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We sit down with acclaimed actor Alix Wilton Regan, the voice behind iconic characters like the Inquisitor in Dragon Age: Inquisition and Alt Cunningham in Cyberpunk 2077. Alix shares her insights on the fight for better pay and recognition for video game actors, the role of unions, and the complex future of AI in the industry.
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00:00Actor Alex Wilton-Regan will be familiar to PC gamers as the voice of the Inquisitor in Dragon Age Inquisition
00:06and as Alt Cunningham in Cyberpunk 2077.
00:09A passionate advocate for the rights of actors in the video game industry, we sat down with Wilton-Regan recently
00:15to discuss her craft, the industry at large, and the wider implications of AI usage in performances.
00:20Check out the time codes if you wish to jump to a specific topic, but make sure you stick around
00:25to the end to hear her insights into AI's role in bringing performances to life.
00:30We asked Wilton-Regan what changes she'd like to see in the next five years to improve the conditions in
00:35recognition of actors in games.
00:37SAG-AFTRA are a fantastic union over here, and they have pushed through a lot of really important terms and
00:44conditions to protect their actors and ensure that their actors are fairly compensated.
00:50And also back home we have Equity, which is sort of the equivalent of SAG-AFTRA.
00:55Equity also trying very hard across the board.
00:57But what I noticed on both continents is that film and TV actors will often have far better rates of
01:04pay than video game actors.
01:06They will often get given royalties or back-end, however you want to describe it.
01:12So that means that if a TV show does well, that actor's contribution as the lead character in that TV
01:18show is recognised for years to come.
01:21It's a sort of, you know, a sort of thank you from the company, that's not a very elegant way
01:26of describing it, it's a way of acknowledging that the actors contributed to the success of the TV show or
01:31the film.
01:32I would love to see video game actors receive some sort of equitable recognition as a video game grows.
01:41So that, for example, if a video game does gross a billion dollars, which is very possible in today's markets,
01:46you know, you get some sort of royalty or back-end to recognise that your input had a huge contribution
01:55to the success of that video game.
01:56And I think it can be done. It's a question of will and clever accounting, but it can definitely be
02:01done.
02:02And then some other things that I observed from, like, film and TV contracts, for example, is that the stunt
02:06workers are really well protected, as they, of course, should be.
02:09I would advocate for that until the cows come home.
02:13Do you say until the cows come home?
02:14Yeah.
02:15Okay, yeah. Until the cows come home.
02:16I would also advocate for, you know, the inclusion of intimacy coordinators, for, like, intimate scenes on video games.
02:23I think it's all doable. I think it's all possible.
02:26I actually think it's quite an exciting time for video game actors in general to be a part of the
02:31industry, because where film and TV leads, video games will follow.
02:37It's inevitable. It's a growing industry. It's an incredibly profitable industry.
02:42There is no reason not to treat video game actors with the care, respect, and compensation that film and TV
02:53actors get.
02:54So it really is sort of a matter of time. I feel that very strongly in my bones.
02:57Wilton Regan has previously talked about a high-level executive critiquing her performance as a female character as too strong
03:04and coming off like a bitch.
03:06We asked her how she felt about strong female character archetypes in gaming and her experience of portraying them.
03:12It was really interesting. It was the only female video game executive that came to me and said,
03:20I'm just worried. I'm just a little bit worried that she's coming across as a bitch.
03:25And I was like, you know, when I think about what this character has lived through, she's angry.
03:31Yeah, she's angry, but she's not a bitch. There's a difference.
03:33You know, we have to be able to accept, absorb, and honor female rage.
03:40Men are allowed to rage in the society. Women are not allowed to rage.
03:44Women are not allowed to be angry, but of course we do.
03:47You know, we feel the same way that men do. Of course we get angry.
03:50You know, we care, we grieve, we love.
03:54You know, these are big emotions that women go through.
03:56And when they go through them, and when it's ugly, it doesn't make that character a bitch.
04:02It makes them vulnerable, and it makes them real, you know.
04:05And if you handle that character with delicacy, there's no reason that a character should come across as a bitch.
04:11She just comes across as human, you know.
04:14Now, of course, you could be playing a woman that was particularly bitchy, but that's a different character, you know.
04:20It was quite a sad moment, actually, that it was a woman that came up and questioned this,
04:24and I don't know why she felt the need to say that.
04:26It was many, many years ago, you know, and I don't think that people would say the same thing nowadays.
04:32And also, it's such a beloved character that if I said the name of the character, everyone would go,
04:38What? And I'd be like, yes, thank you, exactly, that's my point, you know.
04:41So the character did not come across as a bitch in the end, just so everyone's aware.
04:45I'm allergic to dust, and cats, and public speaking.
04:50You bring complexity by working with incredibly talented writers and directors who understand you as an actor
04:57and producers and directors and writers who appreciate the depth and nuance that you can bring to a character
05:05so that, yeah, absolutely, she's strong.
05:09Is she strong because she has to be?
05:10Or is she strong because she is strong?
05:12You know, a lot of the characters that I play, like the Inquisitor, the Inquisitor is not inherently strong.
05:16The Inquisitor is strong because she has to be, because she's put into this extraordinary situation.
05:21That's why the Inquisitor's strong.
05:22You look at Nomad from Ghost Recon Breakpoint, which most people don't even know that I played Nomad
05:26because it's on an American accent, it's very down there.
05:28Nomad is strong because she's strong, you know, but you bring that depth and that complexity
05:34because they're human, you know, unless you're playing Alt Cunningham in Cyberpunk
05:39and then she's strong because, you know, she's a discombobulated, you know, AI being that's talking to Johnny,
05:47you know, and she's strong because she's like, she's disconnected.
05:49So she doesn't know how to be anything but at that point, once she's been transformed into, you know,
05:55the kind of, I don't even know how you describe her, you know, the AI vision, basically.
06:00So it's a question of why are they strong?
06:03You know, it's a question of how do you humanize them?
06:06Aya is strong because Aya is grieving, Aya is raging.
06:10That's why she's strong.
06:12Aya was always strong.
06:13But if you go and kill her son, she's out for revenge.
06:15And I think most people, you know, on an imaginative level, hopefully not a real world level,
06:22but on an imaginative level, they can relate to that.
06:24It's very well known that I'm going to be the player character for Squadron 42.
06:29There's a huge journey there, you know, of strength and vulnerability
06:34and how those things intertwine and which one comes to the surface.
06:38When does it come to the surface?
06:39Why does it come to the surface?
06:42And I really, I always say it goes back to great writing and great direction, you know.
06:47And great, even like, give me a great composer.
06:50Give me a great music designer.
06:51I freaking love a composer, you know, and they'll put in the music and it makes it all emotional
06:56and great.
06:56And it's like, it's just so, it's such a collaboration, but it should always be explored
07:01in answer to your question.
07:02So it doesn't become a trope.
07:04Throughout her career, Alex Wilton Regan has played both blank slate protagonists
07:08and clearly defined characters.
07:10We asked about the differences between playing the two.
07:13It's one of the questions that I get asked the most.
07:16I have a really annoying answer, which is I don't quite know how I do it.
07:21Sorry.
07:21Sure.
07:22Which is not very helpful for people who want to know what the magic source is, you know.
07:26The magic source with someone like Bioware and the Inquisitor is that every single emotional
07:32state is very clearly defined.
07:34My job as an actor is to lean into that 120% without questioning and hopefully deliver something
07:41real and authentic that then resonates with you, the player, who's using me as the player
07:45character.
07:46Then you have someone like Alt, who is obviously very defined in her journey, her character,
07:53her being, and you can't play Alt.
07:55It is easier.
07:57Like, I think I've said quite a lot.
07:58I did a lot of Tai Chi in the booth to smooth out my voice for Johnny and V.
08:05Do you know what I mean?
08:05So I did a lot of, like, these kind of movements to make everything smooth.
08:08I felt really proud with how that turned out.
08:11A lot of people were like, oh, did they synthesize your voice or something?
08:14I was like, no, guys, that is my work.
08:17Give me the credit where credit is due.
08:18So that's easy because you go in a direction.
08:21But then, you know, you have big, complicated characters like Aya, where, again, you're going
08:27through the gamut of emotions because her story is so mammoth, right?
08:31Samantha Traynor is a great example of a really emotional arc within a video game.
08:37And you've just got to be real, man.
08:39You've got to tell the truth.
08:40You've always got to tell the truth, you know?
08:43And if you can't tell the truth, you've got to fake it really, really well.
08:47What studio or franchise does Wilton Regan wish she could work with?
08:51Naughty Dog.
08:52I think Naughty Dog are exceptional.
08:54I think they have, well, they have incredible leadership.
08:58They have incredible writers, which I've talked about, you know, being very kind of attracted
09:02to.
09:03They have incredible storytelling.
09:05I would love to join the Naughty Dog family.
09:08I've gone on public record and said I would love to join the Naughty Dog family.
09:13Who else?
09:14I'd love to go back and work for Remedy Games because they also do, you know, big, beautiful
09:20storytelling, which I'm really into.
09:21I mean, clearly RPGs are my thing.
09:24That's quite obvious to see.
09:26But I feel very lucky to be working with all of the companies that I am working with at
09:29the moment, you know?
09:30My working relationship with Cloud Imperium, who are making Squadron 42, has gone on for
09:36nearly 10 years now, you know?
09:38And I love them and we have our little routine.
09:41And so I feel very lucky to be working with the people that I'm working with as well.
09:45Wilton Regan has talked before about how meaningful it can be portraying characters of different
09:49identities.
09:50We asked if that larger social purpose comes into the performance itself.
09:54I wouldn't say that I necessarily have fans in mind, but, you know, I was raised in a
10:02very socially progressive household in London.
10:07I was raised to be culturally aware.
10:09I was raised to be interested in politics and how that impacts people on an everyday level,
10:15how political landscaping and choices, you know, does impact people's lives.
10:19How the moral choices that we make in our everyday lives, all of us, how does that impact the
10:25people around us?
10:26I'm just quite a conscious person of the world and I feel very grateful for that.
10:32I feel very grateful for that upbringing because, of course, that's given me a huge lens in which
10:37to observe humanity through, right, so that you get all of this juicy information, which you can bring
10:42into character and character portrayal.
10:44So whilst I wouldn't say that, for example, playing an LGBT character, I wouldn't say that
10:50that's like a tick box for me or a bucket list thing that I want to do when I am
10:56gifted the role.
10:57Yeah, I honor that.
10:58Yeah, I understand how important that representation is on screen.
11:02Yeah, I'm fully aware of the impact that that will have in people's lives.
11:08Even just, you know, on a kind of micro level, when I got to play Tassie Trianon in Amnesia Rebirth,
11:17one of my favorite games that I've ever done.
11:18Stellar writing, stellar directing, just gorgeous.
11:22Everything about it I loved.
11:23I was so aware that I was playing a woman whose child dies, which, thank God, I've never experienced
11:31that and I hope I never have to.
11:32I hope no one ever has to.
11:33But that was such a kind of tremendously emotional weight on my shoulder because I knew there would
11:40be women who were playing the game who have experienced baby loss or who have experienced
11:44child loss.
11:45And I just thought, wow, this is Mammoth.
11:48This is huge.
11:49This is going to be real for some people.
11:51This is going to resonate.
11:52And you need to do it justice.
11:54And I think, I really think we did.
11:55I think the writers did.
11:56I think, I hope I did.
11:58The feedback was hugely positive.
12:00And I feel immensely proud of that.
12:02So I'm always aware.
12:05I try not to let it dominate the space too much because you have to get the job done.
12:08Obviously, I'm there to serve the gaming company.
12:11So I do have to get the job done.
12:13But I very much keep that kind of as a secret core of steel.
12:17You know, what are the important things to that character?
12:21What really matters?
12:22In a time of rising interest in AI, what safeguards need to be put in place to protect human performances?
12:28AI voices will inevitably be flat and inexpressive.
12:32They are robots.
12:34They are not human.
12:35That's the issue with AI is they cannot recreate the human experience by, you know, scouring the internet for human
12:45emotion.
12:46It just doesn't work that way.
12:47Who is the wonderful founder of Rockstar Games?
12:50And this week, he went on record and said, AI is a tool in a creative industry for people who
12:56are not creative.
12:57I was like, yeah, that kind of sums it up.
12:59We're being fed this narrative that AI is the be-all and end-all of the future.
13:03I'm starting to question that narrative.
13:05Do I want AI to be hugely successful in early detection for breast cancer?
13:13Yeah, absolutely.
13:14I want less women to die of and suffer from breast cancer.
13:17Absolutely.
13:17You go AI to the hilt on that if it's going to help save lives.
13:21Do I want AI to steal art from creatives?
13:26No.
13:26Why would we want that?
13:27You know, art, art, culture, creativity, that's some of the- that is sort of the pinnacle of what humanity
13:33and humans do best.
13:35Let's protect it.
13:36Let's honor that.
13:37And I think it's really interesting that in the past just month, two months alone, I've noticed Harrison Ford speaking
13:44out against AI.
13:45Morgan Freeman suing the pants off people who've stolen his voice.
13:49You know, Guillermo del Toro saying he will never use AI.
13:52The founder of Rockstar Games speaking out against AI.
13:55You know, even Apple, which is a tech giant, coming out and saying, no, no, we want to protect creativity.
14:01I have so much respect for that.
14:05And I'm actually really excited to work with companies who do protect me, who do protect their artists.
14:13You know, I'm very lucky that I can get AI writers into a lot of my contracts, but I'm also
14:20fascinated and humbled by how generous those companies actually are with me and how these writers have spent years in
14:31the writers room building like the perfect scene.
14:33They've got the animators to put it together.
14:35They don't want it going through a machine.
14:37Those developers, they're living for the day to get on a PCAP stage and see an actor bring it to
14:42life.
14:43That's what's sexy.
14:45That's what's hot.
14:46Humanity, human emotion.
14:47That's what's interesting to people.
14:49I think it's wonderful that actually the majority of developers I work with, they're like, oh yeah, no, we don't,
14:54we don't need any of that AI stuff.
14:55We just want to be with you.
14:56We just want to see what you bring to the table.
14:57If I was working with a newer company, I would expect them to only use my voice and my material
15:04for the lines that I've recorded.
15:06I would expect them to protect that data.
15:08I would expect them not to sell it to a third party company.
15:12I would expect them not to run it through a LLM.
15:17You know, I would expect them to come to me and communicate clearly with me if they really needed to
15:25use my voice for something.
15:27Of course, there are situations where you've been on a game for five years and then you're on a TV
15:31show and you can't get out the TV show.
15:33So absolutely, if you need to use my voice in an ethically sound manner, absolutely, that's about clarity.
15:41You're coming to me, you're telling me the truth about what you're using my material for that I've generated.
15:45You're giving me control to say yes or no.
15:48You're asking for my consent.
15:50Consent is always sexy, guys.
15:51It's a big word, but it's true, you know, and you're compensating me.
15:55So you're saying, hey, okay, we can't get you in the booth for this hour, but we will compensate you
15:59fairly for adapting it.
16:01Now, of course, in that situation, I'm going to say yes.
16:03I've no desire to slow down a company's timeline.
16:06Absolutely not.
16:07There are situations where I could see that AI would be really useful.
16:10More to the point, if we want to use it ethically and responsibly, let's use AI for things that really
16:16do matter to people.
16:18In medical situations, for example, let's go save lives.
16:20Absolutely, but let's not take jobs away from artists or from people who just want to pay their mortgages.
16:26Thanks to Alex, Walter and Regan for this fascinating chat and to you for watching.
16:30For more in-depth interviews like this, subscribe to PC Gamer.
16:34See you soon?
16:35So, after we wait.
16:35Oh, yeah.
16:35Oh, yeah.
16:41Oh, yeah.
16:45Oh, yeah.
16:47Oh, yeah.
16:48Oh, yeah.
16:49Oh, yeah.