It doesn’t occur typically, however generally a efficiency in a online game captivates you. Adriyan Rae’s portrayal of Hazel in Compulsion Video games’ South of Midnight is one such instance and has earned her a well-deserved Golden Joystick Award nomination.
South of Midnight first garnered my consideration when it was first revealed throughout 2023’s Xbox Showcase. Little did I do know it will change into one among my favourite video games of 2025, thanks largely to its good storytelling, emotional components, and its standing as an endearing love letter to the deep south and Cajuin tradition.
On the coronary heart of the third-person journey is the connection with Lacy Flood and her younger daughter, Hazel, the sport’s primary protagonist.
These performances bounce off the display screen and into my coronary heart, leaving an enduring impression and cementing South of Midnight’s endurance in my thoughts and others’ without end.
So, in fact, it was a no brainer when given the chance to talk with Rae about changing into Hazel and her efficiency, resulting in one thing she actually didn’t anticipate: a Golden Joystick Award nomination for Greatest Lead Performer in a sport.
Adriyan Rae’s Connection With Hazel
Our dialog on Zoom started with Rae’s connection to Hazel and which facet of the character’s emotional journey resonated most along with her, with the actress revealing that Hazel’s arc and therapeutic talents left an imprint on her.
“I feel the general arc of her beginning off feeling like she is aware of who she is, after which that being utterly wiped away when she begins studying about her precise historical past, roots, her father’s aspect, all these issues,” Rae stated. “After which the journey that she takes to return into herself, and the way that’s one among… not simply consciousness, however of therapeutic. So, all of that resonated with me deeply.”
She continues, “For me personally, I knew I wished to be a healer as a result of I went to high school to be a health care provider, a doctor assistant, and a medical laboratory scientist, so I at all times felt like I wished to be a healer. I feel that my journey alongside the way in which helped me really establish what sort of healer and what sort of therapeutic I wished to do, and it sort of parallels with Hazel.”
Mocap Helped Adriyan Rae Perceive Hazel’s Weaving Skill
Rae didn’t simply present the voice for Hazel; she additionally supplied the movement seize for the online game heroine, serving to her ship a grounded, genuine efficiency.
“Properly, fortunately, my first interplay along with her being a weaver was within the mocap, on the mocap stage,” Rae revealed to HHW Gaming. “So, it’s one thing about determining how she weaves, determining how she brings the hooks out, determining how she’s rounding issues up, and what that appears like. That permits it to have a chunk, like, discover a place in my physique, which permits me to vocally discover that place and convey it ahead.”
She continued, “I feel that the weaving journey is so cool, as a result of you realize, she’s actually transferring, transferring agony, ache, she’s transferring these issues, after which as soon as she does it, she will get all of it away. You possibly can see the expansion occur, the flourishing of happiness, love.”
Hazel’s talents additionally served for example of how Rae needs to make the most of her profession, she revealed to HHW Gaming.
“That’s what actually what I wish to do with my profession,” stated Rae. “That’s actually what I wish to do by spreading gentle and being liked and, it’s miraculous the way it simply lined up for me to of all of the auditions, of all of the roles, like, there are such a lot of VO roles that, you realize, we get lots of them, and generally I can’t get to all of them, so I feel this might need even been the place I used to be like, I received an audition, and I’m drained.”
She continues, “And my pal was like, come on, let’s simply shoot it. And I used to be like, I don’t wish to shoot it. I feel that, yeah, it’s fascinating due to all of the issues, the whole lot conspired for me to finish up auditioning and being on this function.”
The Bodily Problem of Bringing Hazel To Life In South of Midnight
Sticking with the mocap work, Rae additionally touched on how bodily difficult the job was, revealing that she was doing it whereas anticipating, a real testomony to the amazingness of girls.
“I imply, mocap is mocap is when you’re within the swimsuit, ” she begins. “, you’re within the swimsuit, and To get out of it, it’s lots of stuff simply to make use of the lavatory. It’s quite a bit simply doing mocap, interval, is a full-body expertise that takes lots of vitality.”
She continues, “After which I used to be doing that whereas pregnant in my first trimester, so I… yeah, I used to be fairly fatigued, however the… I feel the problem is simply, you realize. Being in that swimsuit for that many hours, and getting it carried out, but it surely’s nothing you can’t overcome, or it’s nothing that, when you get going, and when you begin being within the scenes, you overlook about all of that. You’re simply joyful to be there, and that’s what I used to be.”
Working Alongside Ahmed Greatest Introduced The Greatest Out of Rae
One facet of the sport’s improvement I used to be shocked and excited to be taught was that Compulsion Video games enlisted the assistance of Ahmed Greatest for South of Midnight, which additionally served as his online game directorial debut. He additionally introduced the mysterious character Roux to life within the sport. I spoke with Rae about working with Greatest, and he or she had nothing however glowing phrases concerning the actor, greatest identified for his roles as Jar Jar Binks and Jedi Grasp Kelleran Beq within the Star Wars franchise. She additionally shared one of the best piece of recommendation he gave throughout the sport’s manufacturing.
“The precious piece of course was simply belief myself,” Rae stated. “Ahmed is a legend. He’s iconic, he’s an professional, however he’s additionally tremendous respectful, humble, collaborative, and that’s one of the best half about working with him, is that he can carry all of that to you with out making you’re feeling lower than.”
She continued, “He can carry all of that to you and convey it out of you, as a result of he is aware of the place to seek out it, and he’s really simply such a collaborative, uplifting particular person. I really like him to items. I might work with him over and time and again, and I might belief his management as a director in something. He’s phenomenal.”
Studying That Her South of Midnight Efficiency Was An Award-Nominated One
Lastly, Rae admits to me that, when she took on the function of Hazel, she approached it as one other cool gig she may share with family and friends.
It seems her efficiency was removed from simply one other job; it was nominated for a Golden Joystick Award and totally acknowledged the significance of this second.
“I assumed, like excuse me, I assumed, yeah, we did this cool factor. You guys wanna see? Cool! Alright, la-la-la-la-la! And I used to be simply, like, in my very own little world, you realize? I at all times say South of Midnight has a particular place in my coronary heart. Tremendous grateful. However no, I by no means anticipated to be nominated for issues,” Rae revealed.
“I’m so grateful for it. I’m grateful as a result of, you realize, to be acknowledged for all of the arduous work, and I feel that, you realize, I’m the face for Greatest Lead Performer, however there’s different individuals concerned, like Nona, Ahmed [Best], author Zaire [Lanier], narrative director Farah [Brixi], inventive director Anamarie [Musca], a bunch of individuals at compulsion, everyone is Hazel on the identical time.”
Rae continues, “I’m grateful that every one of that’s recognition to everybody’s arduous work.I’m additionally grateful that, along with her being a Black character that’s the lead, it’s an indication of progress. Way more progress must be made, but it surely’s an indication that individuals are extra open to our tales than perhaps ever earlier than.”
Voting remains to be open —head right here to run the numbers up for Adriyan Rae, do it for the tradition.
