Mass Effect Voice Actor Jennifer Hale Says Original Voice Actors Should Return for the TV Adaptation

Information about the Mass Effect TV show at Amazon has been sparse since its announcement back in 2021, but fans can start getting excited about this adaptation becoming a reality as conversation emerges surrounding who will be cast to play each character.

Just yesterday, voice actor Jennifer Hale told Eurogamer that not only is she pining for a role in the series, but she thinks the other voice actors from the games should also return for their parts in the TV adaptation as well.

“You will always get a yes vote from me on Shepard coming back in any form,” said Hale, who voiced the female version of main character Commander Shepard in the original game trilogy. “That was such a gift, and it’s a gift I will always be extremely joyful to receive.”

Hale’s phrasing of “in any form” seems to acknowledge that the notable protagonist could be tweaked when translated on-screen, which feels appropriate considering players themselves have the ability to customize the character’s gender, class, name, and appearance while playing the game. The male version of Commander Shepard was voiced by Mark Meer in the games.

“I never suppose to tell creators what to do,” Hale continued. “The only thing I must say about that TV series is I want to play! Any capacity, I will be there with bells on!”

In 2013, Hale was recognized by Guinness World Records as the most prolific female video game voice actor for her roles in popular franchises like Baldur’s Gate, Metal Gear Solid, BioShock Infinite, Halo, Overwatch, and of course, Mass Effect.

And while it sounds like Hale would be happy to play the female version of Shepard once more, the actor voiced a handful of other minor characters throughout the game series, which means there’s plenty of potential for her to return to the screen in another, smaller role.

“I think they’d be really smart to pull as much of the original cast into the show in cameos and Easter eggs and recurring and regular [roles] as possible,” Hale said. “I think that would be an absolutely genius move.”

There’s a wide selection of other voice actors who make up the colorful cast of the Mass Effect games, from NPCs to recruitable major characters. This includes, but is certainly not limited to, Keith David as Captain David Anderson, Seth Green as Flight Lieutenant Jeff ‘Joker’ Moreau, Lance Henriksen as Admiral Steven Hackett, Brandon Keener as Garrus Vakarian, Steven Barr as Urdnot Wrex, and Ali Hillis as Dr. Liara T’Soni.

“The voice acting community are some of the most brilliant performers I’ve ever met,” Hale said. “They’re the most gifted, hard working, adept, skilled people I’ve ever met in my life in the acting field. So I’m ready for the smart production company that stops overlooking that gold mine. I fully volunteer to be on the show.”

It remains to be seen if the show’s creators heed Hale’s advice. As of now, all we know is that the show is finally in development at Amazon MGM Studios — news that fittingly broke on N7 Day last year. It was confirmed in a Variety exclusive that Daniel Casey would write and executive produce the series. Karim Zreik will executive produce under Cedar Tree Productions, alongside Ari Arad and EA’s Michael Gamble, who are also set to executive produce.

In the meantime, for more news on Mass Effect 5, the upcoming installment of the Mass Effect series, check out our article on how the game’s lead dev teased the return of the original trilogy’s Paragon / Renegade morality system.

Photo by Thomas Cooper/Getty Images.

Katie Reul is a freelance journalist whose entertainment reporting has been featured in IGN and Variety.