Saving Grace: behind the scenes of Resident Evil Requiem's breakout performance

In Resident Evil Requiem, Capcom has delivered another winner for its 30th anniversary. At its heart are its dual protagonists, beloved old boy Leon S. Kennedy and series newcomer Grace Ashcroft, and it’s their performances that really pull you through its most intense moments. Ahead of its launch, I sat down for a one-to-one video chat with Grace’s actor, Angela Sant’Albano, to learn about her introduction to the horror games. As a newcomer to the format, Sant’Albano explains how the use of group performance capture let her lean on her television and theater experience to embody a protagonist that never quite surpasses the terror around her.

I’ve now seen Resident Evil Requiem to its dramatic conclusion, and I was particularly struck by the nuanced emotion conveyed by its cast throughout. Sant’Albano reveals that this is largely thanks to the performance capture process. While it was supplemented by ADR (post-production studio recordings to clean up any rough edges), she notes that it was all handled through performance capture “first and foremost.” RE9 was not only her first videogame role, but the first game she’s even auditioned for, yet her performance shines beyond that of a relatively unknown name thrust into the spotlight. “I loved being able to play a character that was very far from me,” she remarks, noting that she’s much more of an extrovert than Grace.

“Obviously not all the scenes are together, right, but we all sort of filmed around the same time, so we always got to interact,” Sant’Albano tells me. “And we got to perform together in the volume [the capture studio], which was really, really lovely, and I think gave it a very truthful, grounded element to the performances.” She notes that, with Requiem being her first videogame performance, she found the capture suit and helmet (for the camera) “a little tight and uncomfortable,” but was able to relax into it thanks to her co-stars.

Sant’Albano was advised by performance director Kate Saxon, who boasts a background in theater alongside voice direction roles on games including The Witcher 3 and Still Wakes the Deep. Saxon told her to think of it as “the freedom of doing theater in the round, but you have the intimacy of film or TV, because the audience or the player is literally right here with you. I found that really freeing – I just really, really ate it up.” Sant’Albano adds, “Capcom was amazing at giving us a visual stimulus.” Sets were laid out with desks and other key props, and the stunt team would run at actors or physically tug them to give them the closest possible sensation to the real thing.

“We would turn off all the light [in] the studio, and we would only operate by flashlight or camera light on our head – I think [Capcom was] very good at trying to make the situation feel as close to what it was without, you know, having a real-life zombie running at you.” Naturally with Resident Evil, that also means facing up against some pretty grim stuff. To work around this, the cast were shown early renders of the scenes and monsters, or told specific details: “Maybe it has this sore, and the sore is particularly gory on the left hand.”

Grace isn’t the only one new to Resident Evil. Sant’Albano was also coming to the series for the first time, and admits she had to go through a crash course to get up to speed. “I watched a ton of gameplay, because [Capcom] referred a lot to the fact that they wanted to go back to the horror Resident Evil games. It was my first experience with horror, so I really wanted to make sure that I was capturing that and leaning into that slow, creeping tone that you really need to achieve.”

Much as Leon acts as a pillar of support to Grace throughout RE Requiem, so did returning actor Nick Apostolides for Sant’Albano. “Nick is wonderful, and we very quickly became friends. He was really helpful – no matter how much of a crash course you do, there are a lot of things that can come up. […] He, being a part of the franchise for a long time and a big gamer himself, was able to educate me on gaps in my knowledge.” That applied both to deeper lore touchstones and to the nuances of performance capture, she explains.

“I think what’s nice about Leon and Grace is they are very different people, and similarly with the other strong women in the franchise. I couldn’t really copy anything – Grace is her own person.” On the spectrum of Leon’s companions, Sant’Albano puts Grace much closer to civilians like RE4’s Ashley Graham. “She’s had some basic combat training, but she is not comfortable in the field, and I think that’s kind of the beauty of her. […] She’s coming at it from the angle of your everyman thrust into this absolutely terrifying situation.

“You always want to think that you’re going to be the hero in the situation and stand up and fight, but the reality is that you might hide in a corner and scream for a little bit, and then eventually stand up and fight. I think [Grace] gets to do both of those things, which I think is just a very truthful reality of the horror that she’s about to confront.” Sant’Albano notes that Grace also feels quite distinct from her mother, RE Outbreak’s Alyssa Ashcroft, and that losing her “really created some of her more introverted, tender tendencies.”

The ability to capture performances more directly and accurately has sparked fresh interest in videogame acting. “It’s so alluring to actors, because they recognize that the performances are being respected and are necessary to making these games beautiful, truthful, and terrifying.” She continues, “I can’t imagine not having had our actors in the rooms together. My scenes were maybe a little bit different from some of Leon’s scenes, […] but they were all about interaction with the other characters, and Grace… crosses paths with a lot of different people, let’s say.”

Sant’Albano says her gaming journey is just beginning: “I’ve started to get addicted. It’s unbelievable how much time you can play – you can get swept away. It’s dangerous, honestly.” When she sat down to play through Resident Evil 4, “I remember looking up and thinking, ‘I’ve been playing for three and a half hours. Where did the time go?’ Terrifying – but it’s so immersive, and it’s the most amazing distraction, because you have to be so incredibly focused that time just flies, which I think is great, but also,” she laughs, “a bit of a time suck.”

In the run-up to launch, Sant-Albano says she “tried to stay clear” of the public response. “I’ve seen little bits and bobs, I’ve seen cool fan art, which is just so nice to see people already connecting with Grace. I really hope that people see themselves in Grace. I think it’s great to see these heroes on screen who are kind of more classically portrayed heroes, but I think it’s very beautiful when you get to see a more vulnerable person in a scary situation who doesn’t really necessarily overcome the fear, but she chooses to protect those around her, or keep moving despite the fear, and I think there’s something deeply human about her.”