Holly-Marie Michael Says Baldur's Gate 3's Sazza Helped Land Her Metaphor: ReFantazio Role

Voice actor Holly-Marie Michael has revealed a direct connection between two of the most celebrated role-playing games of recent years. Her work as Sazza, the sharp-tongued goblin from Baldur's Gate 3, helped her earn the role of Catherina in Metaphor: ReFantazio.

Michael plays Catherina, the instantly recognizable pink-haired bounty hunter in Atlus' fantasy RPG. The character became one of the game's notable English-language voices, fitting into a cast built around a wide mixture of regional British accents. As Michael explained, the Cockney delivery she developed for Sazza was exactly what the team behind Metaphor: ReFantazio was seeking when it came time to cast Catherina.

"Funnily enough, I got the role of Catherina by playing Sazza in Baldur's Gate 3," Michael said.

It is an interesting example of how an actor's work in one enormous game can create a path to another, even when the characters themselves appear to have little in common at first glance. Sazza is a goblin caught up in the early events of Baldur's Gate 3, while Catherina is a human bounty hunter in the stylized fantasy world of Metaphor: ReFantazio. Yet both roles depend on a distinctive voice that can communicate personality immediately.

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A Cockney Accent Connected Two Major RPGs

For Baldur's Gate 3, Michael adopted a Cockney accent to bring Sazza to life. The character may be a comparatively small part of the giant game's sprawling cast, but she made a strong impression on players. Sazza's attitude, delivery, and presence helped turn her into one of the more fondly remembered goblins in Larian's 2023 Game of the Year-winning RPG.

That performance became more than a memorable moment for fans. Michael said that Metaphor: ReFantazio's English dub uses a range of regional accents, and the casting team wanted a performer with a Cockney sound for Catherina. Since Michael had already demonstrated that ability through Sazza, she was invited to audition.

"In Metaphor, you've got the English dub, you've got all of these regional accents, and they said they wanted somebody with a Cockney accent to play Catherina," Michael explained. "I was kind of already being a Cockney when I was doing Sazza, and so they asked me to audition for her."

The connection makes sense in the context of both games' approach to vocal performances. Baldur's Gate 3 uses its huge ensemble to make every corner of Faerûn feel inhabited, from major companions and villains to optional encounters players might miss entirely. A memorable vocal identity is vital in that kind of design. Sazza's voice gave the goblin a sense of individuality even within a faction full of strange, funny, dangerous, and often unpredictable characters.

Metaphor: ReFantazio, meanwhile, has a more directed story but similarly relies on a carefully defined English cast. Its setting, visual style, and political conflict are distinctly fantastical, yet its localization makes room for an assortment of accents that help differentiate its people and regions. Catherina's Cockney voice supports her tough, grounded, working-class bounty-hunter image.

Catherina Made an Immediate Impression on Michael

Michael said she was determined to play Catherina from the moment she received the audition material. The actor described the character as "so badass," a reaction that underlines the appeal of a role far removed from the anxious, mischievous energy associated with Sazza.

That contrast is part of what makes Michael's casting journey notable. Voice performers are often recognized for a particular role or vocal quality, but the best opportunities can arise when that recognizable strength is applied to a new type of character. Catherina appears to have offered Michael the chance to use a familiar accent while giving it a different purpose: less goblin chaos, more confidence and determination.

At the time of the audition, Michael did not know that her existing work as Sazza had already made her a natural candidate. In retrospect, the chain of events is a neat reminder that game performances frequently have a longer life than players may realize. A part recorded for one project can be heard by casting teams years later, opening the door to roles in entirely separate franchises.

For audiences, it also highlights the degree to which an accent can shape a character. A Cockney performance is not simply a surface-level trait. It changes rhythm, attitude, class associations, humor, and the way a line lands. Those elements can make a role especially useful to a casting team looking for a specific kind of presence.

From a Beloved Goblin to a Bounty Hunter

Sazza has maintained an unusual level of fan affection considering the breadth of Baldur's Gate 3. Players have spent years discussing its companions, romances, villains, unusual side characters, and the vast array of choices offered throughout its campaign. Sazza has remained part of that conversation, including discussions around the possibility of goblin romance content.

In 2025, Michael responded to the enthusiasm surrounding Sazza and the number of players who would champion a romance involving the goblin. Speaking in Sazza's voice, she jokingly addressed the fans as "filthy little buggers" before acknowledging that there were more supporters than she had expected.

Michael also made it clear that she would be open to recording such scenes if Larian ever decided to pursue them, though she amusingly noted that they would be "filthy." The comments were playful, but they reflected just how thoroughly players have embraced even secondary personalities in Baldur's Gate 3.

That level of attachment matters for performers as well as fans. A role like Sazza can be brief relative to the game's main story, yet it can have a lasting cultural footprint when players respond to it. Michael's experience suggests that the performance not only created a fan-favorite goblin, but also established a professional calling card that traveled from Larian's massive RPG to Atlus' acclaimed adventure.

Why Voice Casting Matters So Much in RPGs

RPGs are particularly well suited to this kind of career crossover because their casts are so central to the player experience. Unlike genres where dialogue may be limited to mission briefings or combat barks, role-playing games ask audiences to spend dozens of hours with characters. Voices need to carry emotional scenes, comedic timing, worldbuilding details, exposition, and player-driven branches.

That makes a vocal performance memorable even outside the immediate context of a game. When casting directors hear an actor establish a character quickly and clearly, they can imagine that performer in future projects. Michael's Sazza work evidently provided that proof of concept for Catherina: it showed that she could deliver the particular accent and energy needed for a character in another high-profile RPG.

The two games also demonstrate how broad the RPG field can be. Baldur's Gate 3 draws from the traditions of Dungeons & Dragons, offering a party-based fantasy adventure shaped by extensive player choice. Metaphor: ReFantazio comes from Atlus and approaches fantasy through a different lens, combining its own social, political, and stylish storytelling ideas. Their worlds, structures, and tones differ considerably, but they share an investment in character-driven storytelling.

For Michael, that overlap created a valuable bridge. A Cockney goblin performance in one acclaimed RPG led to an audition for a Cockney bounty hunter in another. It is a straightforward story, but one that says plenty about the collaborative, interconnected nature of game development.

A Promising RPG Run for Holly-Marie Michael

Appearing in Baldur's Gate 3 and then Metaphor: ReFantazio places Michael's work in two major RPG successes. Both games have earned substantial acclaim, and both have audiences who pay close attention to their characters and English-language performances. That is a strong foundation for an actor whose next major game role has not yet been announced.

There is no indication yet of what Michael will do next, but her comments provide a useful look at how casting opportunities can develop. Success is not always about playing the largest role in the biggest project. A distinctive portrayal, even in a supporting part, can be enough to catch the attention of a team seeking a very precise vocal quality.

For now, players can hear the results in two very different adventures: Sazza's unforgettable goblin presence in Baldur's Gate 3 and Catherina's forceful bounty-hunter performance in Metaphor: ReFantazio. The roles may be separated by worlds, studios, and storytelling traditions, but a single well-delivered Cockney accent connects them.