Baldur's Gate 3 Interview: Tim Downie on the Craft of Video Game Acting

On today’s episode of Collider Dailies, John and Maggie get the chance to talk to Tim Downie, the actor behind Gale of Waterdeep in Baldur's Gate 3, as well as characters such Mr. Brown on Good Omens and Governor Tryon on Outlander.
Downie discusses the process for crafting the character of Gale, finding the difficult, beautiful moments that make up a romance scene, and if he would be willing to return for a hypothetical Baldur's Gate 4!
Catch John and Maggie's chat with Tim Downie on today’s Collider Dailies episode!
#baldursgate3 #gale #interview

[@a_deputy]

His portrayal of nerdy sarcastic wizard is PERFECT

[@agirlnamedmichael1670]

For me Gale was the character that felt the most like a "real" person while Astarion was very much charicaturish, but I love them both because they are very different. My favorite gesture that Tim did for Gale is the "entire upper body nod" instead of just his head. He made so much out of just that one motion, and it's uniquely Gale's. Great interview!

[@FORGOTTENMINDFREAK23]

Astarion is meant to feel a little like that. There's a lot of façade and misdirection in his character, because if he doesn't he doesn't survive. He has to learn how to exist outside of that. Gale needs to learn that it's okay to be vulnerable but in a far different way to Astarion.

[@agirlnamedmichael1670]

@@FORGOTTENMINDFREAK23 Oh, I know he was...it's fantastic writing. Every character is written so well...I feel so fortunate that I get to play this game.

[@FORGOTTENMINDFREAK23]

@@agirlnamedmichael1670 I'll feel that fortunate when I can afford a console it works on 😂 To be fair though, I've never been this invested in a game that I am just completely enveloped in all the stuff outside the game like this. I am just devouring all the content like this and the table too one shot with High Rollers, Neil's playthrough (maybe eventually the others as well). It's the most invested I've been in a fandom since high school and it's providing me a great source of escapism and inspiration

[@agirlnamedmichael1670]

@@FORGOTTENMINDFREAK23 Indeed. I wish the High Rollers one shot had time to properly finish instead of the rush. Maybe we'll be lucky and they'll do another

[@FORGOTTENMINDFREAK23]

@@agirlnamedmichael1670 I was saying this earlier today lol. After seeing the pure chaos that is Dave Jones in interviews and panels, they NEED him to be there 😂

[@ThaGreatCatsby]

I can’t imagine anyone else being Gale! Loved this. ♡

[@FORGOTTENMINDFREAK23]

Hearing him explain things when they ask like his acting choices and stuff is so endearing because it's very Gale coded. When you compare to Neil, for example, Neil is a little more clinical, teacher-y - makes sense, the man runs mocap courses and teaches a lot of his craft Tim is trying to explain in a way that makes sense to him, but for those who don't have the context of being actors it all sounds a little vague in a way This is not a bad thing, it just shows to me that much of his acting seems to be innate, inherent, the same way Gale's magic is to him. It's rather adorable.

[@beccazach]

That's a really interesting way of putting it and I totally see it. Since it's all new to him it'd be hard to have an exact process rather than just learning on the fly and going with the flow. Especially since Tim had NO idea about the Dnd context, the existence of romance scenes, or the process of performance capture/making video games in general lmao. Tim is naturally so Gale-coded though and I've learned the same can honestly be said about the rest of the cast, with even the main 6 companions' faces having some similarities to their actors.

[@FORGOTTENMINDFREAK23]

@@beccazach very true and I think this is a testament to the writers as well as the skill of the actors themselves. They wanted the characters to be as authentic as possible and wrote them in tandem with the acting to imbue them with the actors' traits to provide that sincerity. Absolutely amazing the amount of effort in this game, and every single person who worked on this masterpiece should be so goddamn proud of themselves.

[@FORGOTTENMINDFREAK23]

@@beccazach I also love that the actors were face models as well it heightens the experience

[@ShiftingFixations]

So I have been ruminating on this since he said it. Ok. Hear me out. This is just a funny Gale & Tim thing… Tim says, and I think I transcribed it almost right: “The worst thing any actor could hear is ‘eh… it was alright. It was okay.’ What? I… I didn’t provoke any reaction at all? That was as beige as it could possibly be.” You know what that reminded me of? Gale saying: “I see. Well, fine is… fine. Nobody weeps because the weather is fine. No monarchs were overthrown because their ruling was fine. No artworks were burned because they were not masterpieces, but merely fine.” Now I’ll be the first to say: TIM IS SO RIGHT! Pretty much most creative people agree. You never want your creation to be just “meh,” just “fine.” But I also just… couldn’t unhear the Gale “FINE” speech when he said that. 🤣 I genuinely love that line of Gale’s. It’s so… Gale.

[@the.sorceress.shahrazad]

Exactly!

[@MisterCaution]

Downie’s VA performance definitely elevated the character, who had arguably the most complex (maybe even convoluted?) backstory of the origin characters. He has a certain knack for nuance and vocal intonation-it makes even forgettable lines memorable.

[@versversa8083]

best decision they ever made was giving Tim’s eyes to Gale…there is great emotion in that man

[@pretzellina]

Gale Girlies unite! (I also have 500+ hours in game so I get Maggie 100% hahaha)

[@maggielovitt5488]

You get it!!

[@larissa.c]

this gale girlie appreciates this content ✨

[@jezebug]

Gale was so well voiced, thanks Tim for voicing your process and sharing

[@danielamourelle1312]

When I started playing, his voice seemed familiar to me, and when I searched for his name I said Outlander of course, it was a big surprise to find him again but in a game this time. Gale is one of my favorite companions in the entire game, Tim did an excellent job with him!

[@9thjuly]

I could listen to him talk for years and years

[@shelleylawson9151]

Love hearing Tim talk about Gale as, without him having played the game, not sure how much he will have seen/remember acting. Would love to know how he's coped with the response/love following being cast as a major romantic lead in something (I'm not sure he's played a similar role before). He seems to shy away from talking about the romance scenes but his performance in his Gale romance scene are some of his most powerful/effecting in the game and have had the biggest responses from the bg3 community. He's such a talented actor and seems a great guy too.

[@lamppostwillie]

Mr. Downie is a fantastic actor. My favorite BG3 character by far.

[@beccazach]

THIS WASN'T LONG ENOUGH (jk) 😩 I swear, I could hear Tim AND Gale talk for hours- Tim is so funny, charming, and very insightful when it comes to literature and his experiences with comedy/acting in general. These were great questions and his responses were too, so thank you for feeding the Gale girlies!! Though, like Neil talking about players' reactions to Astarion's trauma, I'm dying for an interviewer to ask him about Gale's connection with Mystra and his reaction to players' takes on his emotional manipulation by her (Gale's abuse by his deity seems to be very overlooked by people since it's framed in the game through a 'romantic' context, and Gale himself has a tendency to not recognize the flaws in Mystra or how unhealthy his limerance towards her is until later on). But I'm happy to see any new content, so thank you for sharing this with us! :)

[@modestlyneutral]

Literally the romance scene with Gale in the weave, just wow. Easily one of the most romantic scenes of my illustrious gaming career.

[@Jouleside]

Hearing him talk about the comradery and magic of storytelling makes me want to see him be in another DnD campaign. Also super in love with Maggie's Mystra earrings!

[@rurukitty405]

He seems so down to earth - just like Gale.... after having some shoes for dinner. XD

[@K.C-2049]

in my game he eats a ring, an amulet, then a whole ass spear. like damn Gale 😅

[@Hilda-7h30]

Thank you so much for making this interview ❤ I love Gale so much so you certainly made a Gale girlie happy. it was so good and made me so happy hearing and seeing Tim talking more about Balders gate

[@nrieh4553]

Can't thank Tim enough for his beautiful-beautiful work! It's absolutely awesome. Thank you for being a Human Wizard for us! (Should aslo add that this is a great interview)

[@redvintner1094]

I confess I overlooked Gale a bit when I first started playing, but over time he steadily grew into my favorite of the companions. He’s a subtle and rewarding character, and has some of the funniest lines in the game. Great to hear from Tim - this was an excellent interview!

[@MissMerp92]

Omg AND that he would play Gale again ❤️❤️❤️

[@RPGgems]

I love this interview! It's always so entertaining and interesting to hear Tim talk about Gale and the acting process. I especially love the spider dialogue explanation 😂

[@coolcat8b]

@Tim : You are the best person they could have chosen to bring Gale to life. Your mocap was top notch, and your voice is so comforting to me, I wish you could talk me to sleep every night. 🥰 Thank you for all the efforts and professionalism your brought to this project. You already know this game is part of the immortals, right? And so are you.

[@thomabow8949]

Gale was my absolute favorite party member throughout my first play through. Just the intelligence and human aspect that came through in the writing and unfurled across the plot was extraordinary and meshed really well with my character (a human paladin, oathbreaker). I had Laezel and Shadowheart alongside me for the majority of it. Every scene and activity was enhanced by having a wizard. What's so strange is that he, even surpassing Neil, most closely resembles his characters speech in cadence and tone. Neil has a bit more of a rougher, less exaggerated natural voice compared to Astarion - Tim is just straight up Gale lol Naturally, on my second play through, I gruesomely murdered him and kept part of his body as a slight trophy. I am sure the demented among you know what I mean by this. God bless Tim Downie, and his right hand

[@MaryJay1988]

I Love his voice so much 😭👍💞💞💞

[@carinadesuuu]

I'M SO IN LOVE WITH HIS VOICE. I CANNOT UNSEE GALE :(((

[@murderycatdoll1380]

I love this man! And Gale! Best Nerd out there xD And his Voice is soooo unique 🤘😍

[@bek0hmsford]

They need to make a expansion or sequel where another old friend of gale shows up - perhaps a less successful cousin - played by Matt Berry. "Karlach!" I've been double-crossed by the devIIIIIL!"

[@TarotMom86]

Fantastic interview! This gale girlie is pleased! Tim is such a joy to listen to.

[@FSK69]

Man i just love what they gave us as a team. BG3 is more than just a fantastic game, the likes of which we haven't seen in a while, it's a work of art, which challenges us to introspection and teaches us alot about today's society. (Hard work pays off in the end and will always be a positive element of change in our society, which some people will appreciate, while others will despise for it's success and influence and most importantly, because of what it sais about them....)

[@KitsuneHB]

I love Astarion ... but also Gale! It was hard to friendzone Gale in my first playthrough. In my second playthrough I'm playing as Astarion ... romancing Gale! :D

[@MoonsongReverb]

It’s even more sad for me to watch this, because he’s actually my favorite, too. Makes me so want to see all of his lost dialogues, animations and banters again The bugs that patch 4 left on Gale in act 3, kinda disgrace the actors great work. Not even the Hofix brought anything back. Larian, please fix them quickly

[@Einomar]

Don't worry they will, Larian is good with supporting their games.

[@ladieh8898]

Thanks Collider, excellent choice. Stan Tim all day long. Outcasts pod was top notch, like Smartless but actually funny. Tim, please do more pods; idc what they're about, I'm here for it. ❤

[@Etopirynka]

Thank you for that interview 😊 Tim is perfect for Gale ❤

[@michellemarco1460]

I am starting a petetion for Old Man Gale in BG4 immediately

[@crisgo4875]

Fantastic interview! Really great questions and Tim was an absolute delight ❤

[@Lovely2291]

Gale girl for life!!!

[@SilvaraSapphireflame]

Gale girlie here, wondering if he's ever thought of doing audio books on the side....I could listen to him talk forever

[@Thrawn-u5s]

Gale is #1

[@ravipeiris4388]

Great interview, thank you for sharing.

[@vecmich]

Oh Maggie, great earrings!! They look familiar, I wonder who wears a similar on one ear... Hmmm... who could it be.... maybe just some magical projection? 😉 Love it!

[@ChasingTheEchoesOG]

Thank you for the interview. Like others, I could listen Tim for hours. Larian did a stellar job with the VA casting. Also other characters and performances are pure gold. But Tim is so Gale and he is so good being him ❤! Edit: Reaching the end of the interview. I laughed out so hard with the question how Tim choose the career of an actor. And please, don't stop tell stories. You rock at it!

[@majimadayoyoyo]

14:36 I C O N I C

[@bandit_of_trash]

Yer a wizard Tim

[@Kimberly.838]

10:10 i need this light more

[@sebastianventura4964]

Pls someone make a series like arcane with BG3

[@melissaamato1139]

Tim's Audition: Ok, now you Eat Magic item's Dude... Ah?¿ Love Tim. Love Gale, till he tells me he wants my beautiful new Staff, to eat. Sorry Gale I have to pass, what, no, get away, I thought the Vampy n Camp was bad, but now you need to eat all the magic I have in my bag, I looted¿? Ohh, ok... 😊 Seriously Tim you can have whatever I get on my travels, thru BG³ Thank you soo much, for the amusement, ñ Gaming fun. An yeah, your Awe inspiring And very funny. Bless. 🛡️⚔️🛡️👩🏻‍🚀🐶🍷✨Cheers.

[@Rye_Toast]

There's also a fourth ending for Gale, which involves my durge run and uhhhhh well I never properly met Gale. Oopsie.

[@nunpho]

Woah woah woah, spoilers in the story branching chapter. You gotta give a warning

[@quuhod]

A spoiler warning would have been nice! 😮

[@midnightdreams8136]

Downvote for all the unmarked spoilers this contained. 😖😓🥴