We speak with María Blanco, Ellie's Spanish voice in both The Last of Us and Part 2, which will arrive on May 29 exclusively on PlayStation 4.
With The Last of Us Part II just around the corner, every news or novelty of the title is appreciated in order to help calm the cravings for information we have regarding the new work of Naughty Dog. This time we bring you an interview with María Blanco, a dubbing actress who gives life to Ellie, the protagonist of the title at hand. In addition, we remember that we have already been able to hear it in action thanks to the last trailer of the game, published in Spanish.
Training and first jobs as a dubbing actress
María explains that she started studying audiovisual communication and that was where she met the world of interpretation. He details how he discovered that he liked to be in front of the camera, or a microphone, rather than behind: “During the race we visited a dubbing recording studio and there I finally knew what I really liked. I started doing internships in that study while finishing the degree and, when I finished, I started a dubbing course and a speech course. After many hours of living and patience, here I am. ”
Perhaps Maria's voice sounds to us (besides hearing Ellie) for having heard her on Bioshock Infinite like Elisabeth and, on the other hand, on the big screen. Despite not having a long career (due to his youth), he does have some important roles behind him: “I was practically starting at that time and doing many small, specific things. I was lucky that they chose me in a casting to play Alice in Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" movie.
The work of dubbing actress is not simple. As Blanco details, it happens as in other precarious jobs: “The worst is instability, because there are weeks, or months in which you don't get any work and you get overwhelmed thinking if you have done something wrong, or that already nothing new is going to come out and you're going to have to look for another job. ”
On the other hand, he confesses that he loves the profession and what he enjoys when working: “The best thing is that I don't think I have to go to work any day. There are projects that you like and that you enjoy making them that more than others, of course, but in each of them you learn things and have a good time ”.
Other roles played by María Blanco: Elisabeth (Bioshock Infinite) and Alice in Wonderland (film Tim Burton).
The experience of playing Ellie in The Last of Us
Maria confesses that before accepting the job, she didn't know the Naughty Dog saga: "I've always been more cinephile than a player," he says. As for the new installment, part 2 of The Last of Us states: “I would very much like to see the result, the truth. I've never played any games and I don't even have the PlayStation, so I think I wouldn't know how to play, I'm a little awkward (laughs). In any case, without a doubt, I will see the gameplays as I did with the previous one. When it comes to my work, I will see how I can improve. ”
He explains how he remembers with love the experience of giving voice to Ellie. Maria had been a short time and had not participated in many video games until then, so she was surprised by the quality of the kinematics and the possibility of seeing and knowing the character she had to play so well. As for the evolution of Ellie's character in the second installment, she tells us her experience from the role of dubbing actress: “Perhaps the biggest difference has been changing her voice and instead of giving her nuances of a girl, making her more adult, but that does not mean any additional difficulty. ”
“I feel very lucky and excited to be a part. I want to know the final result and see how the public receives it. ”
In addition, he says that “The passage of time is very noticeable in it. Obviously, the experiences they are having to live are very hard, and that has forged his character; but at no time has it lost its essence. It remains the same". After seeing the trailers and advances in which we see her suffer, we are grateful that Blanco assures us that Ellie remains the same as we met in the first installment and has not been completely carried away by anger until she lost her character.
To close, Maria tells us her favorite feature of Ellie: “His strength and that, although something scares him, he does it equally because nothing gets in his way. Fears always stop us and many times we would have to put them aside and do what our instinct asks us without thinking so much about cons. ” Without a doubt, we can all learn from Ellie and her way of facing life with determination and courage.
This is the case of the protagonist of The Last of Us Part 2, who we can accompany in a new and complicated adventure starting next May 29, in which the game becomes available exclusively for PlayStation 4.
