Hellena Taylor – the actor who voiced Bayonetta in the first two smash hit games in the series of the first name, but who fails to appear in the recently released episode three – has once again taken to Twitter to expand on the story so far.
Her latest comms are to defend her claims that Platinum Games did not offer her fair pay to voice the character in the third instalment of the franchise.
The original voice actress behind the game title Bayonetta, Hellena Taylor has taken to Twitter to combat claims that have branded her a ‘liar and gold digger’ concerning the ongoing debate surrounding her recent revelation that she was not offered a fair wage to return to the role.
It has come to my attention that some people are calling me a liar and golddigger. I feel the need to defend myself and my reputation in the industry. See thread #PlatinumGames #Nintendo #Bayonetta #Bayonetta3 #Bayonutters #Boycott #NintendoEurope #NintendoAmerica #NintendoJapan
— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 24, 2022
We’ve previously reported on Taylor’s Twitter claims in which she detailed her reasons for not being able to return to play Bayonetta in the third instalment. The reason was originally thought to be down to scheduling issues however Taylor denied this to set the record straight to state that she was offered just $4000 to voice the character again.
The videos have now been viewed on Twitter over 10 million times with many fans and industry individuals supporting Taylor for voicing her experience. However, in the following days, multiple reports began to dive deeper into the situation, with Bloomberg and VGC both citing sources which tell a different account of events.
Not $4000… But $15,000?
These claims state that Taylor was hired to lend her voice in at least five studio sessions each with a pay of between $3000 to $4000 for around four hours of work. This would have brought Taylor’s total fee nearer to that of $15,000. One source claimed that this was an increase in what the actress was paid for the second game.
This information has sparked further debate and divide in opinion as what truly happened seems even more unclear. Taylor decided to speak up on these further claims herself and took to Twitter again to expand upon her original insight.
Round 2… Fight!
In the tweets, Taylor states that Platinum Games presented a first offer that was “too low” this offer amounted to $10,000 total, Taylor then comments that the franchise is worth $450 million (A figure that has also sparked debate in its legitimacy) Taylor continued by saying that she wrote to game developer and director Hideki Kamiya to “ask for what I was worth” apparently Kamiya replied and offered an extra $5,000.
According to Taylor she then declined to voice the game and communications stopped for 11 months. Eventually, after a final flat rate offer was made to voice some lines for $4000. Taylor denies that an offer of $4000 for five sessions was made and that she also did not ever ask for $250,000 but only a fair living wage.
The controversy surrounding this situation has of course sparked debate among fans with many wishing to stand by the actress and boycott the game. Whereas others think it is unreasonable for her to demand such action from the fanbase of the game as everyone else who has worked on the title should not have to see a title they worked hard on be boycotted.
Some of these fans are also confused as to why Taylor did not lead with this information and only mentioned the offer of $4000.
Bayonetta 3 is scheduled to release on October 28th and while the controversy may have cast somewhat of a shadow over the release it has rekindled the important debate regarding pay for voice acting. Despite which side of this particular situation you fall on, many voice actors have long been battling for better and fair pay for the work they do. Many voice actors are now members of the actors union SAG-AFTRA which covers its members under several bargaining agreements to attempt to secure a fair wage and better work conditions.
Paige Cook is a writer with a multi-media background. She has experience covering video games and technology and also has freelance experience in video editing, graphic design, and photography. Paige is a massive fan of the movie industry and loves a good TV show, if she is not watching something interesting then she's probably playing video games or buried in a good book. Her latest addiction is virtual photography and currently spends far too much time taking pretty pictures in games rather than actually finishing them.
