Resident Evil: Death Island Cast Jokes About Getting Weird in the Recording Booth
by Kalai Chik,
The three voice actors spoke to ANN on July 12, prior to the screening.
Is this the first time you've seen each other, or were you able to meet in a group voiceover session?
MERCER: For this production, unfortunately, we didn't do the group records for this one. But we all know each other from other facets of life in the industry. We were all excited to be in the project together, and there was a lot of communication in the interim. We're definitely a community of friends.
TOMPKINS: We did a lot of texting once we realized who was going to be in this!
Were you the mocap actors, too?
TOMPKINS: We didn't get to do the performance capture for this; I believe it was done during COVID times. We, unfortunately, didn't get to in this project, but usually we typically are.
What is your process for getting into character?
TOMPKINS: I think it's different for every character, every project, and every actor. For me, there's just a lot of grounding that happens. Because I feel like Jill has survival and a real “continue to get up and keep going” sort of energy. For me, it's tapping into her strength. She really leads with an energy of, “Now I've got this, and I'm just gonna keep going and going.”
MERCER: In a very similar way, I go back and look at the very core of who he is and what drives him through the entirety of his narrative across the games and movies. From that point, focus on where his emotional state is, his current goals, and where he is in the overall storyline of Resident Evil. It's getting into that mindset of reminding myself where I've been previously with the character and then seeing where he is right now in this story.
PANISELLO: One of the biggest things is that I always remember, “Okay, where did Claire Redfield start?” What were her driving forces from the very beginning? Has that changed? Has it not changed? Do we see that storyline continue through everything? Or is there a shift? She was just on the streets like any other ordinary person coming into all of this. It's kind of cool because of how she's grown through all of RE2, Infinite Darkness, and Death Island. Another really random thing, but her ponytail was high for me. When I would do mocap, I needed to feel that bounce in her step. In Infinite Darkness, my ponytail got lower, and when I recorded the voice, I was like, “Screw it! Hair down!” That translates for me the confidence of where she's at, how she's more in her flow, and knows who she is.
TOMPKINS: I like it!
MERCER: I do too!
TOMPKINS: Yeah, that's like an actor thing. Boots. Boots do it for me.
PANISELLO: I want to feel that character. It matters to me what happens with that. If something's happening, I need to get my body into that state so that, emotion-wise, it's going to come out in a certain way.
This is the first time we've seen all five characters together. For Jill and Leon, this is the first time we've ever seen them interact. For Claire, we see an emotional side to her when she's tending to the dying doctor. When you were approached with the script, what did you guys think of the Death Island version of Jill, Claire, and Leon?
TOMPKINS: For Jill specifically, this movie deals a lot with her trauma and how she's handling everything that happened post-RE5. She's coping. “How is she doing? Is she all right?” The answer is no because she's been through so much. She's doing the best that she can, and she sort of pushes people away because she's carrying so much guilt and shame over all of the deaths. I think that dynamic specifically was really easy to tap into because you can see someone really struggling and pushing people away who are attempting to connect.
MERCER: For Leon, he's been in a solitary state. He's been pushed time and time again, often by himself, to be the hero who never quite succeeds. Saving the people he wants to save, and that's worn down over the years. I think he carries a lot of that weight on his shoulders. Often to a point that isn't fair. In this film, his journey is a combination of meeting and fighting alongside people who have been through similar experiences. Finding comfort and community in a group of people that had that shared traumatic experience. In that space, feeling like maybe he can still make a difference or that he still can make a change. And he doesn't have to carry that burden by himself.
PANISELLO: With Claire, I honestly don't think she's ever dealt with her trauma. She's so focused on everybody else, and everything is about the other person. Constantly. You see that within the film to a great extent. Each character has its strengths and weaknesses. What's nice about this film is that all characters were brought together so that we could fill in the gaps where the other one might have needed to show up. There are still action sequences for everybody. It's such a blessing for Claire to never forget who she is. I'm curious when there will be a tipping point for her because it feels like there never is one. She seems like this endless well of wanting to give, but I'm curious if there will be a moment like this.
How does it feel to return in a movie versus voicing in a game?
PANISELLO: With games, you have more time to tell a story. Film and television have a more limited time to do it, and you must stick to whatever is in front of you. There's a little bit more leeway within games, but there's not a ton of difference per se. But you do get that luxury of growing with the character when you're shooting a film.
MERCER: For films like this, you're experiencing it chronologically from front to back, and it is one story. You get to experience the emotional journey of the character as it transpires to the recording process. To your point, you enjoy both processes for their own unique elements. In this instance, because you have less time to tell as much of an emotional journey, it's a testament to the creators of the film. We're able to have these character moments that are impactful but still fulfill the expectations of this meeting of all these Resident Evil greats in a way that is satisfying.
TOMPKINS: That's really it. The succinctness of a film versus a game. I also think there is more flexibility. More frequently. I've noticed in games that I worked on; things are more likely to change than in films, where something might shift slightly in the edit. It requires a little more flexibility and a lot of trust from both mediums and the team around you to tell you what's happening because we don't get the full picture.
PANISELLO: Within games, we get to understand the inner dialogue. In a film, you don't. You have to show it all through your actions. You don't get that insight into the inner workings. So-
TOMPKINS: The comment every time you pick up something, like “This will be helpful!”
This is a question specifically for Matt. You've been involved with voicing Leon for quite a long time, with the last time being Vendetta. What brought you back to Death Island?
MERCER: I care deeply about the character Leon Kennedy. I'm not the first, and I'm not the last. When I picked up the torch for him a decade ago, it was a character that I already was in love with from all of his previous iterations. It was a huge honor to carry that torch for a while. Then the opportunity came to pass it on to Nick. He ran with it and has done such incredible work. I was genuinely surprised and excited that I had the opportunity to come back to this film and reprise Leon in my way. I'm very thankful and just excited to see where the character goes from here and all the incredible new and fabulous ways that Nick will bring him to life. Maybe, who knows, we'll have a Leonverse down the road.
Although you weren't all together in a group recording, are there any bloopers that you'd like to share?
TOMPKINS: For me, the blooper comes in sometimes when you get a really badass or even corny line. You'll try it one way and say, “Absolutely not! Let's do that again! That did not come out right!” And the response you'll get is, “Well, it fits.” It doesn't matter that it fits, but we have to do that again. There's a simple line in the movie where Jill swears, and it's really intense. I must have recorded that line fifteen times, but I just couldn't get it right. Out of all the outtakes of me saying this one super simple line. I'd like to watch myself shouting again.
PANISELLO: There are so many in RE2, although I believe I said it in this movie, too: Leon. “Leon! Leon. Leon?”
MERCER: The closest I have to a blooper would be when there's a fight scene that happens in the film. Leon gets the crap kicked out of him often. I was in the process of doing a long run of exerts and reactions and just kind of chasing the action. I think at one point, I flubbed and made too much of a loud F sound that sounded like a fart. Normally, I would stop, but I just kept going and just like just making up what cartoons have. Usually, they cut the roll like, “Ah, we'll go back and take one.” But they just kept rolling, and I just kept going. It was just me being silly.
PANISELLO: Wait, is there a fart sound in the film, then?
MERCER: No. It didn't make it in, not that I know of. We'll have to watch the film to see. When you've been recording for three hours in a booth, you get a little silly. So you start running with it. Somewhere in an audio engineer's track is me just getting real weird.
