreme!]

Didn't Naughty Dog say something about there being an unrevealed white character in Uncharted 4 that was being voiced by a black actor?

Yes but that's obviously not comparable.

 

[GhostTrick]

Did you guys read the article before responding?

I did, and I agree with the fact that it'd be nice to see more representation in the voice acting field. But I also don't think a voice actor should act a character tied to physical or ethnical similarities. The magic of voice acting is for these talented people to wear any mask, any costume thanks to their powerful voice. The most striking exemple IMO, even if not related to gaming but still voice acting, is Dewey's french dub, a white little kid dubbed by an black male adult.

 

[OfficerZap]

They have a non South African playing a South African.

Shouldn't they also insist on native speakers filling those roles?

If you can train an accent and it's allowable, then black American accents are as open to casting as English or Australian or Russian.

 

[Abriael]

Yes but that's obviously not comparable.

I hope you're being sarcastic.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

As much as it would be nice for more voice actors to be the same race as the characters they voice, in reality this isn't a big of an issue as whitewashing in live action works. Voice actors, unlike screen actors, aren't the face of their characters. Unless you are a much more than a causal watcher you won't see Batman and think Kevin Conroy. It matters more how the character is written and how they appear in-game/in animation than who voices them.

 

[TheHighFlyingBirds]

Didn't Naughty Dog say something about there being an unrevealed white character in Uncharted 4 that was being voiced by a black actor?

Yep it was posted on here when the issue about uncharted 4 last came up.

 

[zsynqx]

2 sides to the argument both which are valid.

It shouldn't matter what colour you are for voice acting because you're outward appearance ultimately means nothing. On the other hand, voice actors of colour are under represented in video games so if a black character comes up it would be nice if they were the ones to play it.

In the case of Uncharted 4, Laura eloquently explained the decisions made and honestly I trust Neil so much after he proved how well he can handle characters in both The Last of Us and Left Behind.

Didn't Naughty Dog say something about there being an unrevealed white character in Uncharted 4 that was being voiced by a black actor?

Yes, by Merle Dandridge I believe (Marlene in TLOU)

 

[Korigama]

He also voices an asian dude. We need Samurai Jack back!

I believe he was also Vamp from MGS games.

Samurai Jack was already confirmed a while back to be returning for another season on Toonami this year.

 

[The Last Wizard]

Ashley Williams from Mass Effect.

Came to post this. She did an amazing job with Ashely.

 

[lastplayed]

Anyone knows examples of Black actors voicing white characters ?

The closest I can think is Kratos ....

Zathrian in DA:O was voiced by Tim Russ.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Laura Bailey's response is perfect. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if that's how the situation is for a lot of voice actors / actresses.

 

[Scientist Supreme!]

I hope you're being sarcastic.

No. Why would I be?

I did, and I agree with the fact that it'd be nice to see more representation in the voice acting field. But I also don't think a voice actor should act a character tied to physical or ethnical similarities. The magic of voice acting is for these talented people to wear any mask, any costume thanks to their powerful voice. The most striking exemple IMO, even if not related to gaming but still voice acting, is Dewey's french dub, a white little kid dubbed by an black male adult.

Did you miss this:

Having a white actress play a black character is part of the beauty of games and voice acting, Druckmann said. “Your outward appearance doesn’t matter at all,” he said.

Part of the appeal of voice acting is the ability to play characters that are impossible in reality. In theory, physicality and race cannot stop someone from getting a job in voice acting. This is all under the assumption that everyone has a fair shot to begin with, however, and that those who have been historically oppressed are not, still, subject to discrimination today.

Druckmann's magical thinking ignores the racial bias that permeates entertainment media, including the gaming industry. But even if entrenched players like Druckmann struggle to comprehend this criticism, talk of racial justice in society has infiltrated the entertainment industry (see the #OscarsSoWhite boycott). Audiences are asking for more authenticity in entertainment’s depictions of people of color, even when it comes to voice acting.

 

[El Jaffe]

Anyone knows examples of Black actors voicing white characters ?

The closest I can think is Kratos ....

Kimberly Brooks voices Ash Williams in Mass Effect and the Oracle in the Batman games. You never actually see the Oracle in the games, and Ash looks mixed rather than straight white, so not sure if these are actual victories.

 

[Mexen]

I was surprised to learn that my player in NBA 2K15 was voiced a white person, a Mark something iirc.

Similarly, TC Carson as Kratos really shocked me as did Phil LaMarr as Vamp.

However, their performances took nothing away from my experience and I have fond memories because of them.

I suppose I do understand why some people feel there's a misrepresentation when VAs of a certain race voice characters of another but I feel that the talent is what is really important.

Give a role to the person best suited for it in terms of their skill. That's what I think.

 

[DagnastyEp]

Ashley Williams from Mass Effect.

Wow, never knew that!