Baldur's Gate 3 found massive success following its jump from early access and into full 1.0 release back in August 2023, and the actor who plays the fan-favorite high-elf vampire Astarion has especially felt the enthusiasm from fans. Played by actor Neil Newbon, the character would become something of an icon for the game, especially after the infamous viral moment from developer Larian Studios' online showcase before launch.
During an interview with The Gamer, Neil Newbon spoke about the massive response he felt from fans in the lead-up to launch and afterward, which led him to make a "support group" for his fellow Baldur's Gate 3 actors who might be finding the abrupt increase in attention toward their careers overwhelming.
"We have a companion character support group on Whatsapp," said Newbon to The Gamer. "I think I created that a couple of days before release because I kinda knew what was going to happen. In a way. I didn't know it was going to be this big, but I knew it was going to be interesting because I've been involved with Resident Evil and Detroit: Become Human, so I've seen how big these things can become."
While characters like Karlach and Gale are popular with fans, Astarion has especially been embraced by BG3 players, so much so that Neil Newbon was surprised by how much fans embraced the character.
"I thought the character would be well received, but not in the same scale he's taken off," Newbon said. "I really enjoy meeting people who play the game, and I'm lucky in that I do conventions, online stuff, and I stream as well, so it's really nice to hear people's stories about their version of the game because it can go a multitude of infinitely different ways."
Previously, Newbon has worked on games such as Resident Evil Village and Detroit: Become Human, where he played Heisenberg and Elijah Kamski, respectively. However, he has stated that Astarion is by far his most famous character.
Newbon took time to explain his view on why Astarion was such a fan-favorite, and he credits the character's open and welcoming nature that has endeared the character to fans in light of growing conflicts and depressing news in today's age. He gave a special shout to LGBTQ+ fans who gave him praise for his portrayal of Astarion.
"He's attracted to anybody that he's attracted to, and he loves anybody that he will love. I think that's a beautiful message, especially these days when we've seen great strides in the LGBTQ+ community but also seen this unfortunate right-wing sweep back against us, especially in America, where we've seen horrendous laws come into effect. It's important to keep pushing the message forward that you should love who you want to love, and that shouldn't be an issue, and nobody should judge you for it."
In our Baldur's Gate 3 review, Ali Jones awarded the game five stars and stated that Baldur's Gate 3 sets "a new gold standard for RPGs", elaborating further that: "At a time when Dungeons & Dragons boasts a popularity unknown at any other time in its 50-year history, Baldur's Gate 3 will stand alongside the best of the best; with Curse of Strahd, Critical Role, and its own beloved predecessors. By any metric, it's not just one of the best D&D games or best RPGs ever made – it's a new gold standard by which the entire genre, if not an entire industry, will be measured."
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