Rachael Messer, Voice of Anne
Rachael studied voice work, voice acting, and stage work in college. She graduated with a B.F.A in Theatre Performance.
Rachael has voice acted in numerous anime, cartoons, video games, radio plays, and commercials. She has voiced over 100 different video game characters. Some of her roles include Comba in Warframe, Rebecca Lansing in System Shock, and Dire Wolf Tyra in Paladins, in addition to over 100 different other games.
1. How did you get involved with the development of Forgotton Anne?
I had been working in video games and a few anime. I'd done about 200 video games roles before Forgotton Anne. I got in my bachelor's degree in theater performance and had been working in the industry for a few years. I was contacted by one of the team members of Forgotton Anne via my website, actually. They sent me some information on the game and Anne and I was immediately very interested in the game! I auditioned with a few lines from the script they sent me and after a few emails back and forth, tweaking and working on the voice and delivery, I was delighted to hear I had gotten the part!
2. Can you tell us a bit about the characters you play in Forgotton Anne, and how you approached the roles?
I play both Anne and Tink who are very different characters and at times, complete opposites.
For Anne, I could see a lot of myself in her and ended up imbuing a lot of my personality with her. She was someone I could empathize and connect with. I think you need both as an actor playing the part, and in a games protagonist. If a player doesn't like the main character, they can often end up not caring what happens to them and then lose interest and investment in the game.
I don't know whether it was the writing or her character creation, but I really resonated with her and she seemed to be a character who took on a life of her own. Part of this may have been because I was voicing her and therefore was able to see all the different choices the player could make in the game. But there were times I found myself very proud of her, others, disappointed.
I think the amount of choices really give the players the same kind of ability. The ability to create a character similar to oneself. It immerses you into the game even more so because many of the choices made are yours.
Tink was quite different. She is almost the literal manifestation of anger that came from being forgotten and abandoned. Or rather, the anger that evolved from the pain of being forgotten and discarded. Which, without spoilers, is something you realize is a choice. The contrast, depending on the paths you've chosen with Anne, between the two characters when they meet make a powerful scene.
3. What do you think of Forgotton Anne and the project?
I'm very proud and honored to have been a part of Forgotton Anne. There's something rather unique about it. The story and the world created are not only incredibly imaginative and different, but something not done much before. It's a fresh concept and that itself is inspiring and exciting to work on.