With over six million copies of Resident Evil Requiem sold, alongside the 30th anniversary of this legendary survival horror series, it’s the perfect time to catch up with Nick Apostolides (Leon S. Kennedy) to dig into the latest Resident Evil instalment. Resident Evil Requiem is a celebration of every Resident Evil game that bloodily paved the way through slow-moving doors before it, that also pushes the series in an exciting new direction. Split into two main sections, between Grace Ashcroft (Angela Sant’Albano) and Leon S. Kennedy, Requiem sends our two main characters right into the heart of a mysterious nightmare that’s nostalgically comforting for fans. Resident Evil Requiem is horrific, action-packed, and showcases superb storytelling, and is a worthy addition to a monumental gaming legacy…
STARBURST: When did you get the call to confirm that you were involved with Resident Evil Requiem, and what were some of those initial conversations with Capcom like? What did they initially tell you about the game?
Nick Apostolides: I remember them getting in contact sometime in late 2023, and those conversations began. I didn’t know anything about this project until probably about February 2024, and that was the first session of filming in London. Learning about the broad strokes of the plot, even back then, was really cool for me because of what they were planning. They were always wanting to go back to Raccoon City, for me that meant quite a bit for my character, so I knew we were going to have a lot of fun with this. And then over time, the story evolved a bit. But I’m really happy now that I’ve played it, I’m really happy with the reception and the final product.
You’re playing an older version of Leon, what was the creative discussion like with Capcom, other than just being older, like, how did they really want to see him be portrayed on-screen?
That was going through changes as well, that was evolving throughout the whole shoot really. The conversations of “Do we want to keep him, kind of dad jokey? Do we want to make him more serious and brooding in this one?” We just kind of found, a really nice balance, I feel like. Yes, there’s the body, the age, and the way he moves in cutscenes. Just feeling like the miles on the vehicle. That’s kind of what we shot for, and I’m really happy with the version of the character that has come out. I’m really happy that people are enjoying this version, and understanding the journey that he has been on for 30 something years, and that they’ve enjoyed his arc in this game as well.
Do you remember what it was like to see this version of Leon for the first time?
Well over a year ago I saw a finalised cutscene, and that was the first time I had seen the actual model for the game, and he had that, scruff, the stubble, the hairs, the cracks in his face, and then his outfit. I was just like “Damn, that’s pretty cool!” old man Leon!
This is the first Resident Evil game where you really get to bring your own take on the character, how did you prepare for that, and what else did you want to see from Leon in the game?
It was important for me to show the effect that returning to Raccoon city would have on him. That needed to come out right for me, because that’s the pivotal point in the story, and it’s a pivotal point in his life as a fictional character. I just wanted to make sure that I kept in mind all of the canon, and all of the lore that he had been through, in his fictional career, and then I had to fill in a couple of blanks, because I think the oldest version of Leon that we had seen was probably around 38-39, in Death Island actually, a CG Resident Evil film that came out in 2023, and then there’s this whole ten year gap, where we don’t know exactly what he has been through. So, I kind of had to come up with some things on my own, and just be respectful, to his story, and then, take some liberties, suggest a lot of things with Capcom and we just built this version of the character together.
In Requiem, you visit a lot of legendary locations from Resident Evil 2, did that bring a sense of responsibility or pressure to you as a voice actor, making sure you captured those moments in iconic locations in the best way possible for the fans?
Absolutely, I thought the biggest sense of responsibility I had was connecting this version of Leon and his experiences in this game to his experiences in Resident Evil 2 remake, in ways this game felt like a soft sequel to that game, for obvious reasons. I just wanted to make as many connections as possible. There were a few moments where I said “Hey, if we are going to see this, he might say a line like this to call back the original.” So that was really important for me, and I’m really happy with when I played that section of the game, I had goosebumps the whole time. I was sitting right next to my little brother, and I had my hand on his shoulder playing this. I was like squeezing it, I was like “Oh my god!” It was really special for me to see that, and they really knocked it out of the park with how they presented it.
Can you tell us about some of the voice training that you did with Paul Mercier [Voice of Leon in the original Resident Evil 4]?
I was training with him generally, for voice over coaching, many years ago, before Resident Evil 4 remake. We didn’t really talk much about the project at all, we didn’t talk about the character. It was more, really general training, just to become a better voice actor, how to utilise this instrument more effectively. We did a lot of breath work, a lot of exercises, stuff like that. It was very general actually. I was just very familiar with his performance so I didn’t need to ask him about that, it was more just, “How do we become a better performer ourselves.”
Yourself and your brother have played through every single Resident Evil game together, that’s an awesome tradition, that fans can relate to. So, what was Requiem like, and what were some of the moments that really stood out to you both?
When you’re a 20 something year fan, like my brother is – he has been playing these games since 2005 – it’s always special, whether I’m in the game or not, just playing a new Resident Evil title, you have to learn the characters, you have to learn the fighting styles, the combat systems, the puzzles, the plot, the maps, everything! Just experiencing everything for the first time, it’s always mind-blowing to us. What we did, in this game, because you play as Grace for about half the game, and you play as Leon for about half the game, and we thought it was fair to flip a coin, so I said “Dave, if you get heads, you play as Leon. If you get tails, you play as Grace.” He got Leon, and I actually thought that was fitting, because I knew a bit more about Leon’s story as the actor. A lot of Grace’s section, I knew was going to be a surprise to me, so I’m glad, I went in first-person, I played all of Grace’s parts. For the first half of the game, he largely just watched, he was just sitting there, eating popcorn, snacks, as I tried to get through the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Centre. Then when he was playing as Leon, I was sitting back, enjoying watching my little brother playing as my character. So, it was a really special thing.
As you’re such a huge fan of Resident Evil, it must feel quite rewarding to create memories like that for other fans, by playing Leon?
Yeah! And then, when we play, my brother and I, even if it is one of my games, we really experience it as fans, because, although I filmed all of the cutscenes, and I’ve seen a lot more stuff than the average joe, still so much of the game came as a surprise to me. So much. So, I thoroughly enjoyed it as a fan, just trying to beat the damn game, and I died quite a bit. I can’t wait to go back and play the whole thing selfishly as myself.
You took on motion capture once more. Can you tell us about the process this time around, and also, maybe how the motion capture style has grown/changed over the years?
The process of motion capture and full performance capture is always the same, the only difference is if you’re filming in a different location with a different team, sometimes they have their own systems in place, their own processes, their own way of doing things. You’re always working with a different cinematic director, a different performance director, and so it’s really just learning how to work with this new creative team. That’s all. It’s all the same stuff though, and, it’s always fun because I love it. I love full performance capture.
Can you tell us about what Angela Sant’Albano [Grace] was like to work with, and maybe what Capcom really wanted to see from the dynamic between Grace & Leon?
Angela was fantastic. She brought so much realism to Grace Ashcroft. The scenes that she was thrown into, so many of them were just extraordinary situations, and she’s playing a character who has never seen something like that, she’s not even used to being around a lot of people period, let alone zombies and monsters, and hideous creatures. So, she just brought so much real, raw emotion, take after take. Sometimes I’m acting with her, sometimes, I’m on the sidelines, on a couch, just watching the scenes play out. The whole time, I’m eating popcorn and snacks, like, I’m watching a damn movie. I think Capcom play with a really interesting dynamic. It’s a stark contrast between this version of Leon and Grace. However, if you were to put Grace in say, Resident Evil 2, they’d probably feel more like brother and sister. So, I think that just shows a bigger contrast with how Leon has progressed in his fictional story, over about three decades of lore, and when they’re matched together now, I feel like, it is a bit more of a mentor mentee kind of relationship.
Grace’s POV is in first-person, and Leon’s is in third person! We know you can change the view, but why do you think these default settings work so well?
I always trust Capcom with what they say because they designed these games, and sections of the games with that in mind. They like to give the option, just for flexibility and variety for the player, which is great, but they designed Grace’s parts to be in first-person so you feel like you are that character. It’s the same thing that they did with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil Village. Ethan was a bit plainer as a character in RE7, because they wanted the player to be able to reflect themselves on to the character, and I thought that was a brilliant move, and that’s what you feel like, because you’re in this claustrophobic situation, you can’t really see the character, so you feel like the character, because everywhere you look, it’s just the mansion, and you’re trying to get out of this old manor style house, and this family is just stalking you down. I think it’s a brilliant mechanism for horror, is what I’m trying to get at. So that’s why I chose to play Grace’s part all in first-person, and it was terrifying.
That was a genius idea by Capcom, and it really feels like it is you playing the game.
Ethan can be anybody! He can be you as well. It’s like a different level of immersion.
Dr Victor Gideon is such a cool villain! What was Antony Byrne like to work opposite in Resident Evil Requiem?
Anthony is just a fantastic character actor. So lovely to work with, and also terrifying, because he scared the bejesus out of me. While they’re playing with a lot of physicality, trying to find this character, they just wanted him to be off-putting. Really unsettling in subtle ways, and so, Anthony was implementing a lot of reptilian animal movements. They kind of subtly hinted that he had snake like features, very reptilian. Maybe from a mutation, I don’t know. But Tony would be doing these little twitches, these little like, sensory twitches, and smells and sniffs that you might see out of snake or a lizard, or something. He was doing that in these scenes, and the first time I saw it I was so uncomfortable right next to this actor, in front of the whole team. I was so uncomfortable that when they would yell cut, I would start to giggle. I was so uncomfortable that I’d just be like “Ha, Tony! That was pretty good man! You’re killing me!” I’m thinking to myself, “If that makes me uncomfortable in this setting, with all of the lights on and everything, when we’re playing the game it’s going to be that much more effective. So kudos, bravo, it’s Tony and he is awesome.
Leon is known for his legendary one-liners, which ones did you really enjoy working on in Requiem, and why?
I need to play it one more time to really start to get into those lines, and feel which ones I like the most, but there are some bangers. We were laughing at a few while we were playing it for the first time. I mean, a lot of fans have told me so far “That line was great!” One in-particular that has grown on me is when Victor was interrogating Leon in a chair, he leans into Leon’s face and says something. Leon says, “You know, I do have a question, when’s the last time you brushed your teeth?” In that situation it just shows you that Leon is just unphased and it’s the same old guy. I thought that was pretty funny. There are a couple of really good ones… Do you have any favourites yourself?
“Should’ve worn a helmet!” from the motorbike fight sequence with Victor!
Yeah, that’s funny too! I think that’s kind of ironic because Leon isn’t wearing a helmet either. It’s a good Leonism!
You’ve voiced Leon over multiple Resident Evil games. Do you now feel like you’ve been able to give him like, a full story arc, and how rewarding is that for you as an actor?
I wouldn’t take credit for the story arc, that’s on the storytellers. That’s Capcom, the scriptwriters, the cinematic producer. We all worked together, we all collaborate. I think, what I get to chime in on most, is little bits of his personality. We are never going to change his DNA and what makes Leon, Leon. That’s always going to be the same. He has got the same spine throughout his entire fictional career, for thirty years. He is a good guy, he just wants to help people, he has got a good heart all the time. His only regrets are that he can’t help more people. So what I can inject a little bit, is my cadence of speech, the way that you move. Little tricks with guns when you’re doing mocap. One-liners, zingers like that. It’s subtle little influences that I’ve had on the guy but that I’m really happy with where he is because again, he is the same person, but with a little bit of Nick injected in there.
This is quite a broad question, but as it’s the 30th anniversary of Resident Evil, I thought it would be a good time to ask why you think the franchise has had such an incredible run? Like, what do you think makes it stand out?
I’ve spent some time thinking about this, because we just celebrated the 30th birthday of this franchise, just the other day. It’s so nice to know that a franchise I fell in love with 28 years ago is still going strong. There are a lot of zombie games out there, a lot of horror type games, but not many of them see their 30th birthday, and are still making games, and I think it’s because Resident Evil has always had this really fine balance of being terrifying but also fun to play because they’re slightly campy. They don’t take themselves all too seriously all of the time, so these are these action adventure, survival horror, mix match of games, and people are just loving them. They have great, memorable characters, that are written by amazing people, and people get attached to their stories, I’m pretty sure Resident Evil created survival horror, and so, growing up, you’re playing it on the couch with friends, and you’re just trying to get out of these awful set pieces together, just trying to get out of this mansion, or this police department. You’re trying to get out of there alive, kill all of the bosses, and then you get attached. These people grow up, people like my age, they have kids, and they’re like “Hey, you should play this Resident Evil series that I grew up with!” it’s just multi-generational, and I think it’s this beautiful cyclical thing, and I think pretty soon we will be celebrating their 60th. It’s 30 years from now, but I think that’s going to happen, because I just think this franchise will be going on forever.
Finally, why should Starburst Magazine readers play Resident Evil Requiem?
Why should you play? It’s quite a ride. It’s scary, it’s funny, action packed. Good characters, good bosses. It’s just a good time! You should totally play it!
Resident Evil Requiem is available to purchase right now. You can follow Nick Apostolides on Instagram.
