Exclusive Interview: Josh Cruddas Chats Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City

Josh Cruddas is a multi-hyphenate artist who has been making his mark in the entertainment industry for over a decade.

Currently, he can be seen in the highly-anticipated Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Josh about his career, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, and bringing this iconic gaming franchise to life.

PC: How did you discover your passion for storytelling?
Josh: Great question! I think it was fairly early on. We were a big theater and music family when I was growing up. My sisters and I started making short comedy films when my parents bought me a digital camera. I loved writing, performing, and editing those, and I think they subtly gave me the idea that people do this for a living.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Josh: So many people honestly. I remember watching Antonio Banderas in Spy Kids and thinking he was the coolest guy ever and wanting to be like him in movies. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite turn out with the same looks or accent, but movies like his and teachers and mentors like my parents, my piano teacher Diane Krochko, and actors I worked with as a young man—like Nigel Bennett and Steven Sutcliffe—really forged the way for me. My parents are always supportive, but I also surround myself with good, talented, long-time friends like Chris George (who blessed me with a killer feature on my new album), Taylor Olsen, and Andrew and Emily Coll—whom I’ve been making movies with since we knew what movies were!

PC: You’ve had a lot of success in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Josh: The first time I ever made a paycheque from acting: working with my sisters as the von Trapps in Marcia Kash’s The Sound of Music at Neptune Theatre in Halifax. That was a real thrill and a double-take moment. I thought, “Some people really get to do this crazy, amazing thing for a living!” It makes me nostalgic for doing musical theater. I haven’t done it in so long, and I’m willing the world to let my friend Sara Waisglass and I star in a musical somewhere! Preferably Seussical!

PC: How has your experience as a writer, musician, and composer made you a stronger actor and vice versa?
Josh: Great question. I think they inform each other a lot. Writing music for movies has given me an amazing perspective on how films are actually made and how the whole process is way, way bigger than me, an actor, thinking I’m somehow important! When I’m on set, sometimes my “composer mind” will put things into the context of how they’re going to edit this scene and what’s really important to get across in terms of the story. Something else that has really changed the game for me is another job I am so fortunate to do: teaching acting and music to kids. Being a teacher and finding new ways to reach these young people where they’re at has given me back my ability to just play—to improvise and have fun on a set—even if it’s a high-stress, big-budget production. The kids also keep me grounded by saying things like that my mouth looks like a weasel—so that’s helpful to keep the ego at bay too.

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City

PC: Tell us about Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Josh: Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a super spooky and fun horror film. It’s an origin story involving the characters, places, and stories of the first two games we all know and love. It’s set in 1998 and follows some key characters on a fateful night in Raccoon City.

I get to play Ben Bertolucci, an investigative journalist who knows some hard truths about what’s happening in this small American town but is stonewalled in his efforts to find someone who believes him—until he meets Claire Redfield.

When my amazing agent Meagan Allison-Hancock sent it my way, I was immediately so excited to be a part of it. What video game fan doesn’t want to be in a video game movie?! Super grateful to Sara Kay for thinking of me for the part of Ben.

PC: You’re a fan of the gaming franchise. Did that bring any pressure to this project?
Josh: 1000%. I wanted to give respect to the games and do right by the fans who have been waiting patiently for a Resident Evil movie that draws its stories and characters directly from the game world. So, I think the whole team absolutely knocked it out of the park in that sense, and I’m super proud to be a small part of it.

PC: The sets are incredibly immersive. How did that help you get into character and embody this universe?
Josh: Oh man, it was so helpful! I was terrified on those sets! The hair and makeup SFX work on our zombies and monsters were incredible, and of course, the actors nailed it just like our production designer Jennifer Spence and costume designer Jennifer Lantz did! The sets made me want to run back to my trailer ’cause I’m a scaredy cat, so props to the whole team on that!

PC: If you could pick a song off your debut album Variety Show to include in the Resident Evil franchise, which would it be and why?
Josh: I love this question! I’m not sure if any of them would fit perfectly, but I think an amazing, ironic choice would be the lead single, “Be Alright”—an upbeat, positive pop song with a catchy chorus. I just love the idea of it playing on top of an absolutely insane, desperate zombie munch-fest montage. I think it could honestly work stupidly well.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Josh: Love Is Blind. Marry me, Giannina!

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Josh: Galaxy Quest. Not a guilty pleasure. I just love it.

PC: Favorite book?
Josh: My car’s owner’s manual. A horrific answer, I know.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Josh: The Lion King. I haven’t seen it yet, but I just know it is.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Josh: Céline Dion. She’s the best of all time.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Josh: Really hoping the rat from Ratatouille will be available!

To keep up with Josh, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City in theaters now.

Photo Credit: Vita Cooper