The stunningly violent champion cinematic trailer for Briar, “Feeding Frenzy”, was recently released, and the League of Legends community is all the more eager to know more about the newest “sweet but deadly” addition to the roster. Notably, many fans have noticed that Briar's wild personality and voice bear a striking resemblance to the fan-favourite unhinged blue-haired Jinx.
In the Riot dev update article “Champion Insights: Briar”, it was revealed that the voice actress for the bloodthirsty fiend played a big role in shaping Briar's nuanced character, ultimately moulding her into the chaotic persona she embodies today.
Who is Briar’s voice actor?
Despite the wild and anarchic similarity in the voices of Briar and Jinx, these two characters do not share the same voice actor!
The unpredictable loose canon, Jinx, is voiced by Sarah Anne Williams in-game, and Ella Purnell in Riot's immensely popular animated TV show, Arcane. Both Williams and Purnell masterfully portray Jinx’s youthful and borderline manic personality.
On the other hand, Briar was brought to life by the prolific Julie Nathanson, who established a perfect balance between Briar’s frenzied and newfound ruminative demeanour. Nathanson, a renowned American voice actress, has been active in the industry since 1996, predominantly in the realm of video games and animated series.
One of Nathanson's most notable roles includes her work as Rosalie Rowan in The Zeta Project. Additionally, she lent her voice to the iconic Jess Black in Ubisoft's Far Cry 5. Currently, her most impressive role involves voicing Princess Belle in Disney's Dreamlight Valley, a role that starkly contrasts with the unruly nature of Briar. This contrast highlights the incredible range and talent she possesses.
The League of Legends dev team selected Julie Nathanson as Briar's voice actor, knowing that she would be able to bring out the character's multifaceted personality.
In Briar's "Champion Insights" article, the Riot dev team commended Nathanson for bringing Briar to life, saying that much of Briar's power and personality was formed through her.
“We felt so much better when we found Julie as our actor,” TwoWeevils said, “She was so great for giving us different kinds of reads for every line. It was actually hard to choose sometimes which ones we should pick for the game. She helped us find the perfect balance with Briar’s newfound personality and her frenzied state.”
Briar is now available to be played on League of Legend’s PBE, and will be released on 30 September 2023, in tandem with patch 13.19. Learn all about Briar’s ability kit and her debut skin in our guides here!