From Metal Gear Fan to Voice Acting Icon: Ashly Burch Sets Sights on Dream Kojima Villain Role
The Good News: Even with a stellar resume boasting collaborations with giants like Atlus, Guerilla, and Naughty Dog, celebrated voice actress Ashly Burch holds a special place in her heart for one visionary creator: Hideo Kojima. The mastermind behind Metal Gear Solid, the very game that ignited Burch’s passion for voice acting, remains her ultimate dream collaboration.
Speaking to GINXTV, Burch shared a charming origin story. It was the iconic character introduction screens in Metal Gear Solid that first opened her eyes to the world of voice acting. “Any time a character is introduced… there’s a little text on the screen… it said their character name, but then it also said another name,” Burch recalled. “I was like, what is this, who is this?” That “other name” led her to discover David Hayter, the voice of Solid Snake. “I was like, oh my god. That’s the actor.”
This was a pivotal moment. “It’d never occurred to me,” she admitted. “I loved cartoons and… some part of me knew there’s a person voicing Chucky from Rugrats or whatever, but it didn’t click with me until that moment that it was a job you could have.”
Metal Gear Solid didn’t just spark her career interest; it shaped her understanding of the craft. “I think Metal Gear was the first game I played that was grittier, that was fully voiced,” Burch explained. “So I think it did open up to me, like, what the possibilities of performance in games could be.”
Her admiration extends to Kojima’s entire approach to game development, particularly his “gameplay sensibility.” Burch astutely noted, “If Metal Gear was just cutscene after cutscene without satisfying gameplay in between, I don’t think they would be as popular as they are. [Kojima] always does something interesting with the gameplay that I think keeps people engaged.”
So, if the stars aligned and she landed a role in a Kojima production, what would be her dream character? Moving away from her typical heroic portrayals, Burch is ready to embrace her dark side. “I don’t know if I would get cast for this, but, I think, let’s manifest it,” she enthused. “I think a Psycho Mantis-adjacent. I think being a villain would be fun. Like, one of his really unhinged villains would be fun.”
Given Hideo Kojima’s penchant for unique casting choices – famously even ensuring his favorite VTuber made it into Death Stranding 2 – Burch’s dream of playing an unhinged villain in his universe might just be more than a manifestation; it could be a tantalizing future possibility for fans of both creative powerhouses.
