Star Wars: KOTOR actress Jennifer Hale left 'gobsmacked' by RPG's big twist
After learning the player had been Darth Revan all along, Bastila voice actress Jennifer Hale was "gobsmacked" by the big plot twist in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
Jennifer Hale was "gobsmacked" by the big plot twist in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
The iconic BioWare RPG has one of the best plot twists in gaming history when it is revealed the player has been Darth Revan all along, and Hale – who voiced the Jedi Bastila in the title – has now admitted she was shocked when she learnt the truth.
During an interview with BuzzFeed, the 53-year-old actress said: "I did not see the twist coming!
"Knights of the Old Republic really showed me the level of writing, storytelling, and surprise that was possible in games.
"It was so adventurous and forward-thinking and incredible. It completely shocked me.
"I remember just being gobsmacked by this game so many times because I didn't see it ahead of time.
"I discovered the story as I recorded. I really had to work hard to overcome my own experience of what I was reading, and just jump in and be in the moment."
Hale was also taken aback to learn Bastila would fall to the Dark Side after the dreaded Darth Malek twisted her mind.
The actress recounted: " This was my first experience with the light side and dark side. I first did all the light-side story, and I got to feel fantastic.
"I got to feel like the big hero, and it was so much fun. Then I came back in, and I was a little bit confused. I wasn't exactly sure what we were doing.
"Ginny McSwain and Darragh O'Farrell were our voice directors, and they told me, 'It's the same stuff, but you're doing it this way now.'
"I went, 'What? She what?' I almost felt personally betrayed. I was like, 'No, she can't! She's the good guy!'"
Reflecting on KOTOR, Hale said that the 2003 RPG had set up "this incredible cinematic world we have today" in gaming.
She added: "Knights of the Old Republic really stood out to me as very cinematic, moving closer to my favorite form of acting which is a film and television style.
"I think that's why games appealed to me so much, because I love a good drama, a good scene, you know? This was a very gratifying experience in that respect."
