Once considered a niche hobby, video gaming is now decidedly mainstream, standing alongside films and TV series that dominate pop culture. With blockbuster adaptations, a billion-dollar streaming industry, and a growing list of celebrity gamers on the scene, video games are reshaping the world of entertainment.
Some of Hollywood’s biggest names have shared their love for gaming. From simply championing their gaming passion to even voicing characters and developing their own games, these seven celebrities are passionate gamers who have brought video games into the spotlight time and again.
Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill, who played Superman for nearly a decade, is a long-time fan of World of Warcraft. In fact, he almost missed the phone call confirming his casting as Clark Kent because he was so invested in the game, per Far Out Magazine.
According to an interview with GQ, Cavill grew up playing Delta Force and Half-Life, and counts the Total War series and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim among his favourites.
Cavill merged his passion for gaming and acting in his role as Geralt in The Witcher, the Netflix series based on the original novels and video games, of which he was already a fan.
Tom Holland
Tom Holland has named the Spider-Man games, as well as Skyrim and The Last of Us, as some of the games he enjoys.
His interest in gaming also came up in his career via his role as Nathan Drake in Uncharted, an adaptation of the hit gaming franchise. While Holland was filming Spider-Man: Homecoming, Sony, the film’s producer, equipped each trailer on set with a PlayStation console, per IGN. It was there that Holland fell in love with Uncharted.
Mila Kunis
That ‘70s Show alum Mila Kunis is famously obsessed with World of Warcraft – so much so that her agent would sometimes have to log onto the game to reach her, as she revealed in her Hot Ones interview. She eventually quit because it consumed too much time – only to switch to Call of Duty, Civilization and Mario Party.