Ella Purnell, the voice behind Jinx in Arcane, recently shared that she didn’t know season 2 would be the final chapter until her last recording session. The animated Netflix show, based on Riot Games’ League of Legends universe, became a big hit after its release in 2021. It follows the origins of popular characters like Jinx and Vi and dives into the growing tension between Piltover and Zaun.
Fans had hoped for more seasons, but creators Christian Linke and Alex Yee always planned to end the series with season 2, wrapping up Jinx and Vi’s complex journey. Speaking at MegaCon, Purnell revealed she only found out about the show ending near the end of production. The Yellowjackets star, who voiced Jinx’s fierce and chaotic personality, learned the news right before her final voice recording session. Check out Purnell’s comments below:
Well, I wouldn’t know if it was going to be over. No one told me. This is true. Until I read the script, which was like a few days before my last recording session. And I read the script and I was like, what? We’re doing another season, right? And I texted my agent and he was like,’ oh, no, no, let me check in on that.’ And then he goes, ‘OK, so actually, it’s done. I didn’t know that.’
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But I guess my life, my life didn’t really change. You know, we recorded this over so many years and it’s different with voiceover, right, because you’re going in once a month, pretty much for a four-hour session. So you kind of forget what happens in between and you need like a little more pressure. So, it’s definitely, I’m excited to get back in the booth and obviously really worried. I forgot how to do everything, but that thing never comes away. You’re always worried that you forgot how to act. But then, yeah, you kind of get back in the foot.
Ella Purnell’s surprise about Arcane ending shows how unpredictable animated productions can be. Voice actors often record their lines over several years in random sessions, so they don’t always know the full story until late in the process.
Sometimes, actors finish their entire performance only to be replaced or have their work cut out. Keeping the show’s ending a secret, even from a key character like Jinx, likely helped protect the surprise of the final season and prevented spoilers from leaking.
Read More: Arcane Co-Creator Confirms Multiple Spin-offs Are ‘Aggressively’ Getting Developed
Even though Ella Purnell gave an award-winning performance as Jinx in Arcane, she had never done voice acting before getting the role. She was already known for her work in movies like Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, but animation was a whole new experience for her.
After her success in Arcane, Purnell took on more voice-acting roles. She became a regular in Star Trek: Prodigy, voicing Gwyn for two seasons and in the video game Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova. She also made a brief appearance in Invincible season 2.
It’s surprising that Ella Purnell didn’t know Arcane would end after season 2 until the last moment. In a way, it fits perfectly since Jinx, the character she voices, thrives on chaos. Finding out about the show’s conclusion so suddenly reflects that same unpredictable energy.
Even though it’s sad to see Arcane come to an end, the series left a big mark on animation and video game adaptations. There are already plans for new follow-up series, and this might not be the last time Purnell lends her voice to the League of Legends universe.