#Jessica nigri lollipop chainsaw series#

We went on our own accord, we wanted to go for fun. I look at BlizzCon as a challenge I can push myself to do.

Why was it so important to go to BlizzCon in a new costume? Grasshopper Manufacture, Jessica Nigriįor most of the film, we see you sacrifice so much time, energy, and even health to make one outfit. Left: Jessica Nigri as Juliet, the protagonist of the 2012 video game 'Lollipop Chainsaw.' Right: The cover art of the game. Nigri knows there is a life for her after cosplay, but she’s never leaving it either. As proven by her contemporaries, like Yaya Han and Linda Le, one could become famous (read: make a living) solely through cosplay. “For a lot of people in the community, it’s more of a personal endeavor, to push yourself,” she says. For most enthusiasts, cosplay isn’t a stepping stone into Hollywood cosplay is the thing. Nigri’s celebrity is a rarity in cosplay.

#Jessica nigri lollipop chainsaw series#

A stint as a freelance online personality followed, along with a recurring role on the popular animated web series RWBY. That only led to more sponsored gigs, for games like 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and 2014’s Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z. In 2012, Nigri won an IGN contest to become the official cosplayer for the pulp video game Lollipop Chainsaw. In 2009, Nigri skyrocketed to internet fame when she went to San Diego Comic-Con as “Sexy Pikachu.” Photos went viral in the nascent days of the mainstream succumbing to the revenge of the nerds, and Nigri’s sultry tongue-in-cheek take on the anime mouse was a prologue to what would be her signature. With a massive change in plans and only a week left, viewers witness the caffeine, the sleep deprivation, and self-doubt that so often fuel fervent hobbyists to reach the finish line. Set on the road to BlizzCon 2017, a massive gaming convention (attendance: 35,000) cosplayers consider an annual red carpet for their outfits, Becoming Jessica Nigri follows its subject struggling - and ultimately, failing - to complete her dream costume, opting for an alternative.

Becoming Jessica Nigri, directed by Mat Hames that premiered Friday on Rooster Teeth’s digital platform FIRST, gives fans and curious parties an intimate, sometimes difficult look at the highs and lows of being a cosplayer through the perspective of arguably its biggest homegrown personality. It’s incredible when they’re driven by passion.”Ī self-taught costume maker, Nigri’s career is built on a constant internet presence, but a new documentary is the first time she’s opening her doors.

“Think about the skills they acquire to represent this thing they love: Makeup, woodwork, armor builds, all because they like something a lot. “I’ve never met more die hard fans than cosplayers,” Nigri tells Inverse in a phone interview. With over 8 million followers across social media, the 28-year-old from New Zealand (now living in Arizona) is one of the most prominent faces of cosplay, a portmanteau of “costume play,” in which fans dress in homemade outfits based on fictional characters. She isn’t the first to do so, but even in 2018 very few people who love anime, video games, and sci-fi can say the same. Jessica Nigri makes a living by being a fan.