Published , by Sam Chandler
Published , by Sam Chandler
Baldur’s Gate 3 is dominating the online conversation as players flock to Larian Studios’ latest hit to experience one of the best RPGs in a long time. While the combat and mechanics are superb, what really helps draw people in are the characters they meet along their journey, like the vampire Astarion. We needed to learn more about Astarion, so we went directly to the source: his voice actor. Please take a look at our interview with Neil Newbon where we discuss voice acting, motion capture, and his career.
Neil Newbon treats us to an overview of his career from where he started to where he is now. He offers some insight into just how small the mocap scene was in Oxford compared to how big things are these days. As for how he got into motion capture, it turns out that his first agent turned him down for a role in a Bond game. “I was with an agent that didn’t want to do anything with mocap,” Newbon said. Apparently, upon meeting the director later, the director said he specifically wanted Newbon to be in the role but was told he was busy, much to the chagrin of Newbon.
But Newbon did eventually snag a role in Ghost Recon Future Soldier where he worked on performance capture. The job also required him to work closely with US Navy Seals. He goes on to talk about how his various interests aid him in his work, whether it’s horse riding, archery, or camping.
The whole interview with Neil Newbon is extremely insightful, offering a candid glimpse at the world of voice acting and motion capture. For more talks with the talented folks that create games, take a look at our Shacknews Interviews YouTube channel.