Final Fantasy 14 features an outstanding cast of voice actors for the English version – supported by some truly great translations from the localization team. One of these actors is Jonathan Bailey, who plays the beloved catboy and friend of the Warrior of Light G'raha Tia, although he is also known for his role as Anthony in the Netflix series Bridgerton. Fair warning: I will address a few Story spoilers for Shadowbringers and Endwalker in a moment.
In case you're not familiar, FF14 features a central cast of characters called Scions of the Seventh Dawn, and G'raha Tia (formerly known as Crystal Exarch) is one of them. Bailey provides an incredible amount of dialogue in the game's cutscenes, and the character, a heartfelt confidant of your own personality, has left a huge impact on the game's players. Myself included if you look at my author's bio at the end of this article.
In a recent interview with Bafta (discovered by our friends at GamesRadar) Bailey shares an anecdote from his time voicing G'raha while simultaneously performing in London's West End. “This is G'raha Tia: Catboy,” Bailey announces, showing a cube with G'raha's little face on it. “…Yes, little Catboy and the Crystal Exarch. He is a very open, loving and playful companion to the player.”
In a moment relatable to anyone who has tried to convey to a stunned audience of family and/or friends that video games can make you cry, Bailey offers some complimentary words about the game's script: “The work, the writing is…”almost Shakespearean,” he says, before quoting G'raha's speech from Endwalker's final hours. “I realize how important this character is to so many people.”
So conscious that Bailey accidentally injured himself while juggling roles while performing Sondheim songs in the West End. “I was so determined not to distance myself from this character that I had to record in Company [G’raha Tia] for about a week while doing eight shows a night and my tongue got infected.”
Out of sheer curiosity, I looked up some Company songs – which I don't know – and found Bailey's performance on a cast recording. Here is an excerpt from the song “Getting Married Today.”
No wonder his tongue swelled. Bailey says, “It’s a few hours [playtime] where I sound a bit lisping. That’s why and I apologize.”
If you want to find these cutscenes yourself, Bailey is on board to produce Company in 2018. Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers was announced in 2018 and released in 2019 – so these are most likely the lines (in which the cat's tongue appeared). receive) can be found there.
Ultimately, despite health issues, it's a nice little anecdote and a nice reminder that FF14's voice actors care about their characters just as much as we do. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing G'raha Tia back in Dawntrail, even though he told us in the last patch that he was staying behind. I saw you eating a taco, Raha. I know that you are lying.
