I’m getting the hang of wringing answers out of actors, I think. I know a lot about what it takes to make games, but it turns out that I have no idea what it takes to make a game! Getting in touch with the artistic side of things has been a rewarding experience and today, I’d like to spotlight one of Xbox Game Studio’s latest female leads—Adriyan Rae (Instagram) is Hazel from the lovingly crafted ‘South of Midnight‘, an action-adventure game that takes players through the heart of the deep American South as tragedy and struggle violently intertwine.
I could get into Adriyan’s work, but I’ll leave it to her to talk about her career in the arts and television. But before you go, I’d like you to know that she is currently vying for Best Lead Actor in GamesRadar’s Golden Joystick Award, being the only Black nominee across all the categories—give her story a read and consider giving her your vote! As of this article’s publication, there’s only two days left to vote and every effort counts.
Now without further ado, I’m going to roll out the red carpet for Mrs. Rae!
Heads Up! This interview has had its formatting adjusted to improve readability, but otherwise its contents remain intact.
Hi Adriyan! My name is Genghis and I’m with the writing team over here at XboxEra. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a couple of questions we have about yourself, your acting career, the whole shebang.
First off, tell us about yourself. Who is Ms. Rae?
I am… an experience. I can give you descriptive traits, but I’m really an overgrowing person who is learning and loving the journey. I’m a mother, a daughter, a sister, an aunt. A creative and lover of all things nature. A tree whisperer. A scientist. A healer. A boxing and MMA enthusiast. A East Coaster small town girl. I’m dynamic, but I guess for the sake of this interview, I should also note that I am a Golden Joystick Nominee for Best Lead Performer!
How did you get into acting? Was there anyone in your life that supported your career choice and helped you get into the show business? Was it even something you thought you’d ever want to do?
I honestly have NO CLUE how I got into this business! I always say it was something divine because growing up, I didn’t even know being an actor was a career option. I just thought they were people inside the TV! (I’m from a very small town). My parents were hesitant at first, but supportive of me as always. But the idea really flourished when I was in Atlanta, and mentors Carl Payne and Michael Keith introduced me to acting classes, the industry, etc. They told me I could do it when I didn’t believe I could, and that, plus the teachings they gave me, really solidified that this is something I wanted to do!
What is acting to you? How do you go about building that character you’re trying to portray on set? Have you ever wiggled in a bit of “personal magic” when playing a character on set?
Acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances to me. What I love about this mantra is that this is what makes pretending and acting so different. Acting is rooted in a reality; it’s an experience and grounded. When building a character, I layer them with what the writers have shown me via the text and character description, but also with my interpretation of this individual. And that’s what makes each character unique! You can give 20 actors the same sides and get 20 different performances because they’re each reaching from their own experience repertoire. Which is why it’s important to have a life to pull from. That way, you aren’t pretending to be sad; you aren’t just saying words, but you’re honoring a rendition of a real person and their experience.
To follow up on that last question, which performance in your career is your absolute favourite? Do your fans often bring up a specific performance of yours that they love?
Well, I absolutely love my work on the show Atlanta, season 3. I’m also very fond of my work on Netflix’s Forever. It’s funny, however, most people that I run into know me from one of two things, which are NBC’s Chicago Fire or Paramount’s The Game, sometimes SuperFly. To their credit though, I had much more camera time as a regular on those shows, so that makes sense.
Is there a favourite character type you enjoy playing as?
You know, as you do more and more press, you’re introduced to questions that really make you think about yourself, your career, etc. And this is one I thought about more recently in my downtime. As much as I try to pinpoint one, I really don’t have a particular favorite. I think the diversity of it all is what’s super intriguing to me. I love being able to go from a southern belle to pansexual space alien and everything in between!
Right, so we’re at my forte now: video games! You worked on Compulsion Games’ latest action-adventure title ‘South of Midnight’ as the lead character Hazel, providing voice and performance capture. That’s cool!
The moment we’ve all been waiting for! To talk South of Midnight!! Yes, I did, and what a wonderful experience!
How did you land this role? And up to this point, you have only worked on film and television. What was it like, acting in a role where you’re not exactly in front of a camera? Do you have a favourite moment from the game that you’d like to share with us? And would you be willing to do more game roles in the future, maybe even some animation work?
I auditioned, and it ironically was an on-camera audition, so I felt very comfortable with my experience of doing this in TV/film. The process was very similar with callbacks, chemistry reads, etc. So it really didn’t feel much different. I was also blessed with the experience of working on a different (never-released) video game about a year and a half prior, so that experience really prepped me for Hazel. I would say the confronting Huggin Molly scene was one of my favorites. I really have about 4 or 5 favorite scenes because I love the game that much!
I actually have another game that’s SUPER cool coming out in 2026. And animation is on my list of “things I must accomplish.” I’m very excited for what my future in the VO space holds! Also Disney Pixar, Nickelodeon… call me!
I read an article from last year that you had your first child! As a mother, how has it been balancing life between raising your loved one and keeping busy in the world of acting?
I did! I actually carried her and birthed her during the production of South of Midnight. She’s one of our “Game Babies”. I will say it can be challenging, but it becomes less so when you’re surrounded by supportive individuals who get it. People who value family and perhaps have kids of their own just tend to understand all that’s being asked of you as a person in totality, which is so wonderful. I balance by prioritizing and making sure I’m putting my best foot forward in both parenthood and work. That may look like I can do my table read, but I can’t hang out afterwards, etc. I also have a great team that I work with who help make sure I am still able to both work and show up as the mother I intend to.
Do you have any advice you’d like to offer to aspiring actors in the business? Be it health-related or whatnot.
Make time for yourself and live your life. I know the industry can be demanding, but in order to live life truthfully on screen, you have to live a life off screen! Also, your body is your vessel and the way to express your craft; so take care of it and be kind to it. I suggest doing something for your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being daily. Finally, train and let the work speak for itself. There are no shortcuts, but the hard work is worth it if this is truly what you love to do!
Got any favourite TV shows or films you’d like to share with us?
LOVE Paradise! My goodness sooo good! For funnies, I love Abbott Elementary! And even if I wasn’t in it, I would watch Forever over and over again! But truthfully, I don’t want much of anything. It’s a running joke in my family about how my TV is for aesthetics as it’s rarely on.
Do you play video games? And if so, what have you been playing recently?
I always want to climb under a rock when admitting this, but no! I don’t! I know, I know… crazy, right? But I’m literally terrible at it. I’m only decent at the ones where I do have to really move their head/eyes to see around the world… I’m a Mario Kart, head-to-head combat button masher if you will.
Are there any final thoughts you’d like to share? Anything at all? The space is yours!
I’m just grateful for your time. And if anyone who has checked out South of Midnight and the game resonated with you, I would love for you to cast your vote for me as Best Lead Performer of the Golden Joystick Awards! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Thank you for your time!
