Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater has long been regarded as one of the greatest games of all time. Not only does it boast incredible gameplay and Hideo Kojima's signature cinematic cutscenes, but it also plays host to a wide variety of interesting, three-dimensional characters.
One of these is EVA (or 'Tatyana', 'Big Mama', etc). Spy, motorcycle enthusiast, and surrogate mother to Solid and Liquid Snake, EVA is a vital character to the lore of Metal Gear, and now, 20 years later, we finally have official confirmation of her original voice actor.
Credited as 'Suzetta Miñet' in Snake Eater, Konami has now revealed that the voice actor is none other than Jodi Benson, a veteran who has lended her talents to movies such as The Little Mermaid (as main protagonist Ariel), Toy Story, Flubber, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
The revelation was made during the latest episode of Konami's 'Legacy Series' campaign looking at the release and impact of Snake Eater. Here, David Hayter (Naked Snake) and Lori Alan (The Boss) are joined by Benson, officially revealing her identity for the first time.
According to Benson (who looks remarkably similar to EVA herself), her career up to that point had been voicing characters for more family-oriented projects. So she sat down with director Kris Zimmerman Salter who suggested that changing her name might be the best approach.
"She asked me, "What was your dog's name growing up?" And I said, "Suzette Monet". So she's like, "You know what, let's build on that; how about Suzetta? How about instead of 'Monet' the artist, we'll do 'Miñet'?" And I was like, "Sounds like a deal".
She goes on to state that around seven years ago, somebody slipped her a copy of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater for her to sign at a convention. After asking why they had given her the game, the fan simply said "Because you're in it". She then sneakily asked the fan to keep her role quiet.
So there you have it! Mystery solved. All three voice actors can be heard again in the upcoming Snake Eater Delta remake. Sadly, it's not Switch-bound, but we'll keep our fingers crossed for a potential 'Switch 2' release in the future.