Grace Ashcroft, the freshly minted protagonist of Resident Evil Requiem, has all the makings of a great video game scream queen. She overcomes immense adversity even while suffering a severe anxiety condition and she's the new face of one of the most iconic franchises in horror gaming. Capcom has yet to outright confirm she'll return in future Resident Evil games, but the actor who portrays her seems to think she will.
Grace actor Angela Sant'Albano recently took home the Golden Joystick Award for Best Lead Performer, and with Resident Evil Requiem having won Ultimate Game of the Year, it was a big night for the actor. We caught up with her during the event, and she shared her hopes for the future of Grace Ashcroft.
"I would really love to see how her relationship with Leon blossoms," Sant'Albano tells us. "I think we have a beautiful mentorship, almost brotherly, sisterly relationship brewing. And I also want to know what happens with her and Emily." Sant'Albano says she's developed a close friendship with Emily actor Emma Rose, and she wants to see Grace take on "a more maternal role and see how she carries that forward."
Throughout the absolute nightmare that Grace endures through Resident Evil Requiem, she evolves from a state of anxiety-induced paralysis to having just enough confidence to shakily defend herself with a gun, and Sant'Albano is looking forward to seeing her reach her full potential, even if she'll never be an action hero like Leon Kennedy.
"I don't think she'll ever be a Leon character. She's never going to be badass, you know, doing roundhouse kicks," she says. "But I do think her courage and her self-esteem will grow the more that she trusts herself and forgives herself for a lot of the things that I think tie her down. So I think there's a long way to go with her."
Resident Evil Veronica, a remake of Code Veronica, is the next big Resident Evil game to come after Requiem, and I think it's safe to say we won't see any Grace Ashcroft. Capcom has yet to reveal the next mainline installment, but after Sant'Albano's win at the Golden Joysticks, I think I can speak for Resident Evil fans everywhere when I say she's a fan-favorite to return in later entries.
