God of War Ragnarok star Laya DeLeon Hayes won the Performer in a Supporting Role award at the BAFTA Game Awards 2023 for her portrayal of Angrboda, and her acceptance speech is sure to be the most heartwarming thing you'll watch today.
DeLeon Hayes looked joyous as she took to the stage to receive the award at last night's ceremony in London. "I was just praying I didn't fall tonight", she laughed before adding, "I was not expecting this".
In her speech, she said, "This is the first game that I've ever been a part of, and to play Angrboda… this is not a character that you get very often, especially as someone in my position, and so to play her has been just an absolute dream and incredibly surreal." Following her win DeLeon Hayes posted a tweet in which she said she'd be "smiling forever".
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"This is not a character that you get very often" ❤️ Huge congratulations to @layahayes on her Performer in a Supporting Role BAFTA #BAFTAGamesAwards pic.twitter.com/Vy2g41TTuVMarch 30, 2023
Back in 2021, when Angrboda was first unveiled, some individuals complained about the character being black, arguing that as God of War Ragnarok is based on Norse mythology, she should be white. Sony Santa Monica defended its decision saying that the game "is our interpretation of mythology, not history". It also pointed out other characters that aren't particularly accurate to their Norse setting, including Brok the Blacksmith, who has blue skin and a Texas accent and Mimir, who's Scottish.
God of War Ragnarok picked up a total of six awards at the BAFTAs in categories including Animation, Audio Achievement and Music, while Kratos actor Christopher Judge took home the prize for Performer in a Leading Role. It also won EE Game of the Year, voted for by the public, but lost to Vampire Survivors in BAFTA's Best Game category.
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