Ellen Page Goes 'Beyond' In New Video Game

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Oscar-nominated actress Ellen Page has another stellar performance under her belt, this time involving motion capture, game controllers, and the paranormal.  Watch the video to see what she tells ET about the challenges of her intense new role in one of the most revolutionary video games to date.

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New for PlayStation 3, BEYOND: Two Souls is a groundbreaking interactive thriller which allows players to determine a game’s storyline like never before.  In it, Ellen plays Jodie Holmes, a young girl who discovers at an early age she has the ability to connect with a supernatural entity that can affect everything around her.  This discovery takes Jodie on an adventure that spans 15 years of her life with her fate resting entirely in players’ hands as every decision changes how the plot unfolds.  David Cage of Quantic Dream has visited this type of interactive storytelling before with past games like Heavy Rain.  In BEYOND, actor Willem Dafoe even lends his A-list acting chops to play a government scientist who bonds with Jodie as he helps her develop her abilities.

"At first it was like, what the hell does it mean to be in a video game?"  Ellen says.  "I didn’t understand, but then I looked at the script and this incredible character and played Heavy Rain, David Cage’s earlier game.  Then, when I met with David, it was a total no-brainer.  I totally wanted to be involved and to have an opportunity to work with Willem."

The
entire game was filmed in 10 months using full-performance motion capture, in
which actors wear special suits and tracking dots all over their bodies.The desolation of the set involved with
motion capture really pushes actors to shift their imaginations into overdrive.

"It’s
definitely a challenging job when you’re doing 30 to 40 pages of material a
day, you just sort of go...all day.  It was pretty much non-stop," Ellen
explains.  "I kind of love that to be
honest. I don’t know if it’s from being a soccer player when I was younger
mixed with intense work ethic, but I like being pushed, I like challenge. If
I’m not challenged, I’m sort of bored and feel lazy."

When asked how games like BEYOND: Two Souls will influence the future of gaming, Ellen says it’s created a new narrative style within the industry.

"It’s a medium that’s evolving and changing and getting more technologically mind-blowing.  David and Quantic Dream want to make games that are more emotionally complex and cinematic, I think it’s a new way to tell a story."

BEYOND: Two Souls is available now on PlayStation 3.

For more behind-the-scenes footage of the game, check out  us.playstation.com