Ralph Ineson on becoming an unlikely sex symbol thanks to ‘Final Fantasy 16’ role
The British actor, best known as Finchy from 'The Office', plays rebel leader Cidolfus in the popular video game franchise
by Ali Shutler · NMERalph Ineson has spoken to NME about becoming an unlikely sex symbol thanks to his role in Final Fantasy 16, the importance of finding the humanity in the various fantasy projects he’s been involved with and why his take on Marvel big bad Galactus probably won’t use his Yorkshire accent.
Ineson provided the voice of fan-favourite character Cidolfus ‘Cid’ Telamon in the epic Final Fantasy 16. Despite the legacy of the long-running gaming series, the actor didn’t really know what he was signing up for originally. “When I got the job, the project was still using a codename,” he explained via Zoom from the game’s PC launch party.
“Asides from playing the occasional bit of Mario Kart, I’m not particularly well-versed in gaming anyway,” he continued. “I know that’ll disappoint some people out there, but I love working on games and I love the joy they bring to so many people.”
It wasn’t until he started meeting fans years later that he really understood how huge Final Fantasy was. ”That’s when I really started to understand how beloved these characters are, how important the franchise is, and how much it means to so many different groups of people all over the world,” he explained.
Instead of getting drawn in by the prospect of starring in one of the biggest game IPs around, Ineson took on the role of rebel leader Cid because of his depth. “I liked his wit and his enormous balls, but behind that gruff exterior he’s such a loving character as well,” he explained. “He’s clearly the sort of person who wants to protect those around him, and he’s someone you’d want on your side.”
Cid’s partner-in-crime, fellow sword-wielding hero Clive (voiced by Ben Starr), is just as adored – and the two characters struck up a rapport with fans. “People respond to how much of a vibe there is between them,” offered Ineson, who spent the first few recording sessions working closely with Starr in the same room. “It was immediately joyful and allowed us to add a whole different level to the characters,” he said. “We’re quite different people, and we’re different actors but we instantly became very good mates.”
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He’s also open to returning. “Spoiler alert, there’s not much further we can [go] with Cid’s story but prequel-wise, I’d love to play him again,” said Ineson. “He has a special place in my heart.” That’s partly down to his relationship with Starr, but also because of the “lovely reception” he got from Final Fantasy fans.
“There was a slight apprehension about how people would react to my involvement, especially because I’ve put my hands up and said I’m not a gamer,” explained Ineson. “You don’t want the people who this means a lot to, thinking you’re disrespecting it in any way.” So the actor threw himself whole-heartedly into the role to ensure that didn’t happen.
“But you can’t know every franchise and you definitely can’t read every book on the subject either,” he continued. “I guess on some level, I’ve been underprepared for every franchise I’ve been a part of. But that never affects my job, which is to exist authentically as the character I’m playing, in whatever medium or fantasy world that might be.”
After getting a start with more grounded roles in The Office and Coronation Street, Ineson has spent the past decade acting in various fantasy series. He’s appeared in Game Of Thrones, Harry Potter, Guardians Of The Galaxy and Star Wars, as well as The Green Knight and The Witch.
“With some of the other franchises, fans are quick to complain about the differences from the source material,” he explained. “Stuff like a scar not being big enough and things like that, which all feels a bit gatekeeper-y. With Final Fantasy though, there was just so much love and support. That fanbase was just incredibly welcoming.”
The reaction to Cid was, according to Ineson, “comically different” to anything he’d experienced before. One fan called Cid the “sexiest man in Final Fantasy” while another described him as “the perfect balance of looks, snark, DILF energy, and Badassery!” And that’s just the tip of the Thirsty Fantasy iceberg.
“No one usually finds my characters sexy,” laughed Ineson. “I’ve always had this voice, but when it’s coming from this face, it usually has a slightly different effect. With Cid being so gorgeous though… it was strange at 54 to be considered a sex symbol,” he said.
As well as starring in Final Fantasy 16, Ineson voiced Lorath Nahr in Diablo 4, with both characters making use of his deep Yorkshire accent. “If the accent fits a character, and it’s not jarringly wrong, why add something extra which could distract me from finding the deepest interpretation of the character,” he said.
“I always saw Cid as an honest, straight-forward soldier and the no-nonsense worked for that. Lorath has a similar attitude and I saw them both as gruff Yorkshiremen,” Ineson continued. “If I’d realised both games were going to come out within a few weeks of each other, I might have thought about changing one of the voices.”
For his next role, Ineson is taking on iconic Marvel baddie Galactus in Fantastic Four: First Steps and the actor will probably have to change things up. “I don’t think I could get away with Galactus having a Yorkshire accent. It wouldn’t add anything to the reality of the authenticity of the character either,” he explained. “What the hell a cosmic god does speak like, that’s something we’ll have to find out but he’s probably not going to sound like he’s from Leeds.”
Earlier this year, Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirmed he’d taken inspiration from the Fortnite version of Galactus for the Fantastic Four movie, showing the team footage of the game. “I wasn’t involved in that, it was more for the design team,” said Ineson. “I think he just wanted to show Galactus in a physical space, so using Fortnite for that makes complete sense to me.”
“Galactus has never appeared as a physical form in the movies. He’s always just been a cloud, much to the chagrin of many Marvel fans, so hopefully I can make them a bit happier with my version of the character,” he continued. “It’s been interesting to get into that character because, obviously, where do you start with a cosmic god who eats planets? I’m getting there though.”
As something of an expert, Ineson believes it’s the scale of fantasy worlds that people are connecting with. “The stories are just so huge,” he said. “There’s something about the fantasy genre with its themes of honour, kingdom and conquest that speaks to something primal within us. We all have something of the fantastical in the back of our minds.”
‘Final Fantasy 16’ is out now for PC and PS5