Former Bayonetta voice actress Hellena Taylor has taken to Twitter to defend herself against claims that she is a “liar and a gold digger” in relation to an ongoing Bayonetta 3 controversy over payment for reprising her role as the title character.
Last weekend, Taylor took to Twitter to vent his frustration at allegedly only being offered $4,000 to voice Bayonetta in the upcoming game. Followed by article by Jason Schreier of Bloomberg and Andy Robinson of VGC – citing multiple sources and documentation – this contradicted Taylor’s account, she was only offered $4,000 to reprise her role as Bayonetta.
Today, the voice actress released a new statement via Twitter trying to defend herself and her reputation in the industry.
The reports indicate that PlatinumGames had attempted to hire Taylor for up to five four-hour sessions, paying between $3,000 and $4,000 per session. The total fee would have been around $15,000, according to VGC, which was significantly more than what Taylor had been paid for previous titles.
Taylor reportedly turned down the offer, demanding a six-figure sum and balance payments in exchange for her involvement in the project.
In a series of tweets, Taylor explained that PlatinumGames’ original offer – which she declined – totaled $10,000 and that she was offered an additional $5,000 following her correspondence with Hideki Kamiya.
Taylor says she turned down the $15,000 and also turned down an offer of $4,000 11 months later to speak “a few lines” as a flat fee.
According to Taylor, there were no extensive discussions, and claims that she was offered $4,000 for 5 recording sessions are, in her own words, “total fabrications”. She also denies having negotiated a six-figure payment.
“There were no ‘full negotiations,'” Taylor tweeted. “I was also informed of ridiculous fiction, such as asking for $250,000. I’m a team player. I only asked for a fair living wage commensurate with the value I bring to this game.
I’ve noticed that some people call me a liar and a gold digger. I feel the need to defend myself and my reputation in the industry. See thread #PlatinumGames #Nintendo #Bayonet #Bayonetta3 #Bayonet #Boycott #NintendoEurope #NintendoAmerica #NintendoJapan
— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 24, 2022
The veteran voice actress also said she was paid “shockingly low” pounds sterling for the original Bayonetta game and only “little more” for Bayonetta 2.
Taylor ended the Twitter thread by telling supporters that any money she took from fan signatures was donated to charity.
Friends, world people, bayonutters. listen!#PlatinumGames #Nintendo #Bayonet #Bayonetta3 #Bayonet #Boycott #NintendoEurope #NintendoAmerica #NintendoJapan pic.twitter.com/h9lwiX2bBt
— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 15, 2022
On October 15, Taylor posted a series of videos on Twitter in which she accused PlatinumGames – the developers of the Bayonetta franchise – of paying her what she called an insultingly low price for the game’s voice acting.
In the videos, Taylor explained that she turned down an initial “insulting offer” from PlatinumGames to reprise her role in Bayonetta 3 – a franchise she claims is worth $450 million. She then wrote to series director Hideki Kamiya to – in Taylor’s own words – “ask him what I’m worth.”
According to Taylor, Kamiya responded and stated that he appreciated her work on the series. He then reportedly offered her a flat rate of $4,000 to voice the game, which she declined, leading PlatinumGames to approach Mass Effect’s Jennifer Hale for the role.
The videos Taylor posted have since been viewed a total of over 10 million times and have sparked a debate about the gaming industry’s voice talent payout amid the ongoing controversy.
They’ve also cast a shadow over the upcoming release of Bayonetta 3, which is set to be one of Nintendo’s biggest releases this holiday season.
Anthony Wood is a freelance science writer for IGN
#Original #Bayonetta #Actress #Releases #Statement #Defend #Reputation #IGN
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