Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s Jessie actor says playing the character in Square Enix’s 2020 JRPG was a “bucket list role,” but with that in mind, you can understand why she’s “devastated” at her fate.
Erica Lindbeck – who also voices Futaba in Persona 5, Black Cat in the Marvel’s Spider-Man games, and many more – tells us in a new interview that being cast as Jessie in Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s PSX trailer back in 2015 was “one of my first big things” she booked in her acting career, and it understandably meant a great deal to her.
“I mean, that’s just a bucket list role for anybody, or project – especially FF7,” she says. She recalls being anxious about whether Square Enix would keep her in the role, and perhaps more importantly, wondering “will the game eventually get made,” which thankfully she had nothing to worry about.
But then there was the question of what would happen to Jessie in the long-awaited remake – something Lindbeck “did not know” when she took on the role. In case it wasn’t obvious, we’re about to get into spoiler territory, so be warned.
Alas, much like in the original 1997 JRPG, Jessie sadly dies in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and thanks to Lindbeck’s excellent acting – as well as the extra detail the remake could offer – it’s more heartbreaking than ever.
“When they dug the knife – and they chose to dig the knife in even further, so to speak – I was devastated. I mean, I was just devastated,” Lindbeck tells us.
With that said, she’s still rather philosophical about the whole thing, adding: “But I think some deaths are necessary. I think that if you have a universe with no death, things feel less heavy and less permanent, and I think that’s what gives life its meaning.”