“I wasn’t super deep intoResident Evil,but I did knowResident Evil 2,” Claire Redfield actor Stephanie Panisello tells me. “I was very intrigued by the fact that Claire was a female character, which was so rare. I knew what it felt like for me to see a character that I really respected and got excited about, so it was something I wanted to bring to other people.”Claire Redfield has long resonated with Resident Evil fans since her 1998 debut. She’s a badass civilian who risks it all when she steps into a zombie-infested Raccoon City to find her missing brother. Given the medium’s lack of leading ladies back then, such a character helming one of the biggest sequels ever made spoke volumes.RELATED:Nick Apostolides On Bringing Resident Evil 4’s Leon Kennedy To LifeWhen Panisello was cast in Resident Evil 2 Remake, she was conscious of that important legacy and sought to “recreate” the role as her own. Cut to release, and the historic path she was walking became clear.“I was a hugeTomb Raiderfan growing up, and I loveLara Croftso much that I learned rock climbing and studied anthropology and archaeology,” Panisello says. “So I knew there was an impact on people with the acting side of it. I had this amazing fan who had left the hospital, going through cancer, and he came to a convention to see me. And he was like, ‘I didn’t know you were gonna be here.’ I was so excited, and he said, ‘I asked the hospital to let me go, so I only have a couple of hours.’ He just got me, he was like, ‘I really resonate with Claire and how she’s so resilient’ and I know now that it connects with people on such a deeper level that I verify that I find all those moments and I connect to humanity in any of the roles that I play.”Panisello’s time with the series didn’t end with Resident Evil 2 Remake, as she reprised the role forthe Infinite Darkness seriesand upcoming CGI movieDeath Island. The latter has blown up among the fandom since it brings together Claire, Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Rebecca Chambers for the first time in the series' history, and this palpable excitement at seeing the cast finally stand toe-to-toe against a common enemy is something Panisello also feels. “I’m super excited because we finally get to see my version of Claire and her brother together,” Panisello says. “We’ve had such a beautiful community of, not only Resident Evil fans but also Resident Evil actors. To come together is really nice and it’s gonna be exciting to see it on the big screen as I’m sure everyone is. I keep hearing it feels like the Avengers of Resident Evil and it kinda is - it has that, ‘Oh my gosh, all of our favourite people are together’, and I felt the same way when they called me. I was like, ‘ Are you serious? For the very first time?’”
Unfortunately, because voice acting for Death Island was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, the actors didn’t get a chance to meet in person. However, this initial distance doesn’t mean that the Resident Evil cast isn’t close.
“We do get to see each other sometimes at conventions,” Panisello says. “At our last convention, Insomnia, we had a bunch of us together. We had Nicole Tompkins (Jill), Neil Newbon (Heisenberg), andMaggie Robertson (Lady Dimitrescu), which was such an amazing time to be together. On the last trip when me and Maggie were in the UK, I was over at MCM Birmingham, and we actually extended our trip over, and I was like, ‘Hey, I want to go to Scotland, do you want to come with me?’ So we went for a couple of days… Everyone is so wonderful, we love each other.”
Aside from conventions, Panisello has streamed with Resident Evil actors including Robertson, and hangs out with Leon Kennedy actor Nick Apostolides away from work or by her pool to talk about life, so it should come as no surprise that when working together on Infinite Darkness, they decided to sneak in something for the fans. Particularly, the Cleon shippers.
“I don’t want to break any hearts, but I think people can believe in this lovely pairing of Leon and Claire,” Penisello tells me. “However, I personally think that when Leon decides to find his worth, he’ll stop going after women that don’t want him—no bad mouthing on Leon, though, he totally kicks butt, but when it comes to the ladies, it’s questionable. I will say that I gave a little special moment in Infinite Darkness where Claire lands on top of Leon. That was a personal choice. We did it just for fun for everybody, just to keep that hope alive.”
Nick has since reprised his role as Leon forResident Evil 4 Remake, giving his own take on the gruffer US agent who spouts one-liners while roundhouse kicking infected cultists, a much different take than the fresh-faced rookie cop. Panisello had a similar chance in the CGI movies, working with an older version of her character years after braving Raccoon City. Rather than becoming a hardened US government agent like her cohorts, she ends up with TerraSave, a human rights agency striving to make the world a better place.
“Claire has grown into learning to trust herself because she always felt like the kid of the group,” Panisello says. “Everybody else was well trained—even the rookie cop was a… cop. So, it’s nice to see Claire take her own. We know she kicks butt, but she always has this heart. So in the newer movies, from Infinite Darkness to Death Island, we see her a lot stronger in her abilities and her choices. That’s what I always keep in mind with her - her growth in herself, which I feel most people can understand.”
A key part of Claire’s growth takes place inCode: Veronica, a spin-off set between the events of Resident Evil 3 and 4. It continues her search for Chris, and finally gives her closure after braving hell only to find out that he was never in Raccoon City to begin with. Understandably, to tie the knot on Claire’s story,fans want a Code: Veronica remake, with Panisello back in the booth to bring her to life once again. So, I had to ask—would she be down for it?
“Any chance we can get more of the world and tap into it, I think is special and important,” Panisello tells me. “I know that’s a game that could probably use that extra TLC, so yes, of course, I would love to see it. It’s just a matter of whether that’s something fans want and if Capcom is able to do so. I don’t partake in any of that. If they gave me the call and said, ‘Hey, Stephanie, it’s happening.’ I would love it. Maybe one day—fingers crossed.”
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