Samantha Béart | Performer

Samantha Béart | Performer

(She/They)

An actor who has such credits as one of the best reviewed games of 2023 and the bestselling Audible Original drama ever should not have trouble landing television and film roles. Or so you would think. But that’s not been the case for performer Samantha Béart, who is mixed-race and non-binary, and has repeatedly struggled not only to land television and film roles but to be given the opportunity to audition in the first place.

Samantha felt encouraged to apply for BAFTA Breakthrough after being longlisted in the Performer in a Leading Role category in 2023 for The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow (2022). Their exceptional performance in that game led to Samantha being cast in the major role of Karlach in big hitter Baldur’s Gate 3 (2023), adding to their list of games credits that includes Demon’s Souls (2020) and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (2021). Samantha’s first professional job was in audio as Random in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Quintessential Phase (2005) for BBC Radio 4. They then trained at Guildhall School of Music & Drama and on graduating mainly worked in audio and theatre - which included two national theatre tours of Hitchhiker’s Guide. Audio highlights include Calliope in The Sandman (2020) for Audible Original, and multiple Doctor Who and Torchwood stories for Big Finish. While Samantha loves working in games, audio and theatre, they are also resolute that there’s very much a place for them on our television and film screens as well.

In their own words...

“[When I graduated into the industry] I could not get an agent for love nor money. I was repeatedly told by the few agents and casting directors I encountered that I was “ethnically ambiguous” and they didn’t know what to do with me. You start to get the message that you don’t exist... It wasn’t just appearance, it was gender expression as well – I didn’t have terms like non-binary available to me back then, I was just doing ‘girl’ wrong. There was one box and I didn’t fit. But I must exist onscreen, right? Because I definitely exist here in real life.”

“I’d like more opportunities [through BAFTA Breakthrough]. I’m a performer and want to work across the entertainment industry. I have three years of world-class drama training, I’ve done theatre, I approach roles in audio and games with the same respect and vigour that I do playtexts and screenplays, and my performances have been noted for it. I’d just like a bit more crossover into media where my face is seen... I want to create characters that affect people, that move them. That’s the point, the medium doesn’t really matter of course - it’s all storytelling in the end - but I also want to be visible.”

Samantha’s breakthrough credit is the game The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow

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