Bayonetta’s Original Voice Actor Disputes Claims, Says She Only Asked For ‘A Fair, Living Wage’
Hellena Taylor, the original voice actor for PlatinumGames’ Bayonetta and one of the parties at the centre of a prolonged...
The post Bayonetta’s Original Voice Actor Disputes Claims, Says She Only Asked For ‘A Fair, Living Wage’ appeared first on Kotaku Australia.
Hellena Taylor, the original voice actor for PlatinumGames’ Bayonetta and one of the parties at the centre of a prolonged and messy public dispute over casting and wages, has tonight issued a new statement addressing allegations that have been made against her over the past week.
The saga, which has seen claims of underpayment made, voice actors abused and a prominent developer temporarily disappear from Twitter, began when Taylor made a series of recent videos in which she accused PlatinumGames of offering her an insultingly-low pay offer to reprise her role as Bayonetta for the upcoming third game.
The role was subsequently given to Jennifer Hale — who has issued her own statements — while a Bloomberg report said PlatinumGames had originally offered to pay Taylor somewhere between $US3,000 ($4,165) and $US4,000 ($5,553) per four-hour session for at least five recording sessions, for a total of at least $US15,000 ($20,823). It’s then said that when Taylor instead asked for a “six-figure sum” to voice the character, negotiations broke down.
Tonight, Taylor wrote a series of Tweets disputing some of the figures in these reports, saying:
It has come to my attention that some people are calling me a liar and golddigger. I feel the need to defend myself and my reputation in the industry.
As I posted on part three of my video thread. I explained that their first offer was too low. That offer was 10,000 dollars total. Remember, this is 450 million dollar franchise, (not counting merchandise.) I then wrote in Japanese to Hideki Kamiya, asking for what I was worth. I thought that as a creative, he would understand. He replied saying how much he valued my contribution to the game and how much the fans wanted me to voice the game. I was then offered an extra 5,0000! [Note: it appears this is a typo, and that Taylor means 5,000]
So, I declined to voice the game. I then heard nothing from them for 11 months. They then offered me a flat fee to voice some lines for 4,000 dollars. Any other lies, such as 4,000 for 5 sessions are total fabrications.
There were not “extensive negotiations.” I’ve also been informed of ridiculous fictions, such as I asked for 250,000 dollars. I am a team player. I was just asking for a fair, living wage in line with the value that I bring to this game.
I was paid a shockingly low total of £3000 total for the first game. A little more for the second. I wanted to voice her. I have drummed up interest in this game ever since I started on Twitter in 2011.
The post Bayonetta’s Original Voice Actor Disputes Claims, Says She Only Asked For ‘A Fair, Living Wage’ appeared first on Kotaku Australia.