Hollywood has gotten into our video games, and for the most part, the results have been positive. Seeing some of the biggest names from major films captured in a piece of software might take a while to get used to, but the narrative results seen in Beyond: Two Souls show that an experienced actor can really add something new to a video game story. We recently had a chance to talk to Quantic Dream co-founder Guillaume de Fondaumière about working with this type of talent, as well as their attitudes when first being asked to play such peculiar roles.
“Years ago, we worked with David Bowie… also, Angelo Badalamenti. And when approaching these individuals, their reactions have always been the same: this is new, and I can be the first among my peers to do something like this,” de Fondaumière said in the interview. “So when it came to Page and Dafoe, age didn't make any difference.
“Their attitude was that they wanted to work on what is new, that's what's attractive to them. I think David Bowie, Willem Dafoe, Ellen Page… they're all the same. They're all pioneers.”
There might have been a bit of unease when Page made a jab at the character design of The Last of Us, but it seems as if both major actors in Beyond enjoyed the experience. That bodes well if we ever hope to see even bigger names in future products.