Astarion could have had a completely different voice in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is not only nominated for Game of the Year at the Game Awards, but has also already won the Golden Joysticks Awards. Not only did the game win Game of the Year, Neil Newbon also won Best Supporting Actor for his role as Astarion.
It’s hard to imagine that the vampire brood would almost have had a different voice. Neil Newbon almost quit his job years ago – if it weren’t for video games.
‘I was on the verge of quitting completely’: Neil Newbon shares how games saved his job
The actor was about to end his career in 2008 because he simply didn’t earn enough money to live on. Video games were the turning point for him, as he explains in his acceptance speech at the Golden Joysticks 2023:
“When I found video games, I was broke, I was on my knees. I was actually very close to losing them [Schauspiel-]to leave the industry.”
In an interview with PC Gamer, the actor tells more about how video games and voice acting have opened up a whole new area for him:
“It was around 2008/9… I wasn’t making much, I was taking part-time jobs to pay bills… I was a bit disillusioned with myself as an actor. It got to the point where I was very… , was very depressed. […]
And then I found mocap… it gave my acting career new life.”
Newbon explains how helpful and liberating it was for him not to be limited by his looks when acting – something that had always caused problems for him in his career:
“It was so wonderfully liberating. It meant I could play anything that was appropriate for my ethnic background… But people also just accepted me… I’m humbled and grateful. So yes, games saved me. “
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Middle finger to the AAA industry: Baldur’s Gate 3 was no coincidence
You can read more about Baldur’s Gate 3 here:
Today, Newbon says he’s pretty happy with where he is – no wonder since he recently impressed so many people with his performance as Astarion. It’s hard to imagine that things could have turned out very differently.
If the actor hadn’t discovered video games, Astarion would have a completely different voice today and would probably be a different character. And last but not least, Neil Newbon wouldn’t be nominated for Best Actor at the Game Awards on December 8th.
Could you imagine Astarion with a different voice?
