The Resident Evil 4 remake has, generally, been well received, even despite the review bombing it’s currently experiencing. However, while there’s still a lot of love for the game, negativity towards the character of Ada Wong has led to her voice actor deleting Instagram posts.
Asian Canadian actor, Lily Gao, plays Ada in the remake, apparently becoming the first Asian voice actor to voice and mocap the much beloved character. Consequently, Gao’s involvement should be a cause for celebration. Instead, the reality of how toxic the gaming community can be, especially towards Black and POC, is what will leave its mark on this remake.
Unfortunately, this isn’t new – Laura Bailey, who voices Abby in The Last of Us 2, received online harassment and death threats, alongside several Naughty Dog employees. In television, Moses Ingram was sent a series of hateful comments after she joined the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series. The harassment was so bad that Ewan McGregor took to social media to address the issue.
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Disliking a performance is okay, but doesn’t give anyone the right to harass another person, as Twitter user RuleTime points out: “It's okay not to like a performance! No one deserves to be harassed or degraded over her portrayal! Resident Evil fans should feel ashamed if you're the one participating in doing so!”
Sadly, it’s fair to say that Gao faced barriers before anyone heard her Ada Wong portrayal, after disappointed fans took to Reddit when Jolene Andersen, who voiced Ada in the RE2 remake, said she wouldn’t be reprising the role. When any franchise changes a character, however subtly, fans will respond; undoubtedly developers anticipate some criticism. Still, the comments left on Gao’s social media go beyond constructive criticism and devolve into hateful trolling.
The main complaints that started the hateful snowballing were those who said Gao offered “nothing seductive”, and that her role was some of the “worst voice acting they’ve heard in years”. Further comments go even harder at the actor, talking about her appearance, attractiveness, and ethnicity.
Fortunately, while the aftermath of those hurtful comments still linger, there’s been a huge number of Resident Evil fans who’ve come forward in support of Gao. Even though the outpouring of love and support is great to see, it comes at the cost of yet another actor having to experience online abuse beforehand. When the villains of a franchise aren’t the scariest part of the franchise, it undeniably sours the game for everyone.
Featured Image Credit: CapcomTopics: Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil, Capcom