Voice actor Jennifer Hale has spoken openly about the Bayonetta 3 casting controversy, revealing she “got thrown under the bus” while legally prevented from defending herself by two NDAs.
Hale replaced original Bayonetta voice actor Hellena Taylor for the 2022 game. In a recent interview with GamingBible, she explained she was bound by two separate non-disclosure agreements during the public fallout. These NDAs stopped her from clarifying the situation or responding to accusations as the controversy exploded online.
“I was unable to speak on my own behalf because I was under not one but two NDAs,” Hale said. Despite the ordeal, she added that she would “love to play Bayonetta again” in future games.
The controversy began in October 2022, just before Bayonetta 3‘s release. Taylor posted a series of videos claiming PlatinumGames had offered her only $4,000 total to reprise her role as Bayonetta. She called the offer insulting given the franchise’s success and urged fans to boycott the game.
Taylor’s videos went viral immediately. Many fans and media outlets accepted her account at face value. The backlash targeted PlatinumGames, Nintendo, and Hale herself. Some of Taylor’s statements were interpreted as attacks on Hale for taking the role.
Hale had already completed her work as Bayonetta’s new English voice. But her NDAs meant she couldn’t discuss casting decisions, payment structures, or contract terms. She was forced to remain silent while criticism mounted.
Days after Taylor’s videos, investigative reporting from Bloomberg painted a different picture. Multiple sources and documents suggested Taylor had been offered $3,000 to $4,000 per recording session across multiple sessions. The total offer was reportedly around $15,000 or more, significantly above union scale for video game voice work.
Later reports indicated that after negotiations broke down, PlatinumGames offered Taylor a smaller cameo role worth around $4,000. This appears to be the figure she focused on in her public statements.
Taylor later issued follow-up statements that complicated her initial claims. But by then, the simplified “$4,000 total” version had already spread across social media and gaming news sites.
When NDAs become weapons
At the height of the controversy in 2022, Hale released a brief statement. She expressed support for fair pay for voice actors and asked fans to keep an open mind. She affirmed her commitment to the Bayonetta 3 team. The carefully worded statement avoided specifics, likely due to her legal restrictions.
The situation highlighted a common industry problem. Video game voice actors typically work under strict NDAs covering project details, contract terms, and internal negotiations. When disputes become public, actors still bound by these agreements can’t share their side of the story.
Hale is one of gaming’s most prolific voice actors. She’s known for playing Commander Shepard in Mass Effect, Bastila Shan in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and roles in hundreds of other games and animated series. She’s also a longtime SAG-AFTRA member and advocate for fair compensation in voice acting.
