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15 Video Game Characters Modeled After Real-Life Actors

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Ignacio Weil

Gaming - February 13th 2026, 22:00 GMT+1

Tomorrow Death Stranding 2 — Elle Fanning – Tomorrow (Death Stranding 2: On the Beach)

Kojima’s worlds love a mysterious newcomer, and Elle Fanning steps into that role with a face the game clearly wants you to study – half vulnerability, half “what are you not telling us?” She’s portrayed (and facially modeled) as Tomorrow, a character teased with that uncanny *Death Stranding* mix of tenderness and dread, where every close-up feels like a clue. Even in early looks, the performance-capture style is doing the heavy lifting: subtle expressions, long silences, and the sense that this person matters far beyond a single scene. It’s the kind of casting that instantly bridges “prestige film” energy with game storytelling, which is exactly the vibe the sequel is chasing. | © Kojima Productions

Lea Seydoux Death Stranding 2 — Léa Seydoux – Fragile (Death Stranding 2: On the Beach)

Some characters feel designed in a studio; Fragile feels like a person who’s already lived through the worst version of this universe. Léa Seydoux’s likeness returns as Fragile, and the facial work is a big part of why she lands – those small shifts in her eyes do more than pages of exposition. She’s one of the emotional anchors of the series, balancing resilience with exhaustion, and the sequel leans into that history rather than resetting her to “supporting character.” The result is a performance that reads intimate even when the world around her is pure sci-fi chaos, which is exactly why her presence matters. | © Kojima Productions

Keanu Reeves Cyberpunk 2077 cropped processed by imagy — Keanu Reeves – Johnny Silverhand (Cyberpunk 2077)

Neon dystopias are full of loud personalities, but Johnny Silverhand is a special kind of loud – charisma weaponized into a problem you can’t mute. Keanu Reeves’ face is right there in the middle of it, smirking through the chaos, and the casting works because Johnny needs to feel like a real celebrity inside the story, not just a random NPC with attitude. The game uses his likeness to sell every eye-roll, every provocation, every moment where he’s charming and unbearable in the same breath. Whether you love him or want him to shut up, the point is you *react –* and that’s exactly what Cyberpunk’s story wants from you. | © CD PROJEKT RED

Norman Reedus Death Stranding cropped processed by imagy — Norman Reedus – Sam Porter Bridges (Death Stranding)

Before you even understand the rules of the world, the game makes sure you understand the face carrying it. Norman Reedus is modeled as Sam Porter Bridges, and the whole experience depends on him feeling human enough to drag you through hours of isolation without losing you. The facial capture keeps things grounded – tired eyes, quiet frustration, tiny flashes of warmth – while the plot gets increasingly strange around him. It’s a smart contrast: the weirder the world becomes, the more the performance has to feel real, like you’re watching someone endure the weight instead of acting it. | © Kojima Productions

Mads Mikkelsen Death Stranding — Mads Mikkelsen – Clifford Unger (Death Stranding)

A war-zone nightmare shouldn’t feel personal, yet Clifford Unger does – because Mads Mikkelsen’s likeness brings a bruised, haunted intensity that’s hard to shake. The game frames him like a mythic antagonist at first, then slowly lets the performance complicate that idea, using close-ups and restraint to hint there’s grief under the menace. His face does a lot of the storytelling work: controlled rage, pain that never fully leaves, and that signature Mikkelsen stare that makes even silence feel like a threat. It’s one of those casting choices where the realism isn’t just visual – it’s emotional, and it sticks with you long after the scene ends. | © Kojima Productions

Rami Malek Until Dawn cropped processed by imagy — Rami Malek – Josh Washington (Until Dawn)

It starts as a “weekend reunion” horror setup, and then Josh becomes the emotional fuse that makes everything feel nastier than a standard slasher. Rami Malek’s likeness (and performance capture) sells the character’s shifts – charming one minute, brittle the next – so when the story starts pulling masks off, it doesn’t feel like a random twist machine. The game leans on close-ups and panicked breathing like a film would, which is why having a recognizable face helps: you read the fear before the dialogue even lands. Depending on your choices, Josh can spiral in very different directions, and Malek makes each version feel uncomfortably plausible. | © Supermassive Games

Hayden Panettiere Until Dawn cropped processed by imagy — Hayden Panettiere – Samantha “Sam” Giddings (Until Dawn)

Final-girl energy usually comes with cliché armor, but Sam feels grounded because her reactions look genuinely human – hesitation, calculation, that split-second “nope” before she moves anyway. Hayden Panettiere’s facial capture gives the character a calm, watchful presence that cuts through the game’s chaos, which matters when the story starts turning friends into suspects. Sam also ends up at the center of some of the game’s tensest set pieces, where a tiny movement can mean life or death, and the performance sells the pressure without turning her into an action superhero. Even if you’ve seen every horror trope, her steadiness makes the choices feel personal. | © Supermassive Games

Willem Dafoe Beyond Two Souls cropped processed by imagy — Willem Dafoe – Nathan Dawkins (Beyond: Two Souls)

You don’t cast Willem Dafoe to fade into the background, and the game uses that intensity exactly the way it should – quiet authority that can turn sharp without warning. As Nathan Dawkins, he’s the scientist-father figure guiding Jodie through extraordinary situations, but the relationship is loaded, complicated, and sometimes unsettling, which Dafoe plays with a controlled edge. The performance capture shines in the smaller moments: the look that lingers too long, the forced reassurance, the grief that sneaks out when he thinks he’s alone. It helps the story feel less like sci-fi spectacle and more like a messy human bond under stress. | © Quantic Dream

Elliot Page Beyond Two Souls — Elliot Page – Jodie Holmes (Beyond: Two Souls)

The entire game rises or falls on whether you believe Jodie’s life is worth following through time jumps, trauma, and supernatural chaos – and Elliot Page’s likeness is a big reason it holds together. Jodie isn’t written as an untouchable hero; she’s awkward, angry, scared, sometimes reckless, and the facial work lets you see those shifts before she names them. Because the story hops across different ages and identities, the performance has to carry continuity even when the plot is bouncing around, and it does. When the game slows down for quieter scenes, you realize the “beyond” stuff is just the frame – the real hook is her resilience. | © Quantic Dream

Valorie Curry Kara Detroit Become Human cropped processed by imagy — Valorie Curry – Kara (Detroit: Become Human)

Kara’s storyline hits hardest because it’s built on small, everyday decisions – hesitating at a door, choosing whether to run, deciding who to trust – rather than big sci-fi speeches. Valorie Curry’s performance capture gives Kara a soft, anxious humanity that makes the android premise feel immediate, especially once she’s protecting a child in a world that doesn’t see them as people. The game constantly puts you in morally messy situations where there’s no clean option, and Curry’s expressions sell the cost of each choice. Even players who don’t vibe with every branch tend to remember Kara, because her fear and tenderness feel painfully real. | © Quantic Dream

Camilla Luddington Lara Croft Tomb Raider cropped processed by imagy — Camilla Luddington – Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)

Before the reboot trilogy turned Lara into a bruised survivor, she needed a face that could sell fear, pain, and stubborn grit without a single line of dialogue. That’s where Camilla Luddington comes in: her performance capture (and on-screen likeness) makes Lara’s reactions feel immediate, especially in those early moments where everything is going wrong and she’s forced to become resourceful fast. The realism isn’t just “looks like an actor” novelty – it’s how small expressions make the character’s growth believable as the story escalates. When players think of modern Lara, they’re often picturing that specific version of her: exhausted, determined, and very human. | © Crystal Dynamics

Nitara msn — Megan Fox – Nitara (Mortal Kombat 1)

Sometimes a guest star casting is subtle; this one is a spotlight. Megan Fox’s face (and voice) is used for Nitara, giving the vampire warrior a recognizable “celebrity” presence that stands out even in a roster packed with iconic designs. It also changed the conversation around the character overnight – suddenly Nitara wasn’t just a deep-cut fighter returning, she was *the* headline people were arguing about, praising, roasting, and meme-ing. Whether you love it or not, it’s exactly what MK does best: turn a character into an event, then let the internet fight about it for months. | © NetherRealm Studios

Jon Bernthal Cole D Walker Tom Clancys Ghost Recon Breakpoint — Jon Bernthal – Cole D. Walker (Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint)

Breakpoint’s whole pitch leans on one face you’re supposed to trust and fear at the same time. Jon Bernthal’s likeness as Cole D. Walker gives the villain a grounded intensity – less cartoon evil, more “this guy has a reason and he’s not calming down.” The game frames him like a personal betrayal rather than a distant Big Bad, which is why a recognizable actor works here: you read the conviction in the eyes before the mission briefing even finishes. It’s a smart use of star power in a franchise that usually hides antagonists behind helmets and radio chatter. | © Ubisoft

Nico Goldstein Devil May Cry 5 — Andrea Tivadar – Nico Goldstein (Devil May Cry 5)

Nico isn’t just “the mechanic” – she’s the grease-and-gasoline personality that keeps Devil May Cry’s swagger from floating off into pure cool-guy fantasy. Capcom modeled Nico’s face on Andrea Tivadar, and it works because Nico has to feel like a real person in a world of demons, swords, and dramatic one-liners. Her expressions sell the character’s mix of confidence and chaos: the smirk when a new Devil Breaker works, the eye-roll when the boys start posturing, the genuine worry when things go sideways. It’s a great example of likeness scanning being used to add texture, not just celebrity shine. | © Capcom

Ellie in The Last of Us game — Ashley Johnson – Ellie (The Last of Us)

Ellie needed to feel like a real kid dropped into an unreal nightmare – funny, stubborn, terrified, and furious, sometimes all in the same minute. Ashley Johnson’s performance capture gives Ellie those tiny, human tells: the way she watches a room, the way bravado slips when it’s quiet, the way grief shows up before she has words for it. That’s why the character’s face matters so much here – so many scenes are just two people in close-up, trying not to fall apart, and the emotional detail carries the tension better than any jump-scare. Even years later, Ellie’s expressions are part of why the story still hits like a gut punch. In later versions of the game, you can see Johnson's likeness even more pronounced. | © Naughty Dog

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Games have been borrowing Hollywood tricks for decades, but nothing sells a character faster than a face that feels instantly familiar. Sometimes it’s a full-on digital double, other times it’s a subtle scan that makes you think, “Wait… do I know that guy?”

These are 15 video game characters whose looks were built using real actors, from big-budget performance capture to licensed likeness deals. It’s a fun reminder that the line between movies and games gets blurrier every year – especially when the hero already looks like they’ve starred in three films.

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Games have been borrowing Hollywood tricks for decades, but nothing sells a character faster than a face that feels instantly familiar. Sometimes it’s a full-on digital double, other times it’s a subtle scan that makes you think, “Wait… do I know that guy?”

These are 15 video game characters whose looks were built using real actors, from big-budget performance capture to licensed likeness deals. It’s a fun reminder that the line between movies and games gets blurrier every year – especially when the hero already looks like they’ve starred in three films.