Baldur’s Gate 3 Astarion actor says he “stole things from people I love dearly” to craft his character

Neil Newbon, the actor who plays Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3, has spoken more about the process behind crafting his vampiric character, and the inspirations he drew from when bringing him to life.

In an interview with The Escapist, Newbon revealed that Leendert Van Nimwegen, Reuben Kaye and Giles Foreman were all people who partly influenced Astarion’s behaviors and voice, but they weren’t the only ones. “I stole things from people I love dearly,” he said.

He explained that one of Astarion’s characteristics – a sidelong glance coupled with a big sigh – was taken from one of his friends. “That is literally one of my one of my closest friends; I stole that from him,” he explained. “If you don’t know my friend really well, you’re not entirely sure what to do with that because he’s not telling you to go away, he’s not dismissing you, but it’s definitely a putdown without words. It’s beautiful.”

In previous interviews (such as one with Game Rant in August), Newbon revealed that a stray cat who lives around him also helped inspire some of Astarion’s mannerisms. He’s now spoken more about his feline friend, noting that it took three years of interaction before the cat stopped trying to scratch and bite him.

“He’s really old now, but yeah, he had this interesting vibe about him,” Newbon told The Escapist. “I thought, ‘I wonder if I can steal things from this cat.’ The way the cat moves, or the way the cat looks at you. The way the cat will allow you to come closer and then rip your hand off when it’s bored ‘cause that’s enough. ‘That’s enough, now. No touching now, darling.’ You know, things like that.”

In other Baldur’s Gate 3 news, it was recently spotted that one of the game’s huge twists was foreshadowed throughout the entire game via its catchiest song, adding yet another brilliant detail to the enormous list of them dwelling within the RPG. 

For more games like Baldur’s Gate 3, be sure to check out our recommendations for the best RPGs, as well as the best story games.