Bayonetta 3 Actor Says She Was “Thrown Under The Bus” After Recasting

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After the original voice actress, Hellena Taylor, left the role, Jennifer Hale became the new voice of Bayonetta in the 2022 game, Bayonetta 3. While Hale enjoyed working on the character, the situation surrounding Taylor’s departure and the resulting public debate made the experience difficult for her.

In an interview with GAMINGbible, Hale expressed her enthusiasm for reprising the role of Bayonetta, but also made it clear she was unhappy with how things had unfolded.

Looking back, that situation really left me in a difficult position, and I couldn’t share my side of the story because I was bound by two non-disclosure agreements. I was eventually permitted to make a statement, which I was grateful for, and finally had the chance to explain what actually happened.

Okay, so the whole Bayonetta 3 voice actor situation was pretty messy. PlatinumGames decided to go with a new voice for Bayonetta, and the original voice actress, Jennifer Hale, couldn’t really talk about it because of a non-disclosure agreement. Then, the original actress, Hellena Taylor, asked fans to boycott the game. She claimed they only offered her $4,000 to come back, which seemed super low considering she was Bayonetta for years. Later, she clarified that they actually offered $15,000 for multiple recording sessions, but she asked for $250,000, and they said no. The $4,000 offer, she explained, came after she’d already asked for the higher amount. It’s a really complicated situation, and honestly, it’s made me think differently about the game.

Hale explained to GAMINGbible that some claims made were untrue. He emphasized he wouldn’t have taken the job if he’d known that. Before agreeing to audition, he did his research and trusted the director. Fortunately, he really enjoyed playing Bayonetta and the gaming community was very supportive, particularly once the truth came to light after a difficult situation. He admitted it was upsetting to be unfairly criticized, but he was glad to move past it.

So, I was chatting with Jennifer Hale recently, and it turns out even she’s in the dark about the Knights of the Old Republic remake! It’s kinda wild, considering I remember her as Bastila Shan in the original games. Of course, she’s also iconic as my FemShep in the Mass Effect trilogy – I always played as the female Commander Shepard! Right now, she’s killing it as Jean Grey in X-Men ’97, which is awesome news because Disney+ just renewed it for a third season. We’ll get Season 2 of X-Men ’97 sometime in the summer of 2026, which I’m already counting down the days for.

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2025-12-01 20:10