Charlie Cox: Voice Acting Challenges in Games

Charlie Cox, known for his screen roles, took on the voice of Gustave in the narrative-driven game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Speaking to TheGamer’s Rhiannon Bevan at the 2026 BAFTA Awards, he admitted that his extensive ADR experience for film and television did not fully prepare him for this distinct craft.

From ADR to Full Performance Capture

Cox initially assumed that looping dialogue for screens would translate directly to game voice work. Instead, he found a far more demanding process. “When I’m acting, the way I portray emotion is that I don’t do lots of vocal emotion. I do lots of facial emotion,” he explained. Without facial expressions available to convey subtlety, voice actors must rely heavily on vocal inflection—often requiring louder, more pronounced deliveries. He compared it to theatre while still noting key differences, reiterating that the skillset is fundamentally separate.

Overcoming the Fear of Overacting

The actor struggled at first, worrying that his performances were too exaggerated. “When you watch them back on camera, it actually works,” he said, acknowledging that finding the right level of vocal expression is a nuanced skill. Many screen actors encounter this same hurdle when transitioning to games, needing to unlearn techniques that rely on visual cues. The industry sees a growing number of top talents relearning their craft for full-time voice acting roles, and Cox’s experience underscores that the line between effective and excessive delivery is farther out when the face cannot aid the performance.

A Novice Embracing the Medium

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

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