Humberly González

"I get emotional thinking about it because I've interacted with so many fans who already think 'This is what I need' and 'I see myself represented.' I met someone yesterday who cosplayed as Kay Vess. We had a little cry together because she said, 'You have no idea what this means to me. What it means to be a female in a male-led industry—in a place where there can be a lot of negativity and bullying, to not paying attention to that, and still play this character that despite it all, she still goes for it.' Kay is so resilient, and I've learned a lot from her. So the fact that it affects me this much, absolutely, it's going to change people's lives. This could be my Star Wars story."

―Humberly González, on playing Kay Vess^[4]

Humberly González is the actress who played Kay Vess, the protagonist of the 2024 video game Star Wars Outlaws. Born and raised in Venezuela and living in Canada, González believes that her character's story of an underprivileged person who had the resilience, charisma, passion, and strength to keep moving forward reflect the experiences of the Venezuelan people.^[2] González also hoped that Vess, showing her heart and vulnerability—the "kinks [sic] in the armor"—while being a strong female protagonist would inspire other women, and particularly appreciated that Outlaws gave her a chance to be the leading woman.^[4] González appears in the television series Ginny & Georgia and will star in the 2025 movie Star Trek: Section 31.

The ruling regime's manipulation of the results to June 2024's election that Venezuela's pro-democracy populace had won continued the country's decades of authoritarian oppression, but González believed that Vess' story of not giving up serves as an inspiration for her people because "freedom is worth fighting for." While González had not been able to return to Venezuela, where the rest of her family remained, she was grateful to her father's sacrifice in bringing her to Canada, learning English, and following her dream as an actress.^[2]

In that regard, she strongly identifies with Kay Vess' sense of estrangement, being alone, and then having to "slowly start letting people in to help you"^[2] and learn to trust "the hard way," making personal connections beyond just Nix according to the choices the player makes in the game. González also thought immigrants as well as people of color and women could relate to Vess keeping up her armor. Outlaws narrative director Navid Khavari similarly appreciated that, growing up as an immigrant, Star Wars had kept his family connected.^[4]

Aside from voicing Kay Vess, González enjoyed the passion of the cast and crew while performing motion capture for Outlaws. She particularly enjoyed action shots that did not require her stunt double and acting in a makeshift Trailblazer and on Kay Vess' speeder, with crew members moving the sets as if they were real vehicles. Regarding Vess' characterization as a scoundrel, González liked that she was a "rookie" with vulnerabilities and a survival instinct combining "fake it 'till you make it" with "trust no one." The actress also said Vess gravitated toward creatures and non-humans, and she would like to see Vess "be with my droid bros" and interact with ND-5, C-3PO, R2-D2. González compared Nix to her own dog, whom she had been living with for fourteen years.^[2]

As a Latina leading woman with an immigrant background in the male-dominated video game industry, González appreciated that the struggles and resilience of Kay Vess intersect with her own and are empowering to some fans. The actress was emotional while discussing meeting a fan of Outlaws cosplaying as Kay Vess,^[4] which moved her Latina interviewer as well.^[5]