Few game characters left as much of an impression on players in 2023 as Astarion, a suave but secretive vampire who serves as a potential party member in Baldur’s Gate 3. But Astarion’s biggest fan might just be Neil Newbon, the award-winning actor responsible for Astarion’s smooth voice, his expressions, and his memorable quips. Newbon lists Astarion, and Baldur’s Gate 3 in general, among his favorite projects across his career. Astarion holds a special place in the actor’s heart because the role allowed him to put all of his formidable acting skills to the test.
Newbon initially sat down to speak with Game Rant about his upcoming collaboration with performance capture company DI4D. However, because the conversation was at its core about acting, it was impossible to ignore his time as BG3 companion Astarion. When asked to share advice for new actors in the video game industry, Newbon encouraged all actors to continuously strive to learn and perfect their craft and to seek roles that challenged them and utilized a wide range of skills, much like Astarion did for him.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Why Astarion Deserves His Own Game
It’s confirmed that Larian Studios isn’t handling the next Baldur’s Gate, but the franchise could still lean into one of its best characters.
Astarion Used “Everything” Neil Newbon Had Learned About Acting
Astarion is a complex character – on the surface, he initially seems to be the standard flirtatious vampire, but there is so much more to him. He is someone who has been through centuries of trauma and is struggling with ongoing issues regarding identity, sexuality, and consent.
His story has particularly resonated with survivors of physical and sexual assault, as players can encourage Astarion to set boundaries and help him defeat his oppressor. His story can ultimately go in two quite different directions. Portraying both the increasingly more heroic vampire spawn and the smug, cruel Vampire Ascendant Astarion is a triumph for Newbon, who uses tone, phrasing, posture, and even small gestures and facial expressions to differentiate the two.
Playing a character like Astarion required Newbon to bring all of his acting skills, knowledge, and experience to bear. As a result, the character and story are deeply meaningful to him. Describing what it was like portraying Astarion, Newbon said:
With Astarion, everything I ever learned was used in that role. Literally everything. Every tool set, every experience from acting all went into Astarion, which is why this character and Baldur’s Gate 3 mean so much to me
His Advice For Actors: “Keep Deepening Your Craft”
Newbon sees acting as something one has to keep learning and practicing, rather than something that can be perfected in just a few years of school or with a handful of roles. He encouraged actors to continue deepening their craft, pointing out that new innovations like DI4D’s enhanced facial capture technology would provide new and unique challenges, such as needing to portray more subtle emotions and emotional variations. For actors who will be working with DI4D’s tech in the future, Newbon had the following words of wisdom:
Keep deepening your craft. Keep developing character. Find the subtleties, break your habits, learn the habits of the character – because now, more than ever, all of this performance can be seen and captured in animation…Everything through your career will inform you further and deepen the craft further. So make sure your craft work is good and consistent, because then you get the opportunity to use it in its entirety.
With Larian Studios’ recent decision not to make DLC for Baldur’s Gate 3, it is currently unknown whether Neil Newbon will have a chance to return to the role of Astarion. However, one thing is for certain: many are looking forward to what Newbon does next.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a Dungeons and Dragons inspired RPG developed and published by Larian Studios. Featuring both a single player and cooperative element, players create their character by selecting a starting class, take on quests, level up, and engage in turn-based combat using the D&D 5th edition rule set.
- Franchise
- Baldur’s Gate
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- How Long To Beat
- 30 Hours
- Metascore
- 96
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical Only
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 Players
