Charlie Cox just did something rare in entertainment – he publicly refused to accept full credit for his Game Awards 2025 Best Performance nomination. The Daredevil star, who voices Gustave in the critically acclaimed RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, spent only four hours recording lines while French actor Maxence Cazorla performed almost all the physical motion capture work that brings the character to life. Now Cox and his castmates are demanding The Game Awards create separate categories recognizing motion capture performers, exposing a fundamental problem with how the gaming industry credits collaborative performances.
Why Cox Says He Feels Like a Fraud
During multiple interviews and public appearances, Charlie Cox has been remarkably candid about feeling undeserving of his nomination. He repeatedly emphasizes that his voice “was just a part of that process” and that Maxence Cazorla recorded almost all of Gustave’s motion capture. Cox admits he viewed the gig as a brief job for extra cash, spending a single four-hour session recording dialogue before moving on to other projects.
The disconnect becomes obvious when you see Gustave in action. The character’s facial expressions, body language, combat movements, and emotional nuances all come from Cazorla’s physical performance. When players connect emotionally with Gustave during pivotal story moments, they’re responding to Cazorla’s acting captured through sophisticated motion capture technology. Cox provided the auditory component, but Cazorla delivered everything visual.
What makes Cazorla’s contribution even more impressive is his multi-role mastery. Beyond Gustave’s motion capture, he also performed the physical acting for protagonists Verso and Renoir, and voiced the character Esquie in both English and French versions. He essentially created three complete physical performances while Cox spent four hours in a recording booth.
Cox’s humility stands in stark contrast to typical award acceptance speeches where winners claim sole credit despite collaborative efforts. His willingness to redirect attention toward Cazorla demonstrates genuine respect for the craft of performance capture and recognition that modern video game acting involves far more than voice recording.
The Cast Is Making This Official
Cox isn’t alone in pushing for change. The entire Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 cast has publicly called for The Game Awards to add dedicated motion capture categories that recognize physical performers separately from voice actors. Actor Aliona Baranova, who plays Sophie in the game, stated bluntly during a Video Games Chronicle interview: “It needs to happen.”
When asked how such categories would work practically, Baranova acknowledged the complexity but refused to accept that as an excuse for inaction. “I don’t know, they can figure it out,” she said. “We need to do it because there are these fantastic mocap performances going on.” Her comment highlights a broader frustration that administrative difficulty shouldn’t prevent recognition of deserving artists.
The cast’s unified stance carries particular weight because Clair Obscur features some of gaming’s most recognized voice talent:
- Andy Serkis as Renoir – the motion capture legend behind Gollum and Caesar
- Ben Starr as Verso – who previously voiced Clive in Final Fantasy XVI
- Jennifer English as Maelle and Alicia – beloved for playing Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3
- Charlie Cox as Gustave – famous for playing Matt Murdock in Daredevil
- Kirsty Rider as Lune – known for The Sandman
- Shala Nyx as Sciel – from The Old Guard
These aren’t unknown performers seeking attention. They’re established actors with leverage and platform using their positions to advocate for colleagues who lack similar visibility and recognition.
How Game Awards Currently Handle This
The Game Awards’ Best Performance category states it can be “awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.” The broad language theoretically allows motion capture performers to win, but in practice the category heavily favors recognizable voice actors over physical performers working behind facial rigs and body suits.
This creates several problems. First, voters typically can’t distinguish which aspects of a performance came from voice work versus physical capture. Second, marketing and publicity focus on celebrity voice actors rather than motion capture artists. Third, without separate categories, voters must choose between different types of performances using incompatible criteria.
Comparing a voice actor who recorded dialogue separately from a motion capture performer who acted entire scenes physically is like comparing screenwriters to cinematographers. Both contribute essential elements to the final product, but they’re fundamentally different crafts requiring distinct evaluation standards.
The Academy Awards solved this decades ago by separating technical achievements from acting performances. The Oscars have categories for sound, visual effects, cinematography, and editing that recognize technical artistry without forcing those artists to compete against lead actors for recognition. Gaming needs similar differentiation.
The Baldur’s Gate 3 Connection
Jennifer English, who plays both Maelle and Alicia in Clair Obscur, brings particular perspective to this debate. She previously received massive recognition for playing Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3, where she performed both voice and motion capture. English has spoken about the challenge of playing two characters in Clair Obscur who share the same core soul but require different cadences and personalities.
Aliona Baranova, the Baldur’s Gate 3 performance director, has also joined the call for motion capture categories. Her behind-the-scenes experience directing both voice and physical performances gives her intimate knowledge of how different these crafts are and why lumping them together does a disservice to both.
The Baldur’s Gate 3 cast has generally received recognition that acknowledged both voice and motion capture contributions because Larian Studios’ approach integrated both elements from the beginning. Many other games split these roles between different performers, creating the exact crediting problem Cox is highlighting.
Why Motion Capture Deserves Recognition
Modern motion capture technology captures every subtle facial expression, body movement, and physical nuance that actors perform. When you watch a character’s eyes convey emotion in a cutscene, that’s the motion capture performer’s actual eye movements and facial muscle activations. When a character moves with distinctive body language that reveals personality, that’s the physical actor’s choices about posture, gait, and gesture.
The technology has advanced to the point where performances are no longer animated approximations but direct captures of human acting. Andy Serkis revolutionized this field by proving motion capture performers deliver complete dramatic performances equal to traditional on-camera acting. Yet gaming still treats motion capture as invisible technical work rather than recognized artistry.
Consider what motion capture performers must do that voice actors don’t:
- Perform entire scenes physically while wearing restrictive suits and facial rigs
- Maintain consistent physicality and movement patterns across multiple recording sessions
- Execute demanding action sequences including combat choreography and athletic movements
- Convey emotion through body language when their face is covered in tracking markers
- Coordinate performances with other actors in the capture volume for interactive scenes
- Work with directors to create distinctive physical characterizations
Voice actors work is demanding and requires tremendous skill, but it’s a fundamentally different craft with different challenges. Both deserve recognition, just not competing against each other in a single category where voters can’t properly evaluate the different contributions.
What Industry Veterans Say
The motion capture recognition debate isn’t new, but having high-profile actors like Charlie Cox publicly champion it brings unprecedented attention. Reddit discussions show gamers increasingly aware of the problem, with many expressing surprise at learning performances they attributed to voice actors actually came from different physical performers.
One common response emphasizes that seeing motion capture actors like Maxence Cazorla at events and interviews makes the connection obvious – his facial expressions and mannerisms literally are Gustave’s because they’re directly captured from his performance. Fans who meet Cazorla report seeing the character in his eyes and body language, recognizing him as the true physical embodiment of Gustave.
Industry professionals point out that Hollywood already solved this with stunt performers who receive separate recognition despite being invisible to audiences. The gaming equivalent would be motion capture categories that celebrate physical performance artistry without diminishing voice acting achievements.
Will The Game Awards Actually Change
Geoff Keighley, creator and host of The Game Awards, has not publicly responded to the cast’s calls for motion capture categories. The show already features over 30 award categories, and adding more extends an already lengthy ceremony. However, public pressure from respected performers like Cox, English, and the Baldur’s Gate 3 performance team could force reconsideration.
The 2025 Game Awards ceremony takes place on December 11, giving Keighley limited time to implement changes for this year. More realistically, these conversations could influence category structure for The Game Awards 2026 and beyond. Industry awards typically evolve slowly, requiring sustained advocacy rather than immediate reform.
What makes this moment potentially transformative is who’s leading the charge. Charlie Cox actively rejecting credit he’s receiving makes a more powerful statement than motion capture performers advocating for themselves. When privileged insiders use their platforms to amplify marginalized colleagues, change becomes more likely.
FAQs
Why is Charlie Cox rejecting his Game Awards nomination?
Charlie Cox isn’t rejecting the nomination but refusing to take full credit, emphasizing that Maxence Cazorla performed almost all of Gustave’s motion capture work while Cox only spent four hours recording dialogue. He believes Cazorla deserves equal or greater recognition for the physical performance.
What is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a 2025 turn-based RPG developed by French studio Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive. The game features an all-star cast including Andy Serkis, Charlie Cox, Ben Starr, and Jennifer English with motion capture by performers like Maxence Cazorla.
What did the cast call for at The Game Awards?
The Clair Obscur cast is calling for The Game Awards to add dedicated motion capture categories that recognize physical performers separately from voice actors. They argue current categories don’t properly credit motion capture artists who create the physical and emotional performances players see on screen.
Who is Maxence Cazorla?
Maxence Cazorla is a French actor who performed motion capture for multiple characters in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 including Gustave, Verso, and Renoir. He also voiced the character Esquie in both English and French versions, essentially creating three complete physical performances for the game.
Does The Game Awards have a motion capture category?
No, The Game Awards does not have a dedicated motion capture category. The Best Performance category can include motion capture work, but it’s combined with voice acting, making it difficult to properly recognize physical performers who work separately from voice actors.
What other actors joined Cox in calling for motion capture recognition?
Jennifer English, Aliona Baranova, and other Clair Obscur cast members have publicly supported creating motion capture categories. Baranova, who serves as Baldur’s Gate 3’s performance director, specifically stated “it needs to happen” during interviews about the issue.
How long did Charlie Cox work on Clair Obscur?
Charlie Cox spent approximately four hours recording dialogue for Gustave. He has admitted to viewing it as a brief job for extra cash and feeling surprised by the recognition he’s received compared to the extensive physical performance work done by motion capture actor Maxence Cazorla.
Conclusion
The Clair Obscur cast’s advocacy for motion capture recognition exposes a fundamental flaw in how gaming celebrates performance artistry. Charlie Cox’s willingness to redirect credit toward Maxence Cazorla demonstrates the kind of solidarity that actually changes industries rather than just generating headlines. As games become increasingly cinematic with sophisticated motion capture technology, the distinction between voice acting and physical performance becomes impossible to ignore. The question isn’t whether motion capture performers deserve recognition – they obviously do. The question is whether The Game Awards and similar institutions will evolve to reflect the collaborative reality of modern game development or continue crediting individual voice actors for performances created by multiple artists. With high-profile advocates like Cox, English, and Serkis leading the charge, this might finally be the moment when gaming awards catch up to the artistry they’re supposed to celebrate. For Maxence Cazorla and countless other motion capture performers whose faces and names remain unknown despite creating the physical performances players love, that recognition can’t come soon enough.