Resident Evil Requiem: Sant’Albano on Grace Quirks, Grace-Leon & More

Posted in: Capcom, Games, Resident Evil, Video Game Publishers, Video Games | Tagged: Angela Sant’Albano, resident evil, Resident Evil Requiem

Resident Evil Requiem: Sant'Albano on Grace Quirks, Grace-Leon & More

Resident Evil Requiem star Angela Sant'Albano spoke to Bleeding Cool about the quirks she brought to Grace and the Grace-Leon chemistry with Nick Apostolides

Published Sun, 05 Apr 2026 10:13:07 -0500
by Tom Chang
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Article Summary

• Angela Sant'Albano reveals the personal quirks she brought to Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem
• Grace and Leon's chemistry mirrors Sant'Albano and Apostolides' real-life dynamic on set
• Grace's nervous physical habits reflect Sant'Albano's own reactions under stress and tension
• Sant'Albano discusses finding Grace's voice and mindset after weeks of immersive motion-capture filming

With Angela Sant'Albano becoming the latest face to lead the Capcom franchise as Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem, she wasn't alone, as mainstay Nick Apostolides, who plays Leon Kennedy, was there to help not only share the spotlight but also immerse her into the world of acting in motion capture. As per the previous titles in the franchise, players encounter their own set of challenges depending on who is selected on a playthrough. Set 28 years after the destruction of Raccoon City, the game follows FBI Analyst, Grace, and DSO agent, Leon, in the latest chapter against the ongoing destructive legacy of the Umbrella Corporation and its ongoing arsenal of bioengineered weapons. Sant'Albano spoke to Bleeding Cool about what she brought into the role of Grace, what characteristics they both share, and quirks she gave her, if there was anything she and Apostolides did to establish their chemistry as Grace and Leon, and when during filming she felt she hit her stride in character.

Resident Evil Requiem Star Angela Sant'Albano on the Little Things She Brought to Grace, What Characteristics They Share, Building Chemistry with Apostolides & More

BC: Was there anything in the creative process where Grace would be based more on you? Do you share any characteristics with her?

Sant'Albano: I think Grace and I share more in common than maybe I first realized. I've been playing parts of the game a little bit here and there. Now, I'm realizing I'm just as much of a scaredy cat [laughs], and a jump just as much. We have very different physicality, but one thing that I took into Grace that I also have, and I don't know if you see it very much in the cutscenes, because of the shots that they used, but I do this with my hands [closes her right palm, pressing her fingertips against her thumb], when I'm a bit nervous, and I brought that to Grace. A lot of the time, she's clenching or picking at her fingers, and I wanted her to be very contained as a person and as a character, rather than open and comfortable. I would say that is probably the thing that's most similar in terms of our physicality.

As you were preparing to shoot the mo-cap scenes, did you meet with Nick beforehand to get the feeling out process to establish that chemistry between Leon and Grace?

No, we didn't at all. We met on our first day at the table read, and that was the first time we met. We were lucky, we really got along, and I have to say, what's quite beautiful is Grace and Leon, and then Nick and I, we've got that similarity. When Leon begins his career, he's like a young cop in the world, and in a similar way, Grace is a little bit like that, obviously, a different character massively, but in a similar position in a sense, in this storyline. Nick and I had that too, because I was brand new to the franchise, brand new to mocap, learning as I went. He had this plethora of knowledge that he could pass to me and became a mentor in that way that I think Leon becomes for Grace. So, we were lucky; naturally, we got along really well, the whole cast did. We got along so well; it was such a fun job.

When did you feel like you started to hit your stride in character?

I think I found her, honestly…where she sat comfortably in me, and I didn't have to be "playing Grace," if that makes sense, about like three weeks into our shoot. We were shooting quite consistently because Grace has so much tension in her body. Again, as I said, her voice and physicality are different from mine. It took me a beat to settle into her, and then, like any actor, when you get to play a part for a long period of time, they become a part of you in a strange way, where you're flipping personalities almost to where you go, "Okay, now I'm Grace," and then, "Oh, no! Now, I'm back to Angela."

It's funny, but it was about three weeks into the shoot, and then I was like, "Oh, okay. I understand what she's afraid of, and I understand how she thinks, more so, how she holds herself with all those little things. Her relationships with physical contact and eye contact, why and when she stutters, and all her mannerisms and personality traits became a lot more calculated or intentional as things went on. Luckily, I found it in the first shoot in the first block [laughs].

Resident Evil Requiem is available on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.

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