In a recent interview with the BAFTA Awards organizers, popular video game actor Neil Newbon recounted how he received the first proposal to work on the successful Baldur’s Gate 3. The actor played the popular character Astarion in the game, and when he was about to start working on Final Fantasy 16, he received the proposal to join the Larian Studios project.
Unaware of the name at the time, he quickly realized its connection to the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Due to his excitement, he auditioned for more races in the game than he was asked to.
His Passion for Dungeons & Dragons Was Key to Neil Newbon Working on Baldur’s Gate 3
One of Baldur’s Gate 3’s main features was its incredible cinematic work in practically every interaction between characters. This type of perfectionism is what led the game to the top and win every possible award in the industry.
The cast’s impressive acting work, which brought the various characters in this title to life, greatly contributed to the cinematics’ success.
In a recent interview with the BAFTA Awards organization, the actor behind the popular Astarion revealed the process he went through to become part of this well-known title.
Neil Newbon said he was in the middle of traveling to Hungary for the motion capture of Final Fantasy 16 when he received the proposal from Larian Studios without a specific name. Nonetheless, he almost instantly knew it was related to Dungeons & Dragons. The third installment of this franchise was also a tenuous possibility.
This Game’s Excellent Story Revolves Around a Key Character
Newbon said he only had to audition for one race in this game, but he got so excited that he decided to audition for several more, despite being told not to.
According to the actor, the studio had asked him to demonstrate while playing a somewhat vampiric character. He assumed it would be a minor role, imagining it as a villain who would be quickly killed off.
Years later, the studio behind Baldur’s Gate 3 admitted that this actor’s role and performance exceeded any of their expectations, praising his outstanding talent. Similarly, both the studio and the actor said that Astarion’s final script didn’t change much once they started working on the different lines.
The actor received numerous nominations for his incredible participation in this title, and many fans believed he deserved to win more awards.
Larian Studios has officially concluded its work on this title and announced the commencement of a new project, the name and genre of which remain undisclosed.
When asked about this new project, the company’s CEO, Swen Vincke, has been quite elusive, clarifying that it may or may not relate to the world of Dungeons & Dragons.
What are your thoughts on this actor’s performance? Let us know in the comments!
