Resident Evil’s Nick Apostolides Lost Consciousness Playing Leon

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Nick Apostolides, known for playing Leon S. Kennedy in the recent Resident Evil games and Resident Evil Requiem, shared a story about once fainting while performing the role because he was giving it his all. Even his fellow actors were surprised to hear how dedicated he was to the part.

Over the years, several actors have portrayed Leon in the Resident Evil series, including Paul Haddad, Paul Mercier, and Matthew Mercer. Currently, Nick Apostolides is the voice and face of Leon, having brought the character to life in four projects: Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil: Requiem, and the animated series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness.

Resident Evil Actor Passed Out Playing the Role of Leon

At a MegaCon Orlando panel, voice actor Nick Apostolides, along with some of his Resident Evil co-stars, shared a surprising story about his early work on the series. He revealed that while recording the voice of Leon S. Kennedy in Resident Evil 2, he became so immersed in the performance that he actually lost consciousness. Apostolides explained that he sometimes used cranberry juice to create the appropriate sound effect when Leon was injured, but his dedication went further. Being relatively new to voice acting at the time, he pushed himself so hard to achieve the right sounds that he unintentionally choked himself and fainted in the recording booth.

The actor shared that he’d been recording for about four hours, intensely performing as Leon S. Kennedy, which involved a lot of yelling. To achieve the right voice, he even choked himself with his hand. After such a long and strenuous session, he felt lightheaded from lack of oxygen and passed out, falling to the floor in the recording booth. The director initially thought this was just part of the performance, but quickly realized something was wrong when the actor began twitching and became pale. Thankfully, he recovered quickly and was more concerned about whether he’d damaged any equipment in his fall. He advises against anyone trying his method, but he’s happy the performance made it into the game Resident Evil 2.

It’s been seven years since the remake of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil: Requiem, so sound actor Apostolides has probably developed safer methods for his work. However, bringing game characters to life is often physically demanding for actors, whether it’s just recording voices or doing full performance capture. Jake Thomas, who played a role in MindsEye, even damaged his voice from all the screaming and yelling his character required.

While Apostolides’ experience was particularly severe, voice actors frequently risk injuring their voices while working on video games. Many have spoken about the strain it puts on their vocal cords. A 2022 survey found that 73% of voice actors believe video game roles demand intense vocal performance, and 20% reported trouble recovering afterward. It’s demanding work, and thankfully, Apostolides avoided any lasting damage.

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2026-03-24 08:04