Baldur's Gate 3 actor Neil Newbon has turned down "Astarion-like" roles because he "wouldn't necessarily enjoy" them, but he "would love to play" the iconic vampire again

Baldur's Gate 3 screenshot showing Astarion, a pale male elf with short curly white hair and red eyes, looking over his shoulder with a smirk on his face — (Image credit: Larian Studios)

It's no secret that the Baldur's Gate 3 cast members are passionate about their roles in Larian Studios' beloved Dungeons & Dragons RPG, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'd want to play similar characters elsewhere.

Neil Newbon, the iconic voice behind vampire elf Astarion, wouldn't want to, anyway. The actor reveals as much in a new interview with Luality on YouTube, first explaining that he would genuinely enjoy playing Astarion in a Baldur's Gate game again – something Newbon has actually revealed in the past, saying he'd do any "live action or game" as Astarion… and even "an advert for grape juice" if it came down to it, as he put it.

Although he'd like to play Larian's charming companion once more, he doesn't want to be shoehorned into "Astarion-like" roles. "I like to do different roles all the time," Newbon admits to Luality. "For instance, I'd love to play Astarion again – but I wouldn't necessarily enjoy playing an Astarion-like character." This actually relates to situations he's been in before, with folks asking if he'd take a character on as they're similar to Astarion.

I interviewed Neil Newbon! (Astarion's Actor) - YouTube

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"I also had people approach me," describes the actor, "saying, 'Oh, you know, this character is just like Astarion. Would you like to play as him?' Not really, no."

It's an understandable position to take – after all, Newbon has more roles under his belt than just playing as one of the Baldur's Gate 3 companions. He's been featured in everything from fan-led projects like Fallout: London to more recent indie gems such as Date Everything.

It's safe to say Newbon is a highly skilled actor – both as a cunning vampire and otherwise. What of the future of Baldur's Gate, though? Could the actor return as Astarion? Sadly, the sequel isn't coming from Larian Studios, but Hasbro has stated that it's "talking to lots of partners" about the next game already and is working on a separate new D&D title, too, so there's plenty to look forward to as a fan.

Astarion actor Neil Newbon says method acting makes it hard to shake off characters after playing them, and still laughs a little like the Baldur's Gate 3 vampire to this day

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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