Resident Evil Village fans have already met the face of Lady Dimitrescu but what of the individual who performed motion capture for the popular character?
That honor goes to actor Maggie Robertson who, in a recent interview with PC Gamer, revealed all about her time as the survival horror title’s villainess and how she remained blissfully unaware of how big her first major role was until turning up to the audition. Despite having no prior voice acting credits, Robertson likens the experience to that of black box theatre (a term used to describe minimalist acting on a largely empty stage) where the most important prop of all is imagination.
“It goes back to being a kid and using your imagination to create these fabulous worlds,” she tells the site, adding, “that feels like it gets at the real core of why I wanted to be an actor in the first place.” To nail Alcina’s mannerisms and movement that ultimately wound up in the final product, she reveals how the producers attached a large object to her helmet during filming to mimic the oversized hat that Dimitrescu is always seen wearing, stating that it wound up being integral to the performance. ” I played with the idea of her looking up at people under the brim,” she recalls.
As for the voice – which Robertson also provided – this ended up a blend of American and English accents, with the final result being a mid-Atlantic twang favoring the latter in order to accentuate the castellan’s aloof demeanor. Indeed, this personality trait is exhibited marvellously during an early scene where Mother Miranda gathers all four of her children, resulting in Alcina and her scruffy brother, Karl Heisenberg, trading verbal insults.
Resident Evil Village is available now for Xbox One, Series X|S, PS4, PS5 and PC. If you’ve yet to pick up the acclaimed sequel, see here for WGTC’s review, or alternatively, hit the link below for PC Gamer’s full interview.