Karlach Actor’s Bigger Than Baldur’s Gate 3 Game Was Canceled

Samantha Béart says Karlach is their favorite character they’ve played but they’re glad to let her rest now after Baldur’s Gate 3.

After two amazing years of being everywhere on social media full of funny memes and romantic moments Baldur’s Gate 3 has finally come to an end. The game's final big update Patch 8 has arrived bringing the story to a close. The evil Netherbrain is defeated the city is safe and if you played like I did your character is now happily living on a quiet farm with Shadowheart. But for Samantha Béart the voice actor behind the fan-favorite character Karlach the journey isn’t over yet. After staying out of the spotlight for a while they’re now back and working on lots of new games at least nine of them These include titles like Absolum Fading Echo and Tron: Catalyst. Even though the world of Baldur’s Gate and Avernus will always be a big part of their career they’re focused on showing how versatile they are in the year ahead.

I recently saw Béart performing live in a Call of Cthulhu event in Glasgow even though I had no idea what Call of Cthulhu was really about. They were on stage with other well-known tabletop roleplayers like Mark Meer (the voice of Commander Shepard in Mass Effect) and Josephine McAdam from LA By Night. There were lots of wild and interesting voices being used but Béart’s soft Massachusetts-style accent stood out. It surprised me because in The Excavation of Hob's Barrow their voice was very formal and proper. And in Baldur’s Gate 3 we’re used to Karlach’s rough and fiery energy. So it was really fun to see Béart doing something completely different.

Also Read: Inzoi’s New City Update Turns Sims Rival into a Stardew Valley-Style Life Sim

I’m meant to be someone who lives in this town in Massachusetts so I thought why not try it? they say with a laugh. No one tried to cancel me which is nice because it’s really easy to get cancelled these days But then they speak more seriously. I ask if they’re afraid of being typecast when people mostly know you as Karlach how do you show that you can play other characters too? Do developers ever just show a picture of Karlach and say Do this again but in our game.

That actually happened once they say. But it was for a game that ended up getting cancelled. I was kind of happy about that to be honest. The game had a chance to become even bigger than Baldur’s Gate and they just saw me as big and angry like that’s the only thing I can do. So in a way I’m glad I didn’t get stuck in that role. Some people only know me as Karlach and they don’t care to see anything else. Just recently I lost out on a role because they couldn’t imagine me as anyone else. And I wanted to say Please watch my showreel. I’ve done so many other things too.

Karlach became popular really naturally. She just fits in so well and that’s amazing because she’s honestly one of the best characters ever. So there’s no issue there at all. But if you look at all the projects I’m working on you’ll see I’ve done quite a variety of roles. In Hob’s Barrow I play a very proper and serious character with a fancy accent. In Absolum I’m Cider a sneaky clever character who’s quick and funny. Then there’s Tron where I took some inspiration from Michael Sheen’s movie performance. That character is fun and full of personality. Karlach also had some great one-liners so if that’s the kind of role people expect from me now I’m okay with it.

There are around nine different projects I’m part of maybe even more coming and each one is different. The games vary in genre, size and style and I play all kinds of characters. You’ll see me show up in all sorts of interesting ways. I like changing my voice and acting style and I enjoy the challenge of becoming someone completely new. I think my biggest strength is being able to do many different things. I’m really looking forward to how people react. Maybe they’ll want me to just stick to Karlach or maybe they’ll enjoy all the new stuff. Either way I’ve been lucky that people have let me try new things instead of just repeating the same role again and again.

I asked if Patch 8 feels like a proper ending for Baldur’s Gate 3 since Larian has confirmed it's the final update for the game. They told me it feels strange to even describe everything that’s happened over the last two years. It hasn’t really slowed down and more people keep joining the community. They expected another big game to come along and take the spotlight so they could say Thanks everyone see you in the next game but that moment never came. Still they’re happy because the fans have been amazing.

They also talked about how the game has really meant something special to people. It helped players learn more about themselves through roleplay and the fan-made content like cosplay and funny videos has been incredible. Even Funko Pop figures of the characters are coming out which shows how big the game has become in popular culture. They smiled gave two thumbs up to the camera and said Thanks guys. Very cool.

Béart is working on many new games right now. They are the voice in Fading Echo a water-themed adventure game and also in Absolum an action-packed roguelike beat-em-up. They are also part of Tron Catalyst which has already been released. I show up halfway through the game Béart says with a smile. It’s fun to play smooth with some exciting combat cool bikes and a fresh creative story. And yes the music is amazing too. You can even try a demo of Tron Catalyst right now.

At the same time I’m curious about what Béart is doing next. They hinted at a big new story-focused game that will be revealed at Gamescom. Besides that they’re also involved in at least five more games. Hopefully we’ll get to hear more details about those soon.