Kamala Harris Lookalike Spotted in Hit Game Control: The Story Behind the Cameo

Vice President Kamala Harris appears to have a cameo in Control, Remedy Entertainment's hit 2019 action-adventure game. Although her likeness seems to be used for one of Control's assets, the game does not depict Harris as her real-world self.

Harris's lookalike can be seen in the Oldest House, a mysterious New York City building central to the game's story. In one of the skyscraper's halls leading up to an elevator, there's a whiteboard with posters of missing persons. One of the three larger posters depicts a woman who looks strikingly similar to Harris, identified as Jane Farland.

Kamala Harris's Doppelganger in Control Spotted Back in 2019

An eagle-eyed fan spotted Harris's doppelganger shortly after Control's August 2019 release, during Harris's campaign in the Democratic primaries, nearly a year before Joe Biden announced her as his VP pick. Other players also noticed the resemblance over the years, sharing their findings on social media. In his Game File newsletter, Stephen Totilo reported running the portrait through a facial recognition program, which consistently matched the missing person poster to photos of Harris.

The image likely derives from Harris's official Senate portrait, taken after she was sworn in as a US senator for California in 2017. Her pose and facial expression in the photo closely resemble those in Control, although Remedy altered the image. For instance, the background featuring her Senate office with the US and California flags was removed from the in-game poster. Additionally, while Harris is looking straight at the camera in her portrait, Jane Farland is shown glancing slightly to her left, with slightly more voluminous hair. These differences could have been edited using a tool like Photoshop's Liquify.

Kamala Harris Isn't the Only Former US Senator Spotted in Control

Remedy did not respond to Totilo's request for comment on Harris's cameo. One possible explanation for her inclusion is that most photographs published by the US government, including official Senate portraits, are public domain and free for commercial use. This theory is supported by the fact that right next to Harris's lookalike poster is one of Steve Fair, who closely resembles former Pennsylvania senator Pat Toomey.

Both Harris and Toomey's doppelgangers appear to be part of the Remedy Connected Universe, encompassing Control and the Alan Wake series. However, neither character is meant to represent their real-world counterparts or serve as any political statement. Control's credits include a standard disclaimer stating that "the characters and events depicted in this video game are fictional" and that any resemblance to real-world persons is "coincidental and unintentional."