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Leon Kennedy Voice Actor Says Metallica, Nirvana Helped Shape His Performance for the Resident Evil Character
Nick Apostolides, the voice actor behind Leon Kennedy in Capcom's Resident Evil remakes, has revealed that heavy metal and grunge music helped shape his portrayal of the character across different games in the series. Speaking in a Cameo video to a fan in July 2026, Apostolides explained that he uses music as a deep source of inspiration to get into the right mindset for his performances, tailoring his listening choices to Leon's age and tone in each instalment.
Apostolides said he listened to Nirvana while recording Resident Evil 2, finding the band's "grunge, rock energy" suited a younger Leon, though he admitted he didn't think too much about it at the time. For Resident Evil 4, he named Alice in Chains as a "huge" influence, citing tracks such as Them Bones and Would. For Resident Evil Requiem, in which Leon is at his oldest, he turned to classic 1980s Metallica, particularly the song Orion, praising its heavy riffs and rhythms. The revelation follows Apostolides' earlier comment this month that Capcom cut what would have been his favourite line for Leon in Requiem.
In short
- Leon Kennedy actor Nick Apostolides shared his character-prep music choices
- Nirvana inspired RE2 Leon, Alice in Chains inspired RE4 Leon
- Classic Metallica shaped his performance in Resident Evil Requiem
Explained simply
Leon Kennedy is a character in Resident Evil, a long-running series of horror-action video games made by Japanese company Capcom. The character appears across multiple games in the franchise, ageing as the series progresses.
Nick Apostolides is the voice actor who provides Leon's voice in recent Resident Evil remakes. A voice actor performs the dialogue for video game characters, shaping how players experience and relate to these fictional people.
Apostolides has revealed that he uses music to help shape his vocal performances, selecting different styles based on Leon's age in each game. For a younger Leon, he listened to grunge bands like Nirvana, whilst for an older version of the character, he drew inspiration from heavy metal acts including Metallica.
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