Inside Karlach’s Mind: The Actor Who Lives and Breathes Baldur’s Gate 3’s Fiercest Barbarian

Samantha Béart, the voice and motion-capture actor behind Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3, shares how much they connect with their fiery character. Although not a towering Barbarian in real life, Béart reveals they share key personality traits with Karlach, especially a strong sense of justice and loyalty. Their performance, which earned a BAFTA nomination and a Game Audio Network Guild award, draws heavily from personal experience, making Karlach a deeply relatable and beloved character among fans.

Insights into Samantha Béart’s connection with Karlach
How personal experiences shaped Karlach’s emotional depth
Karlach’s pansexual identity and romance options explained
Thoughts on Baldur’s Gate 4 and future projects

Bringing Karlach to Life: More Than Just a Voice

Samantha Béart is best known for portraying Karlach, the flammable and fiercely loyal Tiefling Barbarian who quickly became one of the most romanced characters in Baldur’s Gate 3. The UK-based actor contributed not only their voice but also over 260 hours of motion-capture work. This dedication paid off with critical acclaim and awards.

What makes Béart’s portrayal stand out is how much they relate to Karlach’s personality. “We both have red buttons for injustice, as a lot of people do,” Béart said. They admit feeling a bit jealous of Karlach’s ability to dish out vigilante justice, even if it’s always perfectly targeted in the game world.

Personal Experiences Shape Emotional Scenes

Despite Karlach’s tough exterior and fiery heart, her story is bittersweet. She lives with a damaged Infernal Engine heart that’s a ticking time bomb, and she’s lost many loved ones to the Blood Wars. Béart drew on their own experiences with loss and mortality to bring authenticity to these moments.

“She loves life,” Béart explained. “She’s very aware of her mortality. I’m very aware of my mortality… By the time I was, I want to say 18, yeah, three of my childhood friends had died. So I’m very, very aware. You go to that many funerals, and [lose] relatives as well, you just question what you’re doing with yourself a lot.”

This deep awareness feeds into Karlach’s core message: to live life to the fullest and not let it slip by. When Karlach learns her heart can’t be fully fixed but is no longer causing her to burst into flames, she focuses on the positive—being able to physically connect with others again.

Karlach’s Romance and Identity

Fans might wonder about Karlach’s romantic preferences. Béart clarifies that Karlach is pansexual and identifies as female. The actor, who is non-binary, approached the role without focusing on gender, bringing a masculine energy that suited Karlach’s character.

“I’m not thinking about gender, but a certain girly[-ness] would have been weird for her,” Béart said. “Karlach might not have a word for it, if she is [non-binary]. But what we used to call it was ‘gender non-conforming woman,’ right?”

In the game, players can romance Karlach in various ways, including an Origin playthrough where Karlach can even romance Minthara, leading to an evil ending. Béart admits their own playthrough leans toward romancing a certain Drow, making Karlach off-limits in their current run.

“I’m playing a female Drow Bard. I shall sing the world into chaos in the hopes of romancing Minthara,” they said. “So I think about half the team [of companion characters] are out of this picture in the version that I’m doing.”

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Looking Ahead: Baldur’s Gate 4 and Beyond

Despite Baldur’s Gate 3’s massive success, Larian Studios is not currently working on a Baldur’s Gate 4 and is focusing on other projects unrelated to Dungeons & Dragons. Béart, meanwhile, is busy with roles like the aquatic shapeshifter One in Fading Echo and Cider in Absolum.

When asked about returning as Karlach, Béart said it depends. They expressed some skepticism about adaptations, emphasizing the value of the game medium. “I think they made a bloody good video game. They got a whole bunch of people into video games you’ve never played before,” Béart noted.

As for the future of the franchise, Béart mused that maybe in 20 years, a new Baldur’s Gate could emerge, just like the long gap between Baldur’s Gate 2 and 3. “They’re such big games. Maybe that’s what it needs, that time with new people.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGWGDa8gIRI

A Fond Farewell to Karlach

Even with new roles and projects, Karlach remains close to Béart’s heart. Near the end of the interview, they happily shared one of their favorite Karlach quotes:

“Ahh, I love this time of year,” Béart said, reciting from memory. “The dickheads start popping up wherever you look.”