Armageddon Expo 2026: Talking Resident Evil's Lady Dimitrescu with Maggie Robertson

Lady Dimitrescu and Baldur's Gate 3 actress Maggie Robertson is just one of the talents appearing at the Armageddon Expo in Auckland over Anzac weekend. She talked to us about the game she'd love to make, the reaction to THAT character and how gaming changed her life.

Hi Maggie, how are you? Have you ever been to New Zealand before? 

I have never been to New Zealand before, but as a HUGE Lord of the Rings fan, it has been a dream destination of mine for years! Needless to say, I am very excited to get a chance to visit and fully plan on being that guy spouting all the useless facts from the movie (did you know that Viggo really broke his toe!??!) and crying over the beautiful world of Tolkien made real in wonders of New Zealand. 

You've had an incredible run of years in the gaming world, how has that felt?

Being a part of the gaming industry changed my life. I am forever grateful to be a part of such a wonderful community of, not just the creators & actors making the games, but also the fans that love and support them. I think the gaming community is a very special place and I’m so honored to be a part of it. 

How did you get started in the industry and were there any particular titles that really inspired you?

I kinda fell into the world of gaming by accident when I booked the part of Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village. I didn’t grow up playing video games and had no intention of getting into games because I didn’t really know they existed. But Resident Evil changed my life, set me on a completely different path, and built a career for me overnight. I never expected any of this to happen— I was just happy to be working & paying the bills!

You've obviously become known for Lady Dimitrescu. Could you please just talk us through how you approached that role, and how you felt first seeing the script and the realisation of the character?

I had just come from finishing a grad program in classical acting (think Shakespeare) and doing theatre, so a lot of Lady Dimitrescu felt familiar to me. She lives in similarly heightened spaces and I was drawn to her use of language and the way she’s able to really weaponise language to exert control over everyone around her. So, it was important for her to have that outward elegance, but we also needed to be able to sense the true potential for violence and danger running underneath that polished exterior, and I think it’s those contradictions that make her so dynamic as a character. 

She obviously went viral - from erotica to memes, what's your take on the life she achieved and why do you think that it was that it happened - was it ever something you imagined would become a reality?

Lady Dimitrescu is very special to me— I often call her “my first born.” And one of the beauties of creating art is witnessing how audiences change and deepen and continue to breathe life into a character you’ve created. So, to me, Lady D really does feel like this living, breathing thing that’s ever-changing, ever evolving, and ever growing as we, the fan base, continue to grow and deepen our relationship to her. To have a character that has been able to have such a lasting impact on fans and bring new people into the franchise, has been really special. 

What's the craziest fan mail you've ever had after one of your characters were released? 

Oooh, I don't know, but I will say that I have some insanely creative and talented fans out there and I always love seeing the ways they bring their unique creativity to these IPs. 

Have you ever actually found yourself dropping spoilers for the games you've been part of? And what's been the hardest secret to keep for the titles you've been in?

Oof— I sure hope not! That would be my nightmare. Video games are notorious for their NDAs so we have to be pretty tight-lipped about everything that we work on. But it certainly was challenging to still be under NDA for Resident Evil while witnessing Lady Dimitrescu become this viral sensation taking over the internet. That one was definitely hard to keep quiet about, ha!

Obviously, there's been a lot of talk about game artists not quite getting the recognition they should - can you talk to us a little about your feelings on that?

Ultimately, we are actors and voice acting is still Acting. And with that comes craft and training and artistry. But I think we’re seeing a shift in gaming as a whole where, as our games become more story & narrative centered, it relies on better and better performances to tell those stories, so both developers and actors are starting to receive recognition for the real artistry that goes into making a game. It is truly a collaborative process, so it’s great to see everyone’s hard work get recognized. 

You've interviewed other gaming actors as well - has there been an interview you've loved doing and is there a talent you'd love to chat to?

I haven’t ever interviewed anyone officially, but David Hayter and I had a fun time interviewing each other for the Future Games Show last year. I always find it fascinating to hear how different people get into video games or even just into acting/voiceover as a whole. There are so many different pathways one can take in this industry and I always find it inspiring to hear from someone who arrived here from a different path than my own. 

What games are you playing at the moment and looking forward to?

Sadly, I’m not a gamer myself (I just run into walls, I’ve tried), but I do love watching the cutscenes of games when they come out. 

Who do you admire in the gaming industry?

So many people, so many of my amazing co-stars and cast-mates! It feels like everyone who makes games truly loves it. Ahhhh  - don’t make me choose!!

Obviously, the God of War TV series is filming at the moment, do you have any part in that at all that you can share?

Ha, no, but excited to watch once it comes out!

What game would you love to have been a part of - and conversely, what would be your ideal game pitch to make?

Ha, well I suppose, being the LOTR dork that I am, anything in relation to that franchise would be a dream for me. And as for a game pitch… I actually do have one that I’d like to make, but I’m not going to share it here!

Do you enjoy the conventions and seeing people embrace the characters you've created - and what's been your most favourite interaction and why?

I really don’t think Lady Dimitrescu would be who she is today if it weren't for the fans, nor any of my  other characters. The fans are what make the video game industry so great— there’s so much passion and love for the genre that it inspires me every day. It is my honor to steward these beloved characters like Lady Dimitrescu or Orin the Red from Baldur's Gate 3 and be able to give back to the fans for what they’ve given me. 

So bring on the cosplays! And bring me your dogs!

Armageddon Expo runs in Auckland over Anzac weekend from April 25 to April 27. For more info, head to armageddonexpo.com

What's on Neon in May

Here's everything that's streaming on Neon in May 2026.

Stalked (May 4)

Powerful new Sky New Zealand Originals documentary series Stalked will air over three consecutive nights next month on Sky Open, premiering on Monday, 4 May at 8.30pm, with all episodes available on NEON from this date.

 

Across three gripping episodes, Stalked presents the experiences of women from across Aotearoa whose lives were profoundly affected by stalking, shining an unflinching light on the early warning signs of stalking, the patterns of obsession and escalation, and the systemic failings that have left victims unprotected, often until violence erupts.

 

When series presenter, mental health advocate and content creator, Jazz Thornton (The Girl on The Bridge) receives obsessive messages from a stranger overseas, she initially dismisses them as harmless until the man travels to New Zealand and appears outside her home. As she frantically calls police, she discovers a chilling reality: in New Zealand, stalking is not a criminal offence. In Wellington, Zeni recounts how a brief teenage encounter escalated into over a decade of harassment and threats, while on Great Barrier Island, Tessa reflects on a relationship that descended into extreme coercive control and kidnapping.

 

As these women take their experiences into the public sphere – from social media to Parliament – Stalked tracks how growing awareness translated into public and political momentum, contributing to the upcoming reform of the nation’s Crimes Act, which will see stalking introduced as a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment this May.

 

Reform may be here, but for Jazz, Zeni and Tessa, the price should never have been this high.

 

Stalked is a WORKPARTY production made with the support of NZ On Air, directed by Justin Hawkes (Dark Tourist, Patrick Gower: On…), and Executive Produced by Hayley Cunningham (The Jaquie Brown Diaries, Dancing with the Stars NZ), Charlotte Hobson (Live and Let Dai, The Traitors NZ), Ian Hart (Dark Tourist, Taranaki Head), and Jazz Thornton.

 

Stalked will air on Sky Open across three nights: 4th, 5th and 6th May, with all three episodes available to stream on NEON and Sky Go from 4 May.

Good Boy: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Indy the dog, Shane Jensen
Director: Ben Leonberg

Pushing a concept as far as it can go works wonders for indie horror Good Boy.

But if you're averse to open-ended films that are reliant on your own interpretation, perhaps this won't be the film for you.

Told from a dog's-eye level (not a point of view or perspective), it follows a dog who accompanies his owner to a cabin in the woods after his owner's unspecified medical issues and an apparent rift in his owner's relationship.

However, once the pair arrives at the cabin, the pup begins to see and hear things, and fears his owner's life is in danger from something other than illness.

Good Boy is an incredible piece of film-making thanks to its lead performance of Indy. For a creature that can have no direct understanding that it's in a movie, the work done by the dog is just second to none, and utterly intuitive.

At its heart, the film appears to be an exploration of the impact of illness, dressed up in a supernatural elements story. As his owner is consumed by sickness, the house becomes more active and the supernatural jolts more pronounced. And while some will complain there are only so many times you can show a dog upset by a bump in the night, with a lean 72 minute run time, director Leonberg more than delivers.

Wtih themes of loyalty and friendship, and some genuinely terrifying moments thanks to a carefully constructed delve into fear (at one point, the dog wets itself), Good Boy has an interesting trajectory at heart - what if the person you care most about can't be saved?

It's perhaps pertinent that by setting the film at a dog level and also by hearing things that humans can't, the film gets more out of the haunted house premise than a simple fright-night flick may have done. Plus, making the hero a dog immediately brings audiences on side and emotionally invested.

However, director Ben Leonberg isn't interested in throwing that care and commitment away with just easy and cheap thrills. There's a real heart here that's given beating life by Indy's performance and a human story that cries out for exploration.

If you buy into the premise and the exploration of an animal's loyalty, plus the very real fear of losing that, Good Boy is an utterly compelling and original film that demands to be seen. It's a singular experience given life by its main actor - a very, very good boy.

Good Boy is now streaming on Shudder

Lee Cronin's The Mummy: Movie Review

Cast: Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, with Veronica Falcón.
Director: Lee Cronin

The latest iteration of the horror franchise takes on new meaning with the director of Evil Dead Rise at the helm.

The young daughter Katie of a journalist disappears into the Egyptian desert without a trace. Eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.

There's a vicious nastiness in Lee Cronin's vision for the return of The Mummy and its something that's as insidious as it is upsetting.

But Cronin deploys a devilishly slow build-up to events that uses a plethora of nightmarish imagery, tropes and ancient mythology to create an atmosphere of extreme unease throughout.

From child-catcher grooming to Exorcist moments and Evil Dead homages, the film revels in its horror edges and its desire to take things seriously and studiously pays off in swathes.

Creaking, cracking sounds, a teeth-chattering husk of a seemingly locked-in child - this is a movie that employs a soundscape that's at another level in setting you om edge.

Yet once again Cronin uses the fracture between sisters (as he did in Evil Dead Rise) to make for truly upsetting moments and tensions throughout.

With dry, arid vistas and an oppressive palette mixing with extreme close-ups, there's no way to escape the claustrophobia of what's on screen. And thankfully, the film stays away from the camera excesses of the Brendan Fraser boys' own style romps that spawned a swathe of nostalgia.

It's not all perfect - a wake teeters very closely on going OTT rather than using chills and Jack Reynor's performance as the dad who was the last to see his daughter isn't quite as compelling as it could be.

But for the large part, the 'We need to talk about Katie' mentality works terrifically well and the idea of how a family curse manifests is fascinating and horrifying to behold.

Dark, disgusting and devilish, Lee Cronin's The Mummy is an absolute frightfest that will haunt your early morning hours long after you've seen it - whether you want it to or not.

Balls Up: Movie Review

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Paul Walter Hauser, Benjamin Bratt, Sacha Baron Cohen
Director: Peter Farrelly

A film from one half of the duo behind There's Something About Mary and Dumb and Dumber about a condom being launched in the upcoming World Cup doesn't really endow its audience with much hope.

However, in this borderline unfunny piece that salvages only a few laughs from unexpected moments, hope is abandoned within the opening sequence, which sees Paul Walter Hauser's marketing executive Elijah try to pitch a new condom for the upcoming FIFA festivities by unveiling the fact that it covers both the penis as well as the testicles.

As the room watches on as Elijah stumbles and fumbles his pitch to his own company, one of the assembled employees bemoans, "What is happening here?", a sentiment which soon becomes the key mantra for a film that sees a naked Benjamin Bratt swing on a rope while aroused and sees one man being forced to suck out a vampire fish which has gone up another's penis.

Depending on how you read the above sentences will very much lead you to your own conclusions about whether this is a movie for you. For those looking for humour, it is not; for those seeking broad debased laughs that are as scattered as they are scatological, they will be rewarded.

When Brad (Wahlberg) and Elijah (Hauser) score an own goal with their condom pitch, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory during a meeting with Brazilian authorities, they're fired. But having been granted a couple of VIP passes to the World Cup Final, they decide to go anyway.

However, during a last-minute pitch invasion by a drunken Elijah (Hauser's character is unsurprisingly uptight), the entire nation of Brazil turns on them after losing the game to bordering neighbours Argentina. Forced on the run, the "Os Stuipdos", as they're dubbed by media, try to flee the country with their lives.

Farrelly's sense of direction lurches from one absurd moment to the next, with nary a pause in the script for any serious laughs or character development. Having cut his teeth on broader fare, he's reticent to divert from the usual MO - but even this time, the gross-out laughs feel forced, fraught and fairly unfunny. 

While the banter between the bickering Brad and Elijah is brought to life well by Wahlberg and Hauser, the lurching script does too little with their obvious comedic potential and even throws in another Sacha Baron Cohen character that's forgettable. (One of the finer moments of the film sees the pair doing a karaoke version of Gotje and Kimbra's infamous song.)

Ultimately, this is one film that actually leaves you feeling exactly as its title intended - it's a Balls Up from beginning to end.

Balls Up is streaming now on Prime Video.

Solo Mio: Movie Review

Cast: Kevin James, Nicole Grimaudo, Alyson Hannigan, Kim Coates, Jonathan Roumie, Julee Cerda, Julie Ann Emery, Alessandro Carbonara

Director: Chuck Kinnane, Dan Kinnane

If you’re expecting a goofy Kevin James to bust out the larrikin behaviour in Solo Mio, you’ll be sorely disappointed.

In it, he plays sad-sack elementary school teacher Matt Taylor, who believes he’s found the one in Heather. After a pitch-perfect proposal in among the kids, he and his fiancée head to Italy for their wedding. But to Matt’s horror, he’s left at the altar, smiling and hopeful as his other half makes a run for it.

Deciding to carry on with the honeymoon in the mistaken belief that she’ll return to him, Matt becomes part of a travel group of other couples, all of which appear to be having their own issues. From a bickering duo who’s on their third go-around after divorcing each other twice to another who are both picking at each other, Matt finds he’s not sure he fits in.

But after a meet-cute with Gia at a local café, the pair strikes up an easy friendship that follows the usual pattern of opposites attract. Will Matt mend his broken heart and take up a new life?

Solo Mio isn’t interested in presenting a film that deals with the emotional depth and fallout of break-ups, unexpected or otherwise. It’s a strait-laced, faith-based film that’s aiming for the feelgood factor and is more likely to land with people untroubled by complications in life or in cinema.

That said, with some beautiful scenery around Italy and a depth from Kevin James that’s truly delightful and different, the film manages to balance some of the more uneven edges of what plays out – including the male duo that befriend and ill-advise him on his life journey.

Disappointingly, Alyson Hannigan is massively underused in a film that’s more around the hijinks of Matt and his buffoonish honeymooner buddies. Thankfully, the directors never resort to sending James to the kind of depths he’s explored before in the likes of Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

Solo Mio is a thoroughly pleasant film, the kind that grandparents would be happy to sit through – however, its lack of bite and emotional depth at times proves to be a major missed opportunity to provide a film with definite conflict and a hint more of investment.

Fuze: Movie Review

Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Sam Worthington, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Theo James
Director: David Mackenzie

The discovery of a World War II bomb at a building site in downtown London is the ticking fuse that lights a fire under Hell Or High Water director Mackenzie's latest - but thanks to choppy editing, most of the suspense is sucked from the premise.

As the police seal off and evacuate the area (led by Mbatha-Raw's deadpan Chief Superintendent), a military bomb defusal squad, led by Taylor-Johnson's clearly-got-something-to-prove Will Tranter steps in. But as soon as the area is cleared, a heist of a nearby bank begins...

Meshing the kind of cliffhanger twists you'd get in a pulpy Netflix "watch another right now" thriller with the kind of absurdism viewed in the likes of Trigger Point, Fuze deploys its propulsive touch to maximum effect - even if the final third of the film tries to pack more twists than you'd ever think plausible.

Some, however, work, but the ledger's very strongly stacked in favour of the deliberately deployed for the sake of the story.

But perhaps that's part of the proposed thrill of this - Mackenzie's movie doesn't stand still long enough to allow you to consider its contrivances. And certainly, the cross-cut editing, jumping from one scene to the next, allows you little time to deeply engage with the characters.

From scenes in a command centre which follow Exposition 101 to doubts at the bomb site via shady goings-on and thieves falling apart, Fuze ticks all of the genre tropes while using them to stack a story in a different way.

Yet, it's debatably a failure - albeit one that zips its way through perfunctory set-up and execution.

With cursory dialogue serving up pernicious pieces of back-story, the narrative falls into a trap of overloading the bases before showing all of its cards in one final go. It's a move that sadly doesn't work for bomb-thriller heist Fuze, proving this is more damp squib than highly explosive.