“There’s so much love and care that has gone into this.”
Let’s be honest, Clive isn’t exactly the most glamorous name for a Final Fantasy lead character.
But it could’ve been worse.
So you get the call to say you’ve got the role in Final Fantasy 16.
How did you feel in that moment?
Susannah Fielding: We didn’t know that it was Final Fantasy.
You’re like, ‘okay?!’.
My character at the time was codenamed Clint Richmond.
Do you remember what yours was?
It would have been like J something?
S: Jane…Jane Adams, or something.
What’s been amazing is working with lots of different actors and realising this is quite a big thing.
S: I’m not really a gamer, but even I’ve heard of Final Fantasy.
Even for me I was aware of the magnitude of it.
In the past we’ve had Cloud and Squall, but now we’ve got Clive.
That’s not very Final Fantasy?!
S: They’re like names from Coronation Street rather than Final Fantasy.
B: I will say, Jill has already been taken obviously, for Resident Evil fans.
She says ‘a shoe is just a shoe until my son steps into it’.
Now I feel it’s very normal and keep going ‘Clive - yeah that is a sexy name’.
S: We’re reimagining the name Clive, for all those Clives out there.
B: We are re-envisaging Clive for the 21st century.
This is such a huge series, did you feel the weight of that?
S: I think neither of us were quite aware of how big our parts would be.
B: Yeah, I think the way we got over it was just a bit at a time.
And play the truth of the moment, be as honest as you possibly can.
As you see in the beginning of the game, it’s massive and huge in scale.
And that’s the honesty you focus on.
And when it’s just me and you, we’re fine, we’re good here.
There are all these close ups on the characters, and it’s very human.
S: We spent a lot of time revisiting and tweaking those moments as well.
So let’s give them something to deep dive into.
What were the key inspirations for each of your characters?
S: You always start with yourself, I think, in terms of how you connect.
Certainly Jill has quite a journey from being a vulnerable character to really finding her strength again.
I started slowly and then built it up.
B: I think that’s really exactly what happened to me as well.
I start with me, it’s like, how would I react to this scenario?
And then you kind of like, layer on those things.
I did take some inspiration from a television show called The Leftovers with Justin Theroux.
It’s just the most amazing TV show.
He doesn’t let himself cry because he’s got this warped masculinity.
I wondered if they influenced your performances at all?
B: When it comes to Game of Thrones, what was the strength of that?
It’s because performance is at the heart of it.
You believe in these characters, you love these characters.
We’ve been through so much in those years.
As we play the game we see these characters through time as they age.
How challenging was that for you to consider that sense of progression?
S: It was particularly hard with jumping back and forth recording.
There are definitely bits in there where I’ve had a cold some days and not others!
Hopefully it’s just us that notice!
When you’re doing it over four years, that’s a long time.
S: Yeah, a lot’s happened since then!
There’s a picture of us on the first day recording, we both look about seventeen!
Jill’s been through hell, Clive’s been through hell.
How do you deal with that?
When we come back together, it’s a real moment of tenderness.
Jill is the one thing Clive has from that world before.
She knows him when he was better than he is now.
Maybe Jill can be Clive’s redemption.
S: Yeah, what he said!
Were you surprised by how mature it is?
S: I think people expect it now.
They’re no longer just one dimensional: I’m the female lead, he’s the male lead.
It’s so much more.
B: It’s messy, isn’t it?
Emotions are really muddy, there isn’t a right or wrong at all.
And I think that, as much as there is blood, it’s the messiness of that.
There isn’t light and dark, that doesn’t exist.
It’s not what they are.
They’ll certainly question each other on the journey, if what they’re doing is the right thing.
What was your entry point to the series and your understanding of Final Fantasy?
B: You’ve played all of them haven’t you Susie?
S: All of them.
I just will not stop [laughs].
Obviously I knew about Final Fantasy, it’s one of the few games I did know about.
But obviously now being involved in it I understand more about the history and how epic it all is.
But you love a game don’t you?
B: Oh do I ever love a game!
I specifically love Final Fantasy, I’ve pretty much played all of them.
We’re like fire and ice, right?
But it’s very cool.
Did you feel a lot of pressure then?
B: Yeah a huge amount of pressure.
I was worried for the first month I was going to get fired.
I’ve had the next instalment completely ruined.
What if I get fired?'
This is where your mind goes, this is way too good to be true.
I shouldn’t be doing it.
Clive, Jill, Barnabas and Benedikta.
@FinalFantasyXVI#FF16pic.twitter.com/0ifo4vw0QZ
Which is your favourite of the series?
B: Susie, which is your favourite?
S:Final Fantasy 16.
B: Yeah, a really strong choice!
Mine’sFinal Fantasy 8because it was the first one I played, when I was 10 years old.
I don’t think it’s the best, but the power of nostalgia is a powerful drug.
Yeah, FF7 and FF8 are my favourites for similar reasons.
B: I went to this Final Symphony concert in Birmingham last weekend.
I said ‘yes, I would love that’.
And then the conductor said, ‘what’s your favourite piece of Final Fantasy music?’
And it was like a Mexican wave!
Everyone’s got their favourites, every one means something to them.
So one last question then as a fan of the series: how ‘Final Fantasy’ is FF16?
You cannot just cast that aside.
This is important not just to video games fans but to Final Fantasy fans.
It’s very Final Fantasy, but it’s also really new.
