Baldur’s Gate 3’s Neil Newbon has revealed just how difficult it’s been to ‘shake off’ Astarion from his personality – some two years after the game’s release date. Speaking to YouTuber Luality, the British actor discussed how there is a ‘comedown’ after playing a character, but some of the mannerisms can still linger for some time after.
“Occasionally it does (linger), especially if it’s been a really enjoyable, exciting job, which a lot of mine, I’m really glad to say, are,” he told Luality during the interview. “You do get a bit of a comedown when you’re trying to shake the character off a little bit. There are some things about certain characters that I’ve taken on a little bit too much. Some of my laughter turns into Astarion’s sometimes, which is a bit funny.”
He continued: “I played an ape once. There were certain mannerisms that he had that lingered when I would get really pissed off about some things, which doesn’t happen very often, but I do find myself doing things that my ape used to do.”
On stopping unwanted quirks and mannerisms hanging around, Newbon explained that it’s important to recognize the difference between their lives and your own. “There’s a lot of stuff that might linger a little bit, and they become habits, and you can shake them off eventually.”
Newbon revealed he would be open to playing Astarion again, but did express he had no interest in roles that are similar to the BG3 favourite. “I would love to play Astarion again,” he said. “However, I wouldn’t necessarily enjoy playing an Astarion-like character again. I’ve also had people approach me saying, ‘Oh, this character’s just like Astarion, would you like to play it?’ Not really, no.”
Meanwhile, Wizards of the Coast has revealed their next Dungeons & Dragons-themed game won’t be a BG3 successor. Instead, they’ve enlisted the help of developer Giant Skull, with the view of creating a game that appeals to both hardcore fans, and those more familiar with action-oriented games.
Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios has stepped away from the series, and is currently focusing efforts on their new IP.
