As a perfect example of this controversy, if you haven’t looked up interviews surrounding Laura Bailey as Nadine Ross, it’s worth it.

Laura Bailey herself explained that when she auditioned for the role, she was given no information about what the character looked like. It was only after she was hired and arrived for recording that she was shown concept art and discovered the character was a WOC. She was uncomfortable about the situation.

Meanwhile, Neil Druckmann revealed that they were already working on concept art of the character when they hired Laura Bailey. They finalized the character’s design as a WOC after they’d hired a white voice actress, so that was a conscious decision. He was also very flippant about the situation as a whole.

Like people above have said: Yes, whitewashed casting is a legitimate and real issue. But unlike actors in film and stage, voice actors are often totally blind to what they’re auditioning for. They get fucked by NDAs and legal red tape bullshit. Go after the casting directors and execs and high-position game devs that knowingly make these decisions.