[SEA Exclusive] From Shadows to Shipwrecks – Jennifer English Talks About Bringing Emotional Depth to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

We recently had the opportunity to conduct an exclusive interview with Jennifer English, the talented voice actress who captivated players as Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate III and is now bringing the character of Maelle to life in the highly anticipated Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

English’s journey began in the United Kingdom, where she trained at the prestigious Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Her versatile talent has carried her across various performance mediums, including stage, screen, and video games. 

The Path to Expedition 33 and Bringing Maelle to Life

When asked about joining the cast, English expressed surprise at fans’ ability to recognize her voice so quickly: “It’s always a beautiful shock when people recognize my voice, and I was NOT expecting people to recognize me as Maelle from just one line!”

English described her decision to take on this new role as deliberate and inspired: “I wanted to follow BG3 with something truly magical, and I knew immediately after reading the script that Expedition 33 was it.” She noted the meritocratic casting process, adding, “I auditioned for it, and the team listened to my tape with no idea who I was when they listened, which is really cool. Hooray for meritocracy!”

In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, English portrays Maelle, described as a shy loner type. When discussing this character trait, English revealed a personal connection: “I definitely went through a ‘loner’ phase as a kid, so I really related to Maelle in a lot of ways.”

Rather than focusing on techniques to make her character stand out among the game’s main trio, English credits the writing: “The writing does all the ‘standing out’ for me—she’s such a beautifully complex character with huge emotional depth.”

A Remarkable Character Journey

While careful to avoid spoilers, English spoke enthusiastically about Maelle’s development throughout the game: “Without giving too much away of course, but Maelle grows so much through this game—her character arc is stunning and something Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, Lead Writer & Localization Producer, and Guillaume Broche, CEO of Sandfall Interactive & Creative Director should be so proud of.”

She highlighted the collaborative environment during production: “They worked with us all so closely and it was such a fun, creative and collaborative process—the dream job really.”

English particularly enjoyed working alongside fellow voice actor Ben Starr: “All the scenes I did with Ben were my favourite to record—I’m very lucky to have such talented friends. The acting in this game is truly phenomenal—I’m in awe of the whole cast.”

A Message to Fans

For players eagerly awaiting Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, English offered an emotional teaser: “Be prepared to cry, a lot. This game is beautiful and I’m so proud of everyone involved. The team at Sandfall Interactive are truly remarkable—I can’t wait for the world to see what they’ve accomplished.”

Her enthusiasm for the final product and her eagerness to share it with players speaks volumes about the quality of the experience awaiting fans.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is launching on 24 April 2025 and is available to pre-order now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S (available on day one with Xbox Game Pass), and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. For more information and updates on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, visit the official website, X and TikTok.

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