Phineas and Ferb and Step Up actor Alyson Stoner has released a statement addressing the Kingdom Hearts community after fans took a statement as a spoiler for Kingdom Hearts 4.
Kingdom Hearts fans are perhaps the most copium-fuelled of all the fanbases. Sure, The Elder Scrolls 6 fans have had less info on their next game, but that fanbase has (mostly) accepted the game is nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, Kingdom Hearts fans are picking up on anything that could be related to Kingdom Hearts 4; there's no hiding from how dedicated they are, which has led to some confusion around an actor's comments.
A clip of Stoner at a convention went viral within the Kingdom Hearts community, where Stoner talked about their roles in the series. "I voice Kairi, and Xion, and Naminé," Stoner said, adding: "A lot of people don't know about the Naminé, so I hope I'm not spoiling something that I'm not supposed to say out loud."
Naminé is credited as being voiced by Brittany Snow in Kingdom Hearts 2 and Meaghan Martin in future appearances, which led fans to think Stoner was saying Naminé is back in Kingdom Hearts 4 and will be voiced by them.
After it blew up, Stoner made a post on their Instagram story (which has been archived by the Kingdom Hearts subreddit) clarifying the situation. Stoner, who says Kingdom Hearts "continues to be one of the most meaningful experiences I've had in the booth" explains: "Unfortunately, I have zero news of KH4, but I'm just as eager to hear updates! Trust me, I have zero points of information."
They continue: "Regarding my 'spoiler' comment in the brief interview, that was merely a colloquial attempt (or error, I'm learning?) at saying many people are often unaware of the other characters we actors voice," and that "I meant to imply that these realizations can feel like a 'behind-the-scenes spoiler' about the project for some people, not that I was breaking confidentiality on any project."
Stoner continues, "I totally understand the confusion and apologize for any false implications/speculation. I didn't mean to imply there's another game or that I'm currently recording any roles." They add that they'd "genuinely be equally enthusiastic to hear about KH4, regardless of whether or not I were asked to be involved as a voiceover actor."
And as a final bit of info to help their case that this really wasn't a spoiler, Stoner says: "After 25 years of nonstop experience with press interviews, there is 0% chance I would accidentally spill something that massive… if I were under a contract, my lips would be sealed shut." They also note the level of secrecy a lot of these projects have, saying, "Disney didn't even notify the main cast of Phineas & Ferb when the show was coming back. We learned through a public press announcement, along with all of you. So, as they say, we're all in this together."
But that doesn't answer when Stoner voiced Naminé, as they had never been credited; thankfully another fan posted on Twitter, possibly solving the mystery. Twitter user Mike Kennedy says, "Don't want to burst anybody's bubble, but I was at the event, and Alyson told me at the table they had voiced Naminé for a fill-in line or two in a past game and thought it was cool/funny that nobody ever really noticed." Given that Riku actor David Gallagher previously did uncredited voice work as a younger Xehanort in Birth By Sleep, that somewhat tracks with the series.
