Voice actress Laura Bailey played both Rise Kujikawa in Persona 4 as well as Abby in The Last Of Us Part 2. Laura Bailey is one of the best voice actors working today, as well as being one of the most prolific, with hundreds of roles under her belt. So it was inevitable that she would play two characters who sound and act absolutely nothing alike.
Laura Bailey has been a voice actor for 24 years, starting at the age of 18 when she made her debut in 1999 as Kid Trunks in the original Funimation dub of Dragonball Z. Since then, Bailey has enjoyed some of the most mainstream success a voice actor can receive, appearing in films, video games, and TV shows. One of her most controversial roles, however, was as Abby in The Last Of Us Part 2.
Though her career has gone completely into mainstream voice acting, Bailey has done more niche material as well. For example, back when Persona was still a niche JRPG series, Bailey made her mark as one of the main party members of Persona 4 - Rise Kujikawa. Which is definitely surprising to anyone only casually aware of Bailey's work, seeing as how Rise and Abby are nothing alike in the slightest.
The Differences Between Rise And Abby's Voices
The difference between these two characters is starker than any other characters Laura Bailey has played in her career. Starting with Rise, the biggest difference between her and Abby is their environment. in contrast to Bailey's award winning, grounded performance as Abby, Rise is a teen idol living in then contemporary Japan, and Bailey's performance reflects that. Though, true to the story's depiction of her, her performance hints at the greater depth of Rise's character, Bailey mainly plays her as the comparatively ditzy girl she is. Rise has never had to worry about where her next meal will come from, so her voice lacks Abby's distinct edge. Her voice is bouncy and playful, but true to Rise's identity crisis, Bailey plays her as someone who has trouble with turning off the performance.
Abby, meanwhile, sounds like someone who is living through the corpse of civilization. Her voice is hardened, curt, and to the point. Though TLOU 2 hints at Abby's playful side, for the most part, Bailey portrays her as someone who, like everyone else around her, has had to set aside anything frivolous just to get from day to day. Quite the contrast from the teenage Rise.
Comparing these two characters and how the same actor portrays them demonstrates the beautiful nuance of voice acting as a craft. Laura Bailey's voice is distinct, easy to spot if one knows her work well enough, and yet Rise and Abby sound absolutely nothing alike. Both Persona 4 and The Last Of Us Part 2 demonstrate what a skilled voice actor Laura Bailey is.