Clair Obscur Actor Thinks There Should Be A Best Character Category At The Game Awards
Jack Coleman (He/Him) is a News Editor from Ireland. This is his third full year in games media, having previously worked freelance for various outlets, including DualShockers and NME.
Previously, he’s interviewed breakout indie developers, broken big news stories, reviewed massive releases and recounted his time living as a humble woodsman in Oblivion.
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is highly praised for the performance of its cast, an ensemble of some of the best and brightest in video game acting. This was clearly evidenced at The Game Awards, where three of the game’s actors were nominated for Performance of the Year.
This esteemed cast of performers comprised of Ben Starr (Verso), Charlie Cox (Gustave) and Jennifer English (Maelle), with the latter taking home the ultimate prize. In response to his nomination, Cox gave all the credit to Gustave’s motion capture actor, Maxence Cazorla, for the performance. The whole affair sparked a conversation about the nature of performance and how many people are involved in bringing a character to life.
In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Cazorla elaborated on his feelings about the performance and how he felt hearing Cox highlighting the role of motion capture actors.
Should Awards Be More Holistic?
“First of all, it was an incredible honour for me that Charlie spoke publicly and acknowledged my work. I was deeply motivated by his humility and generosity,” Cazorla revealed.
Considering the overwhelming number of awards won by Expedition 33, the topic quickly turned to award season, and Cazlora gave his opinion on how performance awards should be reworked.
“When it comes to a potential motion capture category, I think it’s a delicate subject, because every game is built differently,” he explained. “In this case, Clair Obscur is a game where many of the characters are created through collaboration between two actors. For example, Maelle with Charlotte Hoepffner and Jennifer English, Lune with Estelle Darnault and Kirsty Rider, Verso with Ben Starr and myself. Other games might have a single actor doing full performance capture, and some projects even involve stunt performers, motion capture actors, and all contributing to the same actor.”
The solution? Give the award to the character, rather than an individual performer.
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“That’s something the DICE Awards already do, and I think it’s a very intelligent approach. If you reward Gustave as a character and his impact on players, you acknowledge Charlie Cox for the voice, myself for the performance capture, but also the writers who shaped his personality, the character artists, and everyone who contributed to bringing him to life.”
He concludes by saying that video games are a collaborative art form, and everyone who contributed to each aspect of a game should be celebrated.
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