Katy Townsend Reveals the Journey of Voicing Maddie in ‘Arcane’

Recently, we had the pleasure of discussing Arcane with Scottish voice actress Katy Townsend, the voice of Maddie Nolen.

Glasgow-born actress Katy Townsend is the voice of Maddie Nolen in the Riot Games animated series Arcane. Her acting credits in animated projects include The Loud House Movie, Monster High: Electrified, and Breaking News: Fake Trump Cartoons. She’s also well known for her work in video games such as several Call of Duty titles, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Crackdown 3, Mass Effect Andromeda, and Magic: The Gathering Arena.

The series took the world by storm in 2021 thanks to its jaw-dropping animation and phenomenal soundtrack. No punches were pulled in its return to Netflix, and fans were once again blown away by what was produced at Riot Games and Fortiche.

Jacob: How did you first become involved with Arcane?

Katy: Amazingly, my role in Arcane was through a connection with one of the writers and co-producers, Amanda Overton. Many years ago, when I first moved to LA and was struggling as an actor, I auditioned for her short film but didn’t get the role. But she asked me to come back to take part in a stage reading of this amazing screenplay she wrote. So I went along with that and did that as a favor, but sadly, the film never ended up getting made.

I think we were Facebook friends but cut to years later, and she reached out. I hadn’t realized she was a gamer, and she had heard my voice in some games. As she ended up on the writing team on Arcane, she told me she had been writing this character and kept hearing my voice in her head while she was writing it. It was funny because she underplayed the whole thing, like, “Oh, I’m working on this animated project for Riot,” and I thought it sounded cool!

So, I was invited down to Riot Studios, and they set up a screener for the pilot for the first season. I saw the pilot, Jacob, and I just fell in love. It was one of the most incredible things I’d ever seen, and I was just so deeply moved by how visceral it was and how incredible the characters were. I was salivating! It was the first time in a long time that I had unearthed this all-consuming desire and need to be part of this project.

Amanda had written this role with my voice in mind, and when I went through the audition process, I was terrified I wouldn’t get it. It was a thorough audition process, a lot like a workshop where we would explore the character and bring parts of ourselves to the role. It came down to me and another actor, quite a well-known actress, for the role, but in the end, I got the call to say they wanted me for the role. I then called Amanda to tell her I had been cast, and we had a big celebration. It’s incredible that something that sadly hadn’t worked out years ago, and you hear about these stories of it happening to others, but it was nice someone had remembered my work, appreciated that work and came back years later with an opportunity. I’m very grateful to Amanda for that opportunity because she’s an exquisite writer, she’s really incredible.

Jacob: You never know where those connections are going to take you, right?

Katy: You don’t! It takes a special kind of person to remember someone’s talent and kind of file that away in the back of their mind, circle back to it, and give that person another opportunity, and Amanda is that person. She’s done an amazing job with Arcane. All the writers have, it’s just an incredible triumph.

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Jacob: So you actually knew about Maddie way in advance, but how long was it before you went into the booth and started doing the voice work?

Katy: I’m trying to remember the timeline because a little terrible thing called the pandemic happened. So there’s this black hole in between, but I think it must have been towards the end of 2019 that I met with Amanda about auditioning for the role. My audition was at the very beginning of the year, and then my first session was scheduled, but then the lockdown was announced for the same day of the session! I was like, no, why! I did ask the studio if they could stay open for the morning so I could go in and do the session, as I didn’t know how long we’d be shut down for so I was terrified that I’d lose the role over the pandemic. As you know, so many projects were already underway, but then they just fizzled out and disappeared. It wreaked absolute havoc on the industry.

So I did have that fear that if I didn’t start recording, then I haven’t got my foot in the door, and they might recast. I did get that first session done, but I didn’t record another session until the end of the year. During that time, I would check in with Amanda to ask if it was still happening. This is still a thing, right?

I then picked up recording towards the end of the year, and then it was just every now and then over the past few years with the revisions or something with new episodes and things. You know, so the misery of the pandemic is kinda wrapped up in this project, but it was a beacon of hope during that time. It was one of the few positive constants that I had knowing these recording sessions were coming.

Jacob: It’s kind of incredible to learn that you were working on this before season 1 came out in 2021. You guys were already working on the voices for season 2 long before its release.

Katy: Isn’t that wild? Christian [Linke], the creator, at one of the openings of one of the screenings, had said that through the course of creating this show, people have now got children, and some are already growing up like they’re already at school and stuff, people starting families and major life events have happened.  I think the first season took six years to make.

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Jacob: What has been your experience with the fanbase’s reaction to Maddie? Everyone has reacted so strongly, so what has that been like for you?

Katy: I knew there were going to be strong reactions, but I definitely underestimated the extent of that. It was interesting because I hoped that they would find her likable, but I didn’t realize how loveable she was going to be perceived from her introduction. So I knew this downfall was coming, and I was like “Oh no!” They’ve really taken to this character. You know they love her, “She’s our cinnemon roll,” and “We must defend her at all costs!” Someone has tweeted out that they would defend Maddie with their life. She could do nothing to stop that, and I was like, “Well…” 

Jacob: Just wait.

Katy: Yeah! So what’s really nice about Maddie’s arc is that there’s the shift in the second act which was quite shocking for people, and then again in the third act. So that was very interesting, I’ve seen a lot of clips of live reactions to Maddie. 

Jacob: So you’ve seen the clip of the two cosplayers?

Katy: Yeah! They’re so good! And they’re so funny! Listen, on a side note, the cosplay that’s come out of this has been unbelievable. I mean, there were a bunch of professional cosplayers at the Arcane premiere who were invited, and they definitely stole the spotlight from the rest of us; they were just so incredible. Then I saw all the kinds of memes, the art, and everything that was born out of it.

I’ve been loving it, honestly. It was incredible to go to the finale event in LA. There was a big finale screening at the Shrine in LA, and I sat in an audience of thousands of people and got their reaction to that, to the whole of act three, because there were so many incredible moments, specifically their reaction to Maddie.

Jacob: As you described it before with Maddie being such a sweetheart, and I think that makes it even better when you see the reveal that she has slept with Caitlyn, or presumably slept with her.

Katy: Yeah, yeah, exactly. They might just have been playing chess all wrapped up in there, maybe playing gin rummy or something.

Jacob: But I think having her there as a character only makes it that much better when Caitlyn and Vi reunite. 

Katy: For me it’s been such a privilege to play a character that provokes such visceral emotions in people. On one hand, do I want to be liked as a person? Do I want to play an adorable character and everyone loves? But to separate that, as an actor and a performer, it really is a joy, especially in a supporting role. To take that audience on such an unpredictable journey that’s been a real pleasure.

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Jacob: So when did you learn that Maddie was going to be killed off?

Katy: Well, do you know what? Originally, Maddie was definitely supposed to be one of the good guys. They realized what she would be like a year or two before they told me what was going on. I think I knew she was going to die. I think I was given the heads-up that she would die before I was given the script, which is not always the case! A friend of mine played Milo in the first season, and I think he found out he was going to die when he just got the script delivered and was reading it. So, you don’t always get the heads up, but I got a little bit of a heads up, maybe like a year before release.

Jacob: I think by introducing a character like Maddie, there would have been people who were probably hoping that she could become a character in League of Legends. 

Katy: Well… I mean, that would be pretty amazing!

Jacob: It’s funny you mentioned Milo. I kind of spoiled it for myself in the first season because he was one of the characters I loved. He’s got that look from Junkrat on Overwatch. So, given his design, I thought he must be in the game! I had a look at the roster, and Milo wasn’t there.

Katy: Oh no! Were you disappointed?

Jacob: I was sad he died. I had hoped he would grow up to be just one of the characters, but I guess sacrifices need to be made!

Katy: Well, it’s true, and I think there’s also something very unique about Arcane that the characters are all so rich and beautifully fleshed out and you find yourself falling in love with even minor characters in the show. Or, at the very least, they resonate with you deeply.

I found myself rooting for all of them, like when Isha sacrificed herself, like this character who didn’t have any lines in the show, and yet we fell so deeply in love with this little girl.

Jacob: I like what you’re saying about the love that’s in the show because I felt that was the overall theme of Arcane, how complicated love can be so in many different facets. You have sibling love, you’ve got parental love, love between friends, especially in Jayce and Viktor.

Katy: It’s so true. I mean, it’s completely universal and also speaks to the nuance and abstractness of love. Like Jayce and Viktor, their love has been interpreted in multiple ways. I think that’s a beautiful thing because love is complicated, and I think Arcane captures that beautifully.

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Jacob: What are you working on next?

Katy: So I have games, mostly. I have another game coming out early next year, and I’m not sure what! I want to work on more animation. That’s a goal of mine.  I’m really interested in comedy, I love kids animation. I worked with Nickelodeon before on their Loud House project and had a lot of fun doing that. Actually, my background is in children’s theatre. So that sits very much in a place that resonates with me, too. But I’ve got a few things in the pipeline for sure, that I’m excited about. Nothing I can tell you about, sadly!

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Did you enjoy Katy’s performance as Maddie in Arcane? Let us know in the comments below!