James Norton emerged as a major breakout star in 2026 after playing Ormund Hightower in House of the Dragon Season 3, though he had previously appeared in Happy Valley and Greta Gerwig's Little Women. His range extends beyond live action into voice acting, where he voiced Cole in Dragon Age: Inquisition, the 2014 Game of the Year winner.
In the game, Cole is a spirit of compassion in human form who becomes one of the Inquisitor's companions. Cole was once a mage who died in captivity, and a spirit of compassion later assumed his body and memories. He possesses the ability to sense and ease others' pain, and can make people forget him. The player determines whether Cole becomes more human or more spirit through their choices, with different endings reflecting that arc.
Cole stands out as complex among the game's companions. He speaks in poetic, staccato phrases that puzzle others and often reveals uncomfortable truths. He is wise and perceptive yet wholly detached and unaware, like a child delivering harsh, raw truths.
Norton's voice work sells Cole's intricacies through a boyish, innocent tone that conveys obliviousness paired with deep perception. The actor delivers Cole's stream-of-consciousness lines in a soft but purposeful manner, often out of breath, making each word seem more confusing than the last. Norton's textured, alive performance balances Cole's contradictions and elevates the writing with passion and emotion. One example: Cole's line "It wasn't from a flower. He rode it in the snow" references Citizen Kane.