After a monumental 2025 in gaming, few actors have soared as high as Jennifer English and Ben Starr. The duo had already cemented their status as two of the industry's most celebrated voice performers two years prior—English as the beloved Shadowheart in the Game of the Year-winning Baldur's Gate 3, and Starr as the tormented protagonist Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI. But last year, they teamed up for a little RPG called Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the debut from Sandfall Interactive. It quickly became the breakout hit of the year, also earning Game of the Year honors and putting the actors—and friends—in a heated Best Performance race that English ultimately won.
In Expedition 33, English and Starr anchor the story as Maelle and Verso. Maelle is a young member of the titular doomed expedition sent to defeat the Paintress and end the Gommage, while Verso is a mysterious, ageless stranger from beyond Lumière who joins the survivors after a fateful encounter with Renoir (Andy Serkis). Following the death of Gustav (Charlie Cox), they become the de facto leads as the group journeys across the land to achieve their goal. Their importance grows even further when the true nature of their world is revealed, leading to an ending that forces a harrowing choice between them. For both actors, these characters have become arguably their most recognizable and critically acclaimed—especially because they are so different from their previous starring roles.
Over the weekend, the two Expedition 33 veterans appeared at Fan Expo Canada for a Q&A moderated by Collider's Maggie Lovitt. A fan asked them to compare and contrast their respective characters—specifically, what Clive and Verso would love and hate about each other, and the same for Shadowheart and Maelle. Starr sees his duo as polar opposites, both in how their games let players into their minds and in terms of their relationships. Clive is a loner who slowly becomes a symbol of hope for the oppressed, while Verso is a manipulator. Both have major family issues, making them a pair Starr would love to see meet.
"The thing about Clive and Verso is that Clive doesn't know how to ask for help. Verso uses people for help. I think they are extremes of that," Starr explained. "Their relationships with other people are born from different things. One is completely isolated because he's been abandoned by his family. The other does that because he's been abandoned by his family. And it's amazing how you can see those things. They could learn a lot from each other. You experience the game through Clive. You don't experience the game through Verso. Verso doesn't tell you things; Clive tells you everything. And I really love that dichotomy between those two people. I'd just love to sit down in a room and be like 'Have a chat, boys. Talk about your favorite things. Fire.'"
As for what Clive could teach Verso, Starr joked, "I suppose Verso could get taught how not to get set on fire." English, meanwhile, believes the key difference between Maelle and Shadowheart lies in their goals. "I think the key difference between Maelle and Shadowheart is, I suppose, that Maelle's goal is to find her family," she said. "To have this chosen family and find her place in the world. And I feel like Shadowheart is the opposite at the beginning of the game. She's forced to have these companions and actively doesn't want them."
From the start, Maelle embraces her found family under Gustav's wing. Despite being younger than everyone else departing Lumière, she chooses to join the expedition. Shadowheart, on the other hand, joins the party out of necessity—a fellow victim of the mindflayers with a tadpole in her head, searching for a cure that expands into a sprawling fantasy adventure. They do share some quirks, though. "But of course, their similarities... I guess both of their hair turns white, and they have some memory issues," English laughed. One thing that unites all four characters, Starr noted, is that they could all benefit from a group therapy session with each other.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. For more on the game, check out Ben Starr's advice to trust Sandfall Interactive.
