How This Voice Actor Found Out They Were Albert Wesker In Resident Evil
The first "Resident Evil" is still widely considered one of the best entries in the franchise, introducing several key characters like Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Albert Wesker. You'd think a person who played one of the scariest villains in one of the greatest horror video games of all time would know that they were in it, right? Well, it turns out that isn't always the case. Pablo Kuntz voiced the role of Wesker in the original "Resident Evil," a character who went on to be the primary antagonist for most of the "Resident Evil" storyline — only Kuntz didn't know it until decades later.
"Resident Evil" originally released in 1996, but according to an interview with GameRant, Kuntz didn't know he was even in the game until just three years ago. The only information that he was given during his time with Capcom was that his character was the leader of an elite special forces unit called S.T.A.R.S. He didn't even know Wesker was the bad guy until he was reading his lines. After his brief stint in the recording booth, Kuntz changed career paths and didn't really think about the part for years.
A fan helped Kuntz rediscover his role in Resident Evil
Kuntz went on to found a company called Unique Japan which serves as a retail outlet for Japanese sword makers, Ikebana artists, and various other Japanese manufactures so that their wares can be sold internationally. He also has a YouTube channel where he showcases several of the products available through his business. It was here that a fan commented on his first video examining a katana, asking if he was the voice actor who originally played Albert Wesker.
During an interview on the "Let's Talk Resident Evil" Podcast, Kuntz described the discovery. "And I'm like ... Where's that name from? I recognized it ... So, of course, I do this search online on Albert Wesker ... and then I just see all these video clips or audio clips of the game."
It's clear from the way he talked about it that Kuntz had no idea just how big the franchise had become in the last twenty years or how pivotal Wesker had been to its success. Kuntz also commented on how most of the information online credited Sergio Jones, the voice actor who actually played Brad Vickers in the game, with portraying Wesker. He laughed about the poor quality of the voice acting in "Resident Evil 1" and joked that maybe he should "let Sergio get the heat for this one."
Ultimately, Kuntz decided to embrace his old role. He has posted videos on his channel in which he and his son, Lexonal, play through the game and reenact some of Wesker's most infamous lines.