Ahead of Bayonetta 3's 2022 release, the Umbra witch herself, Hellena Taylor, called for fans to boycott the game after it was recast with Jennifer Hale, claiming that Platinum only offered her a paltry $4,000 to record her lines. In a video criticizing the developer, she urged fans to save their money and donate to several charities instead.
However, it emerged that she was offered roughly five times what she originally claimed, and that the deal instead fell apart when she tried to negotiate a six-figure salary. Taylor remained adamant that it was an “absolute lie”, but it didn't matter. In the following weeks, she found herself in the storm of a brand new scandal. She has already been accused of transphobia and supported Blue Lives Matter, and several charities she listed were found to be staunchly anti-abortion.
As quickly as Taylor gathered fan support, she lost it, but the damage was already done. Due to her video calling out Platinum Games and calling for a boycott, series creator Hideki Kamiya was inundated with “verbal abuse”, while Jennifer Hale became the face of the controversy. Regardless, Hale is excited to reprise the role should there be a sequel.
“I would love to play Bayonetta again,” Hale told GamingBible. “The whole thing definitely threw me under the bus and I couldn't speak for myself because I was under not one, but two non-disclosure agreements. I was finally allowed to make a statement, which I appreciated, and I was able to present the facts.”
Before I accepted the audition, I checked everything thoroughly and I trust the director.
“Some of the things that were said were presented as facts, but they were untrue,” Hale continued, referring to Taylor's claim that she was only offered $4,000. “Otherwise, I would never have taken the role. Before I accepted the audition, I checked everything thoroughly and I trust the director.”
While she couldn't go into specifics in 2022, this is the sentiment she shared in her original statement: “I support every actor's right to be paid well and have consistently advocated for it for years. Anyone who knows me or has followed my career will know that I respect my peers.”
Fortunately, there is a silver lining to all of this. Despite the firestorm Hale was thrown into with Taylor's video, “Bayonetta was so fun to play and the community was so supportive, especially after the fiasco passed and the facts came out.” So everything was evened out in the end. But hopefully, if Bayonetta 4 ever gets greenlit, Hale won't have to endure the same stormy run-in.
- Released
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October 28, 2022
- ESRB
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m
- Engine
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Proprietary engine
