Baldur's Gate 3 Actor Reveals That Geralt of Rivia Was Originally Intended to Be Inspiration for One of the Game’s Key Characters
I wonder if, in that case, the RPG from Larian Studios would gain some Witcher flair.
Game-themed conventions are the perfect opportunity for developers and actors to share interesting tidbits from the development times. The third installment of the Baldur’s Gate series is no different; recently, we found out, for instance, that Astarion was originally meant to be a devil, and the map might have even more to offer.
The London MCM Comic Con event provided more information from the time when BG3 was still in the early stages of development. One of them concerns inspiration by the Witcher saga.
What does the combination of Geralt with a spider give?
Ethan Reid, the actor who voices the male version of the Dream Visitor, shared details about his audition. As he revealed during the panel, the main theme during the Larian Studios casting was the combination of Geralt of Rivia and a spider.
As you may know, the character of the Guardian (and the Emperor) underwent huge changes throughout the development of the game. Ethan waited for months for any feedback during the entire recruitment process and was uncertain until the end whether he would be involved in the project.
They sent me a picture of Geralt and a spider and were like, "These are the themes." His lines were kind of like dark, gothic. So I did them, sent them off, didn't hear anything for four months (...). They put me in the ping pong [mocap] suit, and then didn't hear for two months and thought, "That was torturous," and then they offered it without telling me what the job was.
-- Ethan Reid
There could be more Witchers
Contrary to appearances, short and devoid of details descriptions are a common practice during acting castings. This way, the devs keep the fundamental traits of a specific character without revealing the most important details, leaving room for shaping the rest during the actual work.
Similar experiences were shared by other actors during previous conventions. For instance, Dave Jones, who voiced Halsin, only knew that his character was "an ordinary muscleman." Actress Samantha Beart was supposed to play a "cool lesbian biker" - that's how Larian envisioned the early version of Karlach.
Have you ever considered what casting descriptions the other companions could have had? Could they have been as creative as with the Guardian and Karlach?
