Interview with Monica Taylor Horgan (Silent Haven)Date published: 2011.09.01 This is a special one Silent Hill fans! I had the awesome opportunity to speak with the one and only Monica Taylor Horgan otherwise also known as the ORIGINAL voice actress for Mary/Maria in Silent Hill 2! In my opinion Monica was the best actor/actress in Silent Hill 2. She played two roles one of them being a very seductress and complex character the other is best know for the letter she reads at the end of the game. She was sexy, dramatic and heart warming all at the same time. She brought tears to some and undoubtedly moved everyone who played the game. Monica’s voice, just like all the other voice actors in Silent Hill 2, will never be replaced and will always be remembered by the characters they portrayed. Speaking to Monica she gave me a little background of herself as well as her thoughts on the Konami and Guy Cihi fiasco and how she fits in the picture. Here is my discussion with Monica, enjoy! Silent Haven: Hello Monica, since Silent Hill 2 I never heard your name brought up in any other productions or games where you voice acted. Did you continue voice acting after Silent Hill 2? Monica Taylor Horgan: Hi there. Yes, I did a lot of work after SH2. That aside, at the time it was being made, I was in the process of moving to London where (among other things including getting pregnant with my now nearly 10 year old daughter) I took my MA in Performance Studies and English from Kings College (Univ. of London) and RADA. Moved to Hawaii after that and was back and forth to Japan for work…hosted a program in Japanese about Hawaiian culture, commercials, etc. I just moved back to Mainland US and am in the LA area…..I have been approached for voice work here but frankly I’m not sure I feel inspired by the “scene” here. Who knows though….maybe SH fans will inspire me to put it out there…. Silent Haven: I want to ask you your thoughts on this whole Guy Cihi situation. Is he alone in this whole not wanting to sign over mocap and voice rights or were you and David and Donna not willing to sign any documents either? Also what is this business about no contracts? Monica Taylor Horgan: Well… yes they contacted me within the last year asking for a waiver release for any and all future releases of the game. No there were no contracts at the time. I don’t think anyone realized what was going to come of the game…the genre was relatively new (horror) and Japan does things differently than the US with on camera and voice talent. Konami was *very* shady about the work we did. It was ONLY to be released in the US and ONLY for one game… it has gone on to be released in a dozen countries, and several re-release versions including one that contains a “making of” which actually contains our likenesses… This is a BIG no-no… We have little or no recourse since the game was created in Japan…out of jurisdiction here…which is why they wanted releases from us—because the new HD version is from Konami USA. MUCH stricter laws protecting talent of course here. So they just recast it…I don’t think they realized what a hailstorm they were creating. It’s a shame really—because it’s the fans who miss out most. I never did sign the waiver and I think it’s great that Guy is standing up and shouting. I hope he (and fans) are successful protecting the original at least. And if Konami can clean up their act in the process and treat those who make them their fortunes better, then it’s a great thing. Silent Haven: I find it a bummer that Konami doesnt pay voice actors residuals for re-releases. How do you feel about Konami’s ethics? Do you feel there is some kind of hidden agenda here? Monica Taylor Horgan: As for Konami’s ethics, it’s not entirely cut and dry. We were all paid well for a smallish job at the time… Surely no one complained back then! The fact that it took off as it did was something we all should have included in our agreements (mostly verbal at the time). It’s the continued, global releases and MORE IMPORTANTLY the formation of the Making Of release that includes our actual likenesses that is a bummer. THAT was unethical. And probably in some laws, illegal. The experience was great though really. I will tell you a fun little fact….the letter reading from Mary that we did….was a very rare “one take”. This means, I read it one time only….we recorded it…and it was a perfect take the first time. I remember distinctly everyone taking a Loooooong moment afterward. We nailed it. Great material. And a solid read. Probably the best I ever did. Silent Haven: How do you feel about the Silent Hill fans? Monica Taylor Horgan: Ahh and as far as fans? I’m mostly confused! Seems like most of them are in their 20’s which means they were my daughter’s age when the game was made…. I guess that speaks volumes about the material and game and (on some small level) performances. How fun to know it’s all still so vital. Thank you to all of them (you). Thanks for taking time! Monica |