In
each incarnation of “Resident Evil,” the filmmakers introduce elements of the
games that are most popular with hardcore gamers. “We pay a lot of attention to
what they say,” says writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson. “We listen to their
feedback. That’s why the dogs and the Lickers are in the franchise. It’s why
Jill joined the franchise. For “Resident Evil: Retribution,” we have added the
characters of Leon Kennedy, Barry Burton and Ada Wong. People were clamoring
for them.”
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| Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures |
The gamers’
enthusiasm for those characters meant the filmmakers had to be especially
meticulous in selecting the actors who would embody them on screen. “We took a
long time with the casting process,” Anderson adds. “We found actors who
brought these characters to life in a way that is as close to the video game as
possible. You have no idea how difficult it is to find someone who could carry
off Leon Kennedy’s hair. He had to be to be manly and have those long bangs.”
“I
think the parts of Barry, Leon and Ada are perfectly cast,” says producer
Robert Kulzer. “The actors have captured the essence of what people love about
their videogame characters, but at the same time, have made the roles
completely their own.”
Anderson
chose Estonian-born actor Johann Urb to bring the key character of Leon S.
Kennedy to life. Urb calls his character “a zombie-killing machine. He is a
survivor and the leader of the resistance. Things have gotten really dire and
we all have to team up to survive.”
Urb
says he loved the idea of playing an action hero. “The character is a real
dream for me. He’s strong, confident, a great leader, and he gets to shoot
zombies. He’s lot of fun and it makes it easy to wake up each morning and step
into his shoes.”
To
bring the role of Barry Burton to the screen, the filmmakers tapped
Canadian-born actor Kevin Durand. Familiar to audiences for such roles as
Gabriel in “Legion” and Martin Keamy in the hit television series “Lost,” Durand
embraced the opportunity to play the cigar-chomping zombie fighter. “It really
wasn’t a difficult decision,” says Durand. “Burton’s kind of a Dirty Harry type
of character that carries a big .44 Magnum and is really good at killing
zombies. How much fun is that?”
Another
character drawn directly from the game is the mysterious and deadly Ada Wong.
The filmmakers selected award-winning Chinese actress Li Bingbing to embody
Wong’s strength and intelligence, as well her ambiguous loyalties.
“We
knew as soon as we saw her audition that Bingbing was the perfect choice for
the role,” says producer Jeremy Bolt. “In addition to being an extremely
talented actor, she’s sharp, sexy and smart—all qualities that the Ada Wong
character had to have.”
Li
was honored to be chosen to play the alluring assassin. “Resident Evil is a
well-known game in China and Ada Wong has a lot of fans there,” she says. “When
Paul invited me to play the part, I think the fans were as excited as I was.”
The
most daunting component for Li was not the extensive stunt work, but having to
speak her lines in English. “At the beginning, I was very self-conscious,” she
admits. “I thought that if I just didn’t open my mouth, I wouldn’t make any
mistakes. But as I got to know everyone better, I became more comfortable. And
I was relieved to find that nobody laughed. In fact, they said ‘oh your English
is amazing!’ They made me feel like I was part of a very cozy family.”
“Resident Evil: Retribution” is distributed
by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.
Visit www.columbiapictures.com.ph
to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.
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