Cid talk: Ralph Ineson talks FINAL FANTASY XVI and becoming an unexpected sex symbol

The English voice actor who brings Cid to life in the game tells us about how he approached the role, why he beats himself up for his craft and more.
By Duncan Heaney
Tags: Final Fantasy,FINAL FANTASY XVI

FINAL FANTASY XVI is full of memorable characters, but one of the true standouts is Cidolfus Telemon - or ‘Cid’ as he’s more commonly known.

A large part of that appeal is no doubt thanks to English voice actor Ralph Ineson, whose distinctive voice imbues the outlaw hero with both grit and warmth. To celebrate the release of the game on PC, we sat down with the talented actor to discuss his acclaimed work on the game - and how he feels a year from release.

Players really embraced Cid. Why do you think that is?

I think it’s because he’s brave. He’s exactly the kind of friend that everybody wants. He’s the kind of big brother mate who’ll look after you and everyone else around you and put his body on the line for those he loves.

And underneath all the gruff exterior, he’s a very loving man. I think people respond to that.

You know, underneath all the blag and all the chat, he’s a very loving man and he loves Clive very much.

What was your favourite thing about playing the character?

Well, in retrospect, it’s because... I had no idea he was sexy!

My wife likes my voice, and people said, “Oh, that’s a nice voice,” but with this face, I’ve never been described as particularly sexy. So, to suddenly be playing a sort of sex symbol was hilarious (laughs).

And I loved it! I thought it was great - even though it was slightly false (laughs).

How did you originally get involved in the game?

Well, it was quite a pedestrian way really. A job came in from my voiceover agent. I didn’t recognise any of the names of the characters or anything in the breakdown that I was sent, so I didn’t know it was FINAL FANTASY.

So, I started doing the sessions. They take some years to do the voices on something like FINAL FANTASY, and as it went on and on, I got to work more with Ben Starr, who’s a super-fan of the whole franchise.

I suddenly started to realise what I was involved with, which was great.

But I didn’t realise quite how big until it got launched on PS5 last year - when we went out for the launch in LA. It was like, “Oh. Okay, fair enough” (laughs).

Did you get to perform much with the other actors?

Mainly Ben, which was a good idea because it’s a very important relationship between the two of them. It gave us the chance to fire off each other as actors, in a way that’s impossible to do when you’re working off pre-recorded stuff.

So, for the first few sessions, me and Ben worked together, which settled that relationship and kind of got us into the world.

I didn’t really get to meet the rest of the cast until the game launched last year. David (Menkin - Barnabas) and Nina (Yndis - Benedikta) were out in LA, with me and Ben. And I’ve just met two other people in the cast for the first time today!

It’s a strange one, video game acting, in that sense, because sometimes you just don’t meet your co-stars at all.

Obviously, the game is still being made when you’re recording your lines. How much visibility do you have into the scenes as you perform?

Well, there’s all sorts of… I don’t know what the technical word for it would be, but semi world builds. Sort of like sketch versions of what the scene might be, and they get filled in the further you go along.

Right at the start, you might be working on just a synopsis of the scene. But then, you move on, and you’ve got places and basic animations of what the scene is. It builds with you as you go along over the three years it takes and each time you go in, more things are finished - and you’re reacting to more of it.

Does that mean the character also develops over the process?

Well, you have to have a strong idea of the character from the start, otherwise you can paint yourself into a corner. Especially if you were just changing things as you go along.

But hopefully what happens is that you inform the art, and vice versa, all the way through. And, you know, it’s that much easier when there’s more artwork in front of you, and the scene is more finished. It’s easier to give a performance - and I suppose the same is true for the animators.

There was a lot of acclaim for your performance in FINAL FANTASY XVI, as well as another big game last year - it feels like 2023 was the year of Ralph Ineson in games! Did you feel that yourself?

Only in a social media sense. And it was really nice - I had lots of lovely messages through social media about it, but it’s not like you get stopped in the street (laughs).

You were nominated for a BAFTA and other awards for your performance of Cid. How did that feel?

A great actor once said he didn’t do anything to do with awards because acting is not a competitive sport. And while I agree with that, it was nice after 30-odd years of acting to be up on stage…

…well, not on stage, because I didn’t win (laughs). But to be nominated was very nice. I’d be trying to play it too cool if I said it didn’t mean anything. It meant something.

But on the other hand, I am still a believer that acting awards are a bit silly, because it’s not a competitive sport.

You’ve done so many different things over your career, including both acting and voicing TV shows and movies. How does performing in a game differ from those mediums?

The kernel of the job is the same, whatever the medium. It’s about getting to exist authentically in the moment.

And how you get to that, lots of people have different ways and there are different genres of working that highlight different sides of it. What I love about video game acting is the fact that you get so much done.

It’s a three-hour session, and it’s physically demanding. You’ll be there screaming, shouting, hitting yourself, jumping around, doing actions, doing fight scenes… but every minute of every hour you’re working. You’re doing something.

Whereas on a film set, you might do a couple of takes every half hour because there’s a lot of sitting around and waiting.

So, the rhythm of video game acting is what I like. You get into a rhythm; you get a sweat on and it’s very creative. I love that buzz about it.

What advice would you give others attempting to pursue a career like yours?

Learn to listen. I think that’s the most important thing to be an actor. It’s not the talking, it’s the listening - that’s the thing.

Also, don’t lose sight that it’s an art form and that’s why you’re doing it. You’re not doing it for the money or to be famous. If you happen to be good at it, and it goes well, you might become famous and you might make some money out of it. But to go into any kind of art with that mindset is a waste of time.

Perhaps one of the less glamorous elements of voice over work is ‘efforts’ - the grunts and shouts you have to make to indicate the character exerting himself. How do you approach that side of the work?

You have to make sure you save certain cues for the end of the session. You know, a lot of screaming and war cries, Eikons - stuff like that. You have to prioritise the real big ones where you absolutely let it go. Because if you want a really good performance, you’ve got to risk hurting or losing the voice temporarily.

So, you can’t start a session by doing the screaming because you’ll have nothing left by the end of it.

It’s physical too - you have to get the air to flow properly over the vocal cords and I don’t know how to do it without slamming my elbows into my ribs, jumping up and down, and beating myself up (laughs).

So, it’s super-physical - but kind of fun as well. Like a lot of my job, whether it’s voice acting or film acting… sometimes you stand there and go, “What a ridiculous thing to do for a living!” (laughs).

Many thanks to Ralph Ineson for sharing his thoughts. You can see his superb performance as Cid in FINAL FANTASY XVI - available now for PC via Steam and Epic Games Store and PS5.

Two editions are available:

FINAL FANTASY XVI Standard Edition

This includes:

  • The base game

It's available now:

FINAL FANTASY XVI Complete Edition

This includes:

  • The base game

  • Echoes of the Fallen, DLC chapter - the discovery of an artificial Mothercrystal leads Clive to the treacherous Sagespire, a ruin of the mysterious, and long since gone, Fallen civilization. It’s an action-packed ascent to the top that features some truly spectacular boss fights!

  • The Rising Tide, DLC chapter - Clive and his allies are drawn into a new adventure involving the hidden village of Haven, and the lost Eikon of Water: Leviathan! This is a longer adventure that takes you to a brand-new area with blue skies, new quests, new accessories, weapons and - uh-oh - tonberries aplenty!

It's available now:

A free demo is also available. It lets you play through the opening prologue of the game and carry your progress over to the full game.

To stay up to date with news and information about this and other FINAL FANTASY games, be sure to follow us on social media:

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