Many video games would be nothing without voice actors. They breathe life into entities that would otherwise remain humble 3D meshes. It’s always a brilliant moment when you can recognise an actor just from their voice. Especially with lesser-known celebrities – most people can spot Troy Baker and Nolan North a mile off by now.
With that said, there are several voices in video games that belong to A-list celebrities. Some of them are obvious cameos, whereas others you’d never recognise a mile off. Here’s a list of five famous celebrities that you probably didn’t know had appeared in video games.
Pedro Pascal – Dishonored 2
You’ll likely know Pedro Pascal for his several excellent roles in top pop-culture TV shows and movies. He appeared as Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones, is the star of The Mandalorian, and also appeared in the most recent Wonder Woman movie. However, did you know that Pascal also holds a pretty significant role in one of Arkane’s best games?
That’s right, Pedro Pascal is none other than the voice of Paolo in Dishonored 2. He’s the leader of the Howlers gang in Karnaca, the city where much of Dishonored 2 takes place. In typical Arkane fashion, Paolo’s morality sits in an ambiguous grey area. His actions are criminal, but he at least thinks he’s committing them in the name of justice. As such, the player is given a choice to either take him out or work alongside him.
Either way, you’ll get to hear the amazing tones of Pedro Pascal’s voice along the way. Given that much of his role in The Mandalorian is done beneath a helmet, you’ll likely be pretty good at recognising him from just his voice. Here’s a clip of Pascal in his role as Paolo:
Kristen Bell – Assassin’s Creed
You may know her from her leading roles in The Good Place or Disney’s Frozen, but did you know that Kristen Bell also voiced a major character in the early Assassin’s Creed games? I sure as heck didn’t. Veteran fans of AC will remember the character of Lucy, a love interest for protagonist Desmond who’s a crucial character right from the very first game. She remains with us throughout the first three games until (spoiler alert) Desmond stabs her in the abdomen under the influence of Juno, an ancient god.
At the time of the first Assassin’s Creed, Bell was mostly known for her role in Heroes or Veronica Mars. However, she began to see breakout success in roles like Anna in Frozen. There’s a rumour that the character of Lucy was actually supposed to stick around for much longer in the Assassin’s games. It’s thought that Ubisoft killed off the character because it couldn’t afford to keep Bell in the role after she found bigger successes.
However, none of these rumours have concrete sources and are mostly speculation. They also fall apart when you realise that Nolan North, who voices Desmond Miles, also has a huge voice acting career. And yet, North has been kept on to voice Desmond right up until even the most recent game, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
Simon Pegg – Fable 3
Ok, you might have heard of this one – but only because Fable 3 is absolutely stacked with British celebrity voice actors. Simon Pegg is part of an incredible cast of characters, all of which help the quant British vibes of Fable shine through. He plays the character of Ben Finn, a Captain of the Albion Royal Army. You come across him in Mourningwood while completing the quest ‘The Hollow Legion’.
When meeting Finn, you’ll also come across the character of Private Jammy. He’s voiced by none other than everyones favourite Salfordian comedian, Jason Manford. If you keep an ear out throughout the entire Fable 3 campaign, you’ll find new British celebs at every turn. There’s Sir Ben Kinglsey, Stephen Fry, Naomie Harris, Michael Fassbender, a young Nicholas Hoult, John Cleese, and even Jonathon Ross.
Given Pegg’s evident love for video games and nerd culture, hearing his voice in Fable 3 always makes me smile. Not only does he lend his voice excellently, but I just know that he was living the dream while recording those lines.
Natalie Dormer – Mass Effect: Andromeda
Despite it’s stumbled launch and clear faults, Mass Effect: Andromeda certainly had a hefty budget behind it. With the Mass Effect games putting characters and their relationships at the forefront, it makes sense that Bioware would want to invest heavily in decent voice acting. That might be why it hired Natalie Dormer to voice one of the main Asari characters in Andromeda.
The Game of Thrones and Hunger Games star plays Dr Lexi T’Perro on board the Tempest. She acts as a support role for the player, patching up the protagonist after every dangerous encounter. Much to the dismay of Mass Effect fans, Dormer’s character isn’t a romance option. That’s sacrilege for a game that claims to be part of the Mass Effect series.
Interestingly, Dormer isn’t the only Game of Thrones star to appear in Mass Effect: Andromeda. Gethin Anthony, who played Renly Baratheon in the HBO epic, also voiced Gil Brodie in Andromeda. He’s the Chief Engineer on the Tempest, and you’ll be pleased to know that he is a romance option.
Lewis Hamilton – Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Lastly, when he’s not chasing his eighth world title, did you know that Sir Lewis Hamilton is also a spacecraft engineer? Well, in the world of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, he is. Hamilton appears as himself at several points throughout Infinite Warfare’s campaign. You can consistently find him wandering around the hub spaceship where you start all of the game’s missions.
He’s super easy to identify – Infinity Ward made no efforts to disguise this cameo. Rocking a baseball cap, sometimes backwards, Hamilton appears as himself in all scenes. The subtitles even refer to his character as ‘Hamilton’, and the F1 world champion even provided plenty of voice lines for the game too.
Infinite Warfare was actually fairly stacked for celebrities appearing in-game. Professional boxer Connor McGregor also shares a small cameo in the game. Of course, you can’t forget about Kit Harrington of Game of Thrones fame who plays the main antagonist in Infinite Warfare’s campaign.
Which other famous celebrities have you recognised in video games? Tell us about them across our social channels.
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[Featured Image Credit: NBC/HBO]