Mae West (Meryl) Doesn't Understand Why David Hayter Was Replaced by Kiefer Sutherland

There has been a lot of fan uproar with the next installment of Metal Gear from Hideo Kojima. In a shocking move, the brilliant game director decided to replace long time Snake voice actor David Hayter with Kiefer Sutherland in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Hayter, who has whole heartily embraced the fictional character since the rebirth of the franchise on the PS2, is seen by many fans as the spirit of the series. Rough voice and all, Hayter has brought a level of depth and emotion to the now beloved character and the decision to replace him seems odd, especially when the rest of the cast is set to reprise their roles. Those who are baffled by this include Mae West, better known as Meryl Silverburgh.

When asked about the decision to replace David Hayter, she responded:

“I had no idea. I don’t get it. Honestly, I don’t know if anyone knows this story but when we did the first Metal Gear, they were going to re-record it and David actually asked for some money because he deserved it. We all deserved it and they didn’t want to pay us any more than the regular voice over rate. He challenged them to match his voice and they couldn’t. And that’s the thing – he is that character. So I don’t understand…is Kiefer gonna try to sound like him…I mean, I get that their voices are in a very similar place…”

While Kojima has made vague references as to why they’ve moved on from Hayter, no official or clear explanation has yet to be given on the decision. While Sutherland is a fine actor who has a voice fit for a character like Snake, it’s hard to mentally except the transition as Hayter has voiced Snake for the last 15 years, making him and his fictional character one in the same. That’s like Nolan North no longer voicing Nathan Drake. Seems crazy right?