Graha Voice Actor Change?

[Vespar]

Its definitely jarring when they change VAs hapahazardly. If they ahd made a statement beforehand I might have been prepared for it... but nope.

[OliverQ]

Jonathan is super busy from filming Wicked and Jurassic Park and think he has stated he's taking some time away from acting to focus on his charity. So they probably had to change VAs since he couldn't fit it in right now. Whether he returns to the role at some point remains to be seen.

[SamuraiMiqo]

So i did some looking around and, allegedly, he's been overworked. Being in Wicked, Bridgerton, Jurassic Park, and other projects ended up causing him to get sick, so his voice is going to sound different.

[Wasselin]

I see some saying it's him just he sounds sick but to me it I'm not so sure. I hope Jonathan Bailey can keep playing Graha, and if his voice is overworked that he gets better.

[Vespar]

If it is him, ouch he sounds pretty bad. Give the man a break! If its not... well... my earlier point still stands. Its quite jarring.
But the voice sounds entirely different... to my ears anyways.

[RedLolly]

If his voice is utterly wrecked so badly that we are questioning if it is him...

I don't know, I feel like I'm being gaslit. It just doesn't sound like Bailey at all and if it is because he's ill or wrecked his vocal chords, oh my goodness. Oh my goodness.

[Rithy255]

I thought he sounded slightly more edgy then usual.

I didn't mind it personally but I can understand him being recasted is upsetting to people.

[peachsyder]

The possibility of G'raha being recast has been haunting me since Bailey's career blew up, frankly. My fears were assuaged after Bailey's interview for BAFTA in March 2024 where he talks about G'raha and how he was so determined to not step away from the role that he recorded even when he his tongue got inflamed. It's clear that Bailey himself loves playing G'raha, so I really wasn't expecting a recast anymore, because I always thought that if it were to happen it'd be by Bailey's choice.

But with this patch, I just... I don't know. In some lines, I swear I can still hear Bailey, but in others, it's not just that his voice sounds different, it's his entire intonation/accent? It really dampened my enjoyment of the patch and honestly has got me concerned and demotivated about future content.

If you're gonna call this an overreaction, glad it's not a big deal to you, but some of us are invested in the story and its characters above all, and having a main character that has had the same voice actor for six years delivering a stellar performance that is the very reason many have grown so fond of him be suddenly recast like this is a big deal to a lot of us. Frankly, it's not unlikely watching that character become an entire different person.

That said, it seems odd that of all times to recast Bailey, it'd happen now that his schedule is slowing down. People mention Wicked because it released now, but filming wrapped up in Jan 2024. Even when he was at his busiest, filming for Wicked, Bridgerton, and other projects, he still came back as G'raha. So why now? If it is a recast, was it because his contract covered 7.0-7.3, and SE didn't renew it for 7.4-7.55 onwards? If they didn't, then what was the reason? I doubt Bailey, considering what he said in that past interview and that VA work is not nearly as time consuming as movie/teather, would be the one to decide to quit.

If it was SE's decision, and if it was for budget reasons of all things, I find that frankly insulting. This is a multimillion dollar company, are we seriously supposed to believe they can't afford Bailey in a voice acting role? And to see someone say that it would be a good decision to cut budget on a main character's voice actor to spread it to other areas is absolutely wild to me. You think this is where budget cuts should go? On the widely beloved voice actor of one of the most prominent characters in the entire game?

I want to believe and I truly do hope that Bailey wasn't recast and this patch was just recorded under extraneous circumstances, like him being sick. I'm just really dreading the possibility of a permanent recast. And if it is one, surely it warrants a proper announcement, seeing as G'raha is such a major character. I'm sure a JP recast would be properly communicated, so does an EN one not warrant the same courtesy if this truly is the case?

[KiraRavens]

The possibility of G'raha being recast has been haunting me since Bailey's career blew up, frankly. My fears were assuaged after Bailey's interview for BAFTA in March 2024 where he talks about G'raha and how he was so determined to not step away from the role that he recorded even when he his tongue got inflamed. It's clear that Bailey himself loves playing G'raha, so I really wasn't expecting a recast anymore, because I always thought that if it were to happen it'd be by Bailey's choice.

But with this patch, I just... I don't know. In some lines, I swear I can still hear Bailey, but in others, it's not just that his voice sounds different, it's his entire intonation/accent? It really dampened my enjoyment of the patch and honestly has got me concerned and demotivated about future content.

If you're gonna call this an overreaction, glad it's not a big deal to you, but some of us are invested in the story and its characters above all, and having a main character that has had the same voice actor for six years delivering a stellar performance that is the very reason many have grown so fond of him be suddenly recast like this is a big deal to a lot of us. Frankly, it's not unlikely watching that character become an entire different person.

That said, it seems odd that of all times to recast Bailey, it'd happen now that his schedule is slowing down. People mention Wicked because it released now, but filming wrapped up in Jan 2024. Even when he was at his busiest, filming for Wicked, Bridgerton, and other projects, he still came back as G'raha. So why now? If it is a recast, was it because his contract covered 7.0-7.3, and SE didn't renew it for 7.4-7.55 onwards? If they didn't, then what was the reason? I doubt Bailey, considering what he said in that past interview and that VA work is not nearly as time consuming as movie/teather, would be the one to decide to quit.

If it was SE's decision, and if it was for budget reasons of all things, I find that frankly insulting. This is a multimillion dollar company, are we seriously supposed to believe they can't afford Bailey in a voice acting role? And to see someone say that it would be a good decision to cut budget on a main character's voice actor to spread it to other areas is absolutely wild to me. You think this is where budget cuts should go? On the widely beloved voice actor of one of the most prominent characters in the entire game?

I want to believe and I truly do hope that Bailey wasn't recast and this patch was just recorded under extraneous circumstances, like him being sick. I'm just really dreading the possibility of a permanent recast. And if it is one, surely it warrants a proper announcement, seeing as G'raha is such a major character. I'm sure a JP recast would be properly communicated, so does an EN one not warrant the same courtesy if this truly is the case?

100% this on all points