

I was familiar with the common themes that connect Final Fantasy games together" I have a ton of hours in that, and I still play it to this day – I'm obsessed with that game! I also streamed Final Fantasy 15 when that came out. My first Final Fantasy was actually Final Fantasy 14.

"My mom was the gamer in our household, and she passed that along to me and my brother. I grew up playing games, but I was more of a Nintendo player because that's what my mom was a fan of," White tells me, laughing. "I was familiar with Final Fantasy 7's characters, but I had never actually played it. Perhaps it will come as some surprise, then, that neither Baron nor White had all that much experience with Final Fantasy 7 ahead of taking on these iconic roles – although each of their parents can shoulder much of the blame for missing out on the game the first time around. The characters feel three-dimensional, dynamic, and resonant in ways that they haven't before, and the actors were able to achieve this without compromising what made each member of the party so beloved to begin with. Aerith, playful and precocious a considerable force to be reckoned with when the facade finally falls. Tifa, strong and self-assured vulnerable when the eyes of the world aren't watching. The results speak for themselves, perhaps reflected most acutely in the performances from Baron and White. Something that means so much to so many people." But it's also really exciting because, as an actor, what a gift it is to get to be a part of something that's so big. It's scary knowing that there are these really high expectations. So many people already have so many ideas of who Tifa is – of what this game is. "You're walking into a universe that's already been established and there's such a massive fandom behind it. "I think this was my most intimidating voiceover project," Baron tells me, the English-speaking voice of Tifa Lockhart. It's a pressure that was felt keenly by actors Britt Baron and Briana White in the early days of the project. Of all of the components the studio had to get right in this reimagining, it was the way that characters like Tifa Lockhart and Aerith Gainsborough would be reinterpreted that would surely draw the most scrutiny. The characters of Final Fantasy 7 are beloved by millions, although few among that base would debate the idea that each has taken on a life of their own since being introduced through scrolling text boxes and blocky renders some 23 years ago.
