Baldur’s Gate 3 Actor Devora Wilde Says Lae’zel Isn’t Mean

Summary

Devora Wilde defends Lae’zel’s straightforward behavior, rooted in her traumatic background.
Lae’zel’s honesty is refreshing in a group of companions with hidden secrets.
Despite initial divisiveness, many have warmed up to Lae’zel, appreciating her cool character arc.

When Devora Wilde was recording for Baldur’s Gate 3, she didn’t think that her character, Lae’zel, was mean and rude. However, when it launched, the githyanki immediately proved to be divisive, with her much more straightforward attitude rubbing many players the wrong way.

Now, in an interview with ReadyAimFire, Wilde explains why Lae’zel is the way she is – and it isn’t for the sake of cruelty. Instead, she argues that her behaviour makes complete sense when you consider her background, and the risk that the mindflayer parasite poses.

Devora Wilde Defends Lae’zel

The Baldur’s Gate 3 actor argues that Lae’zel isn’t mean, she’s just straightforward

“Some people call her mean, some people call her a bitch,” says Wilde, before explaining why she feels that Lae’zel is misunderstood. “She has come from a society where being infected with this tadpole is the worst thing that could ever happen to her. And she’s also the youngest member of this group of companions.

“She’s been trained in this very rigorous society like a soldier, very militant,” Wilde continues. “And now the one thing that that they’ve said is the worst thing [that] could ever happen to you has happened. And so she’s very much on the path of: Got to get the tadpole out. Let’s not bother with the side quests, guys. Let’s get on with the mission.”

Despite the reaction at launch, Wilde says she never thought that negatively of her character during development. “When I was recording for the role, I never ever thought of her as a bitch or as really mean. I just thought she’s very honest. She’s very unfiltered and she just says what she means.”

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As Wilde points out, this means that she is one of the few characters who will never lie to you, and that’s true. Almost everyone else at camp has some kind of secret that they’re keeping from the player, but Lae’zel doesn’t, and immediately shares githyanki secrets with you in a bid to get rid of the tadpoles.

At the very least, it seems that many have warmed to Lae’zel since launch, and this isn’t surprising. Just get over her little spat with Shadowheart (hopefully without either of them being killed), and you’re in for one of the best storylines in the game.