TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Welcome Neil Newbon 0:30 - Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3 4:30 - Fan Reception to Baldur's Gate 3 and creating real friendships 5:23 - Neil literally left his blood on the floor for Baldur’s Gate 3 6:03 - So much love was poured into Baldur’s Gate 3 8:20 - Neil freaked out when he knew he was in Baldur’s Gate 3 13:11 - Directing on Baldur's Gate 3 15:18 - Astarion is an Anti-Hero 17:16 - Bear Romance Scene & Incredible Cast of Baldur’s Gate 3 19:17 - Astarion’s Backstory & Developing the character 23:29 - Method Acting & Method Techniques 25:29 - Neil completely burned out working on Baldur’s Gate 3 29:35 - DND 30:23 - Neil gets Emotional 31:30 - Astarion’s laugh 32:02 - Playing Astarion in Live Action 33:00 - Companion vs Origin 33:27 - Neil gets Emotional again 34:38 - 180 hours of total cinematics 35:13 - Has Neil played the game? 35:40 - Astarion talks to Dan
@@adronius147You can keep him as just a rogue for the entire playthrough without multiclassing if you give him the right tools. Like if you give him a few invisibility potions, stealth/dext armor pieces, let him duel wield shortswords or daggers or give him a really good longsword and actually do melee as well as ranged attacks, and the dark urge cloak he will legitimately decimate entire battles of 20+ enemies completely solo.
When I said Astarion was a fav everyone just assumed it was for the looks but no, they didnt get it, its in the voice! The cheekiness, the vulnerability, etc etc thats what caught my attention as "first impression" & Neil voiced it perfectly!
i'm genuinely so inspired by his performance he has such unique take on line delivery and he characterises everything so One thing that really gets me is how he says "i love you" theatrically, then says it again as evil/ascended astarion and you can hear the false ring to his words, but good/not ascended astarion saying 'i love you' is so different from both of those deliveries. He's so damn impressive.
@oceanicGrimalkin what a heartwarming comment! This is Bowie, my late feline son. He was a cuddly little boy, not feral at all! But he'd like your comment very much, he saw himself as a ferocious hunter!
@@lucianacarvalho3136 He must've had Astarion's ferocity. I love cats. It must be part of why I like Astarion. Ever since I found out about Neil's feline inspiration, I was like "Huh. No wonder.". He also said it took him 3 years for the cat to let itself be held and warm up to him.
@oceanicGrimalkin he definitely had that ferocity, but with a soft part, wanting to be loved. All cats have both, I believe. They're truly amazing creatures with a lot to teach us. I'll listen again to the part we're Neil talks about this cat. It takes a special kind of human to have the patience and love to wait for a cat's time
@@lucianacarvalho3136 I agree. They're not as popular as dogs and are stereotyped as selfish assholes, but a lot of them can be so loving and sweet in reality. Our vampire man's not that different, huhu. He's neutral to you adopting the already lovable Scratch the dog, but approves you adopting an owlbear cub- a monster. He even lets it loaf like a cat on one of his cushions. I also forgot that he also approves you indulging a certain cat that thinks highly of itself.
my favorite lines from Astarion are also my fav from the whole game: "People say size doesnt matter... ha hA HA!" - the giggle is soooo good. when you say to Astarion, that you thought the parasite would protect him from the sun, after he died in the explosion in lathanders temple and gets ressurected: "Well, apperently there is a Limit. Somwhere between a nice summer day, and THE FULL CONCENTRATED POWER, OF THE SUN!" i justlove it.
Astarion would not have been nearly as iconic if he'd been played by anyone else. Neil gave Astarion a depth, vulnerability, and level of sass that I don't think anyone else could. The writing was incredible but the acting is what really made it ❤
The cat thing with Astarion worked out so perfectly! "DON'T TOUCH ME" phrase gets me every time 😅 i literally try not to switch to Astarion in camp to respect his space
Man as someone who got stupidly attached to Astarion right at the beginning of early access, I gotta empathise with Neil over having Astarion taking up a permanent space in your brain for years and then finally getting to watch the whole internet explode all losing their minds over him at once. Astarion is such a neat little guy. But I never noticed before now that Neil has the pointy sharp canines a little bit too? That’s basically 50% of the way to a cosplay already, right? Surely the real challenge would be finding a wig that does what Astarion’s hair does under the constraints of real life gravity. So. Much. Hairspray.
His character made me laugh, get angry, cry, and fall in love. He did such a magnificent job. This is easily my favorite game of all time, I love it so much ♥
I've got C-PTSD from an absolute nightmare of a childhood, kept like a slave. I am looking forward to play Astarion (currently he's companion), because his entire backstory makes me feel like I can have a chance in-game to free myself from my past and get revenge. If only by clicking on stuff, but hey, catharsis takes many forms! :) Thanks Neil for giving voice and character to Astarion!
The problem is, if you play _as_ Astarion, the missing element is Tav (the default name for the player avatar) to romance you and take an interest in Astarion. And the other companions are far more involved in their own personal problems and quests. Instead you would be romancing _them_ and having to discover their secrets.
@@TF2CrunchyFrog You definitely get to explore and go through your characters personal quests without tav and you get different cutscenes than you would playing as "Tav"
Same- it's why I fell in love with Astarion as a character since early access patch 3. It feels almost liberating to see him open up and gain his autonomy back. Get revenge on the one who did these things to them, not have to live in fear of being found by his abuser anymore, it's really fulfilling story.
The story arc of Astarion is one of the best I have seen, not just in RPG but as a character period. The vamp trope has been so done but this feels so rooted and beautifully twisted. There are reasons for the way he is, he’s not two dimensional and the incredible dialogue delivered with such emotion that this character is just pure joy to behold. The fact that people can’t bear to be cruel to him is just amazing. To then find out that the VA/MoCap actor is such a wonderfully passionate, erudite and likeable person too is the cherry on top. If they ever make a live active film (and they should for origin, sequel or original ensemble, hells I’d love all three) then it would be epically criminal if Neil Newbon did not play Astarion in that. Loved the interview. 🖤🖤🖤
I feel like they used some of Neil's face in his character design too. Especially his nose and mouth. He could easily transform into Astarion with the right makeup and hair team.
@@AnonymousFREEZEpOp1 Oh absolutely… there wouldn’t need to be much done beyond hair and contacts in order to live action at all. To see just how much love Neil has for the character and how he has lived and breathed him for four years, he is the obvious and natural choice to move forward with on a new project. If they ever do sequels, prequels or anything else, people would never forgive the studios if Neil was not cast.
The way Neil's voice goes from cheeky charm to deep trauma and vulnerability when talking about his time under Cassador is some of the best voice acting in a game with amazing VA across the board. The first time I heard that, I went from not caring/trusting Astarion too much to actively wanting to help him. The moral dilemma at the end of his companion quest was also one of the more interesting ones in the game. I actually broke my paladin oath b/c my consciounce was telling me to let the spawn go and Neil's portrayal of "good Astarion" had a lot to do with it. I liked that version so much better than the calous and power hungry Astarion (fear-driven, really) that I made a tough call just so I could "fix him". I sincerely hope Neil gets the chance to play him again.
Yes - I've been a trauma victim and I just have to say the feelings, the thoughts, the lines the coping methods that he puts into the voice were sooooo spot on to how I've felt in similar situations made me OBSESSED with this character.
I accidentally chose the wrong option after romancing him with this quest, meaning Astarion didn't do the ritual and ran off, after telling me "he hopes I die screaming". It actually HURT, I reloaded that shit so fast
I've always wanted to play DND but I don't have friends irl who play games and I've been too nervous to meet new ppl who actually play it - so hearing Neil say it's the best way to experience it (AND we get to have Astarion as a companion) has me sold. I will be happy to purchase Baldur's Gate 3 and support this team and community. Thank you Dan for the interview! Bless Neil, he is such a sweetheart and a legend ❤
Give it a try! I was in a similar situation as a teenager; I wanted to play DND but didn’t have enough friends to get a group going, so I joined a group at my local hobby shop. I was the youngest person there, but everyone was very welcoming and friendly. It also brought me out of my shell and helped with my social anxiety of meeting and interacting with new people. One thing I’ve found over my 20 years of playing DND with different groups is that we’re mostly just a bunch of goofy, lovable nerds haha
You can really feel Neil's love for Astarion and the entire process of making this game while he talks about it and it's honestly such a treat to see. That love and admiration clearly comes across in the performances and it's part of what makes this game so special. Boundless levels of respect for this man and all of those who worked to make this game so great.
I found Neil's work through Astarion, and I am so glad I did. Astarion is one of my favorite characters of all time, and I'm so happy to have found my new favorite voice actor. Since then i follow his twitch and can point out his unique voice in countless games ive played since. Amazing game, amazing cast. i love this interview.
I hope the cast knows that some of us get emotional, too, over games as meaningful as this one. I know it's not an easy thing to ask for, but I've been begging for more games like BG3 that remind of DAO, where you can actually get attached to the characters and have fond memories of many years later 💜 I don't want to downplay the exceptions that other people enjoy, but I wish most AAA companies tried half as hard to make games like this. Even Neil keeps saying what a special project this has been, so despite good games being out there, I think they understand the need for this particular kind of game that just hits different. I do appreciate companies like Spiders Studio for trying, tho, Greedfall wasn't perfect, but I still felt the love and hard work behind it.
just got into baldurs gate 3 and by far out of all the characters presented in my playthrough so far Astarions voice acting is easily one of my favorites if not favorite. i also love that Neil said he likes to view the villains he plays as anti heros instead, because they are in they're own story just linking into anothers while having their own fleshed out origin and morals and thoughts. thats exactly what i love to hear especially from voice actors because you can hear the passion for him playing Astarion just in the acting.
Astarion became an instant favourite character for me, not just in this game, but out of all the games I've played. Neil absolutely nailed the role and his passion for the project really shines through in his performance!
Astarion has never left my party once in my 2 plahthroughs. He's such a special little guy and an incredible asset in personality and utility. He is definitely my favorite by a longshot. Followed closely by Shadowheart and Karlach and Laezel.
Astarion questline hits so much home for me, I cried and laughed. I adore this character and he will live for ever in my head rent free!!! Awesome job on him by Neil! I can not wait for his cosplay :D
While watching this I was thinking "he kinda looks like Astarion". Glad to see I wasn't the only one thinking that😂. Would love to see him act as Astarion again, doesn't matter in what way. And I totally want to see the cosplay and Twitch playthrough if he decides to do those. But seriously, Neil Newbon is such an amazing voice actor and I'm grateful he got to play this role because I can't imagine a life without this exact version of Astarion being part of it. The moment I heard his voice....I think I just fell in love with the character. Bought the game within a few hours and then fell in love with the whole game. I just really appreciate the work Larian and the whole team have done, Baldur's Gate 3 is awesome.😎🥰
I didn’t get the hype around Astarion at first cuz I played as a rogue and never needed him in my party, but after many more play thrus I’ve realized how funny and charming he is. Honestly Neil’s performance really blew me away.
Great interview, thank you very much! I really loved Astarion, a great character with a good background and above all with the best voice acting in the entire game. Neil gives us an amazing performance, no one could have done it better, I really hope to see him as Astarion anytime anywhere. Such an intensity, you could feel everything thanks to his great work
I love Neil Newbon in everything he's in. Been a fan since Detroid Become Human and I just keep falling in love with his performances more and more for every new project he works on.
Astarion working with a clown, Astarion getting blown up by a space Lazer, and Astarion EATING SHIT lines are delivered unlike anything I've ever seen/heard.
How awesome is that guy. Jeez. Astarion is my favorite. I'm replaying the campaign as Dark Urge and he's my best friend this time cause i keep doing so much nasty stuff.
I recognized his voice just a little but I couldn’t place exactly where I heard it before and it was bugging the heck out of me. So I looked it up and I was blown away🙀He has played so many of my most favorite characters, even when the roles were small ones. Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 3 remake, Detroit. I have yet to play Baldur’s Gate 3 but I have watch some RUclips clips and videos of it. But the character Astarion was the one that really caught my attention and I couldn’t help but fall in love with him🤭 I would love to play the game in the future. Sadly, I don’t have the hardware or software to be able to play it yet which is so sad😢 I am extremely happy you did this interview with Neil Newbon so extremely happy thank you.😊
I almost finished the game and I can say : this is my favorite game ever played (the last one was Mass effect 3 that I did more than 10 years ago) Astarion is my favorite character in the game and my romance. It's like someone took everything I love in every pop culture that I know and put it together. He is just perfect and I love him so damn much, I just want to say : Thank Neil for bringing Astarion to life, i will never forget him.
Neil is without a doubt one I am gonna follow going forward, I was blown away by his performance in BG3. I gotta admit, when I first met the character, I did not like him, but he grew on me, and at the end I was fully crying at his main story questline.
I fucking L O V E how Neil talks about the physicality and talk about commedia dell'arte in piecing together Astarion. I love him. God, I love theatre nerds
In my first playthrough, I was planning on romancing Gale. And then, suddenly, there was Astarion and I was into the romance with him and didn't know exactly why I did that, but then there are his scars and you learn more of his backstory and that there is so much depth and Neil puts this on point. There are so many powerful lines (200 years of pure shit made me shiver), but also there is so much vulnerability, the cheekiness of course... Can't put it in words how he just slithered into my heart. I cried in his companion quest. When he kinda breaks down and is relieved at the same time, it's just the best piece of acting I ever saw. I am so extremely curious what outcome Neil will choose for Astarion in his very own playthrough (although I fear bad things considering what happened to poor Azra mere hours after meeting Neil, his Char and Astarion).
Sorry for my bad manners, dear Dan. In the first place I wanted to thank you for all those wonderful interviews with the cast. They are so incredibly heartwarming and I love how much you appreciate your conversation partners. Thank you!
What a down to earth guy and a really awesome character! I've had him in my party pretty much my whole time playing so far, at first it was only because of how perfect he is at lockpicking, but I quickly grew to appreciate the character beyond that. The voice acting and writing in this game is stellar, and does so much work in holding up an already awesome core experience. So glad we've all got the chance to play it and that all these people got to work on something so great!
I haven't ever laughed so much in a computer game, mostly in response to Astarion. He is hilariously camp and definitely knows how to have a good time. He'd be great company in real life (without the vampirism or tadpole though lol) All the voice acting in the game is superb.
Neil, you're a gem! ❤ Your passion for your work, your attention to every detail, your devotion to your characters, it's a pleasure! I love the versatility of your voice and how you manage to make every character you play unique. I'm so glad that you are our Astarion. I remember my first day in the EA and I met him for the first time. He said his first line and I went completely nuts because I recognized your voice 😅😅
The part where you speak about method techniques and then start talking about playlists remind me of how much I listen to specific character playlists on repeat before a dnd session !
Neil career is taking off. Resident Evil Village, now BG3. Dude is on fire. Astarion best character of BG3 and Heisenburg was best character in Village
I cannot wrap my head around the sheer volume of work and love that went into BG3. I wanna see what scripts and spreadsheets looked like to keep track of all the branching dialogue and consequences and random happenstances for each character.
Seeing him act the part of Astarion before or during his time as a vampire would be pretty awesome Or if you are blessed with another DnD movie, perhaps a cameo. People would go wild! :D
I've been so confused listening to this interview, because Newbon keeps mentioning "Joss Whedon" who is not only sliiightly controversial these days, but also isn't credited for any sort of involvement in BG3. Now I finally found out that he is actually talking about "Josh Weeden".
Neil just seems like someone who really works hard at his craft. And it shows! He is fantastic. I love when he comes to Nicole's streams. I cannot wait to get stuck into Baldurs gate 3 when it comes out on ps5
When Neil tells about his body sending him warning signals all I could think of was: "Dude you are not 25 any longer. Take it easy!" I get it that being freelance you kind of have to make up your own schedule and when you are passionate about it you have trouble walking away for breaks. But if you want to keep doing this for a long time, you have to learn how to. And I see this so often that people are incapable of shifting down and just doing the minmal thing of taking a weekend off. Which is 2 Days, by the way, not just one. ;) Or not working more than 8 hours a day. It all stacks up and you'll pay for it in the end. And your results will be just as good if you take that time. You don't get better just because you burn the midnight oil constantly.
I get your concern but alo when you are an actor you just cant always get amazing roles cause your body and face changes with age and everything depends on it, doesnt matter how good of an actor you are. So I get why he might have tried to give it all to this performance cause it literally might be one of the last in this type of character
I remember having that "wait...I know that voice" when I first heard Astarion. Finding out it was Neil made me giddy because I loved his work in Resident Evil
Dang, Neil really manages ADHD in an interview well. My brain sparks off other ideas when I'm talking too and I still struggle not to get shinny pennied mid convo and go off on a hyperfixation rant about topic minorly related in painful detail.
Neil is an absolute treasure and the work he puts into his work is so inspiring. Astarion has become an incredibly important character close to my heart. Neil’s performance is just wonderful and his voice acting perfection. I wish him all the happiness in the world and even more success for anything he works and will work on❤
he is so... wholesome. my heart is so happy. i love seeing the passion these actors have for their characters and the game. with all this love and passion that went into the game it's no wonder it has resonated with so many of us - passion is contagious and, honestly, magical. thanks for this!!
neil is so talented and kind, i just want him in every project out there! games, movies, audiobooks, whispering asmr. 😂 i hope this amazing performance he's done puts him on the a-list of every producer!
Finished my 1st playthrough romancing him as a mostly "good" character and it was lovely. My 2nd playthrough to really learn the game I'm playing as Astarion origin. It's so wildly different
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Welcome Neil Newbon
0:30 - Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3
4:30 - Fan Reception to Baldur's Gate 3 and creating real friendships
5:23 - Neil literally left his blood on the floor for Baldur’s Gate 3
6:03 - So much love was poured into Baldur’s Gate 3
8:20 - Neil freaked out when he knew he was in Baldur’s Gate 3
13:11 - Directing on Baldur's Gate 3
15:18 - Astarion is an Anti-Hero
17:16 - Bear Romance Scene & Incredible Cast of Baldur’s Gate 3
19:17 - Astarion’s Backstory & Developing the character
23:29 - Method Acting & Method Techniques
25:29 - Neil completely burned out working on Baldur’s Gate 3
29:35 - DND
30:23 - Neil gets Emotional
31:30 - Astarion’s laugh
32:02 - Playing Astarion in Live Action
33:00 - Companion vs Origin
33:27 - Neil gets Emotional again
34:38 - 180 hours of total cinematics
35:13 - Has Neil played the game?
35:40 - Astarion talks to Dan
Me: I'm going to bring Astarion on this quest
*clicks on Astarion*
Astarion: "Don't touch me!"
"I DO bite"
"let's go hurt someone 💅"
Every time he said that, all I could think was "please stfu and lockpick this thing".
@@ShevaSmash Lmao, yeah unless you multiclass him a bit to give him a more active role in combat he really is just your walking skeleton key.
@@adronius147You can keep him as just a rogue for the entire playthrough without multiclassing if you give him the right tools. Like if you give him a few invisibility potions, stealth/dext armor pieces, let him duel wield shortswords or daggers or give him a really good longsword and actually do melee as well as ranged attacks, and the dark urge cloak he will legitimately decimate entire battles of 20+ enemies completely solo.
When I said Astarion was a fav everyone just assumed it was for the looks but no, they didnt get it, its in the voice! The cheekiness, the vulnerability, etc etc thats what caught my attention as "first impression" & Neil voiced it perfectly!
yes!! he would be nowhere near as attractive of a character or as lovable if it wasn't for neil's voice and acting
he puts so much nuance into the voice!
Great Voice Acting. I just didnt like the character so he is gone from my game and all subsequent games. Thank You Very Much :D
i'm genuinely so inspired by his performance he has such unique take on line delivery and he characterises everything so One thing that really gets me is how he says "i love you" theatrically, then says it again as evil/ascended astarion and you can hear the false ring to his words, but good/not ascended astarion saying 'i love you' is so different from both of those deliveries. He's so damn impressive.
It's his whole questline in combination with the voice acting.
Neil just nails the seductive part of Astarion, but is in his vulnerability he shines. He's such an amazing character, reminds me of Lestat
Your pfp reminds me of the part where Neil said one of the inspirations for Astarion is a stray feral black cat that visits him.
@oceanicGrimalkin what a heartwarming comment! This is Bowie, my late feline son. He was a cuddly little boy, not feral at all! But he'd like your comment very much, he saw himself as a ferocious hunter!
@@lucianacarvalho3136 He must've had Astarion's ferocity. I love cats. It must be part of why I like Astarion. Ever since I found out about Neil's feline inspiration, I was like "Huh. No wonder.". He also said it took him 3 years for the cat to let itself be held and warm up to him.
@oceanicGrimalkin he definitely had that ferocity, but with a soft part, wanting to be loved. All cats have both, I believe. They're truly amazing creatures with a lot to teach us. I'll listen again to the part we're Neil talks about this cat. It takes a special kind of human to have the patience and love to wait for a cat's time
@@lucianacarvalho3136 I agree. They're not as popular as dogs and are stereotyped as selfish assholes, but a lot of them can be so loving and sweet in reality. Our vampire man's not that different, huhu. He's neutral to you adopting the already lovable Scratch the dog, but approves you adopting an owlbear cub- a monster. He even lets it loaf like a cat on one of his cushions. I also forgot that he also approves you indulging a certain cat that thinks highly of itself.
my favorite lines from Astarion are also my fav from the whole game:
"People say size doesnt matter... ha hA HA!" - the giggle is soooo good.
when you say to Astarion, that you thought the parasite would protect him from the sun, after he died in the explosion in lathanders temple and gets ressurected:
"Well, apperently there is a Limit. Somwhere between a nice summer day, and THE FULL CONCENTRATED POWER, OF THE SUN!"
i justlove it.
"That is tiny. And I'm NOT!" 😂 every time you find a hole
O.O I need to find a video of this now.
It makes perfect sense that Neil had a close relationship with Astarion’s writer. The combo of writing and delivery are perfect.
Where is the line for size doesnt matter?
Dude, that whole motion-captured scene is THE BEST! "What in the bloody Hells were you thinking!? I was RIGHT. THERE!" *Gestures downward
Astarion would not have been nearly as iconic if he'd been played by anyone else. Neil gave Astarion a depth, vulnerability, and level of sass that I don't think anyone else could. The writing was incredible but the acting is what really made it ❤
The cat thing with Astarion worked out so perfectly! "DON'T TOUCH ME" phrase gets me every time 😅 i literally try not to switch to Astarion in camp to respect his space
Man as someone who got stupidly attached to Astarion right at the beginning of early access, I gotta empathise with Neil over having Astarion taking up a permanent space in your brain for years and then finally getting to watch the whole internet explode all losing their minds over him at once. Astarion is such a neat little guy. But I never noticed before now that Neil has the pointy sharp canines a little bit too? That’s basically 50% of the way to a cosplay already, right?
Surely the real challenge would be finding a wig that does what Astarion’s hair does under the constraints of real life gravity. So. Much. Hairspray.
Or he could grow his hair out again 😆. Oh and yeah I always love pointy teef. I wonder if he's playing bg3 on his twitch channel
There are many cosplayers who make wigs even harder than Astarion's hair...obviously its more expensive than usual
@@nunpho he IS it started a couple of weeks ago come and watch (iirc it’s on Saturdays?)
@@0912sooli true 🤔
He’s a hot nerd who is inclusive and has a great personality… no wonder he became such a star through astarion! ❤
His character made me laugh, get angry, cry, and fall in love. He did such a magnificent job. This is easily my favorite game of all time, I love it so much ♥
Astarion's looks are nice, don't get me wrong, but his charisma, voice and personality are what really make me love him. Neil did an amazing job!
Astarion has always been my favorite since the beginning of early access, and seeing Neil care so much about him and his role is really touching.
Got emotional myself watching him get emotional about the work, that kind of enthusiasm and passion is so damn contagious!
The voice acting for Astarion is amazing. I have had some truly heartbreaking scenes already.
I've got C-PTSD from an absolute nightmare of a childhood, kept like a slave. I am looking forward to play Astarion (currently he's companion), because his entire backstory makes me feel like I can have a chance in-game to free myself from my past and get revenge. If only by clicking on stuff, but hey, catharsis takes many forms! :)
Thanks Neil for giving voice and character to Astarion!
The problem is, if you play _as_ Astarion, the missing element is Tav (the default name for the player avatar) to romance you and take an interest in Astarion. And the other companions are far more involved in their own personal problems and quests. Instead you would be romancing _them_ and having to discover their secrets.
Take care out there ❤
Don't knock it, :) it's proven that role playing helps with PTSD and what you describe here sounds very healthy.
@@TF2CrunchyFrog You definitely get to explore and go through your characters personal quests without tav and you get different cutscenes than you would playing as "Tav"
Same- it's why I fell in love with Astarion as a character since early access patch 3. It feels almost liberating to see him open up and gain his autonomy back. Get revenge on the one who did these things to them, not have to live in fear of being found by his abuser anymore, it's really fulfilling story.
The story arc of Astarion is one of the best I have seen, not just in RPG but as a character period. The vamp trope has been so done but this feels so rooted and beautifully twisted. There are reasons for the way he is, he’s not two dimensional and the incredible dialogue delivered with such emotion that this character is just pure joy to behold. The fact that people can’t bear to be cruel to him is just amazing. To then find out that the VA/MoCap actor is such a wonderfully passionate, erudite and likeable person too is the cherry on top. If they ever make a live active film (and they should for origin, sequel or original ensemble, hells I’d love all three) then it would be epically criminal if Neil Newbon did not play Astarion in that.
Loved the interview. 🖤🖤🖤
I feel like they used some of Neil's face in his character design too. Especially his nose and mouth. He could easily transform into Astarion with the right makeup and hair team.
@@AnonymousFREEZEpOp1 Oh absolutely… there wouldn’t need to be much done beyond hair and contacts in order to live action at all. To see just how much love Neil has for the character and how he has lived and breathed him for four years, he is the obvious and natural choice to move forward with on a new project. If they ever do sequels, prequels or anything else, people would never forgive the studios if Neil was not cast.
"I maybe wanna cosplay Astarion sometimes" ...and a thousand Sewing machines from Astarion Fans are start humming 😁
The sewing machines weren't the only things that started 'humming'...😉
what an utter legend
Mans figured out the hidden code in the Codename. He was meant to be in this role.
Astarion is such an incredible character. I got very emotional watching his character growth in my playthrough
Neil Newborn is the reason why I kept Astarion in my party. En enjoyed him immensely. He has such great talent and unique voice.
The way Neil's voice goes from cheeky charm to deep trauma and vulnerability when talking about his time under Cassador is some of the best voice acting in a game with amazing VA across the board. The first time I heard that, I went from not caring/trusting Astarion too much to actively wanting to help him. The moral dilemma at the end of his companion quest was also one of the more interesting ones in the game. I actually broke my paladin oath b/c my consciounce was telling me to let the spawn go and Neil's portrayal of "good Astarion" had a lot to do with it. I liked that version so much better than the calous and power hungry Astarion (fear-driven, really) that I made a tough call just so I could "fix him".
I sincerely hope Neil gets the chance to play him again.
Yes - I've been a trauma victim and I just have to say the feelings, the thoughts, the lines the coping methods that he puts into the voice were sooooo spot on to how I've felt in similar situations made me OBSESSED with this character.
Ascended Astarion absolutely breaks my heart so I feel you there.
I accidentally chose the wrong option after romancing him with this quest, meaning Astarion didn't do the ritual and ran off, after telling me "he hopes I die screaming". It actually HURT, I reloaded that shit so fast
I've always wanted to play DND but I don't have friends irl who play games and I've been too nervous to meet new ppl who actually play it - so hearing Neil say it's the best way to experience it (AND we get to have Astarion as a companion) has me sold. I will be happy to purchase Baldur's Gate 3 and support this team and community.
Thank you Dan for the interview! Bless Neil, he is such a sweetheart and a legend ❤
Join us! I hope you enjoy the game.
Give it a try! I was in a similar situation as a teenager; I wanted to play DND but didn’t have enough friends to get a group going, so I joined a group at my local hobby shop. I was the youngest person there, but everyone was very welcoming and friendly. It also brought me out of my shell and helped with my social anxiety of meeting and interacting with new people. One thing I’ve found over my 20 years of playing DND with different groups is that we’re mostly just a bunch of goofy, lovable nerds haha
You can really feel Neil's love for Astarion and the entire process of making this game while he talks about it and it's honestly such a treat to see. That love and admiration clearly comes across in the performances and it's part of what makes this game so special. Boundless levels of respect for this man and all of those who worked to make this game so great.
I LOVE it when the VA is already a fan of the series they join because the passion is infectious! Also it is just super fun for fans❤️🤣
That energy when talking about 'this gonna be BG3', I love it so much, so pure.
EDIT: Amazing person, just contagious energy, a lovely interview.
I love Astarion as a character so much. So many layers to that little vamp, and his snarky one liners made me giggle.
I would pay unholy amounts of gold to listen to his Astarion Spotify playlist!
I second that🙋♀
There's actually. It's already out on Spotify 👍
@@noobnoobie990 oh no!
Playing with him in my party right now, really enjoying the character and his story.
I found Neil's work through Astarion, and I am so glad I did. Astarion is one of my favorite characters of all time, and I'm so happy to have found my new favorite voice actor. Since then i follow his twitch and can point out his unique voice in countless games ive played since. Amazing game, amazing cast. i love this interview.
I hope the cast knows that some of us get emotional, too, over games as meaningful as this one. I know it's not an easy thing to ask for, but I've been begging for more games like BG3 that remind of DAO, where you can actually get attached to the characters and have fond memories of many years later 💜
I don't want to downplay the exceptions that other people enjoy, but I wish most AAA companies tried half as hard to make games like this. Even Neil keeps saying what a special project this has been, so despite good games being out there, I think they understand the need for this particular kind of game that just hits different. I do appreciate companies like Spiders Studio for trying, tho, Greedfall wasn't perfect, but I still felt the love and hard work behind it.
He was absolutely born born for this role
His laugh is epic. I recommend casting Hideous Laughter on Astarion or getting him high on Underdark mushrooms once.
just got into baldurs gate 3 and by far out of all the characters presented in my playthrough so far Astarions voice acting is easily one of my favorites if not favorite. i also love that Neil said he likes to view the villains he plays as anti heros instead, because they are in they're own story just linking into anothers while having their own fleshed out origin and morals and thoughts. thats exactly what i love to hear especially from voice actors because you can hear the passion for him playing Astarion just in the acting.
He's so fucking talented. His performance is nuanced and fantastic. he's so humble too god i love him
Astarion became an instant favourite character for me, not just in this game, but out of all the games I've played. Neil absolutely nailed the role and his passion for the project really shines through in his performance!
Astarion has never left my party once in my 2 plahthroughs. He's such a special little guy and an incredible asset in personality and utility. He is definitely my favorite by a longshot. Followed closely by Shadowheart and Karlach and Laezel.
This interview brought a massive smile to my face 😌 What an incredible person Neil is! Absolutely burning with passion - and it's contagious.
Astarion questline hits so much home for me, I cried and laughed. I adore this character and he will live for ever in my head rent free!!! Awesome job on him by Neil! I can not wait for his cosplay :D
While watching this I was thinking "he kinda looks like Astarion". Glad to see I wasn't the only one thinking that😂. Would love to see him act as Astarion again, doesn't matter in what way. And I totally want to see the cosplay and Twitch playthrough if he decides to do those. But seriously, Neil Newbon is such an amazing voice actor and I'm grateful he got to play this role because I can't imagine a life without this exact version of Astarion being part of it. The moment I heard his voice....I think I just fell in love with the character. Bought the game within a few hours and then fell in love with the whole game. I just really appreciate the work Larian and the whole team have done, Baldur's Gate 3 is awesome.😎🥰
I didn’t get the hype around Astarion at first cuz I played as a rogue and never needed him in my party, but after many more play thrus I’ve realized how funny and charming he is. Honestly Neil’s performance really blew me away.
Great interview, thank you very much! I really loved Astarion, a great character with a good background and above all with the best voice acting in the entire game. Neil gives us an amazing performance, no one could have done it better, I really hope to see him as Astarion anytime anywhere. Such an intensity, you could feel everything thanks to his great work
i love how he's barely letting the interviewer get a word in edgewise
I love Neil Newbon in everything he's in. Been a fan since Detroid Become Human and I just keep falling in love with his performances more and more for every new project he works on.
My favourite line delivery in the entire game is Astarions "...shit" XD
The best shortest line's delivery ever.
Astarion working with a clown, Astarion getting blown up by a space Lazer, and Astarion EATING SHIT lines are delivered unlike anything I've ever seen/heard.
Neil's passion for his work is so contagious.
I didn't know Neil Newbon before watching this and he seems like a sunshine version of Johnny Depp. I mean that in the best possible way.
The fact that he looks so much like him too/voice is just like him, makes it that much more amazing.
How awesome is that guy. Jeez. Astarion is my favorite.
I'm replaying the campaign as Dark Urge and he's my best friend this time cause i keep doing so much nasty stuff.
Niel did a great job and give life to one of the best characters in the game
He explains everything so beautifully. Love him!
I recognized his voice just a little but I couldn’t place exactly where I heard it before and it was bugging the heck out of me. So I looked it up and I was blown away🙀He has played so many of my most favorite characters, even when the roles were small ones. Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 3 remake, Detroit. I have yet to play Baldur’s Gate 3 but I have watch some RUclips clips and videos of it. But the character Astarion was the one that really caught my attention and I couldn’t help but fall in love with him🤭 I would love to play the game in the future. Sadly, I don’t have the hardware or software to be able to play it yet which is so sad😢 I am extremely happy you did this interview with Neil Newbon so extremely happy thank you.😊
Neil nailed it so good. I loved his performance during the Cazador scenes
He has the most unique accent I've heard even though he was born in England. I figured Astarion was just a character voice, but no, this is HIS voice.
When Neil's speaking loosely he's nothing like Astarion 🤔Thus it always blows my mind when I'm hearing to Astarion's lines.
I almost finished the game and I can say : this is my favorite game ever played (the last one was Mass effect 3 that I did more than 10 years ago) Astarion is my favorite character in the game and my romance. It's like someone took everything I love in every pop culture that I know and put it together. He is just perfect and I love him so damn much, I just want to say : Thank Neil for bringing Astarion to life, i will never forget him.
When a man REALLY loves what he is doing. With a huge emphasis on REALLY
I am the biggest fan of Astarion when he gets mad. Screaming Astarion got me fall into him completely
Neil is without a doubt one I am gonna follow going forward, I was blown away by his performance in BG3. I gotta admit, when I first met the character, I did not like him, but he grew on me, and at the end I was fully crying at his main story questline.
I fucking L O V E how Neil talks about the physicality and talk about commedia dell'arte in piecing together Astarion. I love him. God, I love theatre nerds
I LOVE NEIL so good to see himm in another role his such a legend thanks Dan these interviews are nuts
In my first playthrough, I was planning on romancing Gale. And then, suddenly, there was Astarion and I was into the romance with him and didn't know exactly why I did that, but then there are his scars and you learn more of his backstory and that there is so much depth and Neil puts this on point. There are so many powerful lines (200 years of pure shit made me shiver), but also there is so much vulnerability, the cheekiness of course... Can't put it in words how he just slithered into my heart. I cried in his companion quest. When he kinda breaks down and is relieved at the same time, it's just the best piece of acting I ever saw. I am so extremely curious what outcome Neil will choose for Astarion in his very own playthrough (although I fear bad things considering what happened to poor Azra mere hours after meeting Neil, his Char and Astarion).
Sorry for my bad manners, dear Dan. In the first place I wanted to thank you for all those wonderful interviews with the cast. They are so incredibly heartwarming and I love how much you appreciate your conversation partners. Thank you!
What a down to earth guy and a really awesome character! I've had him in my party pretty much my whole time playing so far, at first it was only because of how perfect he is at lockpicking, but I quickly grew to appreciate the character beyond that. The voice acting and writing in this game is stellar, and does so much work in holding up an already awesome core experience. So glad we've all got the chance to play it and that all these people got to work on something so great!
I haven't ever laughed so much in a computer game, mostly in response to Astarion. He is hilariously camp and definitely knows how to have a good time. He'd be great company in real life (without the vampirism or tadpole though lol) All the voice acting in the game is superb.
Neil, you're a gem! ❤ Your passion for your work, your attention to every detail, your devotion to your characters, it's a pleasure! I love the versatility of your voice and how you manage to make every character you play unique. I'm so glad that you are our Astarion. I remember my first day in the EA and I met him for the first time. He said his first line and I went completely nuts because I recognized your voice 😅😅
The Reddit forums have been calling BG3 an Astarion Dating Simulator. He's that good at the character.
The part where you speak about method techniques and then start talking about playlists remind me of how much I listen to specific character playlists on repeat before a dnd session !
Neil career is taking off. Resident Evil Village, now BG3. Dude is on fire. Astarion best character of BG3 and Heisenburg was best character in Village
Thank you very much for your time stamps! Those really help watching the video. I appreciate the extra mile you go to for this.
Astarion and in obvious extension Neil Newbon gave a shitty year a whole lot of life back ♥
I will never forget that.
I cannot wrap my head around the sheer volume of work and love that went into BG3. I wanna see what scripts and spreadsheets looked like to keep track of all the branching dialogue and consequences and random happenstances for each character.
Seeing him act the part of Astarion before or during his time as a vampire would be pretty awesome
Or if you are blessed with another DnD movie, perhaps a cameo. People would go wild! :D
I've been so confused listening to this interview, because Newbon keeps mentioning "Joss Whedon" who is not only sliiightly controversial these days, but also isn't credited for any sort of involvement in BG3. Now I finally found out that he is actually talking about "Josh Weeden".
Who knew this goofball elf could be so endearing ♥️ voice actors can truly elevate a character from well-written to fan favorite!
Neil just seems like someone who really works hard at his craft. And it shows! He is fantastic. I love when he comes to Nicole's streams. I cannot wait to get stuck into Baldurs gate 3 when it comes out on ps5
He does his own twitch stream too
@@nunpho he does. I gotta catch a stream sometimes bc he seems so fun.
Imagine DMing a fucking campaign or a oneshot where this guy plays as Astarion...
You're in luck. They just did it with the whole 6 main casts!
now i need fanart of astarion sitting on a director chair
thank god for such people in the gaming industry
He's such a darling, love it!
When Neil tells about his body sending him warning signals all I could think of was: "Dude you are not 25 any longer. Take it easy!" I get it that being freelance you kind of have to make up your own schedule and when you are passionate about it you have trouble walking away for breaks. But if you want to keep doing this for a long time, you have to learn how to. And I see this so often that people are incapable of shifting down and just doing the minmal thing of taking a weekend off. Which is 2 Days, by the way, not just one. ;)
Or not working more than 8 hours a day. It all stacks up and you'll pay for it in the end.
And your results will be just as good if you take that time. You don't get better just because you burn the midnight oil constantly.
I get your concern but alo when you are an actor you just cant always get amazing roles cause your body and face changes with age and everything depends on it, doesnt matter how good of an actor you are. So I get why he might have tried to give it all to this performance cause it literally might be one of the last in this type of character
I remember having that "wait...I know that voice" when I first heard Astarion. Finding out it was Neil made me giddy because I loved his work in Resident Evil
I've become not only an Astarion fan, but also a Neil fan! Just like his character, this man has some unique charm that makes u love him.
Dang, Neil really manages ADHD in an interview well. My brain sparks off other ideas when I'm talking too and I still struggle not to get shinny pennied mid convo and go off on a hyperfixation rant about topic minorly related in painful detail.
"i went to town on this character" 😂
Yes you did sir, and we appreciate it a lot.
Neils voice does things to me.
Astarion has healed the wound left by Twilight in the vampire-loving section of my heart.
Neil is an absolute treasure and the work he puts into his work is so inspiring. Astarion has become an incredibly important character close to my heart. Neil’s performance is just wonderful and his voice acting perfection. I wish him all the happiness in the world and even more success for anything he works and will work on❤
Omg, this man is liquid passion ❤
Seeing how much passion and love and soul Neil and the whole team put in this game and the characters is absolutely heartwarming
he is so... wholesome. my heart is so happy. i love seeing the passion these actors have for their characters and the game. with all this love and passion that went into the game it's no wonder it has resonated with so many of us - passion is contagious and, honestly, magical. thanks for this!!
Astarion is so powerful Neil starts to become him irl
Underrated that this interview revealed that Astarion WAS, in fact, based on a feral fucking cat
Neil is incredibly charming, he has such good energy
i really want to see Neil talk about the act 3 stuff, the work he does there is phenomenal
Astarion is a legend to the reamls now. Good god, did that man just make a brilliant character. Get that guy some hot tea.
I love when actors is so invested in their work and rolls that they legit gets emotional. That´s the definition of true dedication
neil is so talented and kind, i just want him in every project out there! games, movies, audiobooks, whispering asmr. 😂 i hope this amazing performance he's done puts him on the a-list of every producer!
Finished my 1st playthrough romancing him as a mostly "good" character and it was lovely.
My 2nd playthrough to really learn the game I'm playing as Astarion origin. It's so wildly different
man just dropped some Warhammer knowledge, he's alright in my book.
also fantastic interviewer. great questions and listening