Native voice actor Samantha Bowling teases ‘Life is Strange: Reunion’
Few projects have had as much of an impact on modern gaming as Life is Strange. Beginning with the story of a young woman discovering her power to rewind time, this franchise has grown tremendously in the decade since its release, with each bringing new heroes with jaw-dropping powers who must learn the devastating consequences of trying to do good.
Along with each game’s complex narrative, the franchise stands out as one of the most representative in all of gaming. Not only is its flagship storyline led by a queer woman, but numerous installments have been led by people of color, with each one’s overall ensemble being rich with a diversity you don’t often get from branching narrative projects.
The recent iterations especially have introduced players to intriguing characters — but one stands out from the rest. A confident, funny bartender whose grounding presence allows Life is Strange: Double Exposure’s story to really flourish: Amanda Thomas. A potential love interest who pushes protagonist Max Caulfield to understand the weight of her abilities, Gayming Mag sat down with Amanda’s voice actor Samantha Bowling to discuss what this character represents, and what fans can expect from her return in the upcoming Life is Strange: Reunion.
Amanda Thomas first appears in Double Exposure as the flirty, funny manager of Max’s favorite bar, The Snapping Turtle. When not trying to unravel a dark mystery plot, players will get the chance to either become good friends with Amanda or pursue her as a love interest, with each path giving insight into the tremendous care she shows for everyone around her. And while it’s not abnormal for performers to reflect their characters, LIS fans will be shocked at just how much speaking with Samantha Bowling feels like pulling up a chair in The Snapping Turtle and ranting to Amanda about your day — and this was by design.
“[The creators] knew that they would be collaborating with whoever they cast to continue building this character,” the voice actor explained, detailing that her own queer and Cherokee identities become a part of Amanda, and how she even got to write some of the character’s dialogue. “It was really cool to see her come to life in the game, because I didn’t realize how much of me really was in Amanda.”
Samantha spoke about what a joy it was to be such an integral part of bringing this character to life, but also how shocking it was to see so much of herself in the video game. “I don’t think anyone really perceives ourselves authentically. We’re working through filters, and we’re seeing our own perspective inside out…we’re not always getting a good idea of how we’re being perceived.”
The bombastic performer grew somber when discussing this, reminiscing on the experience of seeing Amanda and feeling like she was truly perceiving herself for the first time. “[Seeing] how much of me is in this character was really cool. Because, like… it’s not my face. It’s not my body. But that’s my spirit.”
It was deeply fulfilling for Samantha to see so much of herself in Amanda Thomas. But beyond the personal, through this character, Samantha felt pride about bringing her community into a medium that doesn’t have a good history of portraying native characters.
“Across the entertainment spectrum, there’s [not much] native representation,” explained Bowling. “And not for a lack of talent! It’s [wild] for me, because when native people do get the opportunity to tell our own stories, the quality is excellent!”
Samantha has always used her career to uplift native creatives; she described her current membership in a native theater ensemble, and her tight-knit network of native performers who are constantly sharing opportunities to boost one another up. The actor has always fought to honor her culture through her work, which is why playing Amanda is one of the best experiences of her career.
“I had lots of interviews with the writers to figure out, ‘How do we represent this character authentically, and how do we get eyes and understanding on this, on this group of people?’” said Samantha. “When [Native performers] get the opportunity to represent ourselves authentically, we do a damn good job, and we make really compelling art. I really think that we ought to have more opportunities to do that, whether it’s gaming, film, TV, theater, all of it.”
It quickly became clear just what an intimate, fulfilling experience voicing Amanda was for Bowling. It’s what made her so excited when it was announced she’d be returning to this franchise in the upcoming Reunion — a game that might see this fan-favorite struggle in a way that fans could never expect.
“[We’re going] to see Amanda outside of her comfort zone,” hinted Bowling. “We’ve always known her to be a pretty steady, stable character…but in this one, we see her in some really challenging situations.” Most fans can guess where these challenges will come from; Reunion will see Max once again team up with her love interest/best friend from the first game, Chloe Price, an effortlessly confident character whose relationship molded Max into the hero Amanda meets in Double Exposure.
Many players are questioning if this new game will see these old flames rekindle their romance — something that could be devastating for Amanda, who was openly interested in Max during her initial game. Samantha didn’t want to spoil the specifics of how this will shake up Amanda’s until-now steady demeanor, but she did tease players by saying, “I think we’re gonna see some surprising things from the character — and from the game.”
I hope Amanda helps people understand: native people are here. We’re still here. We’re in your cities, we’re in your towns, we’re in your communities, we’re in your schools. We kind of get erased in plain sight in our society. And I think it’s really important for people to know that we’re not these mythic creatures who hang out on totem poles.
Amanda Thomas sticks out not only within Life is Strange, but all of gaming. She is a proudly queer, native character in a medium that historically misrepresents (or completely ignores) both of those identities, and never once does the game reduce her to a one-note stereotype.
She’s a well-rounded character who Samantha expressed immense love for throughout the interview. And as the conversation came to an end, Bowling spoke about the impact she hopes Amanda will have on this industry, saying, “I hope Amanda helps people understand: native people are here. We’re still here. We’re in your cities, we’re in your towns, we’re in your communities, we’re in your schools. We kind of get erased in plain sight in our society. And I think it’s really important for people to know that we’re not these mythic creatures who hang out on totem poles.”
“You can have relationships with us. You can learn our culture [and] be part of our lives in a really meaningful way. I would love to see more characters like [Amanda] represented across the board, especially in video games… just so people know that we’re still here.”
It’s a monumental impact that Samantha has already been fighting for throughout her career as an out native actor today. And with Amanda, she’s helping gaming as a whole understand the need to portray this community in respectful, thoroughly authentic ways — one playthrough at a time.
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