Resident Evil has at all times been enormous with players, however Resident Evil Requiem is the biggest-selling installment but. For Fall Fan Fest 2026, IGN spoke to the actors behind Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy, Angela Sant’Albano and Nick Apostolides, about their experiences creating their characters and what they’ve fabricated from the enthusiastic, and generally feral, fan response since launch.
“Nick has been great. He is been like an enormous brother in a manner, form of guiding me by way of all of it,” says Sant’Albano of taking her first step into the world of Resident Evil.
“It was arduous to sum up what these guys have been about to get into,” stated Apostolides of his function as a sequence veteran, having starred within the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 4 and Netflix’s Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness.
“I knew due to my historical past with the franchise. I might already carried out three initiatives with it, and I had an intimate understanding of the fanbase and how excited and passionate they’re. So I used to be simply secretly excited for these guys,” he stated. “I feel I simply tried to assist everybody perceive the grim universe that they have been moving into, as a result of these video games are enjoyable, they’re campy at occasions, and sure, they’re about zombies and surviving and the apocalypse, however in addition they have such grounded actuality to them. They focus on actual human tales, and so: not psyching them out, however getting them ready for what they’re about to expertise.”
A part of what makes Resident Evil Requiem such a standout for the sequence are the characters of Grace, a younger lady instantly going through not simply grief, however monsters and the distinction with an older, wiser, veteran of the world, Leon. Apostolides picked out the scene that, for him, actually encapsulated the model of Leon that we see in Resident Evil Requiem.
“There was a scene that basically bolstered what Leon is all about. When he is within the rubbish dump space with Grace. Grace is sitting by his aspect, and then he will get up, and Grace asks him, ‘You are so sick; why do you retain going? You are not going to make it.’ And he simply says a couple of choose key phrases right here: ‘I could not make a distinction again then. However I am right here now, and that is my likelihood to make a distinction.’ And that is what he is all about. That is his backbone, that is his DNA; he simply desires to do the best factor and assist those that can not help themselves. He is at all times been that man, and even going through the top presumably, he is nonetheless doing that.”
For Sant’Albano, the scene that basically stood out to her from Grace’s story was is her response to the loss of life of her mom. “You perceive the form of trauma that she went by way of. Grace, I feel from from delivery, is introverted and just a little uncomfortable with human contact and all that good things. I feel from seeing her mom cross away in such a traumatic manner, it form of exacerbated all every part for her,” she stated.
“After which the opposite one, which made me perceive Grace’s journey and the braveness that she needed to discover, was truly when Emily died, since you understood, to begin with, the guilt that Grace had. As a result of I feel there is a line the place she actually says once more, ‘That is how I’ve carried out this once more. That is all my fault.’ And also you perceive this burden and this guilt that she’s carried her complete life.
“That feeling that she let her mother down, and now she’s letting this different individual she’s actually grown to like and care about down. However I additionally suppose it made it very clear to me of the place I needed to get to by way of Grace’s journey. She has to face up for another person, and though she’s not good at standing up for herself, she has to seek out that bravery.”
The fanbase turned out to be particularly excited for Leon S. Kennedy this time round. He is at all times been a sexy male lead, however one thing concerning the extra mature, barely grizzled model of him that appeared in Requiem despatched sure corners of the web feral, full with Instagram thirst traps.
“, it is humorous, I used to be form of anticipating the established order. He was at all times well-liked. He is a great-looking character. He stands for such good on the earth, however it was a complete completely different stage of… What is the phrase I am in search of?”
“Fever?” suggests Sant’Albano.
“Okay, it was a complete completely different stage of Leon fever that I used to be not anticipating. It was dialed as much as, like, a 12. And I believed it was going to be, like, a 9, so we’ll say that.”
One of many huge obsessions after the sport was launched is that one model of Leon was carrying a marriage ring, however the recreation did not reveal who the fortunate Mrs. S. Kennedy was. Each stars say they get requested on a regular basis by followers.
“They’re asking me as if I do know,” says Apostolides. “I often simply say he is married to you, the followers.”
After the optimistic response to the sport and renewed curiosity, even outdoors the world of video games, due to the brand new film, what’s it concerning the sequence that provides it a long life past so many different horror video games and zombie tales?
“I really feel like Capcom is simply dialed in,” says Apostolides. “Primary, I feel they actually, actually do take heed to the followers. In addition they know what they’re doing. They’re extraordinarily gifted. And that is what separates the franchises from those that survive all these years and those that form of flutter out.
“I feel it is also an ideal recipe for these initiatives and these video games, the place, sure, it is about zombies, killing zombies, stopping world domination from evil companies, however it’s additionally centered round human tales that — the followers get so connected to those characters, and they really feel like they’re surviving an enormous impediment along with their mates, with the folks that they watch, with the characters. And there is — I feel there’s a good looking, like, metaphor to lifetime of simply getting by way of adversity.”
“For me, like, as an actor, after I first learn the script, I simply felt that the human story is what made the sport so addictive,” provides Sant’Albano. “And with Leon, simply the truth that they managed to create such a beloved character so early on. It is actually a testomony to the followers of, , staying with the sport and watching Leon get older and meet new characters and see the place life takes him. However I feel creating complicated characters like Grace, that is simply so scrumptious for a gamer or for anybody, frankly, in any medium, is to have a very complicated character that they will observe.”
Resident Evil can also be discovering a brand new viewers due to the brand new film adaptation from horror director Zach Cregger, so what recommendation would they’ve for its unfortunate hero, Bryan, as Resident Evil survivors?
“I might most likely say, discover your model of Leon,” says Sant’Albano. “Discover your model of Leon, and attempt and discover a couple of bullet should you can, most likely.”
“Discover an enormous gun,” provides Apostolides with a smile.
Sant’Albano is at the moment taking part in Hermia in A Midsummer Evening’s Dream (with added rave tradition) on the Chichester Pageant Theatre, whereas additionally engaged on including her vocal skills to the King Arthur-meets-modern-day-apocalypse action-RPG Tides of Annihilation as hero Gwendolyn. Apostolides has a packed calendar too: he simply did his first anime dub for Ghost within the Shell, is engaged on indie action-adventure RPG Emberville, and is growing his personal recreation along with his brother, a backyard-type zombie beat ’em up recreation impressed by his father. Throughout the interview, he pitched an uncommon function to Sant’Albano.
“You might need to play a zombie animal.”
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Rachel Weber is the Head of Editorial Growth at IGN and an elder millennial. She’s been an expert nerd since 2006 when she obtained her begin on Official PlayStation Journal within the UK, and has since labored for GamesIndustry.Biz, Rolling Stone and GamesRadar. She loves horror, horror motion pictures, horror video games, Purple Useless Redemption 2, and her Love and Deepspace boyfriends.