Hey everyone! It's 2026, and I just had the absolute privilege of sitting down for a sprawling, amazing chat with the incredibly talented Samantha Béart. You all know her as the fiery heart of Baldur's Gate 3, Karlach, but her journey is so much more. We talked indies vs. AAA, the real meaning of "game acting," plushie bullying campaigns, and what's next. It was less an interview and more just a fantastic conversation, and I'm stoked to share all the insights with you.

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So, let's get the most important thing out of the way first: the plushies. I spotted this adorable little Echo plush from Fading Echo behind her and had to ask. Turns out, it's a one-of-a-kind! 😂 "They don't, they don't. I made them send it to me," Samantha laughed. She basically strong-armed New Tales into giving it to her for interviews. And now? "We've all been bullying New Tales into making plushies of One, so don't worry." Consider the campaign officially joined! The devs even used her holiday photos of the plush in promo. How iconic is that?

AAA vs. Indie? It's All About the Writing (and the Prep)

One of my first big questions was about the differences between working on giant games like Demon's Souls and Baldur's Gate 3 versus smaller indie projects like Fading Echo or Absolum. Her answer was fascinating. The writing quality? No difference. "It's all excellent, and it is the same people working across all scales and budgets." The real difference often comes down to preparation and process.

With smaller budgets, she's more likely to see a full script ahead of time or chat with the devs. "So we're not spending time in the studio where you're paying per minute to start discovering the character when we should be recording it." But she's had great experiences on both sides. For one AAA title and for Fading Echo (which, by the way, has NO NDA – she can say anything!), she was able to have pre-session briefings. "That's what happened, and in both cases, they went, 'Let's save some time in the room, let you have a think about it before you come in,' and it's the most helpful thing ever."

"Don't Call Me a Voice Actor" – The Multifaceted World of Game Performance

This was a huge point Samantha made, and it really reframes how we think about the craft. "I'm very, very wary of calling it voice acting, because it's kind of inaccurate now." Why? Because the job is so much more.

"In a video game, you might be doing FMV, you might be doing mocap, and you might not find out until you get in there... It's really an all-rounder area."

She distinguishes between a voice artist ("they're like athletes... possessed with voices") who can play multiple distinct characters, and what she offers: a more grounded, filmic performance suited to larger narratives. The expectation is totally different from film or theater. In games, you might be asked to do everything – from intimate line-by-line recordings to full-body motion capture with face cams, all in a "black box theater" with no props.

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The Collaborative Beast: Bringing Characters to Life

How much input does she get? It varies wildly, and her job is often to interpret, not to improvise. "In games, it's more like theater in that that's a 'you problem.' You have to justify that line." For indie voice work, she often comes in at the very end, when lines are locked, localized, and ready to implement. Changing them isn't the point.

But for mocap roles like Karlach, the collaboration is deep. She used the Laban movement technique (used by dancers) to define Karlach's physicality: heavy, sustained, and weighted, with a stiff upper body ("maybe a bit tight in the chest, where there's an infernal engine"). 🏋️‍♀️

For Fading Echo's One, she got to see the animation early. "She showed me how One moves way ahead of the session... It's more like a cartoon or an anime. Because she's just elastic." That prep was invaluable.

The Mocap Experience: It's All in the Body

Was mocap for Baldur's Gate 3 in her wheelhouse? Absolutely. Her classical theater training became a toolbox. "You literally have a mask. So we don't have the expression, we can't read someone's eyes, nothing, and it's the body that has to interpret." She even had to stand like Karlach in the booth to get the voice right when recording isolated lines. "I had to physically embody her... I still associated her with that shape."

The discipline was intense. "I had to start from a neutral position at the beginning of the line, say the line, come back to that physical neutrality." Forget, and you'd hear screams from the booth to do it again! But she loved it. "It felt like a rehearsal room for a play."

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On Absolum, Villains, and the "Gary Oldman Era"

We had to talk about Absolum and the surprise TV show announcement! "I'm right here. If they would like me, I would love to do it, but I've had no contact at all." Consider this a public call to action! 🙏 She praised director Audrey Sheffield's theater background for the game's great banter.

I asked about her apparent typecast as vibrant, zest-for-life characters (Karlach, Cider, One). Her response? "Oh, I'm a miserable bugger, but... I'm a doer." 😂 She loves community and action, which shines through. But she's excited for more range. "I'm sitting on seven titles I can't talk about right now... this is my 1990s Gary Oldman era. I'm just getting to play everything." Villains are coming! 🦹‍♀️

"Real-life bad guys don't know they're real-life bad guys. They think they're just doing the right thing... So you have to be very non-judgmental."

The Fading Echo Hype is Real

Let's talk about the future! Samantha is incredibly excited about Fading Echo. The first public alpha playtest just finished, building huge goodwill. The team is stacked: Laura Bailey as Vellum, Matt Mercer is involved, and Jasmine Bhullar plays One's mother, Rahne (and is also a writer on the project!).

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No NDA means we might get awesome behind-the-scenes content. "I hope we get to play together and stream." The game is based on a TTRPG world the devs have been building for eight years. "They know their world backwards... This first game is about 5% of the world of Echo." Expect a tight, 10-15 hour experience that establishes this wild, fluid universe where combat is all about interacting with the environment. 🔥💧

A Lasting Impact

We reflected on the impact of Baldur's Gate 3 and Karlach. She sees a shift in the industry. "I genuinely think that's why we've got narrative in Absolum. I'm not sure we would have had that without Baldur's Gate." Narrative is becoming non-negotiable in genres that previously skipped it, and performers like Samantha are at the heart of that change.

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It was an unforgettable talk. From the plushie advocacy to deep dives into craft, Samantha Béart is not just an incredible performer but a thoughtful advocate for the art of game storytelling. Keep an eye on her Instagram for those seven secret titles, and let's all bully New Tales for those One plushies!