Jennifer Hale Would 'Love to Play Bayonetta Again,' But Admits 'It Was Not Fun Getting Thrown Under the Bus' After She Replaced Original Voice Actor

Jennifer Hale has opened up connected PlatinumGames' arguable determination to prosecute her and regenerate archetypal dependable histrion Hellena Taylor for Bayonetta 3, admitting, "I decidedly got thrown nether the autobus by that full thing."

Just up of the 3rd instalment of Hideki Kamiya's stylish enactment crippled series, PlatinumGames revealed that Taylor — who voiced Bayonetta successful the archetypal 2 games — wouldn’t return, and would alternatively beryllium portrayed by Hale.

“Various overlapping circumstances made it hard for Hellena Taylor to reprise her role,” Platinum said astatine the time. “We held auditions to formed the caller dependable of Bayonetta and offered the relation to Jennifer Hale, whom we felt was a bully lucifer for the character."

Jennifer Hale astatine New York Comic Con 2025 connected October 9, 2025. Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for ReedPop.

In 2022, Taylor released a thread of videos connected Twitter claiming she was offered lone $4,000 successful full to reprise the relation for Bayonetta 3. In addition, Taylor asked fans to boycott the crippled and alternatively donate the wealth they would person spent connected it to charity.

A consequent study from Bloomberg (and aboriginal corroborated by VGC) revealed that Platinum allegedly attempted to prosecute Taylor for 5 four-hour sessions astatine a complaint betwixt $3,000 and $4,000 apiece. This would person enactment Taylor's full compensation for Bayonetta 3 astatine $15,000, overmuch higher than the magnitude she claimed she was offered. Taylor past released a caller statement, saying she was successful information offered $15,000 for the role, but she denied aspects of the reports.

Hale besides released a connection amid accrued scrutiny and societal media harassment implicit the situation, though it was vague owed to non-disclosure limitations.

Now, considering whether oregon not she'd reprise her relation arsenic the titular witch, Hale was cautious but candid, admitting that portion she'd "love to play Bayonetta again," "it was not amusive getting thrown nether the autobus similar I had."

"I decidedly got thrown nether the autobus by that full thing, and I was incapable to talk connected my ain behalf due to the fact that I was nether not 1 but 2 NDAs. Eventually, I was allowed to marque a statement, which I appreciated, and I was capable to contiguous the facts,” Hale told GAMINGbible.

“There were immoderate things said [that were] presented arsenic facts, but were false. I would person ne'er taken a relation otherwise. Before I accepted the audition, I checked everything thoroughly, and I spot the director. Thankfully, playing Bayonetta was truthful overmuch fun, and the assemblage was truthful welcoming to me, particularly aft the fiasco had passed and the facts came out. But it was not amusive getting thrown nether the autobus similar I had, but I was blessed to travel retired connected the different side."

The iconic dependable down Commander Shepard would besides emotion to instrumentality for Mass Effect 5, saying she "would beryllium determination earlier they decorativeness the sentence" if asked. Hale, the histrion who gave beingness to "FemShep" spoke to IGN precocious and expressed her tendency to instrumentality to possibly her astir beloved character.

It turns retired she wouldn’t adjacent request to reprise her relation arsenic Commander Shepard — conscionable being capable to measurement backmost into that satellite again successful any signifier would marque her happy.

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Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for ReedPop.

Vikki Blake is simply a newsman for IGN, arsenic good arsenic a critic, columnist, and advisor with 15+ years acquisition moving with immoderate of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's besides a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her astatine BlueSky.