Clair Obscur’s Motion Star Says Game Awards Should Celebrate Characters, Not Just Voices

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is at the centre of an awards debate, thanks to one of its lead performers. Maxence Cazorla, the French actor behind the motion performance of Gustave, the game’s protagonist, argues that honouring only a single performer at shows like The Game Awards hides the true collaborative nature of what it takes to bring a video game character to life.

This year, Charlie Cox (best known for Netflix’s Daredevil and Stardust) landed a nomination for Best Performer at The Game Awards for his voice work as Gustave. But behind the scenes, it was Cazorla’s body that gave the hero his movement and expression. The two never worked side by side; Cox’s vocal performance came after Cazorla’s motion and facial capture. The result? A protagonist cobbled together from two actors, plus a creative team of writers, artists, and developers.

Performance in Pieces: How Video Game Characters Come Together

Cazorla explains that the process on Clair Obscur started like a traditional film shoot. “We started by doing the performance capture without any particular constraints, approaching it like a film, learning the lines, playing the scenes, and following Guillaume’s direction,” he says. After Cazorla and the rest of the cinematic team wrapped their sessions, their work was plugged into the game engine. That’s when talents like Cox stepped in to add the voice, sometimes months later.

“Once the shoot was done and the scenes were integrated into the game engine by the cinematic team, that’s when the voice actors stepped in and recorded their performances.” According to Cazorla, this staggered approach is normal in game production. “My part and Charlie’s part happened at different stages of the process.”

Cazorla didn’t even see his finished performance until the game launched. “I only discovered the final result months later, directly in the game,” he recalls. What ended up on screen, with Gustave earning applause and an award nomination, was a patchwork of Cazorla’s bodywork, Cox’s voice, and the imagination of the wider Sandfall Interactive team. “In the end, it’s really the combination of these two performances, along with the incredible writing and development work, that gave birth to the character.”

Why ‘Best Performer’ May Miss the Point

When asked about not being nominated himself, Cazorla is candid. “When it comes to a potential motion capture category, I think it’s a delicate subject, because every game is built differently.” He points out that in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the mix-and-match approach was the rule, not the exception. Maelle’s character was brought to life through both Charlotte Hoepffner and Jennifer English. Lune combined Estelle Darnault’s work with Kirsty Rider’s. Verso was Ben Starr and Cazorla himself, coming together as one role.

Some games use a single performer for everything: body, expressions, and voice. Others split the parts across several actors and sometimes stunt people. “Some projects even involve stunt performers, motion capture actors, and voice actors all contributing to the same character.”

That’s why Cazorla thinks the answer is simpler: don’t pick a single person, pick the character. “That’s something the DICE Awards already do, and I think it’s a very intelligent approach,” he says. “If you reward Gustave as a character and his impact on players, you acknowledge Charlie Cox for the voice, myself for the performance capture, but also the writers who shaped his personality, the character artists, and everyone who contributed to bringing him to life.”

He drives the point home with a statement that’s tough to argue: “Video games are, by nature, a collaborative art form, and characters resonate because many artists give them their soul. Celebrating a Best Character category feels more logical to me than isolating a single performer and potentially leaving others invisible.”

Cazorla was quick to praise Cox for highlighting his work in interviews. “First of all, it was an incredible honour for me that Charlie spoke publicly and acknowledged my work. I was deeply moved by his humility and generosity.”

If you want to hear more about Cazorla’s journey, how he landed the role, what it was like to work at Sandfall Interactive, and what goes into performing multiple characters in a single game—stay tuned. The full interview is set to go live in the days ahead.