Capcom: What was it like to inherit the role of Wesker?
D.C. Douglas: That is a great way of putting it, inheriting the role. Yeah, it was nerve-wracking at first. I mean, at first I didn’t realize that I inherited the role the way you put it. I didn’t know the role was that big and that there were that many people out there that loved this game and this character because it was Umbrella Chronicles that I first came aboard.
It was also kind of a rocky beginning because the producers wanted me to be a little more like Peter Jessup, who just previously performed it, who is a wonderful actor and has a very specific thing. So I worked as best I could for that voice in Umbrella Chronicles. I don’t think I did that great, but people seem to be happy with it.
Then they brought me back for Resident Evil 5, and that’s when I realized how big this character was and the honor that it was. I was actually inheriting the role from Richard Waugh, who I had known about, but I thought I was going to be doing Peter Jessup when I went into those sessions. The very first recording they played was Richard Waugh and said, “This is what we want you to do.”
So it was a quick learning curve on trying to incorporate his voice style, merge a little bit of Peter Jessup’s, and also throw in my own thing when I could. And then of course the character is evolving through this game, so there’s a whole new territory of his voice. Now that I’ve done so many conventions and fans always ask me to do the voice, I think it has actually mutated again just because I’m always saying it to fans. It’s an honor; the longer he’s dead, the more popular he becomes, which is fascinating.
Capcom: Why is Wesker such an enduring character?
D.C. Douglas: There are some just archetypal things happening with him. He has those classic story elements—the villain, the antihero—and he started as such a regular person in some respects and with each game just kind of evolved into essentially a god. When you follow a journey from 1996 to his death, it’s going to get ingrained in that fanbase beautifully.
When you feel that you’re at a loss in your life and you’re playing the game, you find this character who is so badass, looks very good, and you start to identify with the dream-wish to embody some of his qualities. I think that’s how he kind of got under the skin of so many fans. Also, he just says all the things that you want to say when you really want to—forgive my language—slap somebody. He does it with his words and a sneer, and that kind of badassery is not going to die easily.
Capcom: When reading through the Wesker scripts, what was the strangest dialogue?
D.C. Douglas: You basically don’t get to see the stuff until you get in there. Even then, sometimes you don’t even know what order it is in or what the context is; they have to help you along as you’re recording it. Most voice-over for video games is like that—you have to fly by the seat of your pants.
A lot of times you don’t realize the line is bizarre until you’ve moved on a couple pages and then you go, “Wait, what did I just say? I’m taking over the world? I’m changing all humanity?”
But I mean the weirdest one was when Liam O’Brien directed Resident Evil 5. At the end of one of the sessions, he goes, “I’m just gonna throw a couple of lines at you: You will give me an egg.” I was like, “That’s funny!” and he said, “No, say the line for real.” I did about 15 variations of it: “I require an egg,” “You would give me an egg…” Like, what is this egg?
It’s actually kind of funny—I refer to that line in one of the little fan videos where I crossed my Mass Effect character, Legion, with Albert Wesker. You guys should check it out, it’s the Legion-Wesker Alliance.
Capcom: What did you think when you learned Wesker was going to die?
D.C. Douglas: At the end of it I’m like, “Hey, thanks for the great character and bringing me on right when he dies!” But hey, it’s Capcom, you never know. Actually, I’ve done five titles as that character since then, so there were several others that came on after Resident Evil 5.
It was neat to know that I got to keep coming back to him, like doing a really hyped-up version of him for Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Who knows what else may happen in the future? Fingers crossed since Capcom is the one asking me this!
Capcom: Do you think there’s a chance that Wesker could come back?
D.C. Douglas: Yes. There’s always a chance. I mean, it’s creativity; you can write in anything. I’m not even gonna talk about how he could possibly come back, but there are ways. You can go on your own website and read through all the threads because people have so many different theories. Pick one of them, start writing, and then call me!
Capcom: What is it like when you meet Wesker cosplayers?
D.C. Douglas: I did a film called Apocalypse Kiss, an indie production where the producers were fans of Albert Wesker. They offered me the role of a serial killer. The character wasn’t necessarily Wesker-like, but since I had six months to get ready, I actually started to bulk up and get in shape because the character had a nude scene.
When we got close to production, I emailed them and said, “Since you guys are big fans, why don’t we do some allusions to him? Like, why don’t I dye my hair blonde?” He wrote back in all caps: “YOU WOULD DO THAT?!” So if you find the film, that character is a little bit of an homage. I dyed my hair, dyed my eyebrows, got a suit, and got a tan.
That was my version of cosplay. During downtime on set, one of the producers, Carmela Hayslett, asked if we could do a little cosplay thing. We found a trench coat and glasses, and I’ve actually cosplayed Wesker while doing the voice—that’s on YouTube as well. When I meet other cosplayers, I think the effort put into the outfits is amazing. Some have the jawline and everything—I’m so jealous of that jawline!
Capcom: What’s been the most memorable fan interaction?
D.C. Douglas: Somebody once sent me a thumb drive that had 30,000 pages of fanfiction about Albert Wesker along with several gigabytes of other stuff. That is commitment to the character and the franchise! I haven’t gone through all 30,000 pages yet, but wow.
I also find it funny because I’m an on-camera actor too, but I’m usually not recognized until I go to these conventions. Then all of a sudden, I’m a rock star for two days before going back to my regular life reading for “Cop Number Five.”
I remember in Belfast, a girl was literally on the verge of tears trembling. I gave her a hug and whispered, “It’s lovely to meet you,” and she literally just fell to the floor trembling. It was like, “Wow, this character really has an effect on people.”
But I will say, I’ve gotten letters from people talking about how they went through an illness or a rough time, or they didn’t have friends at school, and playing these games helped empower them. To hear that my portrayal of that character helped them through a rough period is the dream of an actor—to know that I actually had some part in affecting them for the better.
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