Interview With Miracole Burns
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Cosplaying, Acting, Modeling, Make Up Artist and more and all around nerd. Miracole Burns has her hands in a lot of things. Check out our interview with her from comics, modeling and more this is one talented woman.
OtakusandGeeks.com: Let’s start from the beginning. Do you remember the exact moment you knew you were a Comic Geek?
Miracole Burns: Looking back in retrospect, I guess it would have to be picking my first Halloween costume at age 5. Instead of the typical fairy, witch or ballerina, I chose Wonder Woman. Who would have known that was the first step into a lifelong love affair with the Amazonian Princess and all things geek.
OtakusandGeeks.com: Superheroes has always had a big impact on so many people. When we talk to people who are into comics, they always say that there is one character that sticks with them. What character sticks close to you?
Miracole Burns: Jean Grey as Dark Phoenix without a question. While I love and admire Wonder Woman, among other great female characters, I feel Dark Phoenix reflects my personality the most. She is immensely powerful, conflicted, passionate, insane, and always teetering on the edge of being a heroine or destroying the entire universe. I always find it way more fun to portray characters that have a conflicted dynamic, more so then your basic stoic hero that is always a perfect role model. Don’t get me wrong, those characters are enjoyable to cosplay as well, but the conflicted characters always have more fun.
OtakusandGeeks.com: Let’s focus on the modeling aspect for a bit. How did you get into Cosplaying?
Miracole Burns: Superheroes are larger than life, always defend what’s right and look out for those who can’t protect themselves. I, along with a small group of like-minded friends, founded the non-profit superhero group the Heroes Alliance in 2005. Over the years, The Heroes Alliance has done all sorts of events; from helping local law enforcements with community events, to visiting sick children in the hospital to help brighten their spirits. Our little group has grown and now has branches that span across the US and the UK as well. Working with this charity eventually led me to attend comic conventions as a cosplayer.
OtakusandGeeks.com: What was your favorite character to cosplay as?
Miracole Burns: Rogue is by far my favorite character to cosplay. I’ve done almost every incarnation of her that isn’t the traditional green/yellow ‘Jim Lee’ version. I have 7 versions of Rogue in my costume collection. It’s crazy! Again, she is a powerful woman, who’s isolated from physical contact. It must be incredibly lonely and difficult to deal with the fact that physical contact with someone could kill them. Her power is both a blessing and a curse. I’ve always loved her southern charm and sassy attitude. As a character, she is truly a lot of fun to step inside of.
OtakusandGeeks.com: Which character was the most challenging to cosplay?
Miracole Burns: Oh my god. That would have to be Mystique. I did her for San Diego Comic Con in ’07. It took my dear friend Heath Hammond from Sideshow Collectibles 2 ½ hours to paint my skin. That’s just painting me blue like a smurf. That doesn’t include getting into the costume, putting in the full scelera contacts, gluing the skull to my head, brushing and styling the wig, etc. It is a very involved outfit.
OtakusandGeeks.com: We featured you as Cosplay Girl Of The Week for Black Widow. Can you tell us about the shoot?
Miracole Burns: I was in Chicago for C2E2 and the amazing Leonard Lee wanted to do a shoot of the costume. We had been trying to find a dynamic location to use as a backdrop and in the middle of this conjoined convention center was an amazing water fountain. It had multiple jets that shot 20 feet in the air and looked like the fountain was being strafed by gunfire. Leonard jokingly mentioned how cool it would be to actually get some shots in the water. Before he finished his sentience, I was ankle deep in the fountain. Thankfully we shot fast because security came by and chased us out of the pool in less than 3 minutes. It was totally worth it, as you can see from the pictures.
Miracole As Black Widow
OtakusandGeeks.com: Can you tell us on how you became an illustrative model? What is the experience like?
Miracole Burns: While doing charity work as a costumed super hero and attending Comic based conventions like MegaCon, DragonCon and SDCC, I met several amazing Comic Book Artists and would later become a reference model for several different characters and comics. Seeing myself embodied as the characters I grew up reading about and admiring has been the ultimate expression of flattery. It’s an electrifying experience being a part of such a collaborative and creative medium where you’re helping to bring your heroes to life. I even met my husband at one of these conventions randomly while at a dinner with mutual friends.
OtakusandGeeks.com: You don’t just model and do cosplay. You’re also a make-up artist and costumer that has worked on tons of shows, films and commercials. Do you have any advice for women looking to get into that field?
Miracole Burns: Last year I had the pleasure of working on ‘Fast 5’, ‘The Change Up’ and ‘Xmen: First Class’. I’m currently doing wardrobe for a new show on USA called ‘Necessary Roughness’ starring Callie Thorne and Mehcad Brooks. I would tell any young lady or woman to follow their dreams regardless of what it is they want to do. Don’t let other people’s negativity and cynicism stop you from believing in yourself. You can do what ever you put your mind and heart to. It won’t be easy, and it won’t always be enjoyable, but it will pay off doing what you love in the long run. Working in the Film and Television Industry is very hard work. The hours are long, the work can be very demanding, and sometimes personalities can be a challenge to deal with, but I find that the rewards far out weigh anything that I ever imagined.
OtakusandGeeks.com: Speaking of films and filmmaking. Tell us about the Avengers Assemble and how that came about.
Miracole Burns: Series writer and actor who plays Tony Stark Brian Godleski and my husband Chris who is a Producer and plays Hawkeye have been friends and collaborators for years. Brian had sent Chris a one off sketch of Super Heroes talking about Healthcare. Chris decided to produce the skit, but suggested that they create a web series and have the same characters attack a number of different topics. He and Brian then began creating scripts for the show. We shoot with a very small crew and almost everyone involved either works professionally in Film and Television or is a cosplayer. It takes a lot of work and dedication from everyone to shoot each episode. Many people where multiple hats. For example, I play Ms. Marvel on the show, but I also do Costuming, Makeup, Props, just to name a few things. My husband is a Producer, Co-writer, Actor, Casting Director, Locations, among all of the other things he does for the show and that’s while we both have full time jobs working on big budgeted studio films and tv shows. I love the show, it’s just very, very taxing.
Avengers Assemble Episode 3
OtakusandGeeks.com: Ready to answer some of our reader’s questions?
Miracole Burns: Of course! Love your readers!
OtakusandGeeks.com: Anon asked “Who is your favorite Comic Book Couple and why?
Miracole Burns: Rogue and Gambit with out a question. There’s nothing more attractive than the idea of a woman who is unattainable pursued by a good man with a dangerous and sordid past. And despite the dangers and physical limitations of their relationship, their love overcomes all. They are, and always will be, my favorite comic couple.
OtakusandGeeks.com: StarGirl asked “Did you ever have an outfit malfunction while doing cosplay?”
Miracole Burns: OMG! Have I ever. I was at Megacon in ’08 and debuted Black Widow for the first time. As I walked out on to the center of the convention center, I may have been out there for literally five minutes, the PVC on the spandex I was wearing was faulty and began peeling away very rapidly. And it was peeling away in a not so flattering area, my hiney! It looked as if I had farted the fart to end all farts. Luckily my girlfriend Emily was there as my handler and was shielding my bum as I made a mad dash to get back to the hotel room to examine the extent of the damage. Needless to say the suit was unsalvageable.
OtakusandGeeks.com: R4D4 asked “Name one planet you would love to visit from Comic Books?”
Miracole Burns: Mogo, the living planet from the Green Lantern lore. I mean how often do you get the opportunity to have a conversation with a living planet?
OtakusandGeeks.com: Here at OtakusandGeeks.com we really love gaming, anime, music, films, etc. Almost anything and everything can become a form of geekiness. Miracole besides what we already know. What are you secretly geeky about?
Miracole Burns: Wine! I love love love red wine. But maybe that’s not so much of a secret.
OtakusandGeeks.com: You have the floor promote, promote, promote!
Miracole Burns: You can see my work on my website at www.miracole.com, our web series ‘Avengers Assemble the Series’ starts airing Season 2 july 29th and can be seen at www.avengersassembletheseries.com, Watch “Necessary Roughness” on USA, go see Xmen: First Class, and lastly go support your local comic book shop! They love you and miss you!
OtakusandGeeks.com: Finally words of wisdom or inspiration for our readers.
Miracole Burns: Be Honest, be real, be a good person, love your job, love what you do, and most importantly love who you are!
OtakusandGeeks.com: Let’s start from the beginning. Do you remember the exact moment you knew you were a Comic Geek?
Miracole Burns: Looking back in retrospect, I guess it would have to be picking my first Halloween costume at age 5. Instead of the typical fairy, witch or ballerina, I chose Wonder Woman. Who would have known that was the first step into a lifelong love affair with the Amazonian Princess and all things geek.
OtakusandGeeks.com: Superheroes has always had a big impact on so many people. When we talk to people who are into comics, they always say that there is one character that sticks with them. What character sticks close to you?
Miracole Burns: Jean Grey as Dark Phoenix without a question. While I love and admire Wonder Woman, among other great female characters, I feel Dark Phoenix reflects my personality the most. She is immensely powerful, conflicted, passionate, insane, and always teetering on the edge of being a heroine or destroying the entire universe. I always find it way more fun to portray characters that have a conflicted dynamic, more so then your basic stoic hero that is always a perfect role model. Don’t get me wrong, those characters are enjoyable to cosplay as well, but the conflicted characters always have more fun.
OtakusandGeeks.com: Let’s focus on the modeling aspect for a bit. How did you get into Cosplaying?
Miracole Burns: Superheroes are larger than life, always defend what’s right and look out for those who can’t protect themselves. I, along with a small group of like-minded friends, founded the non-profit superhero group the Heroes Alliance in 2005. Over the years, The Heroes Alliance has done all sorts of events; from helping local law enforcements with community events, to visiting sick children in the hospital to help brighten their spirits. Our little group has grown and now has branches that span across the US and the UK as well. Working with this charity eventually led me to attend comic conventions as a cosplayer.
OtakusandGeeks.com: What was your favorite character to cosplay as?
Miracole Burns: Rogue is by far my favorite character to cosplay. I’ve done almost every incarnation of her that isn’t the traditional green/yellow ‘Jim Lee’ version. I have 7 versions of Rogue in my costume collection. It’s crazy! Again, she is a powerful woman, who’s isolated from physical contact. It must be incredibly lonely and difficult to deal with the fact that physical contact with someone could kill them. Her power is both a blessing and a curse. I’ve always loved her southern charm and sassy attitude. As a character, she is truly a lot of fun to step inside of.
OtakusandGeeks.com: Which character was the most challenging to cosplay?
Miracole Burns: Oh my god. That would have to be Mystique. I did her for San Diego Comic Con in ’07. It took my dear friend Heath Hammond from Sideshow Collectibles 2 ½ hours to paint my skin. That’s just painting me blue like a smurf. That doesn’t include getting into the costume, putting in the full scelera contacts, gluing the skull to my head, brushing and styling the wig, etc. It is a very involved outfit.
OtakusandGeeks.com: We featured you as Cosplay Girl Of The Week for Black Widow. Can you tell us about the shoot?
Miracole Burns: I was in Chicago for C2E2 and the amazing Leonard Lee wanted to do a shoot of the costume. We had been trying to find a dynamic location to use as a backdrop and in the middle of this conjoined convention center was an amazing water fountain. It had multiple jets that shot 20 feet in the air and looked like the fountain was being strafed by gunfire. Leonard jokingly mentioned how cool it would be to actually get some shots in the water. Before he finished his sentience, I was ankle deep in the fountain. Thankfully we shot fast because security came by and chased us out of the pool in less than 3 minutes. It was totally worth it, as you can see from the pictures.
Miracole As Black Widow
OtakusandGeeks.com: Can you tell us on how you became an illustrative model? What is the experience like?
Miracole Burns: While doing charity work as a costumed super hero and attending Comic based conventions like MegaCon, DragonCon and SDCC, I met several amazing Comic Book Artists and would later become a reference model for several different characters and comics. Seeing myself embodied as the characters I grew up reading about and admiring has been the ultimate expression of flattery. It’s an electrifying experience being a part of such a collaborative and creative medium where you’re helping to bring your heroes to life. I even met my husband at one of these conventions randomly while at a dinner with mutual friends.
OtakusandGeeks.com: You don’t just model and do cosplay. You’re also a make-up artist and costumer that has worked on tons of shows, films and commercials. Do you have any advice for women looking to get into that field?
Miracole Burns: Last year I had the pleasure of working on ‘Fast 5’, ‘The Change Up’ and ‘Xmen: First Class’. I’m currently doing wardrobe for a new show on USA called ‘Necessary Roughness’ starring Callie Thorne and Mehcad Brooks. I would tell any young lady or woman to follow their dreams regardless of what it is they want to do. Don’t let other people’s negativity and cynicism stop you from believing in yourself. You can do what ever you put your mind and heart to. It won’t be easy, and it won’t always be enjoyable, but it will pay off doing what you love in the long run. Working in the Film and Television Industry is very hard work. The hours are long, the work can be very demanding, and sometimes personalities can be a challenge to deal with, but I find that the rewards far out weigh anything that I ever imagined.
OtakusandGeeks.com: Speaking of films and filmmaking. Tell us about the Avengers Assemble and how that came about.
Miracole Burns: Series writer and actor who plays Tony Stark Brian Godleski and my husband Chris who is a Producer and plays Hawkeye have been friends and collaborators for years. Brian had sent Chris a one off sketch of Super Heroes talking about Healthcare. Chris decided to produce the skit, but suggested that they create a web series and have the same characters attack a number of different topics. He and Brian then began creating scripts for the show. We shoot with a very small crew and almost everyone involved either works professionally in Film and Television or is a cosplayer. It takes a lot of work and dedication from everyone to shoot each episode. Many people where multiple hats. For example, I play Ms. Marvel on the show, but I also do Costuming, Makeup, Props, just to name a few things. My husband is a Producer, Co-writer, Actor, Casting Director, Locations, among all of the other things he does for the show and that’s while we both have full time jobs working on big budgeted studio films and tv shows. I love the show, it’s just very, very taxing.
Avengers Assemble Episode 3
OtakusandGeeks.com: Ready to answer some of our reader’s questions?
Miracole Burns: Of course! Love your readers!
OtakusandGeeks.com: Anon asked “Who is your favorite Comic Book Couple and why?
Miracole Burns: Rogue and Gambit with out a question. There’s nothing more attractive than the idea of a woman who is unattainable pursued by a good man with a dangerous and sordid past. And despite the dangers and physical limitations of their relationship, their love overcomes all. They are, and always will be, my favorite comic couple.
OtakusandGeeks.com: StarGirl asked “Did you ever have an outfit malfunction while doing cosplay?”
Miracole Burns: OMG! Have I ever. I was at Megacon in ’08 and debuted Black Widow for the first time. As I walked out on to the center of the convention center, I may have been out there for literally five minutes, the PVC on the spandex I was wearing was faulty and began peeling away very rapidly. And it was peeling away in a not so flattering area, my hiney! It looked as if I had farted the fart to end all farts. Luckily my girlfriend Emily was there as my handler and was shielding my bum as I made a mad dash to get back to the hotel room to examine the extent of the damage. Needless to say the suit was unsalvageable.
OtakusandGeeks.com: R4D4 asked “Name one planet you would love to visit from Comic Books?”
Miracole Burns: Mogo, the living planet from the Green Lantern lore. I mean how often do you get the opportunity to have a conversation with a living planet?
OtakusandGeeks.com: Here at OtakusandGeeks.com we really love gaming, anime, music, films, etc. Almost anything and everything can become a form of geekiness. Miracole besides what we already know. What are you secretly geeky about?
Miracole Burns: Wine! I love love love red wine. But maybe that’s not so much of a secret.
OtakusandGeeks.com: You have the floor promote, promote, promote!
Miracole Burns: You can see my work on my website at www.miracole.com, our web series ‘Avengers Assemble the Series’ starts airing Season 2 july 29th and can be seen at www.avengersassembletheseries.com, Watch “Necessary Roughness” on USA, go see Xmen: First Class, and lastly go support your local comic book shop! They love you and miss you!
OtakusandGeeks.com: Finally words of wisdom or inspiration for our readers.
Miracole Burns: Be Honest, be real, be a good person, love your job, love what you do, and most importantly love who you are!
