Resident Evil Requiem's Leon and Grace Actors Talk Creating Dread and Lingering Humanity

Quick Overview

The actors for Leon Kennedy (Nick Apostolides) and Grace Ashcroft (Angela Sant'Albano) discuss their contrasting experiences voicing characters in Resident Evil: Death Island, noting that while Leon has established lore, Grace's character is fresh, leading to both exciting creative freedom and the fear factor associated with the horror genre, especially when dealing with iconic moments like the chainsaw fight.

Key Points: Nick Apostolides (Leon Kennedy) and Angela Sant'Albano (Grace Ashcroft) discuss their roles in Resident Evil: Death Island. Apostolides notes that Leon has existing lore, but he focused on bringing a slightly different, more 'profoun' version of the character to the role. Sant'Albano, playing the new character Grace, found the experience terrifying because she had to immerse herself in the horror world, contrasting with her real-life love for reading and tennis. The actors discussed the difference between Leon's established gameplay (action-oriented, like the Porsche driving and chainsaw fights) versus Grace's gameplay, which focuses on closed spaces, scarce ammo, and creeping terror. Sant'Albano mentioned that the horror elements, like the chainsaw enemy, were genuinely scary even while performing mocap. Apostolides recounted pitching an idea to the Capcom team to give Leon a shoulder injury and a bad knee to reflect his age/experience. The group shared a high-five moment, celebrating the success of the film and the fan edits they have seen online.

Context: The video is an interview segment featuring voice actors Nick Apostolides (Leon Kennedy) and Angela Sant'Albano (Grace Ashcroft) discussing their work on the animated film Resident Evil: Death Island. They are interviewed by Emma Fyffe, who uses flashcards to guide the conversation through topics like their character development, how they approached voicing characters with established lore versus new characters, and their personal experiences with the horror genre.

Detailed Analysis

The interview begins with host Emma Fyffe welcoming Nick Apostolides (Leon Kennedy) and Angela Sant'Albano (Grace Ashcroft), stars of Resident Evil: Death Island. Fyffe notes the contrast between Leon, who has a long history, and Grace, who is new. Sant'Albano confirms this, mentioning that her agent sent her the project because she is a massive horror fan, though she admits watching gameplay footage of the terrifying chainsaw enemies made her scream and kept her blood pressure high. She enjoyed the narrative immersion, noting Grace's character is like a civilian thrown into an insane situation, contrasting with Leon's established 'action hero' persona. Apostolides confirms that even though he has played Leon before, he focused on bringing subtle changes to the character's performance, like incorporating physical limitations such as a bad knee, reflecting Leon's experience. He also mentioned that the collaborative process with the Capcom team, where they could pitch ideas, was enjoyable. The discussion highlights the difference in gameplay styles: Leon's segments feature more action (like driving the Porsche), while Grace's segments focus on slow, creeping horror in confined spaces with scarce resources. The interview concludes with laughter and high-fives, thanking the actors for joining and encouraging viewers to watch for more Resident Evil coverage.