Resident Evil Village and Baldur's Gate 3 actor talks being type-cast as thirsted-after villains
Maggie Robertson doesn't feel pigeonholed in certain roles
The actor behind villains in Baldur's Gate 3 and Resident Evil Village has addressed fan feedback to their characters - and commented on being type-cast.
Back in 2021, Lady Dimitrescu was Resident Evil Village's breakout character. So, too, was the role a breakout experience for actor Maggie Robertson, who portrayed the towering character. Two years later, Robertson is back in another villainous role with Orin the Red in Baldur's Gate 3, and a commonality between Robertson's two characters is that they're both very thirsted after.
"I think the overarching response that I've heard is the, you know, I can fix her or she can fix me or some variation of those themes," Robertson told 12DOVE at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 last week, about the response to Orin the Red. Addressing the thirst for the character from players, Robertson said "She is a very sexy character. So I totally understand that."
Robertson has even heard grumblings from players about a lack of a romance option for Orin the Red. "But it's exciting. It's fun. You know, she's really interesting, too. So it's been really exciting for all the people to do fan art," the actor continued, adding that she was also blown away by make-up artists recreating Orin's "marbled" skin effects.
This sort of response towards Robertson's character is one the actor is familiar with - Lady Dimitrescu caused similar comments back in 2021 from thirsty players. Robertson says carving this niche for herself, of playing thirsted-after characters, isn't deliberate, but it "certainly is fun."
"I am kind of carving out that niche, I suppose. And there's an element of fun with villains because they're not limited or bound by the constraints of physics or morality. So you can really have a lot of fun with that," Roberson continued. The actor also highlights Orin's "affectionately psychotic" personality as being a tool to push her character to "their extremes."
"But also, you know, as an actor, we're always looking for our next challenge. So I love what I'm doing. I'm very happy where I'm at. We're always ready for something new as well. So we'll be looking forward to see what the next thing," Robertson concluded.
Sign up to the 12DOVE Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
So it sounds like Robertson is certainly having a lot of fun with the characters she's portrayed over the last few years, and doesn't effectively feel type-cast or pigeonholed into one role in particular.
Baldur's Gate 3 took home the Ultimate Game of the Year Award at the Golden Joysticks last week, with developer Larian bagging the Studio of the Year Award.
Check out the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 winners list for a full look at all the honors.
Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.