Interview With Brook Lee (Lead Judge from Call To Cosplay Show)

We had a chat with former Miss Universe and now judge for MYX TV "Call To Cosplay" show Brook Lee.  Brook talks about season 2 of Call to Cosplay, what's it like to be a judge on the show and of course cosplay. 

1. As a former winner of Miss Universe and being a host on plenty of shows, events etc., how did the opportunity to be a judge for Call to Cosplay come about?
I actually interviewed  George Chung, one of the producers and creator of Call to Cosplay on another show I did years ago out of San Francisco. It was on a show called Pacific Fusion and we highlighted his years of work with the San Francisco 49ers. We have stayed friends through the years and he called me up and asked me to come on board and I was happy to be working with him again.

 

2. Call to Cosplay takes 2 contestants and gives them a limited amount of materials and resources to create a costume. As a judge can you tell us what do you look for in the cosplaying?

Well I judge the photoshoot and runway segments which is more about performance and showmanship than actual construction of the costume or how well they use the mystery item. I was very upfront with George when he asked me to judge because I am not an anime expert or anything but he said he wanted me to just judge them from the perspective of are they selling it to me as someone who may not be familiar with the character...so that helped me a lot, sometimes in the Cosplay community and from what I hear about comments online...because I don't read them haha I heard they can be preeeettty harsh...but I'm looking for commitment to character, I'm looking for ability to really put all the drama of what it took to make it and what may have not gone right backstage behind them and really perform...because at the end of the day when they are out at a comic book convention no one is wondering HOW did they make those wings or weapon, they are just drawn to their ability to personify the character.

3. What can fans expect from Season 2 of the show?

Well one of this year’s judges, Johnny Junkers, was actually a winner from season one and he told me the second season blows the first away! So expect a lot more from the contestants and the costumes they come up with.

4. This concept of the show is very fresh and original. If we flip the switch and place you in the contestant seat instead of a judge, is there any character in anime, film, television, books or videogames that you think you can cosplay as in the time frame?

It's funny I get asked this quite a bit now...and I never even know about the gender bender genre of Cosplay till I judged the show and it really intrigued me, so I think doing a feminine version of Thanos who is a Marvel comic book character would be cool but I would have to get Marisa on my team cause I can't sew to save my life. Haha.

5. What are some of the biggest challenges being a judge on the show?
Judging Cosplay can be so subjective...and in my area of performance even more so...you want everyone to be able to win...and sometimes a costume may be superior in construction but the person just isn't personifying the character or it's just not translating...so it is hard. For me it's always about the performance. I get slammed a lot because people say the costume was so much better on the other person...but if it were just about the inanimate object of the clothing this would be project runway Cosplay is about bringing characters to life and paying a tribute to them...so it's important to not forget how to portray as well as construct.

6. Since this is a cosplay show, we have to ask what is cosplay to you and what made it appealing to you?

You know they one thing I have learned about the Cosplay community is they are a pretty tight knit group. Everyone kind of knows everyone and there is a camaraderie there that is endearing. I've seen Cosplay contestants compete one week then come back as an assistant for a friend who got on the show in a different week, it’s really cool to see how much of a community it is. Cosplay has really become such a phenomenon and fascination with the larger zeitgeist. And there have been other shows that have been produced that try to portray Cosplay as weird or fringe or "nerd" so I was proud to be able to be a part of a show that really shows the commitment and uniqueness that Cosplayers have and not trivialize the art form because it really is livable wearable art.

7. Can you give us a little preview of the next upcoming episodes?
There are only two more eps left in the season airing June 9th and 16th respectively. I don't wanna give it all away but the show on the 6th is a really great episode where everything is not what it might seem....and the show on June 16th is suuuperrrr creepy so don't watch it at night alone in the dark haha..

8. Finally how can fans reach you via Social Media etc.
I'm not the best on social media...I just had a baby girl a year ago and half way through the pregnancy in a hormonal rage I deleted my twitter account over some stupid argument I don't even remember with some pageant trollers haha...we have a Facebook page for the show or they can leave comments on the Crunchyroll feed...if they aren't too mean the team may show them to me hahah...