Image Source: SaltWire

Josh Cruddas, who stars in the newest edition of the Resident Evil film series, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, based on the second installment of the iconic game series by the same name of Resident Evil, reflects on how was his preparation ahead of playing his character Ben Bertolucci in the movie,  which despite receiving a mixed-negative reaction from critics as well as fans is doing a pretty good job for the studio at the box office, as on 24th November alone it made $2.5 million, which is a lot for a film like Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, at least when compared to the rest of the film’s released as a part of the Resident Evil live-action film series.

"Ben was a character that I was familiar with before I taped for it, but I honestly didn't go back before the tape to the games because I know there's a really fine line. There's another actor who played that character in the games. It's not just a robot, it's another actor voicing this character, and then eventually doing mo-cap for the remastered, the remake. I was like, I don't want to copycat another actor's performance. That's not what I'm here for. The script's completely different. The character, even in the script, you read it and you're like, 'Okay, they are kind of expanding him a bit and expanding his world, while also making some cool, creative choices.' I really wanted to give my own take on it," Cruddas said to The Direct, during a recent interview, explaining that while Ben Bertolucci has his important aspects from the game that the audience is enjoying in him being carried forward from it, but at the same time he has tried his best to also give his bit into the character and not coping from his previous version’s played by other actors, while providing him justice. 

"The fact of the matter is, I've got ginger hair! In the game, there's no Ben Bertolucci with ginger hair. They were smart about that. Obviously, this game is iconic and you have all these other amazing actors playing all these other iconic characters, but there's room for a bit of here's a guy we know, but we're going to not subvert expectations, but keep people on their toes. Introduce a little more blood, pun intended,” he adds, talking about the fact that how the filmmakers have gone about in differentiating the character from his version seen in the game.

He continued, further elaborating a huge difference between the game’s version of Ben and film, where in live-action movies “there is a desperation” in him to find the truth and uncover the mystery behind the Raccoon City. "You watch these movies and yes, there's not a stereotype, but a bit of an archetype of these characters that has the truth and is a sympathetic character, but there's also something maybe a little bit off that you don't immediately trust them and there's a reason for that. Certainly, I think Ben, when we meet him in the games and when we meet him in this movie, there is a desperation that comes with knowing the truth and having people stonewall you for years, or however long it's been. He has to get the message across, and it's a fun journey."

"I've known about the movie series for a long time, but also the games. As I keep saying to everybody, I could never play them as a kid because I was always too terrified, but I've loved them as an adult. “I'm one of those people that gets scared watching Paw Patrol, so this wasn't the world I'm sunk my teeth into for hours at a time. I've been lucky to work in a lot of horror movies, so even after filming them, reading the script, the same with this one. I still get scared. Jump scares always work on me. I'm never desensitized. It was a bit tough to fully immerse myself in it again. But yes, in order to get the spirit of the games, you have to play them, but you have to immerse yourself in the script too," Cruddas also touches upon the fact that how much appreciation and love he always had for when he was a kid for Resident Evil games but, the actor also recalls that he was “terrified” to play them because he used to get very scared every time he played the game.

The actor describes playing with Raccoon City Police Department (RPD) rookie, Leon S. Kennedy as someone with who he has enjoyed playing a lot with as a character in the game. "Playing with Avan, who is so good as Leon in this movie. Finding our relationship and getting that cooking. Once that homework is done, you can just show up and play. It's a blast."

"At the end of the day, the first six movies are iconic in their own way, but this one takes us back to 1998. We're seeing the origin stories of all these characters we've come to love from the games. It's very familiar, but it's quite a different vibe from the other ones. It's much scarier I think than the other ones. There's still amazing action. The DNA of the Resident Evil games has really been built into this movie,” Cruddas concludes, emphasizing that the latest addition in the Resident Evil film series has one major difference from its predecessors that is it all together has a “different vibe.”