That Mass Effect 3 scene with Garrus, you know the one, made Shepard actor Jennifer Hale "break" because it took her "by surprise": "I was like no, no, no, Shepard doesn't cry"

News
By published

Hale had no idea what was coming

Garrus in Mass Effect 3
(Image credit: EA)

When it comes to heartbreaking moments in Mass Effect, the number one spot will always belong to the exit of Dr. Mordin Solus. But in second place is Garrus and Shepard’s promise to each other before heading to war against the Reapers, a scene so poignant, it almost made Jennifer Hale break down.

She recalls doing the scene for the Behind the Voice podcast, mentioning that it's the time during her tenure voicing the female Commander Shepard where the emotions started catching up to her. "The goodbye scene with Garrus kicked me hard," she says.

"90% of the work – maybe 85% now – is cold reading. I've never seen a line until I say it," she continues. "That scene with Garrus took me by surprise. I saw it, and I was like, 'Oh – oh…' And as I was doing it, I was starting to break, I was starting to cry, and I was like, 'No, no, no!'"

Female Shepard Reveals Her Most Emotional Scene in Mass Effect - YouTube Female Shepard Reveals Her Most Emotional Scene in Mass Effect - YouTube
Watch On

In her words, "Shepard doesn't cry," and she took a moment to re-center herself before restarting the scene. The exchange in question is deeply impactful, with two soldiers who've been through hell and back realizing this might be the final time they get to square up together.

As is typical of both, there are no tears, only a solemn vow to find each other afterwards for an alcoholic beverage or three when all is said and done. Garrus breaks rank to order Shepard to give the Reapers hell, something they absolutely take to heart. It's poetic and heartrending, and given the lump in my throat revisiting it on the back of this piece, I can only imagine what it was like in the booth for Hale.

After three glorious games performing as Shepard, Hale's been emphatic about returning to the role in Mass Effect 5, if BioWare will have her. If the series does bring back the commander, maybe Garrus can make an appearance, and they can go for that drink. Hey, we can dream, right?

Mass Effect 5 remains in development amid $55 billion EA buyout, and BioWare is now "heads-down and focused exclusively on" the RPG, with "lots of romances to figure out."

TOPICS
Anthony McGlynn
Anthony McGlynn
Contributing Writer

Anthony is an Irish entertainment and games journalist, now based in Glasgow. He previously served as Senior Anime Writer at Dexerto and News Editor at The Digital Fix, on top of providing work for Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PC Gamer, and many more. Besides Studio Ghibli, horror movies, and The Muppets, he enjoys action-RPGs, heavy metal, and pro-wrestling. He interviewed Animal once, not that he won’t stop going on about it or anything.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.