FANgirl Interview with Victoria Schmidt aka “Scruffy Rebel”
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| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | FANgirl Interview with Victoria Schmidt aka “Scruffy Rebel” |
| Interviewer: | FANgirl Blog |
| Interviewee: | Victoria Schmidt aka “Scruffy Rebel” |
| Date(s): | 2012? |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | Star Wars |
| External Links: | Victoria Schmidt aka “Scruffy Rebel” – FANgirl Blog, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
FANgirl Interview with Victoria Schmidt aka “Scruffy Rebel” is a 2012 interview with a Star Wars cosplay fan.
Excerpts
The obvious question is, how did you get involved in cosplay?
I got involved in cosplay back in 1999 when I had just started high school. The friends I made in marching band ran the anime club, which I joined, and they all cosplayed and attended conventions. They asked me if I wanted to go to Anime Expo that year, and I said yes. They asked if I was going to dress up, and I was like, sure! I’ve never stopped since then.
At WonderCon you posed as the Bishoujo Jaina Solo, which is a Star Wars collectible that will be debuting later this year from Kotobukiya. Can you tell us about this opportunity?
A couple years ago some companies started to hire cosplayers to pose and bring attendees into their booth instead of models hired to be booth babes. I love this! This year Kotobukiya jumped on board and asked for cosplayers to pose at their booth. I was eager for a chance to work with them, and it was a really great experience. I had a lot of fun modifying my suit to fit the way it’s drawn in the prototype art. Although I really didn’t think through how hard it was going to be to hold that pose, which I was determined to do. Thankfully I was only there for 2 hours, but I could barely move my arms afterward! They’ll have cosplayers at their booth for San Diego Comic-Con this year, and if they want me back, I already have a great idea for how to make it look like my hilt is suspended in mid-air.
What about Jaina Solo’s character inspired you to create her look?
There’s something about Jaina Solo that every fellow Star Wars/geek girl is drawn to. You read her stories and immediately think “hey, this is ME!” I find that a lot of the girls that love Jaina naturally have a good “look” for portraying her. So whether I’m wearing Jedi attire or the X-wing suit, I’m honestly just me… I don’t do my makeup that much differently than how I normally wear it, and I’m naturally a brunette and used to use my own hair for the cosplay, though nowadays I wear a wig as my hair gets rather flat and lifeless after a few hours.
What other doors has cosplaying opened for you?
Mainly cosplay has allowed me to meet many, many wonderful people who share a common interest, and that’s the main thing I think I love about cosplay overall! But cosplay has also given me opportunities to be an extra in movies, TV, and the Web. It’s also allowed me to start experiencing conventions as someone other than an attendee. Vendors are starting to hiring cosplayers to be at their booths because they know they’ll draw traffic into their area. What started out as just posing for pictures has progressed to me actually working with some vendors in advertising and selling their merchandise. And doing that has allowed me to meet and create relationships with those who work in the industry, whether it be someone at a major studio or someone at an FX house. Nowadays you really never know what doors might open for you when it comes to cosplaying.