Bloody Hell, Karlach's Voice Actor Samantha Béart on Infernal Engines, Gordon Ramsay, and Trusting Your Gut
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Samantha Béart, the voice behind Baldur's Gate 3's beloved Karlach, opens up about her unconventional journey to the role, the surprising inspirations (hello, Gordon Ramsay!) that shaped the Tiefling barbarian, and the profound impact the character has had on both her own life and the wider gaming community, proving that sometimes, the best roles find you when you're least expecting it.
Right, so you know that feeling when a character just *clicks*? Like they burst into your game, set everything on fire (sometimes literally), and burrow their way into your heart? Yeah, that's Karlach from Baldur's Gate 3, innit?
She's the fiery Tiefling barbarian, a whirlwind of muscle, wit, and a surprisingly vulnerable core, all brought to life by the brilliant Samantha Béart. I've been tinkering with a rather ace interview Eurogamer had with Béart a couple of years after the game's release (cheers to Victoria Phillips Kennedy for the original chat over at Eurogamer.net!), and bloody hell, it’s wilder – and more heartwarming – than even I expected. It's a proper peek behind the curtain of game development, and how sometimes, the most iconic roles come about in the most unexpected ways.
**The Audition That Almost Wasn't (And a Lesson in DM Sliding)**
Imagine this: it's 2020, lockdown is kicking off, and Béart is auditioning for some 'fantasy game' (under wraps, naturally). She’s trying out for a character called Kayra, described as small and wiry. Not exactly our buff, infernal engine-toting Karlach, eh? She didn't get that part, naturally, and thought she'd be the only person in the UK *not* in Baldur's Gate 3, watching all her mates get cast. Sound familiar? We've all been there, feeling like we missed the boat on the coolest raid.
But here's where it gets interesting, mate. After making waves in the indie game 'The Excavation of Hob's Barrow' (which earned her a BAFTA Games Award long-list nod – nice one!), Larian noticed. And what does a clever digital wizard do when opportunity knocks, or rather, sends a polite compliment? You slide into those DMs, but with a *very specific* wish. Béart wasn't having any of that 'I’ll do anything' malarkey that gets you relegated to ‘Merchant Number 72’. She asked for a *significantly large role*. And wouldn't you know it, Karlach was waiting in the wings. Within two days of her recall audition, the part was hers. Talk about rolling a natural 20 on a charisma check!
**Crafting a Fiery Voice: Less Script, More Gordon Ramsay?**
So, you're cast as a major character in one of the biggest RPGs ever, but it's 2022, and everyone else has been at it for ages. No pressure, right? Béart arrived to find most of the other actors already recording for Acts Two and Three, meaning she had to catch up on Act One, mostly for the early access. But how do you *prepare* for a role in a game this gargantuan? Turns out, you don't get a nice, neatly bound script. Oh no, my friends. We're talking NDAs, fragmented info, and – wait for it – **Excel spreadsheets** for branching narratives. Imagine trying to get into character while deciphering a spreadsheet. That's a questline in itself!
Béart described the process as being like 'Black Box' theatre – no props, no other actors, just imagination. She'd get a summary from Larian and some artwork, then it was about setting the body first, then the voice. And the voice? Turns out Karlach's signature growl, that 'working class' vibe, wasn't just pulled from thin air. Béart looked at the speech patterns of… wait for it… Gordon Ramsay. Yep, *that* Gordon Ramsay. He drops his consonants but keeps his vowels quite RP (Received Pronunciation), apparently. Béart applied that to Karlach, loosening the consonants, focusing on the vowels. Honestly, now I can't unhear it. 'Bloody Hell, you donkey!' – classic Karlach, eh?
It's a beautiful example of how character creation is a collaborative, iterative beast. Karlach apparently started as a bit of an 'edgelord', then got 'very funny', then was reined back in. Béart's improvisation wasn't about making up lines, but about *interpretation* – throwing away significant lines to show Karlach's lived experience, making her advice casual because, well, she's *been there* for centuries in Hell. Makes you think about the layers in every line of dialogue you hear, doesn't it?
**Humour from the Hellscape and the Day Job Escape**
Karlach's humour, that wonderfully dark, flippant wit, comes from a deeply traumatic place. Béart wisely notes that often, the funniest people are those who've been through the most. She's known folks in the military, people with PTSD, and observes that sometimes, jokes are a shield. Karlach makes those throwaway comments because she's seen everything, done everything, until the facade drops and the truth comes out. It adds such a profound depth to her character; she's not just a barbarian, she's a survivor coping with cosmic-level trauma.
And talk about coping! Before Karlach hit the big time, Béart was grinding away at an IT consultant job – a 'depressing' 9-5 that felt like a 'scam'. Karlach, a character with next to nothing, finding joy in what little she had, became Béart's 'great escape'. It's that beautiful alchemy of real-life mirroring art, a stark reminder that sometimes, the magic we create in games isn't just for players, but for the creators themselves.
**The Hidden Gems and a Community That Cares**
With 17,000 ending variations (Larian's words!), it's no surprise there are hidden gems. Béart herself points to some dialogue only accessible if you play as Origin Karlach – a scene where she's alone in camp, pondering all the things she missed during her decade in Hell. Béart even streamed herself finding it, which is peak dedicated actor energy, if you ask me.
The real magic, though, is the community reaction. Béart describes it as 'humbling'. People coming up to her, sharing how Karlach helped them through tough times, how the game got them into TTRPGs or connected them with fellow nerds. She's met therapists using D&D, soldiers with PTSD giving her their challenge medals because Karlach resonated so deeply. It's not just entertainment; it's genuine connection, profound meaning. That's the stuff that makes you remember why we love games, isn't it? It's not often a character strikes so deeply into people's hearts, and Béart clearly cherishes that privileged position.
**Lessons from the Fiery Heart & What's Next**
What's Béart taking from her time as Karlach? A profound lesson in trusting her instincts. She found that often, the first take was the best, more unfamiliar, more raw, more *real*. Don't over-polish, don't try to anticipate what people want, just make art for *you*. It's a fantastic mantra, not just for acting, but for any creative endeavour, or heck, even for navigating life's infernal machines.
And for what's next? Béart isn't slowing down. She's got 'Fading Echo', a puzzle game where she plays a character with gravity-defying blue hair who turns into a blob of water (sign me up!), and 'Absolum', a beat 'em up roguelike slated for October. So, plenty more to look forward to from this talented wizard.
Ultimately, Béart sees Karlach as a lesson in stoicism: 'what do we do when it's unfair' and how we react to the things we can't change. Karlach, having lost everything, chooses to react with fire, humour, and an irrepressible will to live. It's a powerful message, distilled from hours in a mocap suit and an Excel spreadsheet, that’s clearly set a lot of hearts – infernal or otherwise – ablaze. What a legend, eh?
*** *Original article by Victoria Phillips Kennedy, published on Eurogamer.net, August 29, 2025.*
Tags: BaldursGate3, VoiceActing, GamingCulture, RPG, CharacterDesign
Original article: Eurogamer