attention: The main spoilers of the first season of Resident Evil.
The new Netflix series Resident Evil takes place in two time frames: in 2022 and in 2036 after the T-virus devastated the world. In 2022, Jade and Billy Wesker, the young twin daughters of Albert Wesker (Lance Reddick), move to New Raccoon City in South Africa, a seemingly utopian corporate city where Umbrella is headquartered. There they meet Simon, and although both have problems with the transition to a new school, they also have much more serious problems.
As Jade and Billy, with Simon’s help, unearth their father’s mysterious past and Umbrella’s own dark affairs, they end up discovering much more than they ever expected. After Billy is bitten by a zombie dog, the trio must cope with an impending infection while simultaneously uncovering a large-scale conspiracy that threatens the end of the world.
Screen Rant met with Tamara Smart, Sienna Agudong and Connor Gosatti to talk about everything related to Resident Evil, including how the Doberman scene was filmed and what it was like to enter the world of the cult franchise. Gosatti also speaks about the fate of his character at the end of the first season.
Screen Rant: Connor, what a bummer way to go outside. Did you know in advance? What was your reaction when you found out?
Connor Gosatti: It’s actually funny. Sienna told me about it because she had seen the whole script and I hadn’t seen it yet, and she asked: “Do you want to know what’s going on with you?” And I’m like, yes, tell me, tell me. She’s like, “You’re going to die.” And [then] she’s like, “And your mom shot you.” I mean, I just couldn’t think of it in a million years, so it was actually very exciting for me when I heard. I was looking forward to being able to pull this off, but yeah, obviously something of a bummer. But hey, life goes on… Not for Simon, but…
Sienna, I feel like Billie has the most difficult transition in New Raccoon City, and then on top of that, she got bitten in the first episode. Could you tell us a little bit about what it was like to shoot a scene with a dog?
Sienna Agudong: There’s nothing you can do to prepare for something like this. You can sit there as long as you want, listen to music or write whatever you need. But you arrive on the set, and then there’s a guy in a green suit who kind of pulls you, and it has to be this bloody, bloody Doberman. But to be honest, it was very strange, because I was very nervous when I shot this scene. Obviously, this is a huge fear of Resident Evil. But Tamara and I were in that scene. I think it was so much fun to play. Although we didn’t have much time. I remember that.
Tamara Smart: Yes, it was a night shoot. And we only had this place for the night. And we were very clear and tired.
Tamara, Jade is stubborn, optimistic, she gets what she wants, even in the future. What was it like to immerse yourself in this role? Have you studied Resident Evil?
Tamara Smart: I’ve studied Resident Evil a bit. I watched people play games and dug into the Wesker family and their legacy, but mostly I started from the outline of her character in the script and then kind of built it. I think it was very interesting for me just to have this fresh, non-standard character that was mentioned before, but you don’t know her.
It was a lot of fun to add my little twist to it, and it was so much fun to adapt to her and make her a really passionate girl who just knows what she wants, because I think it’s really different from what you usually see in a horror thriller. And I think it also gives a comedic look to the scary scenes because she’s like, “What the hell is going on right now?” and I like that it’s really fun to play with.
Both of your characters have future doppelgangers, and it was incredible how much you both looked like them. Have you and Sienna worked with other actors?
Sienna Agudong: We were definitely trying to buy time, but it was difficult on and off the set because when we were working, they weren’t working, and vice versa. But we had time to watch each other in the table reads. We both met with our senior personalities just to sit down and talk about certain manners that you share.
Tamara Smart: Yes, I think that just for the four of us it was about finding the perfect balance and just adding something the same and just making it authentic and not super-repetitive. It just kept reality alive. And I think we did that by keeping a lot in common in our relationship in both timelines, which was really helpful.
Resident Evil: synopsis
The year is 2036. 14 years after spreading Joy brought so much pain, Jade Wesker is fighting for survival in a world overrun by bloodthirsty infected and mind-blowing creatures.
