The Secretly Beautiful Stephanie Leonidas of Defiance on Comic-Con Fans
We like her even more in real life
By
We definitely don't suggest spontaneous proposals to actresses you don't actually know, especially after a moderator's casual warning in the very public setting of New York City's Comic-Con, but you can almost understand one fan's instinct last week after seeing Stephanie Leonidas up close and out of her alien makeup for the first time. Luckily the star of Syfy's Defiance (out now on DVD), in which Leonidas plays the badass Irathient warrior Irisia, only had to duck one such proposition during the panel for her exciting epic set in the ruins of St. Louis. We, however, kept ourselves in check as we chatted with the beautiful Brit about her show's growing following, meeting her fans in costume, and what movies make her "geek out."
ESQUIRE.COM: You look quite lovely out of your Irisia makeup, miss. And in general.
STEPHANIE LEONIDAS: [Laughs.] Thank you.
ESQ: Have you met anyone yet today who's dressed up as Irisa?
SL: I have. I've been very lucky to come across a few Irisas and I feel like I'm going to be out of a job soon if they keep doing it so well.
ESQ: What is that experience like?
SL: It's surreal. And they always tell me, "It's so surreal meeting you," but it's the same the other way. Seeing them dressed as Irisa, especially with the detail they put into their costumes, is incredible. That's what I love about these conventions. People really put a lot of work and time into their passions. I don't even know where they find the stuff. It's exactly like what I wear on the show: the chaps, the knives. I've been really impressed.
ESQ: Do they say what they love so much about your character?
SL: There's been a few different things people have said that have really stuck with me. One is that they relate with her as a young girl growing up with her father, and they related to the troubles that she's gone through with her father, and also related to the feeling of being an outsider and trying to find your place. Which we all go through, I guess. And on the other hand, they just love that she's pretty badass. Unlike me. I can barely say badass.
ESQ: If badass isn't your style, how do you get into that mode?
SL: It's funny, but as soon as I'm in costume I feel like a different person. If you were to ask me to speak as Irisa right now and do a few stunts I think I'd freak out. But as soon as I'm in costume, I feel invincible.
ESQ: What was your reaction when you got the role, but producers told you, "We think you're very talented, but we'd like to make you much less attractive. Basically if a Klingon and Thundercat mated"?
SL: [Laughs.] You know what, it's really freeing. To be able to be someone completely different, and to look in the mirror and not recognize myself underneath all that has really helped me build the character. I don't think I could think of Irisa as any other way now. I feel like we're two separate people. I can relate to what she goes through in parts, but she's completely different from me and I love the challenge of playing someone like that.
ESQ: Does hiding under the make-up keep you relatively anonymous to fans?
SL: Definitely. I arrive at the conventions and I could be anyone. People see me on the panel and think "Who is she? Who's that?" It's a nice feeling being able to do that; to completely transform. That's something that attracts me to any part, really. It's kind of my ideal role in that way.
ESQ: What would you do if someone came up to you dressed as you are now, as Stephanie, same outfit and everything, and politely said, "Hey, I'm a big fan"?
SL: That would be be cool. Wait no, strange. Not cool. Strange. I'm trying to picture that now.
ESQ: How do you like being embraced by sci-fi culture?
SL: I really love it. I feel right at home. It's very freeing to see the costumes and see people who are able to walk down the street and express themselves like that. I love it, and I love the party atmosphere that comes along with each Comic Con, just dressing up and really being able to geek out and talk to other people that love each of the shows. And it's great to meet loads of Defiance fans who want to talk about the show.
ESQ: If you were going to geek out yourself, what would be your show or movie?
SL: There'd be so many. Maybe something from The Dark Crystal. Or I always loved Back to the Future when I was younger.
ESQ: I actually went as Marty McFly for Halloween in high school.
SL: Oh, you'd be a good Marty! That must've been cool.
ESQ: Would you have gone as Jennifer, or would you aim off the map and go as someone like Doc or Biff?
SL: No, no. I'd want to be Einstein the dog. I'd go all out.
ESQ: I'd actually like to see that. So what attracted you to Irisa?
SL: Well even though I'm playing an alien, she goes through very human emotions. There's someone underneath all that who people can relate to, and that I could relate to in reading the script. It wasn't just this alien drama with people running around shooting guns and never exploring anything inside themselves. That's what really made it for me.
ESQ: And it sounds like you were a fan of sci-fi and fantasy.
SL: Definitely, and almost without even realizing it, you know. It was something I'd grown up with and loved, but it wasn't anything I ever envisioned doing. It's just something that happened and I feel really lucky to be doing it. A lot of the stuff I've done previously has been very drama based. Heavy, dark drama where I wore corsets. And this has some of those elements, but it's completely different. And action has been great.
ESQ: We're you surprised by how quickly Defiance caught on?
SL: Not at all. Even before the show aired we went out to last year's Comic Con in San Diego. Nobody had seen anything, but there were already people there ready to support it. And it's great to see those people come back this year and still be just as excited about next season. The support from fans has been incredible and I hope more people hop on this season, because it gets darker and it goes down a completely different route. I feel like it's evolved to what Defiance should really be and we're really excited about it.
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