With the final FINAL FANTASY VII game on the horizon, we had an opportunity to interview John Eric Bentley, the voice of Barret in FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH as we discussed his performance and character.

The release of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE in April 2020 and FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH in February this year had fans both old and new waiting patiently for the next and final installment of the saga, which is currently in development.

Barret be Ballin

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE and FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH introduces all sorts of new dynamics and relationships between the members of the main cast, and our favorite gun-armed guy arguably most of all. We asked John if any of these relationships surprised him throughout the recording process, and how it navigated his character interactions.

John answered, “I’ve always said that Barret’s role is much like the one of a basketball point guard, or quarterback in football.  So many actions and so many people rotate around him. The leader of Avalanche has to be a soldier and a commander who’s ready to take action. More importantly, he has to have solid relationships, and be a trusted friend and companion. When interacting with others outside of his main party, he wears his heart (and words) out there for everyone to see. He’s loyal and quick to observe and quite vigilant.

“One relationship that did catch me off guard was with Cait Sith. I enjoyed recording their first reactions to one another, up through the twisted dynamics between the two throughout their journey. Fun dialogue, and it was a joy to actually get to meet and spend time with Paul Tinto, the character’s voice actor.”

55% Good Guy, 45% Jerkface (according to Yuffie)

In FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, players got an opportunity to see more of Barret’s backstory involving the destruction of his hometown. Combined with his current responsibilities and goals as leader of Avalanche, in John’s own words, “I think the destruction and degradation that occurs in Corel… from working in the mines, the discovery of Mako and the greed that it creates, the pain of losing loved ones, and so much more… attributes to a lot of emotions!”

“There are also symptoms that occur because of those intense emotions, one of them being fear. However, I wanted FINAL FANTASY VII fans to not see Barret as just an angry man, but one full of compassion, with a zeal for justice, one who cares about people and the planet. I myself love to uplift, edify and encourage people. I try to live every day with compassion, empathy and solid communication for others. So portraying Barret was a great experience because of those similar traits… the choice to care about others!”

A Fatherly Bond

One of John’s favorite scenes to record are the ones featuring Barret and his daughter, Marlene. Even he admits himself that their bond is the most special one. As he explains, “So much is tied into it. She’s his best friend’s daughter (so much at stake there with his relationship with Dyne). He had to get help and be told by Tifa and the team just what he needed to do to raise Marlene.”

“I think there’s a tie in between how he views Tifa and Marlene both as daughters. She is also the only one who he truly lets his guard down with whenever they interact. Barret’s sincere smile and warm eyes come out anytime Marlene is around! I just reflected on my own children whenever she was around… even if just mentioned in the recording sessions.”

Here concludes the interview. We would like to thank John Eric Bentley for taking the time to answer all of our questions. If you wish to see (and hear) more from him, you can check out his X and Instagram