Neil Newbon, who voiced Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3, created one of BG3‘s most powerful story moments by following his heart and crying—unscripted—after Astarion finally defeated his abuser Cazador Szarr, the being who turned him into a vampire spawn.
There are countless moments in Baldur’s Gate 3 where Newbon truly embraces Astarion’s emotions, and the scene where he finally gets vengeance for the centuries of abuse he’s endured is one players believe is “peak.” And, even more incredibly, as BG3‘s voice director Thomas Mitchells told fans today, the raw cries you hear during this scene were completely unscripted; Newbon simply felt this was truly how the pivotal moment would go.
Stephen Rooney, the writer who created the Astarion character, certainly didn’t pull any punches when it came to his backstory and how he came to be a High Elf vampire spawn. Nor did he scrimp when it came to creating a powerful, dark, and robust character who weaponized his witty sass and humor to mask his pain. As you work through Astarion’s questline, you begin to uncover more about his experiences and unearth some of the trauma that he experienced from being physically and emotionally tortured, mutilated, manipulated, and starved.
So, when you finally get the scene where he confronts Cazador, you can physically and emotionally see the pain and relief on Astarion’s face, and—because of Newbon’s unscripted genius—you can hear just how emotional this moment was for character and actor alike.
Trigger warning: This clip contains violence and gore. Please watch at your discretion.
Although many may say this is just a story, Astartion’s just a character, and BG3‘s just a game, most players agree it’s not: It’s made a monumental impact on the lives of many fans. Some took to Reddit after the RPG’s voice director shared his Newbon tidbit to express thanks for Larian Studios and the story team for creating such a broken character who finally got their freedom and broke the shackles that their abuser had bound them by.
By showing Astarion he’s loved and can be loved, many abuse survivors who completed Astarion’s questline found a glimmer of hope for themselves in that they, too, deserve love. It’s heartbreaking to read the stories in the thread, but it’s incredible to witness the support players have shown each other and the hope they’ve found because of Astarion.
The sheer power of Astarion’s character, thanks to Rooney, and the vulnerability, heartache, and rawness we hear from this character through Newbon’s performance is unlike anything many gamers have experienced before. And, at least for Newbon, it’s an outlet too—one he discussed in an interview surrounding the truth of being a survivor with PC Gamer last year.
Through Astarion, Newbon has become one of the most beloved and recognized voice actors, and it’s why he more than deserved to win the 2023 Golden Joystick Best Supporting Performer and 2023 The Game Awards Best Performance awards, and to be a 2024 BAFTA Games Award nominee for the Performer in a Leading Role award.
There were many memorable Astarion moments, including players “accidentally” killing Astarion, his Cazador confrontation ranks as the best of all in BG3‘s epic story.
