When you settle in to play a game, it might surprise you to hear a familiar voice coming from the main character, or from someone you meet along the way. Some are recognizable instantly, especially thanks to motion capture performances, while other actors voice these characters across different mediums.
And sometimes, the actors are just playing themselves.
1. Sarah Bolger – Bioshock 2
The character: Eleanor Lamb
Eleanor Lamb is a significant character in this second entry in the BioShock franchise, acting as the catalyst for the main character, Subject Delta, no matter what the underwater city of Rapture throws at him. Sarah Bolger brings the character to life, and players may recognize her from Once Upon a Time, where she played a live-action Sleeping Beauty, or Bridget in The Westies.
2. Elijah Wood – Legend of Spyro
The character: Spyro
It comes as no surprise to find Elijah Wood in a Lord of the Rings game, where he reprises his role as Frodo Baggins in five different games, including The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth and Lego Dimensions. Players might not recognize him immediately from the Spyro franchise, where he plays the distinctive purple dragon. More recent film and TV projects include Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, the sequel to the horror flick Ready or Not; the Charlotte’s Web miniseries, where he plays Wilbur; and the Showtime original Yellowjackets.
3. Mark Hamill – Batman: Arkham trilogy
The character: the Joker
This performance is probably the most famous and recognizable, aside from instances where the actor is playing themselves. Mark Hamill has voiced the Crown Prince of Crime since 1992, when he played the character in Batman: The Animated Series, alongside the late Kevin Conroy as Batman. Mark played the Joker in Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight, as well as early titles including The Adventures of Batman & Robin on the SEGA CD. Alongside his iconic turn as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies, Mark also played the Major in The Long Walk and the Flying Dutchman in The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.
4. Nicolas Cage, Eminem, and Burt Reynolds – Various
The characters: Themselves
When it was announced that Nicolas Cage was coming to Dead by Daylight, it was understandable to assume he’d play a version of Dracula. The film Renfield, starring Nicolas as the famous vampire, had just come out. But no – Nicolas Cage in the DBD universe is, in fact, Nicolas Cage. The actor. Similarly, Eminem – along with his alter ego, Slim Shady – can be found in Hitman: World of Assassination. Legendary actor Burt Reynolds was featured as himself in Saints Row: The Third. Nicolas Cage recently had a spine-chilling turn in Longlegs, while Eminem has a role in Happy Gilmore 2. Burt Reynolds appears in classics like Smokey & the Bandit, All Dogs Go to Heaven, and Deliverance.
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