Last week, I wrote about the remake of "Resident Evil 2," which was announced just before E3. This week, I want to talk about something close to my heart - even more so, possibly, than "Resident Evil"...because the only thing I care about more than the "Resident Evil" video games are the rights of the people making them.
"Resident Evil 2" centers around the story of two protagonists: Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield. Before he went on to be the roundhouse-kicking poster boy of the franchise after the explosive success of "Resident Evil 4," Leon was a wet-behind-the-ears rookie who spent as much time complaining about how "nobody listens to me" as he did taking orders from civilians, despite being the only cop alive in the police precinct.
After "RE2," Claire didn't see as much success. She next appeared in "Code: Veronica," my personal favorite of the series. Alyson Court, pictured above, reprised her role as Claire from "RE2." You might know her as Loonette the Clown from the kid's show, "The Big Comfy Couch."
Yep, that's her. She voiced a "Resident Evil" character.
In "Resident Evil Code:Veronica," the creators of the game had the chance to explore Claire Redfield's personality more than in the previous game. The character's resulting charm was in some part due to the game's above-average writing, but mostly it was Court who made Claire sympathetic and relatable. This was even more apparent in the endearingly campy "Resident Evil: Degeneration," a CG feature-length film in which Court once again reprised as Claire, opposite the boring, stony-faced post-"RE4" Leon. Later, she even played Claire in "Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City."
Alyson Court is one of the "Resident Evil" OGs. Aside from being the voice actor to play Redfield more consistently than anyone else, she's also worked in other voice acting roles for the franchise, as well as motion capture and voice direction roles.
Court isn't reprising her role in the remake of "Resident Evil 2"...not for creative reasons or schedule conflicts; Capcom has decided not to hire voice actors affiliated with unions.
Court posted this video to address the issue:
It could be there were other issues in production I'm not privy to. There could be more to the story - there usually is. If there is, I don't have access to that information. What I do know is that Court is a prolific, hard-working actor who has done a lot for Capcom over the years. As far as I'm concerned, she's the voice of Claire Redfield, one of my favorite video game characters since I was a teenager. No other voice actor has lent their talents to the characters of "Resident Evil" more consistently than Alyson Court. What Charles Martinet is to the "Mario" games, Alyson Court was to "Resident Evil." Regrettably, that relationship seems to have ended poorly, and I'm disappointed by that.
If it's true, and Capcom is now refusing to hire union workers, it's a shame. It's a fucking shame.
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