Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts in the United States, Nick Apostolidies is a man of various trades and talents. For many, he’s best known for playing Leon S. Kennedy in the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 remakes from Capcom, a series that he holds dear to his heart.
Nick Apostolidies is not just an actor and motion capture specialist, but he also performs his own stunts, is a builder and carpenter by trade and has helped rebuild communities. Of course, in whatever spare time Nick has on his hands, he loves to immerse himself in not only the world of Resident Evil but also the Final Fantasy series and has a driving passion for the movie industry. However, Nick might also have a few passions in life that we might not know about. Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Nick Apostolidies.
Check out the Resident Evil 4 remake trailer below!
Hi Nick, how are you and what you've been up to lately?
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Nick Apostolidies: I'm doing good, man. Just prepping for a good busy year, I have some new stuff happening. Travelling to a lot of conventions, I have some new projects in the works. Life is good. I can't complain about much right now. I'm just trying to take care of my body as I get a little older. That's been my biggest challenge.
What video games are you playing right now?
Nick Apostolidies: I’m playing a ton of stuff right now. I think I play too many video games at this point. Is there such a thing? No. Let's see. I am just finishing up a first-time run through the original Final Fantasy games from one through six. I bought the Final Fantasy: Pixel Remaster on Nintendo Switch. I think it was like 70 bucks, and it gives you six games, totally worth it. I never played them as a kid, because I started with Final Fantasy VII on the original PlayStation. I’m about to wrap those up. Then I do want to play Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and then eventually Final Fantasy XVI because my buddy Ben Starr voices Clive Rosfield.
I'm playing through Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time. I'm just about to beat the main story and I just finished the Phantom Liberty expansion. That's been quite a journey. I didn't think I would like that game as much as I did. But I freaking loved it. I always play a little bit of Call of Duty with my friends. We play some Rocket League. The next two new games that I'm going to jump into are Alan Wake and Alan Wake 2.
Are there any movies that you’re looking forward to watching this year?
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Nick Apostolidies: I’m really looking forward to Deadpool & Wolverine, that’s going to be a good one. My favourite movie that I have just watched is Godzilla Minus One. If you haven't watched it, go and watch it.
Being a massive Resident Evil fan, what did it mean to land the iconic role of Leon S. Kennedy in the Resident Evil 2 remake?
Nick Apostolidies: It feels like it’s come full circle and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to top what it means to me. When you get the opportunity to incorporate your career into one of your biggest loves, that's what I hope for everybody. Whatever makes them shine, whatever brings them life. If you can incorporate that into your daily work, it will never feel like work.
I was lucky enough to incorporate my career in acting and performing into my favourite video game franchise. Resident Evil 2 [1998] was the first time I ever played the series. Leon was the first character I ever controlled in the franchise when I was 14 and then 18 years later, I got the opportunity to reimagine it and do my version of it.
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You’re the fifth actor to play Leon S. Kennedy. I’ve enjoyed your take on the character from being a rookie in the Resident Evil 2 remake to a grizzled badass in the Resident Evil 4 remake, yet still retaining a vulnerability. What was the process of creating your take on this iconic and beloved character?
Nick Apostolidies: I think I was in a unique position. Because I am a diehard fan. I've lived and breathed that franchise since I was a kid. I understand the DNA of those games, I understood the DNA of the Resident Evil 2 remake, and Capcom didn't have to explain the world to me. What I appreciate about Capcom, is that they didn't want me to copy the original Leon. They didn't want me to just do it again. They said “We cast you because of the essence of your personality. We cast you because you have the essence of a young Leon.” They trusted me and as a team, we all kicked ass.
Then for Resident Evil 4 [Nick’s favourite OG RE game of all time], they wanted to bring that same essence and they trusted me that I knew the difference between the characters from Resident Evil 2 remake to Resident Evil 4 remake. I knew the arc. Of course, they gave broad strokes of where he [Leon] needs to be now, but I didn't think too hard about it.
Nick went on to talk about his appreciation for Paul Mercier, the voice of Leon S. Kennedy in the original Resident Evil 4 who also reprised his roles in other games in the series as well as the animated movies.
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Nick Apostolidies: Paul Mercier, he’s one of my heroes. Hearing his voice and watching his performance in Resident Evil 4, changed everything for me. I would play Resident Evil 4 with my little brother and listen to Leon’s voice, I loved it. I told my brother “Wouldn't it be cool to do that one day?” and when I got to work with Paul, I had to tell him that he’s one of the reasons I began acting.
When I got to play Leon in the Resident Evil 4 remake, I wasn't copying him [Paul Mercier]. I have all the respect in the world, but I wanted to bring my essence to change his attitude a little bit. Now, Leon’s a bit more jaded, way more sarcastic and quippy. He's been through a lot. I got to play the cowboy version of this guy that I wanted to be in the Resident Evil 2 remake. But he [Leon] was a rookie, he wasn't as wise to the world. Having that trust from Capcom, and the directors on set, collectively we nailed it.
Back in the days of the original Resident Evil games, actors were very much voice actors. Performance art has evolved over the years and with that in mind, what are the modern-day challenges and how do video games compare to live-action performances?
Nick Apostolidies: I think the process of full performance capture, which is recording your body, your facial expressions and your voice all at the same time, and you’re in a big empty space that we call the volume. It's pretty much a big empty warehouse. You’ve really got to use your imagination of where you are in your environment, using props and what you're interacting with. It's all make-believe.
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If you have to sit in a car, it's usually a rudimentary structure built out of two-by-fours, you know, it's not a car. So you have to create everything in your head, much like theatre. Whereas in TV and film, often you're on a set, you're on location, you're in wardrobe. You know, unless it's CG, and you're playing an ape or something, usually everything's more real, it's right there in front of you, and you can touch and interact with it, I'd say that's the biggest difference.
And me, coming from no experience on stage, that was a bit of a shift. My background is mostly as a dramatic and action actor, TV and film, mostly in the independent circuit. I just took what I knew there, and applied it into the mocap set, and I’ve been doing it ever since. I've been in the Resident Evil games, but I've also provided mocap and stunts for maybe eight other AAA games (including Isaac Clarke in the Dead Space remake).
We don’t know what’s next for the series, chronologically Resident Evil 5 could be next but a lot of fans would love to see Resident Evil Code: Veronica first. Where do you think the series should go next?
Nick Apostolidies: There are a lot of fans who would love Resident Evil Code: Veronica. It’s been 24 years since it was originally released. I think it could benefit the most from a remake more than Resident Evil 5. There have even been rumours that they [Capcon] are going to remake the original game again. I think the Resident Evil HD Remaster holds up. I still play that from time to time. It’s a fantastic game.
The original Resident Evil remake kind of lives on its own. it still has the tank controls. But it looks and plays kind of modern, which is still great. But a Code Veronica remake would be incredible. I can't imagine what they would do with that. I would love to see that.
Would you be open to playing Leon again, should they tell a new story or eventually remake Resident Evil 6? I think that’s a game that had some ideas and a fun Mercenaries mode but could also benefit from an overhaul.
Nick Apostolidies: If they asked me back as Leon, we'll cross that bridge when it comes, but I would be honoured to step in his shoes again, and I would have the same approach as before. I would just try to do him justice. I have such respect for the franchise and him. I would just want to do it the right way. You know.
I noticed that on your YouTube channel, not only do you like to play Resident Evil games with fellow actors from the franchise, but you’re also a very talented artist. How did the hobby of drawing art come about?
Nick Apostolidies: Drawing and doodling is my oldest hobby. I started drawing when I was two or three years old. I would come home from school, grab markers and just draw anything. It was always part of me because my mother is very artistic. She could make children's books and illustrate them. So I wanted to emulate that growing up, so I always doodled, until I was 18 years old, out of high school and then it took a backseat to other hobbies and career focus. Then I didn't pick up a pencil again for almost two decades.
During the COVID pandemic, when life kind of stopped and I had a lot of free time, I picked up the pencil again. I started with my favourite illustrator Stephen Gammell of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark novels written by Alvin Schwartz. Then I started doing horror art like Macabre and what franchises are great with Macabre? Resident Evil. The very first piece of Resident Evil art that I did was the original Nemesis from Resident Evil 3. The Resident Evil 3 remake was about to come out, so I wanted to pay homage to the original and drew one of my favourite BOWs, people started giving my art attention online and I started taking commissions.
When I started doing a bit of research, I learned that you do humanitarian projects where you help communities across the world. I couldn't find a lot of information on those projects online. Can you tell me more about it?
Nick Apostolidies: Yeah, a lot of people don't know about that and that I’m also a builder by trade for about 25 years. I’m also a painter and a carpenter. A couple of years ago, I got the opportunity to travel the world and help specific communities build projects that they need to get off the ground for an immediate community, a country or even a small country. I've been to maybe 25 different countries and worked on really special projects.
I worked on a show called The Fixers on the BYUtv network and I did 31 episodes with a team. It's a really heartfelt show. It's all genuine, all real, and impactful. It’s free to watch on YouTube. I can't say enough about it, it's really hard to describe, you have to watch an episode and then you'll understand what we do. We don't renovate like a house for a family, we affect communities, and we impact hundreds and 1000s of lives. And that's why we do it.
That's been a really special part of my life. It's outside of my acting, it's more hosting and building, so we build these projects all around the world, with the communities. It's about breaking through the language barrier and realising that no matter how many 1000s of miles separate us, cultures are different, it doesn't matter. We're all humans, helping humans. That's what it's about.
That concludes my interview with the lovely Nick Apostolides, and I thank him for the time he took to chat with me. You can keep updated on what Nick is doing in our big wide world by following him on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
The Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 remakes are available now on PC, PlayStation and Xbox.
Featured Image Credit: Capcom/Nick ApostolidesTopics: Interview, Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 4, Capcom