During the Los Angeles premiere of Resident Evil: Death Island, STARBURST virtually caught up with actors Nicole Tompkins (Jill Valentine), Stephanie Panisello (Claire Redfield) and Matthew Mercer (Leon S. Kennedy) to discuss this iconic meeting of gaming horror characters, how fun it was to see them isolated on the island of Alcatraz, what we can expect from Death Island’s main villain Dylan Blake, and much more…
**This interview took place before the writers’ and actors’ strike**
STARBURST: Death Island is set on Alcatraz; why do you think this particular location works so well for a Resident Evil story?
Matthew: It’s definitely a location of historical mystery and intensity. It’s one of those names when you say Alcatraz, it evokes like, “Oh, bad stuff has gone down there in the past”. Why not just make more bad stuff happen there?
Stephanie: Agreed. Also, with Alcatraz, once you’re in there, you can’t get out. I think that element of not being able to escape kind of adds that too. You’re just stuck in there; there’s no way out. There’s a reason why you’re on Alcatraz because you are the worst of the worst, but now what if you’re not the worst of the worst, and you’re there, and you can’t get out?
Nicole: There’s something ghostly about the island in general, so then when you put zombies in that space, it very much has an undead feeling.
We really enjoyed how Dylan Blake took us back to the Racoon City era. How would you describe this villain, and what do you think his brutal backstory brings to Death Island?
Nicole: I think it’s really personal, and I think that it’s really nice to have that tie-in. I think they do a really good job of giving you just enough to kind of empathise with why the villain is the way they are, and I always like stories like that. I like villains that have trauma or a back story that you kind of get a little piece of so you just relate a little bit more to “Oh, I see how hurt they are, I see why these choices are being made from pain”. I think it reflects everyone’s story, but Jill’s story a lot in some ways, because she is directly contending with “I’ve been through so much pain, and I’ve still chosen to fight the good fight” and so there’s like a nice direct contrast of, “Yeah, you know what it was hard, I was there too.”
Matthew: Yeah, there are 25 years of history to this franchise, and so the ability to come back to that period of time later and still tie emotional narratives, both with main characters and a villain, back to those initial periods of where this really began to begin and flourish, is kind of a cool, homecoming narratively.
And this version of the T-virus can travel via tiny little drones! How exciting has that terrifying idea been to work with, and what does this version of the classic virus bring to the Resident Evil timeline?
Matthew: That definitely brings a visceral bit of reality in an age in which we are all contemplating the moral implications of advancing technology, but that’s what good stories, and especially good horror stories, do. They make you look at the things that are happening in your real life and be like, “Hmm, why does this spook me?”
Stephanie: And I guess it does make sense, too, timeline-wise, because the franchise has been around for so long that even within the franchise, we’re going with the technology, the advancement of technology, and where that direction is going. Honestly, I don’t know, drone T-virus that can be specifically channelled to you or you or you… yeah!
Matthew: That’s kind of one of the underlying themes of every Resident Evil, while you think of viruses, and viruses being a thing of nature, you know, by our cultural history, the whole purpose of the franchise is that the villain is the arrogance of humanity. It’s the arrogance of a person trying to gain through defeating nature in a way, and the drawbacks that come with that, and so now the technology advancing, becoming part of it even further, just pushes that narrative in a dangerous and unexpected way.
The film shows Leon (Matthew) and Jill (Nicole) together for the first time in the whole of the Resident Evil timeline. How exciting was this concept for you to take on as actors, and what can fans expect from this dynamic on-screen?
Nicole: I was so stoked when I read the initial “Leon? Jill?”
Matthew: You texted me that day!
Nicole: I did! I was over the moon, I think the dynamic is really well scripted, I think they have a really good meeting of humour and seriousness and mutual respect, and I think all of those things that everyone has waited for and expected in that dynamic, I actually think it played out really well.
Matthew: I agree, there’s so much build-up to that sort of union, like so much build-up and expectation to it, that it’s like “There’s no pressure… it’s fine!” but no, it was a lot of fun to do.
Matthew, you worked on Resident Evil: Vendetta – how has the process of bringing an animated Resident Evil movie to life changed since then? Have you noticed any major changes in technology, or maybe just the creative process in general?
Matthew: The creative process hasn’t changed too much, it’s a pretty tried and true process, but I will say that the technology involved in visuals continues to advance to an incredible degree, where with each iteration, it just gets more and more photo-realistic, more and more wild. The animations, and the action, just continue the climb of what I think is possible and cool with these features. Our process, at least in my experience, working on it from my end, it evolves, and it’s easier in some ways, but the exponential change is just in the quality of the final product.
There’s actually a fair bit of humour in the Resident Evil timeline, and we noticed it once more with Death Island. Leon has some great one-liners, for example. What do you think we can expect from the balance between humour and terror in Death Island, and what does that combination bring to a horror movie like this?
Stephanie: You have to have the terror with comedy. The tension is so high that otherwise, you would just be uncomfortable and not enjoy it, so I feel like the humour lands and hits in the right places to allow you that release of “OK! Maybe we are going to be OK!” and I feel like it’s necessary, especially when all the characters are together for the first time like you need humour, you need those moments of that, and it also allows each character to shine within their own personalities. So like each person, each character has their own version of what would be funny or how they could be quippy about something. I think it’s like crucial.
Nicole: I think humour tells you a lot about where a character is at as well, so even in really hard circumstances, if the humour comes out cynical, or if it comes out playful, or if it comes out silly, you can kind of see sort of where they are in their mental state, and their ability to cope. So yeah, I always love the humour in Resident Evil in general. These movies specifically are very high action, there’s all of these horror elements, intense terror, but I think that the humour mixes with the action because our favourite action films of all time have so much humour.
Matthew: Also, it’s a very viable trauma response. When you are under that much pressure, as a person, you have to release that tension somehow, so either you break, or you joke, and that’s a subtlety relatable thing to the whole Resident Evil franchise.
No Resident Evil instalment is complete without terrifying monsters. Without giving away too many spoilers, what kind of monsters should viewers be ready for in Death Island?
Stephanie: I don’t want to spoil anything, but there might be a licker!
Matthew: That’s part of the fun of Resident Evil. It’s like, “What weird mutations, what terrifying fleshy beasts are going to be unveiled in this, and in what unique way can they gross us out and make it extremely frightening” and I think this film definitely goes “Alright, well, hold my beer!”
And we have to ask you all about the Avengers Assemble-type scene at the end of the movie, where you all team up together to take on the final boss. Is there anything you can tell us about how this sequence came together and why fans should be excited for this moment?
Stephanie: Nicole and I were talking right away; it was so beautiful. I think just that one scene where they’re all dodging the creature, and each one has their own specific special move of how they dodge it – I loved it. I feel like Claire did some Captain America-like twists! It was just so epic, and I’m super stoked about it, and I feel like for us, if we’re excited, we’re fans ourselves, right, so at the end of the day, it’s not just that we are the actors in this, we’re also fans, we also nerd out on all of this, so yeah, it’s really a genuine excitement about everyone together.
Nicole: I think it’s very hard sometimes because everyone has been asking for the team up for everyone to be together, but the second you have too many characters in one place, and you manage everyone having the right amount of time, contributing to the story, feeling narratively relevant, doing something that’s helpful useful or funny kind of in this space, I think they do a really good job of balancing everyone coming together, everyone’s got a purpose, everyone’s doing something, and that’s a challenge, and that’s a testament to good writing weaving. Here are all of the characters, and they’re not just here for the sake of being here.
Stephanie: Also seeing who teams up with who too, throughout it as well, because you’ll see moments of everyone together, but then you’ll see moments of who kind of gravitates to what character, so that’s kind of cool to see too. Which I think is super neat.
Other than the sequence we’ve just discussed, what was the most rewarding scene for each of you to work on in Death Island and why?
Nicole: For me, it’s got to be the Leon and Jill meet, it’s a great scene, and they – no spoilers – have some really cool action. I loved it, and I was so excited when I was reading those lines, and it was just really fun to do.
Matthew: Same thing! There’s that momentous moment of it actually occurring, Leon saying Jill’s name, and then watching the dynamic of them knowing so much about each other, convening on screen together. It was really fun and satisfying.
Stephanie: Mine was… I can’t give away anything, though, so it’s hard. There’s an emotional scene that I feel is so powerful because, specifically for Claire’s character and stuff too, it’s how she sees it, and what kind of choice she is willing to make, and how big that choice is, and then how everyone together kind of interacts within the decisions and stuff that’s happening, it’s so big, I’m sorry, but I love it. When you watch it, then you will know exactly what it is!
Now we’ve had Alcatraz; where in the world would you really like to see these classic characters take on next, and why?
Matthew: Cabo, get a vacation, relax! Have a great week, sharing margaritas. The beach episode of Resident Evil – that’s what I’m looking forward to.
Stephanie: I think a jungle or something, I think that would be pretty cool, as long as it’s the full team up, as I know we see like a bit of that in 5, but maybe they get off some boat, and then they crash into some jungle-type area, and they have to survive that. Maybe they start figuring out like a certain virus is naturally producing because of stuff coming in from the water. I don’t know; I’m making all of this up! There’ll be jungle creatures – everything’s morphing! And then maybe the fear is that some zoos are starting to bring these animals in, and the virus is like sitting inside of them, but it hasn’t fully developed yet, and then it’s going to show itself, and then we have an outbreak, anyway! There it is.
Nicole: Lickers swinging from the trees from their tongues!
Finally, why should STARBURST readers check out Death Island?
Nicole: Because we’re in it! And it’s Resident Evil; everyone unites, so get in there! I also think that it has something for everyone, it’s a joy, it’s playful, if you’re looking to have fun, then I think you will.
Matthew: Hell yeah! It’s definitely built for everybody who has been following the franchise for a long time. It’s a lot of moments you’ve been waiting for, we all had so much fun making it, and I think you’re going to have a lot of fun checking it out.
Stephanie: Yeah, there’s a little bit for everybody, and I think that the pure nostalgia, and desire for that, to see Jill and to find out what the heck has been going on this whole time! That’s worth it. And in this new reboot version of Resident Evil, to see the Redfield’s together again, too, I just think that there is so much. And then Leon, let’s just be fair; Leon is our ultimate favourite, and we can’t get enough of Leon. And now, to see them all together, why wouldn’t you want to? I don’t think that there’s anything to lose, honestly. You only have everything to gain.
For even more info on Resident Evil: Death Island, you can pick up the latest issue of STARBURST, as Stephanie discusses her character Claire Redfield in detail.
You can rent/buy Resident Evil: Death Island from digital platforms right now and Blu-ray and DVD from August 21st.
