Actress Grace from Resident Evil Requiem Reveals Capcom's Unique Motion Capture Approach
Grace Actress from Resident Evil Requiem Reveals Capcom’s Unique Approach to Motion Capture
Angela Ashton, who plays Grace in Resident Evil Requiem, talked about what it was like to work on the recently released horror title. It was her first turn as a video game actress — stepping into a role that puts a young woman up against mutants and other terrors — and much of the job came down to the gap between Grace’s instincts and Angela’s own personality.
The Capcom crew handled props and set dressing: tables, practical items, and sometimes only a flashlight for illumination (e.g., no big studio lamps). The idea was to recreate the feel of a real scene while keeping obvious threats—like an actual zombie—off set.
“I think Capcom worked really hard to make the [motion capture] situation as close as possible to what it was [in reality]. But without, you know, a real zombie running at you,” Ashton shared.
At times performers were shown pre-rendered versions of story beats or given very specific briefings — e.g., the exact placement and severity of wounds — so reactions matched the intended emotional beats.
Ashton says she treated the part seriously, taking an “accelerated course” on the Resident Evil series. She watched gameplay footage to catch what she calls “that slow, creepy tone,” and the scenes focused on Grace lean hard into the horror.
The actress characterizes Grace Ashcroft as someone who views this world like a normal person without combat experience — basic training aside, she’s uncomfortable in field conditions. Angela likens her to Ashley Graham from RE4: “an ordinary person thrown into an absolutely terrible situation.”
“You always want to think you’ll be the hero in this situation, stand up, and fight, but the reality is that you might curl up in a corner, scream a little, and then, eventually, get up and fight. I think [Grace] manages to do both. It seems to me that it’s just a very true portrayal of the horror she had to face,” the actress believes.
Nick Apostolidis — back as Leon — helped Ashton get into the world; he answered questions (i.e., filled in lore gaps) and became a friendly, practical presence during production.
Off set, Ashton has started exploring games more broadly. There’s one complaint: time vanishes while playing. She mentions beginning Resident Evil 4 (2023).html) and noticing three hours had slipped by before she realized it.
Resident Evil Requiem is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series. On Steam its peak concurrent player count reached 344 thousand, according to reporting (see link).