The talent behind Lae’zel in Baldur’s Gate 3, Devora Wilde, is an accomplished voice actor—but she’s also been on TV, starring in programs such as the Channel 4 sitcom Hollyoaks, where I imagine she was considerably less yellow. Though I think I’d probably tune in more if Chester suffered a Gith invasion.
Recently, on SlitherineGames’ cooking show “The Geek Recipes”, Wilde talked about her experience transitioning from TV and movies to games—and how games are being taken more seriously as their stories grow more ambitious, and the exhausting ‘debate’ of whether a game counts as art (yes) is dead.
In terms of whether games matched up to the production values and scale of TV and film, Wilde notes: “I think we’re definitely getting there,” in fact, she “would say that Baldur’s Gate 3 is definitely for me as good—if not miles better—than any film or TV show I’ve done.” Acting as Lae’zel over the course of the game’s early access, Wilde notes that the entire cast of Baldur’s Gate 3 is “so fleshed out, so real … I think that’s why so many people have connected, because they’ve felt like real characters you go on this journey with.”
Even in her short time within the gaming industry, Wilde says she’s seen games progress tremendously. She talks about her role as Nika Yankovich in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, a character who crops up in a short sidequest gig. She says: “even that was such an emotionally charged character, only present for a few minutes—but she has a whole story and a whole life behind her.”
When it comes to the work itself, however, Wilde feels like recognition is still unfortunately lacking. “I think people don’t give voice acting as much credit. People say it’s ‘just the voice’—but it’s so much more … it’s a skill, it’s a very specific skill. It’s still acting of course, but it’s a skill you really have to learn.”
For Wilde, “acting is acting at the end of the day. You’re still doing the same preparation, approaching the character in much the same way, thinking about motivations, all of those things. Just because it’s a voice project doesn’t mean you do less work for it.”
Wilde also credits her entry into the games industry as having introduced her to a new hobby. “It’d be great to do other stuff, but something I’ve realised as somebody who had very little knowledge of gaming is how much I actually really love videogames.
“To show people through projects like Baldur’s Gate 3 that actually the storytelling can be just as immersive and brilliant and entertaining as any TV show,” Wilde adds, “is really quite amazing.”