FFXIV’s Jonathan Bailey is “determined” not to step away from fan-favorite character

Actor Jonathan Bailey has revealed how committed he is to playing G’raha Tia in Final Fantasy XIV and explained the reason why the character might sound a little different in recent patches.

Actor Jonathan Bailey plays a diverse set of roles on stage and screen. But to one group of his fans, he’s the voice of FFXIV’s most popular cat boy — G’raha Tia, the Crystal Exarch.

Bailey touched on his time with the character in a recent episode of BAFTA’s Roll Play.  

“I’m aware of how important this character is to so many people,” Bailey said when G’raha Tia’s face appeared on the dice. After praising the writing of Final Fantasy XIV, his next comments made it clear why the actor is such a firm favorite with the fan base.

“I was so determined to not step away from this character,” Bailey said, speaking about his commitment to recording dialogue for the upcoming expansion, Dawntrail.

The actor also explained why the Crystal Exarch might sound a bit different in the game’s recently released patches.

Fans did pick up on the subtle difference in G’raha’s dialogue. Some even worried it might be a sign that Bailey was going to be replaced, considering the actor’s growing commitments to projects like Bridgerton and Wicked.

But, on the contrary, and to the relief of fans, the slight difference was the result of Bailey going above and beyond.

“When I was doing Company, I had to record this in the day for about a week,” he said, going on to explain juggling performances of Company and G’raha Tia’s lines had caused his tongue to inflame. He even went so far as to apologize to fans if he sounds “a little lispy” through some of the gameplay.

FFXIV fans were over the moon hearing Bailey’s thoughts on G’raha, and his dedication to both the game and his craft.

“This is all I’ve ever wanted,” one fan replied under a post of the video on X. “Him talking about G’raha.”

“Well, this (thankfully) confirms he’s 100% dedicated to the role and isn’t inclined to step away from it amid his growing fame,” said another fan on Reddit.

“So glad he’s as dedicated to the character as we are,” a third fan said expressing a similar sentiment on X. “FFXIV fans are spoiled with the best cast ever.”