British actor, voice actor, director and producer Neil Newbon specialized in motion capture and over time played several characters from major games such as Nikolai and Nemesis in Resident Evil 3, Karl Heisenberg in Resident Evil Village and most recently Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3 Appreciated by the BGS 2024 audience and liked during his short stay in São Paulo, the actor found time to talk to Terra Game On, check out:
Game on: First of all, I would like to thank you for inviting us and giving us this interview. Let's start with how do you feel here in Brazil? Are you here for the first time?
Neil Newbon: This is actually my first visit to Latin America. It was really interesting. It's a pity I can't explore more because I have to go back to work in Europe, so my time here is quite limited. São Paulo is a very interesting and vibrant city, the people here were very nice and hospitable, I really liked it.
Game on: How did you start your acting career and what was the first game you worked on?
Neil Newbon: I started as an actor, in drama, when I went to the National Theater with Ed Wilson, who sadly passed away a long time ago. Some people who left there, like Tom Hardy and Daniel Craig, became extremely important actors. From that moment I was noticed by an agent and started working, then I realized that I had to train, so I practiced method acting for many years, I developed my skills a lot, I learned a lot about acting… I still train, in many ways I still consider myself a student .
And about 15 years ago, I ran out of casting opportunities because I had to compete with stars who I couldn't beat in movie auditions because I simply wasn't famous and it didn't matter how good I was. I was about to quit acting when I found a job in gaming around the same month I was ready to quit acting. The first video game I played was Ubisoft's Ghost Recon Future Soldier back in 2009 or 2010. Thanks to games I could “remove the face”, I can play any type of character and any character, new guy, old guy, wizard, elf… it was quite liberating, it allowed me to have fun interpreting the characters.
Game on: And in that sense, what was it like discovering acting through MOCAP? It must be completely different from, say, traditional acting?
Neil Newbon: Hmm, yes and no. I see it as a combination of film and theater, so I use techniques from both disciplines and I actually find it quite liberating because things are far and near at the same time, so you don't have to know where the cameras will be, what that means, you can be yourself, be character, not having to worry about the environment around you, like I said, it's quite liberating, I really like it.
Game on: What was it like working at Larian Studios?
Neil Newbon: It was sensational! I think it was one of the best companies I have worked with. This is a great company because they really think about the player first. They actually spent many hours working on things that the game “doesn't need” but that they chose to do for players. I think it's amazing. From start to finish I had a great experience at Larian, it was one of the best companies I have ever worked with, and if I am lucky enough to be asked to work with them again, I will definitely go there. They all have the same culture of affection and support and they managed to create a masterpiece.
Game on: Do you remember any funny stories when you worked for Larian during the shooting of Astarion?
Neil Newbon: Yes, there were many funny things, many stories, but I cannot tell them because they are confidential! (laughter) I had a great time there, I made a lot of friends, I directed, I consulted, I created MOCAP, I was also a studio consultant, I went to Quebec to teach animators about MOCAP performance, everything was amazing…. .
Game on: What are your plans for new games, film projects, acting…
Neil Newbon: I have some projects I can't talk about, confidentiality issues. I take part in 8 projects as an actor, one also as a director, there are projects as a producer, as a consultant, and also an acting role, which is separate. I will also be running workshops again which I plan to expand to Canada and also the UK, the production company is doing well… so I'm pretty damn busy! (laughter) Oh, there's also a Twitch channel!
Game on: So you've been a gamer for a long time?
Neil Newbon: Yes! My first video game was ZX Spectrum. I used to buy these magazines with lists of programs on how to create a game, it was really cool.
Game on: Finally, would you like to leave a message to the Brazilian gaming community and your fans?
Neil Newbon: Thank you all very much for your support and interest in my work. Thank you to everyone who likes my heroes. I'm grateful they made it entertaining, and I hope I can continue to do this for many years to come. I hope people still have plenty of characters to love or hate depending on their taste (laughter). So I'm grateful to have been accepted into so many fan communities. Thank you Brazil!
