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Ashley Johnson Wants To See “Normal” Female Characters

Ben-Dutka 20 Comments

Hey, like we said, Ubisoft just has to bow to the pressure .

The publisher has received a lot of negative press over their refusal to include a playable female character in the upcoming Assassin's Creed: Unity . The Last Of Us actress Ashley Johnson isn't too happy about it, either.

During a recent Videogamer interview , Johnson (the voice of Ellie in TLoU) spoke about her reaction to learning of Ubisoft's decision:

I was like, 'Give me a f***ing break! It's 2014! How many video games do you have to make to realise maybe have an option to have a female be in there?' And maybe not just on PS Vita."

Here, Johnson is referring to the female protagonist Aveline in the Vita title, Assassin's Creed: Liberation . Beyond that, the actress wanted to make a point that with more female gamers out there, there should be more female characters in our video games. And they don't have to be superheroes; they can just be "normal:"

"There are so many female gamers…I don't know what the percentage is at this point but there are a lot of females that play video games and it would be nice to see stronger females in a game that are not just the damsel in distress, the love interest or she's oversexualised. She doesn't even necessarily have to be a badass. Just like a normal female character."

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You Know, Ashley Johnson Did A Damn Good Job Playing Ellie

Ben-Dutka 36 Comments

I have to say, Ghost Volta has the right idea.

A few days ago, well-known actress Ellen Page said Naughty Dog "ripped off her likeness" when creating the character of Ellie in The Last Of Us . The developer denies that, saying they "didn't see it" until after releasing the debut trailer. Fact is, it was Ashley Johnson all along, and the team tried to implement even more of Johnson's characteristics into Ellie.

But even so, Ellen Page appears to be getting all the attention…and for a game she didn't even do. I'm sure she'll get the proper amount of acclaim when Quantic Dream's Beyond: Two Souls launches this October. But for the time being, it really does seem as if Johnson's spectacular performance as Ellie is getting lost in the shuffle. In our review of Naughty Dog's absolute masterpiece, we said it boasted "some of the best acting interactive entertainment has ever seen." We don't make such statements lightly, and that holds true due in large part to Johnson's role. It was absolutely critical.

Read more about her role through the link above; she obviously put a ton of work into it, and it's impossible to imagine that memorable adventure without her. Ellie is not only likable but perhaps more importantly, she's believable. She has exactly the right personality; a personality you would expect from a girl in a post-apocalyptic world where death is always a distinct possibility. It's difficult to get that just right. As an actor, I imagine it'd be all too easy to sound either too vulnerable or too "punk"-ish. Johnson walks the line beautifully and we end up with one of the best new characters in gaming. We won't forget Ellie any time soon.

So, let's just ignore this whole Ellen Page snafu and give credit where credit's due, shall we?

Related Game(s): The Last Of Us

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Actress Ellen Page: Naughty Dog “Ripped Off” My Likeness

Ben-Dutka 103 Comments

Naughty Dog said they "just didn't see it" when they created the character of Ellie for their new highly acclaimed video game, The Last Of Us .

They were referring to the likeness between Ellie and actress Ellen Page. Oddly, just about everyone saw that similarity when the teaser trailer debuted, which resulted in plenty of rumors that Page was indeed the actress who plays Ellie.

However, as we know now, Page is not the actress; it's Ashley Johnson, who did an amazing job. The developers even said they altered Ellie's face to reflect more of Johnson. But Page still thinks Naughty Dog "ripped off" her likeness, as she said on Reddit :

"I guess I should be flattered that they ripped off my likeness, but I am actually acting in a video game called Beyond Two Souls, so it was not appreciated."

Page is indeed the lead actress in Quantic Dream's upcoming title, Beyond: Two Souls , which is slated to launch October 8 exclusively on the PlayStation 3. She plays Jodie Holmes and the virtual character looks a lot like her. As for Naughty Dog, creative director Neil Druckmann posted the following clarification on Twitter :

"Ellie from The Last of Us was perfectly played by @TheVulcanSalute. No one could've done a better job. Please go follow her and retweet."

If I look closely at Ellie, I'm not really seeing Page. I think they made enough alterations to the character to make those differences plain. So, we're hoping Page isn't too annoyed.

Related Game(s): The Last Of Us

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