Cosplayer Spotlight: Northern Bell Rogue

We sit down with the beautiful and talented Northern Bell Rogue for this weeks Cosplayer Spotlight.

Droids: This week we have a treat for our fellow geeks! We get to sit down with the beautiful, Northern Belle Rogue! Thank you for sitting down with us for an installment of Cosplayer Highlight!

Rogue: Thank you so much for havin' me Sugah!

Droids: Easy/typical questions first. What was the first convention you attended? What was the most memorable part of that convention? Rogue: The first convention I attended was the last Wizard World convention held in Toronto. I went in my Sailor Jupiter costume and I met Toby Proctor the voice of Tuxedo Mask. I'd had such a huge crush on Tuxedo Mask growing up so I definitely did my inner child proud. Funnily enough years later we would work together through Fan Fiction the Show in their Sailor Moon Edition. He played Tuxedo Mask and I Sailor Jupiter, we along with the other four scouts read out various pieces of fan fiction and it was a great time!

Droids: Is there a cosplay you will not do? If so, and Why?

Rogue: I've learned never say never. I had previously said I'd never do Harley Quinn and since then have done a "Roguey Quinn" and "Dr. Harleen Quinzel". I think where cosplay is concerned the sky is the limit.

Droids: What was your favorite cosplay costume that you've done so far?

Rogue: Hmmm tough call. My Jim Lee Rogue suit is probably my most iconic cosplay and one that I worked on and revamped the most until I was satisfied with it. Rogue is a character I've always strongly identified with, and the fact that my name is in fact Rogue definitely helps that. She's also the character I've done the most versions of both canon or crossovers and hybrids. Due to the nature of her powers its easy to think "What if Rogue held onto... [insert fun character here]". I've done this with creations like The Rogue Thing, Star Sapphire Rogue, Rogue Carnage and the list goes on.

Droids: Do you have a favorite convention? If so, which one is it, and why?

Rogue: No matter what convention I've gone to I've always managed to have a good time. Atomic Lollipop is a fun convention as they focus a lot of interactive games and challenges for attendees.

Droids: What was the hardest costume for you to make to date? What made it so difficult?

Rogue: The hardest costume to make thus far was probably my Warrior Queen Elsa, and to be honest I'm not completely satisfied with it. I've already got upgrades and different plans for the next time I debut this. What made is difficult was really just inexperience working with armour. Up until this point I've stayed primarily with cloth or spandex based costumes and so working with foam for the first time was challenging. That said, I'm excited to continue working on improving these skills and creating other armour based cosplays.

Droids: Is there a cosplayer that you look up to for inspiration?

Rogue: My inspiration generally comes from within or the character that I want to portray. I've been performing in various fashions (acting, modeling, stage combat, tour guiding etc.) ever since I can remember. I love to bring characters to life and tell stories or explore concepts much like the Rogue cross overs I mentioned previously.

Now that said I do have cosplayers where I admire their work and sometimes if I'm having difficulties I turn to them for advice. Don't Panic Cosplay has been my major cosplay partner over the past four years, we met at our very first Fan Expo. We were both at the end of line to meet Stan Lee, and both dressed as Rogue. It was an instant connection and she has made many of the costumes I've worn such as the Messiah CompleX version of Rogue, the Sue Storm suit, my Melody Cat suit from Josie and the Pussycats and of course the diner uniforms from 2 Broke Girls. With regards to photography and editing Soul Studios (https://www.facebook.com/Soulgfx/?fref=ts) has been a huge influence and is exceedingly talented. With regards to video and youtube management I seek out the genius of Sean Ward of The Sean Ward Show. Of course at the end of the day, ever my mirror, sounding board and partner is Cajun Cosplay. He's helped me with everything from helping to create props, lace corsets, take both photos and video footage and at times cosplay my counter parts such as Gambit or the Beast to my Belle.

Droids: Is there a Con that you have not gone to yet but aspire to do so?

Rogue:I've not been to any conventions outside of Ontario, Canada although there are a few on my list that I'd like to go to such as Dragon Con and of course SDCC at least once. That said though I would love to visit a lot of different international conventions but also being a student it just isn't feasible at the moment. Who knows what the future holds though!

Droids: Is there anything else you want to add about cosplay or yourself in general or perhaps promote something that may not have already been covered?

Rogue: Cosplay is a definitely a show stopper. During just during conventions but when you get caught on the street by the, as I affectionately call them - "the muggles" in costume it's amazing the kind of impact you can have on someone's day. A smile and a wave from their favourite character and the ear to ear grins are infectious. I like to channel this for a good cause with an organization I founded with my colleague Don't Panic Cosplay. Together as Northern Panic we host events in the city, in cosplay. These events have include "Cos-Skate for a Cure" where we raised money for Cosplay for a Cure, our annual "Cosplay City Clean Up" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM4Un4_FmGA ) where we go to Allan Gardens and clean up the park while in costume and for the past couple years we've also been doing the Terry Fox Run. Our next event, if it will get cold enough here in Toronto (how crazy it is to be February with no Snow!) is our Cos-Skate and Clothing Drive (https://www.facebook.com/events/1047912255274470/) but if the weather is against us then we will simply host the Clothing drive at our following event the annual Cosplay City Clean Up (https://www.facebook.com/events/887567254630178/)!

In addition to creating cosplays myself I also work quite frequently with ArtistiCurves where together we bring to life characters through the medium of body paint. Jim is an incredible artist and has helped me create what I think is some of my best work to date. These paints usually take 4-5 hours for the full body paints, others such as the Terminator where it's pieces rather than the whole body were closer 2-3 hours. We've done characters like Sheik from Legend of Zelda, Anck Su Namun from The Mummy, Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy, Mileena from Mortal Kombat, and many others! We've also dabbled with gore creating moments from the series Saw. Jim is a great person to work with and really helps me get in character. He even provided a real scalpel for the Saw shoot, so that fear in my eye... one wrong move and pop! We're always trying new concepts and just recently we completed Hellgirl which was a lot of fun. We've already got our next paint shoot set up for the end of March and I'm rather excited for it, it'll be the first time since Terminator where we go back to a machine look. ;)

Droids: It was an absolute pleasure sitting down with you! Congratulations on your continued success as an amazing cosplayer!

We hope to see you at a Convention some time!

Thank you for the interview! It was lovely chatting with you. I do hope our paths cross and if you see me make sure to say hi! ^_^

Northern Belle Cosplay - Rogue Benjamin Actor. Model. Combat. Cosplay. Charity Events. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NorthernBelleRogue Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/NorthernBelleRogue Website: http://www.northernbellerogue.com

MM: http://www.modelmayhem.com/northernbellerogue

ArtistiCurves - www.artisticurves.com Don't Panic Cosplay - https://www.facebook.com/DontPanicCosplay/?fref=ts Sean Ward Show - https://www.youtube.com/user/TheSeanWardShow

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