Life is Strange: Double Exposure: The Hannah Telle cat interview

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Max is back… and so is Hannah Telle!

In Life is Strange: Double Exposure, the talented actor and singer/songwriter returns to portray Max Caulfield – the same role she played in the original Life is Strange.

In the new game, Max has taken up the position of Photographer-in-Residence at Caledon University. She has a new life, and new friends and a new mystery to solve – the murder of a close friend.

We recently spoke to Hannah about her return to the role, and her experiences of bringing Max to life in the new game. But because we knew Hannah is a cat person (oh boy is she!) we thought: why not do the interview in a cat café?

So, we sat down at Java Whiskers Cat Cafe in London, to ask all sorts of questions about Life is Strange – while surrounded by a group of ready-to-adopt cats. The results were… well see for yourself:

We STRONGLY recommend you watch the video above, as it’s full of super-adorable kitties who will melt your heart. Seriously, if you don’t say ‘d’awww’ at least once while watching… well, you’re made of sterner stuff than us.

Or, alternatively, you read on for the written version of the interview. Don’t worry – we still put some cats in (but seriously – watch the video for maximum fluffiness).

What does Max Caulfield mean to you personally?

Max Caulfield means the world to me.

Getting to play her has been the highlight of my career, the highlight of my life, and the biggest and most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me.

So, I am just thrilled to get to come back and play her again and I am so excited that other people are excited to see her too.

Did you think you would ever get to play the character again after the original Life is Strange?

No, actually, I thought that was the end of Max’s story and that it was never going
to actually come back.

So, when it did, I was blown away, super surprised and so, so thankful.

How did you feel when you learned about Double Exposure?

I was pretty shocked.

I was finishing up my neuroscience degree at USC (University of Southern California) and had taken a break from acting and wasn’t expecting to get a call.

Because usually I have to search out acting jobs. They don’t usually come to me.

But this one just came, and it was a huge surprise, and I was excited at first, but then I got nervous because I knew that I had to audition, and do a good job, and show that I could be able to do the motion capture in addition to the voiceover.

It was a challenge and exciting, and when I got the part, I just broke down sobbing.

How has Max changed in the duration between Life is Strange and this new game?

Max is still her same vulnerable and relatable self. But she’s gone through a lot of life experiences that have kind of made her become a bit more confident, daring and bold.

I would also say that she has really grown into herself and she’s comfortable with who she is and she feels confident in who she is. Whereas maybe in the previous game, she was still figuring that out and didn’t know that it was okay for her to just be her.

How has your experience of working on Life is Strange: Double Exposure differed from the original series?

The biggest difference is that I’m doing motion capture, full performance capture
in this game.

So, it’s my voice, my face, my body and everything going into the character. And it’s been a really incredible experience to figure out exactly how to play her from head to toe. That was a big journey for me and I feel really good about where we ended up with that.

Did you have a mixtape or playlist to inspire you while shooting the mocap?

When I was doing this game, I wanted to focus on listening to songs that really built me up and made me feel powerful and strong and capable.

Because that’s where Max is stepping into in her life. She wants to really fully own her powers, and take control, and be independent and self-reliant.

So I listened to ‘Unstoppable’ by Sia. The lyrics in that literally say: “I’m so confident, I’m unstoppable” and that was a really good mantra for me to listen to. I’ve never hyped myself up like that before, but it works.

What was the biggest challenge working on Life is Strange: Double Exposure, especially performing both voice and mocap?

Well, the most challenging thing for me was dealing with my body issues and wearing the suit – and the fact that Max’s body is different from mine.

That was very hard for me to get over the fact that it was okay for me to be different from her but still be able to play her.

This experience was really amazing, I love doing mocap. I’ve done it before for
a different game and found it to be really physical and tangible, real, almost theatrical acting.

I liked it a lot. It’s been a really cool journey to figure out how to do her body and how to best portray her with my own body. That has been a really cool experience.

What has been your favorite fan reaction since your return was announced?

It’s been amazing because people have sent me so many kind messages and comments – people that I met on the internet through the Life is Strange community way back when the
game first came out in 2015.

They have been friends with me online ever since and just getting to see how excited people have been, that have stuck around for the whole duration of the series. It’s been really,
amazing and rewarding. And it makes me feel so thrilled and honored to be Max.

Are you a cat or dog person?

So, I have four cats. They’re all rescues: Iris, Quentin, Daisy and Miso.

One of them, Iris, I got when she was two days old and I had to syringe feed her every few hours, all through the night, and take care of her. She is my soulmate cat.

Then I have three others that I’m very close with as well, and together they’re like this cat gang that takes care of me and looks out for me.

You brought one of your cats to set – did he behave?

I brought my cat Miso to set. He’s my youngest and he’s the most photogenic of all the cats.

And he didn’t obey at all. He did nothing we asked him to do. Everything we asked him to do, he did the opposite.

But it was really cute to see him on set, running around, and he got lots of fur everywhere.

You shot in Colorado. What were your impressions of the state and how was your time there?

Oh, Colorado was beautiful. There’s so much incredible nature, the landscape is so striking and gorgeous, it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.

I spent a lot of time traveling around just small mountainous towns and getting to just see what life was like in the Old West.

Because a lot of the remnants from the Old West are still around, and it’s kind of like a ghost town vibe in some of the places.

So that was really cool – I enjoyed Colorado a lot.

Did Colorado inspire any new songs?

Yes, I had such an easier time writing in Colorado than I have writing anywhere else.

I wrote more music there in such a short time – I finished two different
albums while I was there. And so one of those is coming out eventually, later this year probably.

But Colorado is great for writing. It’s very peaceful, and the nature is very inspiring.

What’s the most meaningful picture you’ve taken?

Well, I took photography in college and was really into taking photos, and one of my projects was to like, come up with this, kind of fantastical idea that I thought would look cool.

So, I got this big claw-footed bathtub off Craigslist and I brought it up on this mountainside with my friends and had my other friend in a wedding dress – she was posing and it was very odd and unique and vivid striking imagery.

Just that whole day of planning the shot and travelling out into the desert to get the photo was very memorable and exciting.

And I felt like a real photographer when I was taking that photo. I had all these people
helping me on set. It was awesome.

What’s your favorite spot in the Caledon campus?

I would say the Fine Arts Building because I feel like that’s where I would hang out if I were on that campus.

If you could have any supernatural power, what would it be and why?

I would say probably, flying. I fly in my dreams, which is super fun.

And I also wouldn’t mind being invisible because then I could just do whatever I wanted and go wherever I wanted, and no one would know that I’m there. I could just eavesdrop.

What scene or aspect of the game are you most proud of?

Where Max just shows her power and really illustrates that she’s grown into this mature, young woman who is self-assured, focused on accomplishing what she thinks
is the right thing.

I just appreciate the scenes where she really comes into her own and stands up for what she knows is right, and gives a good Max morality statement.

Where do you go for your moment of calm and what do you listen to?

Well (cuddling cat) this is my moment of calm. Being with cats and spending time with animals and petting them is what I prefer to do to calm down.

And I also like to do yoga and take walks in nature.

I listen to a lot of indie rock music, my favourite being The War on Drugs. I also love to listen to jazz, it calms me down.

I love the moments of calm in the game, and I try to find those in my own life.

Do you have any messages for Life is Strange fans excited for the new game?

Get ready. It’s an incredible new adventure. You’re going to be taking on emotional highs and lows like you’ve never experienced.

I am so excited for you to get to see what we’ve been working on and thank you
for wanting to play.

If you were a cat, what kind of cat would you be?

I think I would be an orange cat. They’re a little chaotic and mischievous and have a wild streak.

And I relate to that.

Many thanks to Hannah Telle for her keen insight – and surprisingly articulate answers in the face of so much adorably fuzzy distraction.

She puts in a stellar performance as Max, and you can experience it for yourselves in Life is Strange: Double Exposure – available October 24, 2024 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Windows and Steam.

Three editions are available to preorder:

Life is Strange: Double Exposure (standard edition)

Available digitally and physically, this edition includes:

It’s available to preorder now:

Life is Strange: Double Exposure Deluxe Edition

Available digitally, this edition gives you two extra Outfit Packs for Max, with 10 exclusive designs. It includes:

  • The full game

  • Spooky Outfit Pack – Just Haunt It! coat and indoor outfits Maxidermy, Ragdoll Max, Max Ghoulfield, and Max O’Lantern.

  • Decades Outfit Pack – 90s Grunge coat and indoor outfits 50s Rockabilly, 70s Flower Power, 80s Mallrat, 60s Psychedelia.

It’s available to preorder now:

Life is Strange: Double Exposure Ultimate Edition

Available digitally, this edition includes five outfit packs for Max and exclusive cat content! Yes, that’s as adorably awesome as it sounds.

It also gives advanced access to Chapters 1 and 2, two weeks ahead of the release of the full game. Here’s what’s included:

  • The full game

  • Spooky Outfit Pack – Just Haunt It! coat and indoor outfits Maxidermy, Ragdoll Max, Max Ghoulfield, and Max O’Lantern.

  • Decades Outfit Pack – 90s Grunge coat and indoor outfits 50s Rockabilly, 70s Flower Power, 80s Mallrat, 60s Psychedelia.

  • FINAL FANTASY VII Outfit Pack – Moogle coat and indoor outfits Chocobo, Cactuar, Bomb, and Tonberry.

  • Fan Favorite Outfit Pack – Hawt Dawg Man coat and indoor outfits Free Bird, Classic Doe, Wolf Squad, and Misfit Skull.

  • Paw Prints Cat Outfit Pack – Leopard Print Camo coat and indoor outfits Awesome Pawsome, Peek Purple, Feline Fine, and Hang In There.

  • Exclusive Cat Content – When Max discovers a lost cat, she knows she must reunite it with its owner! This adorable task runs throughout the game, adding tons of feline fun to the mystery.

It’s available to preorder now:

Life is Strange: Double Exposure Collector’s Box (SE Store Exclusive)

Available exclusively from the Square Enix Store, the Collector’s Box is full of awesome Life is Strange goodies – your perfect accompaniment to your journey through Caledon University.

This does not contain the game, so purchase it alongside a digital or boxed version of the game.

  • Collector’s Box
  • 12” Vinyl Soundtrack with 13 songs from the game
  • 32pp Mini Hardcover Artbook with exclusive concept art
  • 4 Double-Sided 12” Artcards
  • Max’s Owl Pin Replica

It’s available to preorder now:

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