Mass Effect Voice Actor Jennifer Hale Says Original Voice Actors Should Return for the TV Adaptation

Information about Amazon’s Mass Effect TV show has been sparse since it was announced in 2021, but fans may begin to worry about this adaptation becoming a reality when talk arises about who will play each character.

Just yesterday, voice actor Jennifer Hale told Eurogamer that she not only covets a role in the series, but also believes that other voice actors from the games should also return for their roles in the TV adaptation.

“You’ll always get a yes vote from me for Shepard returning in any form,” said Hale, who voiced the female version of protagonist Commander Shepard in the original game trilogy. “It was such a gift and I will always be very happy to receive it.”

Hale’s phrase “in any form” seems to confirm that the prominent protagonist can be changed when translated to the screen, which seems appropriate given that players themselves have the ability to customize the character’s gender, class, name, and appearance during the game. The male version of Commander Shepard in the games was voiced by Mark Meer.

“I will never tell creators what to do,” Hale continued. “The only thing I have to say about this series is: I want to act! In any capacity, I will be there with bells!”

In 2013, Hale was recognized by Guinness World Records as the most prolific video game voice actress for her roles in such popular franchises as Baldur’s Gate, Metal Gear Solid, BioShock Infinite, Halo, Overwatch and, of course, Mass Effect.

And while it seems like Hale would be happy to once again play a female version of Shepard, the actor has voiced several other supporting characters throughout the series, meaning there’s a lot of potential for her to return to the screen in a different, smaller capacity. role.

“I think they would be very smart to bring as much of the original cast into the series as possible in cameos, Easter eggs, and recurring and regular cameos.” [roles] as much as possible,” Hale said. “I think it would be an absolutely brilliant move.”

There is a wide variety of other voice actors that make up the colorful cast of the Mass Effect games, from non-player characters to main characters who can be recruited. This includes, but is not limited to, Keith David as Captain David Anderson, Seth Green as Lt. Jeff “Joker” Moreau, Lance Henriksen as Admiral Stephen Hackett, Brandon Keener as Garrus Vakarian, Stephen Barr as Urdnot Rex, and Ali Hillis. as Dr. Liara T’Soni.

“The voice acting community is some of the most brilliant performers I have ever met,” Hale said. “They are the most gifted, hardworking, skilled and skilled people I have ever met in my life in the acting industry. So I’m ready to create a smart production company that stops overlooking this gold mine. I am completely willing to be on the show.”

It remains to be seen whether the show’s creators will heed Hale’s advice. For now, all we know is that the show is finally in development at Amazon MGM Studios. – news that, by the way, appeared on Day N7 last year. It was confirmed in Variety exclusive that Daniel Casey will write the script and serve as executive producer of the series. Karim Zreik will executive produce for Cedar Tree Productions with EA’s Ari Arad and Michael Gamble also serving as executive producers.

In the meantime, to learn more about Mass Effect 5, the upcoming entry in the Mass Effect series, check out our article How the game’s lead developer teased the return of the Paragon/Renegade morality system from the original trilogy.

Photo by Thomas Cooper/Getty Images.

Katie Royle is a freelance journalist whose entertainment reporting has appeared in IGN and Variety.