Back at Salt Lake Comic Con in
September 2014, I had the opportunity to spend some time getting to know actress,
producer, model and self-proclaimed “day brightener” Valerie Perez. Without
having any prior familiarity with her career, she graciously allowed me to
interrogate her with my journalistic curiosity. Her outgoing personality,
friendly disposition and upbeat sense of optimism quickly made her one of my
favorite guests at the convention.
“I do a fair amount of conventions
every year,” Perez told me. But, despite her recurring appearances at comic cons
and pop culture events across the United States, this was her first time coming
to Utah. After working with show producer Dan Farr on several occasions, Salt
Lake finally snagged her for the show in Fall 2014. By all indications, she
seemed to be enjoying her stay. “Everyone’s been so nice!” she said through her
practically permanent smile.
Perez is best known for her roles
as a butt-kicker in several hit web series. With roles ranging from serious to
satirical, Perez has appeared in web videos including “Universal Dead,” “Superhero
Speed Dating” and Nerdist.com’s “Justice League” videos, and she starred in
Atlantis Studios’ live-action comicbook series, “The Adventures of Paula
Peril.”
Becoming an actress was something
that Perez said wasn’t easy. “I wanted to do other things, because you’ve all
heard about how terrible it is to get into acting,” she said. “You have to be
pretty masochistic to want to take all that rejection. But then I realized
[that] I really like flexing those muscles of communicating with people.
“I grew up kind of a lonely kid,”
she continued. “So … feeling that great feeling of being heard and sending the
idea to somebody – filling up the space, if you will – feels really great. And,
as someone who’s always lived in their head, I really appreciate that because,
you know, I’m a computer geek. I really like the interaction and collaboration
and creativity, so… It’s kind of like going to the gym, working those muscles.
I’m working my communication muscles and they feel good.”
That hard work is paying off for Perez,
whose work was nominated for multiple Geekie
Awards in 2013.
In retrospect, Perez said that early
exposure to comicbooks helped inspire her career as a model and cosplayer.
“Wonder Woman is the reason why I picked up my first comicbook,” she said. “I
saw that reboot with George Perez – a beautiful montage cover. He drew her just
like my mom, and there was my name – Perez. I thought this book was made just
for me and it became my manifesto. That first issue, I re-read it every year
from the time I was eight until I was 18. She just blew my mind. … [There was]
this great sense of purpose I really identified with.”
Now, Perez has earned the
opportunity to don the iconic red and blue Wonder Woman costume for herself in
web videos for the popular geek culture website Nerdist.com. “I always was a
fan of Wonder Woman,” she said. “To be able to bring it to the next generation,
to help highlight what she is, it’s a great honor.”
Along with her classic Wonder Woman
costume, Perez also debuted a new, Marvel Comics-themed costume for the Salt
Lake convention: Gamora, of “Guardians of the Galaxy” fame. Perez said she had
a friend help her apply green body paint with meticulous detail in the early
hours of the morning so she could be ready for the event. “I love the colors, I
love the textures and I love being here with my Baby Groot,” she said, showing
off a miniature, potted version of the lovable wooden superhero that anyone
familiar with this summer’s blockbuster would appreciate.
In closing, Perez offered words of
encouragement to aspiring cosplayers and convention-goers. “To those who are
interested in cosplaying, feel free to try to celebrate your favorite mythos
and to celebrate your favorite characters that you don’t think get enough love.
It’s a lot of fun.”
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