Baldur’s Gate 3 is a damp, dark cave for Bhaal – its resident God of Murder and skull-faced daddy – to spread evil in. But he wouldn’t be able to do it so efficiently if it weren’t for The Witcher 3 actor Doug Cockle’s creaky, creepy voice.
“I recorded for less than an hour,” Cockle explains in a recent interview with the website Geektown. “I think [Bhaal] had, like, 23 lines that we recorded. But I was just thrilled to be part of it.”
Despite Bhaal’s limited dialogue – which Cockle delivers with disquieting smoke in his tone – the character is fundamental to Baldur’s Gate 3, with irremovable ties to Baldur’s Gate 3’s Dark Urge origin. Players who choose to walk that bloody narrative path will eventually wander deeper and deeper into Bhaal’s wicked control.
But Cockle’s personal origin story for his role in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a lot cuter than that.
“I was at a gaming event, and I ran into [Astarion voice actor] Neil Newbon,” Cockle recalls. “We were talking about Dungeons & Dragons, and I was talking about how much I loved Neverwinter Nights and the old Baldur’s Gate games, […] and he just kind of stood there nodding at me.
“He just went, ‘You might get a call from me next week,'” Cockle continues. “He said, ‘You didn’t hear it from me, but we’re recording Baldur’s Gate 3, and we have been for some time, and there are some minor, but important, characters who have not been cast yet.’ […] I was just like, “‘Yeah, please, yes! I’d love to be in Baldur’s Gate 3.'” The rest is history.