Square Enix has released a new behind-the-scenes video for Final Fantasy XVI, featuring a discussion with Ben Starr, the English voice actor behind protagonist Clive Rosfield.
In the roughly 20-minute video, producer Naoki Yoshida and localization director Michael-Christopher Koji Fox dive into Clive’s character and what Starr’s experience was like playing him.
It’s immediately clear that Starr is passionate about this role, and even before getting the part, he was a fan of Final Fantasy. “I knew how much it meant to me, how much these games and these stories have meant to me,” Starr says, “Every day, I would go into the booth, for like the first month, and I thought I was going to get fired,”
Interestingly, Starr wasn’t actually the first choice for Clive, as the initial actor’s schedule simply didn’t pan out. When Starr first auditioned, it was for a “very minor” part, but the auditioning staff quickly noted he could be a prime choice for Clive himself. Yoshida recalls how Fox came to him, saying, “Koji came to me, all excited. We’ve found someone. I’m telling you — he’s Clive!”
Past those anecdotes, there’s some interesting info in the video about Clive’s actual character, especially in the context of what we already know about the game. At one point, Yoshida asks Starr if he could describe Clive in one word what would it be, to which the actor responds, “love.”
“There are so many versions of love that we see, and it can manifest itself in very dangerous ways,” explains Starr “I think it’s that overwhelming love for his brother, his overwhelming love for his country. I think throughout the entirety of the game we see that manifest itself in multiple ways for Clive. That’s why he’s such a cool character.”
Development on Final Fantasy XVI was a bit different, as unlike most entries, the team recorded voice and capture for British English first, then Japanese.
Final Fantasy XVI launches on June 22 for PS5.
