Eduard Badaluta, the face model for Leon Kennedy in the Resident Evil 2 and 4 remakes, is calling on fan accounts to be deleted. In comments that have since been removed, Badaluta says these fans are running "piece of shit accounts", and says that he "doesn't need" fan accounts in the first place.
Some have respected his wishes, either switching to solely Leon Kennedy-based content or shutting down altogether. However, others have kept posting images and videos of Badaluta regardless, many of which sexualise the model.
On one post, Badaluta commented, "Delete this stupid account. I don't need a 'fan account'". On another, he says: "Delete this piece of shit profile."
Badaluta has since set his own account to private and his comments have been removed. Due to this, it isn't clear why he objects to fans running accounts based on his. However, given the type of videos he was commenting on, it's largely assumed that he felt uncomfortable with the sexualised nature of the content, and the comments beneath further objectifying him.
Fans had previously noted how Badaluta reportedly removed Resident Evil-related content from his own profiles, perhaps eager to distance himself from the role.
Going through these accounts, it's easy to see why they would make Badaluta uncomfortable. As well as sexualising him in the comments, many also mock his Romanian accent, constantly making memes out of the way he speaks.
On the whole, many Resident Evil fans are criticising those who appeared to make him uncomfortable, if this is indeed the reason behind his objection to fan accounts. They are critical of fans for being unable to separate Badaluta from the character he played, speaking about him in the same way they would speak about Leon.
This wouldn't be the first time a Resident Evil actor had to take steps to protect themselves online. Ada Wong actor Lily Gao had to turn her Instagram replies off after she was met with thousands of hateful messages when Resident Evil 4 Remake launched. Most of this stemmed from Gao being new to the games, with some in the fanbase using this as an excuse to harass the voice actor. In a statement, she defended herself, saying that her Ada "is a survivor" and calling out the racism she received. Similar to those refusing to delete their Badaluta fan accounts, some in the fanbase wouldn't listen, denying Gao experienced racism or any other kind of abuse.
It's not clear if Badaluta will make any kind of statement on the matter, or will just continue with his account set to private. It's also not clear if he will return for any future games, or if Capcom will seek a new face model.