Former BioShock director Ken Levine spoke about Alec Baldwin and Emma Stone for roles in the sci-fi series, but he's unsure gamers really care about Hollywood actors

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They're also apparently too busy

BioShock
(Image credit: 2K Games)

Former BioShock series lead Ken Levine says he had conversations with Alec Baldwin and Emma Stones for roles in the series, but the former wanted "half a million dollars" for the role of Andrew Ryan.

Levine was recently interviewed by Dan Allen Gaming in the video below and quizzed as to why he's never worked with A-list Hollywood actors in any of his games. "I could be wrong, but I don't think gamers care," Levine said of Hollywood actors in video games, while adding that there are obviously "some really talented people out there." 

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Levine also believes Hollywood actors look at games like "M-rated movies, so they're not super enthusiastic" about starring in a video game. The BioShock director also said he needs actors who are readily available to come back "multiple times over a period of years," because of how he writes and then re-writes dialog, which Levine believes Hollywood actors are simply too busy for.

"I think at one point one of the people working with us on [BioShock] Infinite, before we had cast Elizabeth, was like, 'What if Emma Stone could play Elizabeth?' It was earlier in her career," Levine added. It's not entirely clear where, if anywhere, conversations surrounding Stone went, but Courtnee Draper was ultimately cast in the role.

"I'd rather just have a great actor who's excited about being in the thing," Levine continued. "We went to Alec Baldwin for Andrew Ryan, but he wanted like half a million dollars or something," Levine further revealed, speaking to the original BioShock character, who's revealed partway through the game to be nefariously controlling the player character. 

However, Levine says the role of Andrew Ryan went to Armin Shimerman, who is actually a Hollywood actor, having starred in TV series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Deep Space Nine. Levine says Shimerman was the "best human for the role," even though sound engineers on the original BioShock had to tone his voice down slightly to get the pitch correct for Ryan.

Meanwhile, BioShock 4 rumbles on in production and here's hoping we finally see something of it soon.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.