Fable and celebrities in casting: a well-established tradition, not a novelty

The new Fable is talked about for its imposing cast. Hayley Atwell headlining, well-known faces from British comedy – some observers see this as proof of a worrying trend: video games which abandon specialized actors in favor of Hollywood stars for purely commercial reasons.

This debate deserves to be nuanced. Because for anyone who knows the history of the franchise, using recognized names is nothing new. Fable 3 had already done it – and with remarkable ambition.

A Fable 3 casting that had nothing to envy of the biggest productions

In 2010, Fable 3 had assembled a truly astonishing set for a video game of the time. Michael Fassbender, Naomie Harris, Simon Pegg, Stephen Fry, Ben Kingsley, John Cleese and Nicholas Hoult appeared in the credits. Dubbing director Kate Saxon submitted her ideal list to Microsoft hoping to get a part of it. She got them all. The key to this success? A demanding approach to voice work : Saxon asked each actor to treat the project like theater. Result: no half-hearted performance, none of these mechanical deliveries sometimes associated with celebrities who venture into video games.

A lesser known detail is also worth mentioning. The playable protagonists of Fable 3 — the first in the series to be dubbed — also came from an unexpected environment: British television series. Kellie Bright, known for her breakout role in EastEnderset Louis Tamone, passé par Hollyoaks et Emmerdale, had never worked on a game before this title. Both have since found a new field of expression.

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Game actors who also come from other backgrounds

This phenomenon is not new and is not limited to Fable. Neil Newbon, praised for his interpretation in Baldur’s Gate 3had also cut his teeth in television series – including 63 episodes of Hollyoaks — before finding in video games a second professional wind. He himself declared that this medium had relaunched his career while he was struggling to land roles. Devora Wilde, another star of Baldur’s Gate 3followed a similar path. The border between “game” actors and “television or cinema” actors is therefore much more porous than we suggest.

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A 2027 casting more diverse than it seems

Qualify the new Fable de simple vitrine à célébrités, c’est passer à côté d’une réalité plus nuancée. Aux côtés d’Hayley Atwell, on retrouve Natasia Demetriou et Matt King — comédiens de British comedy perfectly in tune with the offbeat universe of the franchise – or even Kwame Augustine, a young London actor whose role could constitute a real understand. Without forgetting Nina Wadia, who perpetuates the tradition of soap opera actors reinventing themselves in video games. The real question is not whether stars star in Fablebut to ensure that actors from video games benefit from the same visibility as their cinema counterparts.

SOURCE: TheGamer