Sally Beaumont is an actor, playwright, and video games author, and her voice has featured in titles resembling Harold Halibut, The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow, Expelled!, and Loco Motive. Beaumont was chosen as a BAFTA Breakthrough for her appearing and writing work on the purpose and click on journey recreation Outdated Skies, which was created by Dave Gilbert of Wadjet Eye Video games.
How did you get entangled with Outdated Skies?
Dave and I met at Journey X in 2018, and we had been actually eager to work with one another. I really auditioned for numerous roles in Unavowed, and bought none of them. And it was a very attention-grabbing level in our friendship the place he is like, ‘Are you okay if I flip you down?’ And I am like, ‘I will not be okay if you happen to give me a task simply because we’re mates’.
Then he was engaged on the follow-up to Unavowed, the tough second album drawback, and as a fellow author myself, I stated, ‘Why do not you do a recreation jam? Simply do one thing that does not need to be a roaring success, simply do one thing for enjoyable’. And he stated, ‘Properly, do you wish to do the voice appearing?’ And I stated, ‘Yeah, in fact I do, what a foolish query’. He got here up with this enjoyable concept a few time traveller who had to return in time and take care of one other time agent who’d gone rogue – and I performed the time traveller, Fia.
It fully took the stress off him to make one thing, and it bought a good quantity of consideration. And some weeks later he stated, ‘We’re making Outdated Skies as our subsequent undertaking’.
That was early 2020 – she says, ominously. We had plenty of conferences actually early on the place we had been speaking about: who is that this individual? What is that this world? What’s the story we wish to inform with time journey? Dave has a really specific writing and improvement fashion, and when he approaches one thing, it is completely different to how anybody else would do it.
Proper by the method, I feel we have had no less than three very completely different storylines, however Fia has all the time been there, and I’ve all the time been connected, and I am actually grateful for that. I feel it has been cancelled twice – which isn’t a criticism, it is simply how recreation improvement works. And each time it was again on, I might say sure with out query.
I am additionally a playwright, and it is taken me a whole lot of time and confidence to go, ‘Wait, can I be a recreation author as nicely?’ And thru the event strategy of Outdated Skies, I retrained as a recreation author, and I’ve additionally been engaged on different tasks. Then Dave was like, ‘Do you wish to do some writing on Outdated Skies?’ So I am answerable for the time loop in chapter 4, which you will note attracts on my love of farce and bodily comedy.
Dave likes to name me his sounding board. When he was battling what to do, he may come to me and go, ‘What would Fia do on this scenario?’ And I’m lucky as a result of I am a freelancer, so I am engaged on different issues and I’ve an outdoor perspective. It is helpful to have somebody who’s within the undertaking and out of doors of the undertaking on the similar time.
We began recording the voice appearing three years in the past, so we have been doing it in bursts, mission by mission, not essentially in chronological order, which actually fits a time journey recreation.
Sure, Outdated Skies is nearly like a number of self-contained tales, is not it? Virtually like a revue present.
Precisely. I form of considered it as being like an episodic TV present. However there’s additionally an overarching story that nearly sneaks up on you earlier than you understand you are invested. I feel Dave’s given a discuss this, about how the episodic nature of it meant he was capable of produce a recreation with that stage of ambition as a result of he was capable of break it down into smaller chunks.
You talked about you needed to do extra recreation writing: what different tasks have you ever been concerned in?
Properly, inevitably I’ve already began making my very own tasks, and since I am primarily working in journey video games, considered one of them is nearly fully a automobile for puns. I’m who I’m.
I additionally wrote on Venture to the Vile, which is ready in a form of fantasy Victorian world – and you’ll see why they introduced me on. Lots of people say, ‘You converse such as you’re a few hundred years outdated’. I am excellent at taking part in historic women and immortal gods who’ve awoken from their slumber. These are my casting sorts.
Why attracted you to appearing in video video games?
Like most jobbing actors, I do a variety of issues. I wish to comply with my pursuits and never be on the prepare tracks of what I ought to be doing. I wish to comply with what excites me and the tasks which are going to make me develop as a artistic. If one thing feels prefer it’s too exhausting for me, I am going to say sure, as a result of I wish to develop, I wish to problem myself. It makes life a bit bit tough generally, nevertheless it’s good.
I’ve all this bizarre, disparate expertise: like I did commedia dell’arte. I used to do voiceover an terrible lot for company stuff and commercials and issues – I nonetheless do. I am a display screen actor, a theatre actor: I really like doing heaps and many various things. And being that adaptable and having that diversified expertise means you possibly can drop me right into a recreation. And even when they’re rewriting the script on the spot, which does occur lots, I can roll with it.
I feel it’s a must to if you happen to’re a recreation actor, as a result of usually you do not even know what character you are taking part in whenever you flip up on the studio.
Yeah, I’ve walked into periods with no concept what I am about to do, and it’s a must to be creatively open and place confidence in your self. My entire ethos is I like to supply, after which they get to determine which elements they maintain.
We did that lots on Outdated Skies, the place we might do just a few takes, after which I might say, ‘Look, I’ve bought an concept, it is in all probability foolish’. After which Dave will get to determine later whether or not it goes within the bin or it goes within the recreation – and a few of them go within the recreation and a few of them go within the bin.
What does it imply to you to be a BAFTA breakthrough?
I feel as a result of I am a freelancer and also you do the whole lot by yourself, it’s a must to turn out to be a jack of all trades and you’re the solely individual answerable for your profession transferring ahead. And that is an incredible stress. Being connected to BAFTA Breakthrough, other than the unbelievable honour, it additionally simply means lots within the trade. I feel it is simply wonderful to have such an enormous group behind me, each when it comes to the stamp of approval, and likewise simply not having to do the whole lot by myself.
Do you suppose that BAFTA is sweet for making connections?
Yeah. I used to be a part of BAFTA Join simply over 5 years in the past, and the chums and colleagues that I constituted of that, I nonetheless work with them now, and simply an unbelievable bunch of individuals.
I feel with issues like BAFTA Breakthrough, you do not know who it may carry into your sphere. You do not know what alternatives will open up. It simply appears like going up a stage in my profession.
You’ve got made it.
I do not know if I’ve made it, nevertheless it undoubtedly appears like an enormous step. And simply the way in which that BAFTA has taken care of me… I am a disabled individual, and the care that they took over my entry, over COVID precautions, it actually introduced dwelling to me that they actually worth me. They don’t seem to be tolerating me.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
Uncover extra concerning the different members of the 2025 BAFTA Breakthrough video games cohort: Kyle Banks, Stanley Baxton, Mark Choi, and Cara Ellison.