There aren’t many actresses that can wear layers of prosthetic make-up but still have you fall in love with their character, but Stephanie Leonidas does it in style.
As Irisa in Defiance, Leonidas is indistinguishable from her English rose looks and charm by portraying, for lack of a better word, a hardass. She’s a fan favourite and is one of the reasons why it has such a strong following worldwide. Attend any comic convention and there’s a good chance you’ll catch a fan cosplaying as the Irathient.
With previous roles in British television and a busy 2014 still ahead of her, Leonidas is certainly one whose star continues to shine. I caught up with the talented actress with a few questions and you can see how it went below.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am one of four brother and sisters. Three of us are actors and one sensible one (ha) is a school teacher. I’ve acted since I was fairly young, starting out in musical theatre. I’ve been fortunate in being able to play some very gritty twisted roles through TV, film and stage. I currently play the red headed fiery alien, Irisa on Syfy’s Defiance.
When did you realise that you wanted to act for a living?
I think it was just something I always enjoyed. One of my favourite early memories is of me sat in front of a mirror with my mum’s black eyeliner and using it as a lipstick. I loved the way it completely changed the way I looked.
How did you approach such a unique role in Defiance? Surely all of that make-up would have taken some getting used to!
What Syfy does best is reflect our world back to us, and I love that. So playing Irisa, it was important to make her somebody that people could relate to despite her being an alien. Every part of my makeup and costume helped me create who she was and it surprised me how quickly I felt comfortable in her skin. There were moments at first though that I thought my forehead prosthetic would just look like I’d had a huge amount of Botox! Haha.
The Defiance fanbase are definitely a dedicated bunch, what do you think it is about the series that attracts such a fantastic following?
The fanbase is extraordinary, they’ve been really supportive. I think Defiance has a great range of very strong characters, it’s setup in a really interesting, strange but familiar world with an intriguing set of circumstances. And also, we have a great team of writers that spend a huge amount of time creating the mythology, the languages and the history of the different alien species. But in Defiance the stories are still very human and relatable, there’s real heart to the series.
What drives you as an actress? Is there anything that really inspires you?
I love telling stories. I love reflecting life back to people and hope that it touches them in some way. Watching good films and theatre keeps the passion alive. I love discovering new directors and actors.
If you had to choose, would you go for stage or screen?
I could never choose. I’m really enjoying working on film and TV at the moment, but I love going back to do theatre, I love the rehearsal time and the discipline it gives you.
You’ve previously attended Comic-Con, do you have any fond memories from the conventions?
I have loads of great memories from all the comic-cons I’ve been to! They are amazing events and there are great things to see there, but the best thing by far is the fans who attend, they are incredible. They have this huge passion for the shows, comics and films, and seeing the way they come together to celebrate their favourite things is always really enjoyable. I have to confess that I’m most excited when I see someone dressed as Irisa though. Ha!
What other exciting projects you have coming up soon?
There is a film called Luna by Dave McKean, who I made Mirrormask with, coming out very soon. I’m just starting work on an independent film called Tomorrow, being produced by Scorsese about a guy that comes home from Afghanistan and how he deals with that through new friends he meets. I’m also off to Morocco later this year to film the new miniseries Killing Jesus.
And finally, for the uninitiated, why should we be watching Defiance?
Defiance is Syfy at its best! Aliens learning to co-exist on this new planet Earth, alien languages, CGI, a game linked to the show and a great cast – what more could you want!
Defiance Season 2 airs on Thursday 18th September at 9pm
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