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A Fort McMurray-raised actress is taking gamers to a galaxy far, far away in a massive Star Wars video game releasing sometime next year.
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Humberly González is a Toronto-based actress and a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada. Before that, she fell in love with acting during drama classes at Westwood Community High School and on stage at Keyano Theatre. Next year, gamers will meet González as Kay Vess, a thief in the crime-ridden underbelly of the Star Wars galaxy.
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“I feel like this is one of the biggest—if not, the biggest—franchise of our lifetime. The themes, like everything, it’s just been a part of our world,” González said in a promotional video produced by Ubisoft. González is not yet doing media interviews for the game.
“I know that people are going to love this game, not just for how amazing the gameplay is but the story itself, to see a young girl become a woman and become an outlaw.”
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Born in Venezuela, González’s family left when she was about 12 because of the country’s political situation. She attended an international school in Aruba before moving to Fort McMurray in 2007.
In a 2019 interview with Fort McMurray Today, González said local theatre immediately offered community in a new place. It was during a 2012 performance of the musical Chicago when someone told her to audition for the National Theatre School of Canada.
“People came to see the shows — they would sell out every night and I loved that. I wanted to be part of that community, which was a very positive one. I met many of my close friends through that,” she said at the time. “I felt supported and loved. If it hadn’t been for being part of community theatre, I don’t think I would have followed this path.”
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González plays the game’s protagonist. She performed the motion capture for Vess, as well as recorded her voice. Vess has a bounty on her head and finds herself in trouble. Vess and her alien sidekick, Nix, will fight, steal and outwit their way through the galaxy. Their adventure takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
“Getting to bring my own heart and then mix it in with that confidence and her toughness and her charm and wit, it’s really fun and it makes her very endearing, even though she’s a very tough person,” she said. “I’m happy that they found me because I feel that I was meant to play this role.”
Star Wars Outlaws is an open-world game that will be released for Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PC in 2024.
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vmcdermott@postmedia.com
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