In the latest development of a particularly unusual story, voice actor Troy Baker has denied that he ever turned down the Borderlands 3 Rhys role. The character, whom Baker voiced in Tales From the Borderlands, was first spotted in one of the Borderlands 3 trailers, prompting fans to ask whether he was reprising the role. However, not only is he not, but there seems to be some confusion over whether he was even asked.
Borderlands 3 Rhys: Troy Baker Denies Turning Down the Role
After fans saw Rhys in a recent Borderlands 3 trailer, many assumed that Troy Baker would return to voice him. However, at a panel event shortly after, Baker said that he would love to reprise the role, but that Gearbox hadn’t asked him to come back. However, the story took a twist last week; Randy Pitchford, the CEO of Gearbox, stated that the voice actor had actually turned down the role.
“You’ll have to ask Troy,” Tweeted Pitchford, in response to questioning about the casting; “I was told by the audio director that he turned it down. Fortunately, with how Rhys appears in the game, I don’t think it actually matters at all. You’ll see for yourself when the game comes out and you may disagree with me on that or not.”
That statement subsequently prompted Baker to respond. In an interview with OnlySP, the voice actor refuted Pitchford’s claim; “Their timeline tells an interesting story,” he says; “I think it’s interesting that Randy Pitchford tweeted out that I turned it down, and then he said he heard that I turned it down. So maybe… I would fact check before I tweeted out to the internet.”
In the same interview, fellow voice actor Nolan North, who voiced the character of August in Tales From the Borderlands, said that he hadn’t been asked to return either. In North’s case, his character hasn’t made any appearances in promotional material for Borderlands 3. However, his confirmation does seem to back up Baker’s statement somewhat. As such, it’s unclear at present what the truth of the matter is. It certainly looks as though there may have been some confusion or miscommunication at Gearbox. However, it’s also unknown what role Rhys will actually play in Borderlands 3. Pitchford’s statement that he doesn’t think the casting actually matters does suggest that the Borderlands 3 Rhys role might be little more than a cameo.