Neil Newbon was already a rising star before his portrayal of the sardonic vampire Astarion, but his award-winning role inBaldur’s Gate 3has undoubtedly elevated the actor’s profile.
Astarion was a complex role to pull off, Newbon had to contrast his devilishly witty closed-off exterior with a more vulnerable and fearful interior. The character of Astarion changes significantly as the player’s adventure progresses.
Gnomes Just Have The Worst Luck In Baldur’s Gate 3
Larian Studios has it out for Gnomekind.
The role has earned Newbon the Golden Joystick for Best Supporting Actor, the Game Award for Best Performance and a BAFTA nomination.
While Newbon’s immaculate portrayal of Astarion may lead you to believe the role was made for him, the actor adapted the character a lot, so much so that he worried at first that not everyone understood his vision for Astarion.
High Risk, Massive Reward
In a recent interview withGame Rant, Newbon spoke about the ‘risk’ involved in his adaptation of Astarion, and the eventual gratifying result.
“The choices I was making, I think, were quite big,” Newbon begins. “And a risk I would say - which I felt was the right thing to do. I know not everybody was sure about it initially, until they got what I was trying to do.”
Newbon credits cinematic director Jason Latino and Astarion head writer Stephen Rooney for supporting his interpretation of Astarion. The risk-taking of Newbon paid off, with Astarion quickly becoming established as one of the most popular party members in Baldur’s Gate 3.
The actor was unwilling to accept all of the credit for Astarion, instead saying Rooney and other writers were pivotal to the success of the character.
“It worked super well,” Newbon says before slipping into Astarion’s accent, “Perhaps a little too well, darling!”
Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast is certainly impressed with Newbon, enlisting him to voice the notorious lich Vecna ina trailer for Vecna: Eve of Ruin, an upcoming Dungeons & Dragons adventure book.
The Success Of Baldur’s Gate 3 May Leave A Lasting Legacy At Hasbro
The executives at Hasbro now have first-hand experience of how successful a well-executed video game can be.
