Shannon McRandle, mais conhecida por ter dado forma física ao personagem Mara Jade, um dos mais queridos e interessantes do Universo Expandido (EU), foi investida como membro VIP/Honorário — e primeira senhora — do nosso clube no passado mês de Janeiro. Nessa qualidade acedeu gentilmente a ceder-nos uma entrevista, que publicaremos em dois artigos separados, a começar hoje.
Nesta troca de impressões ajudaremos a tornar mais conhecida a personalidade de Mara, perdão, da Shannon, e o seu papel na galáxia STAR WARS. Acima de tudo o que mais apreciamos nela são as suas simpatia, candura e honestidade, patentes nas palavras que trocou connosco. Tal como na entrevista com o nosso VIP nº 1, Steve Sansweet, manteremos o diálogo no original Inglês.
SWCP: Shannon McRandle, better known for lending her beautiful image to one of the most cherished STAR WARS characters from the so-called Expanded Universe (EU), that of Mara Jade, has recently been invested as SWCP, STAR WARS Clube Portugal's VIP/Honorary member #4, our first lady in this role.
In this interview we will help you get acquainted to Mara, sorry, Shannon, and her role in the STAR WARS galaxy. Shannon, thank you very much for accepting our invitation to join the SWCP, the first officially un-official STAR WARS club in Portugal and also for finding the time to answer a few questions.
SHANNON: Thank you for asking me.
SWCP: First, please tell us a little about you. Who is Shannon McRandle and how did you start getting involved in STAR WARS?
SHANNON: I am a model and make up artist. Currently, I have three children and a husband in the Navy. We live in Virginia Beach, Virginia which is in the souteastern part of the U.S. We have two doberman Pinschers and a house that is too far from the beach to make me happy! I first got involved in SW in 1999 when Decipher cast me as the model for Mara in their Collectable Card Game. No one knew how large her fan base was until the response came in from the first set of cards.
SWCP: Did you have any previous knowledge of STAR WARS before being contacted by Decipher, Inc.? I mean, were you aware of its potential as a cultural, worldwide, phenomenon? Did you even suspect what you were getting into after you said 'Yes'?
SHANNON: I saw the original three movies along with he rest of the world, but was not as big a fan as a great number of people are. I knew there were comics and books out there, but I didn’t follow them. No one knew what I was getting into, least of all me.
SWCP: What memories do you retain about the whole process of becoming 'Mara Jade'? Was it hard work? Did they ask anything specific from you, as a model?
SHANNON: I read Tim's books and a handful of comics to prepare. I thought I should know who she was to be able to look as much like her as I could. Tim Zahn told me a great deal about what was in his head when he was writing her... so, after I met him, I had a new perspective. The first shoot with the dark side outfit was the hardest because it took a long time to get the shot they wanted. They had already drawn up the look of the card, and I had to match it. I also hated the hairstyle they had me wear. It was so LARGE and unattractive. The worst shoot was in the dancer's outfit because the art director wasn't nice to me on set and asked me to do things I felt were very 'un-Mara' like. The other shoots were fun.
SWCP: Did Decipher, or Lucasfilm, let you have any of the costumes or props used in the photo shoots? If not, would you like to have had the chance to?
SHANNON: Decipher has everything. Lucas didn't even get any of it to keep. Decipher wasn't very happy with anyone after they lost their SW license. I didn't really need any of them. I don't collect anything. But I think Lucas or at least Steve Sansweet should have gotten to keep a few things- just so they would be remembered properly.
SWCP: What does it feel like to see one's face and body in playing and trading cards, one mini-bust, one much sought-after replica of 'your' lightsaber, a role-playing game and featured in novels and comic books? Does that scare you somehow? And how does your family cope with it, if we may ask such a personal question?
SHANNON: My family doesn't care one way or the other...as long as I'm working and liking it. My kids have figured out that every so often it has it's perks, but they don't think about it regularly. Mara was already an established character when I was thrown into it. Some people don't like me as Mara, some do...I consider it wonderful that I've had anything to do with her and get very excited every time I see something new. Although, you know we don't get paid for anything when they use our faces in portrayals of the character for products. I think it's funny that people think you make money every time your face is used and something sells. That money goes elsewhere!!!
SWCP: You're obviously also a common presence in some of the major STAR WARS fan conventions worldwide. We ourselves have first met you at Europe's first official STAR WARS Con, Celebration Europe, in July 2007 (which was a thrill for us, by the way). Although you didn't feature on any of the six movies, you are about as recognizable a STAR WARS character as can be! How do you think fans look at you, as Mara's embodiment?
SHANNON: They like me, or I'm not what they pictured when they read the first novels, so they don't like me. It is nice to be recognized at cons, but that probably has as much to do with the red hair as anything else. I think it's mean when people bring up the fact that she was never in a movie...as if that is the only credibility for a character. The universe of SW is larger outside the movies than in. A real fan knows that and appreciates Mara for her contribution to that world (not mine personally, but the character's). She's a great character, well written, and has an amazing story if you follow it all the way through!
Conclui na 2ª parte.
Nota: todas as imagens usadas nestes dois artigos (excepto as fotos das cartas da Decipher, Inc., retiradas dos nossos arquivos) constam da página oficial da nossa membro VIP, a quem agradecemos a cedência.
SWCP: Shannon McRandle, better known for lending her beautiful image to one of the most cherished STAR WARS characters from the so-called Expanded Universe (EU), that of Mara Jade, has recently been invested as SWCP, STAR WARS Clube Portugal's VIP/Honorary member #4, our first lady in this role.
In this interview we will help you get acquainted to Mara, sorry, Shannon, and her role in the STAR WARS galaxy. Shannon, thank you very much for accepting our invitation to join the SWCP, the first officially un-official STAR WARS club in Portugal and also for finding the time to answer a few questions.
SHANNON: Thank you for asking me.
SWCP: First, please tell us a little about you. Who is Shannon McRandle and how did you start getting involved in STAR WARS?
SHANNON: I am a model and make up artist. Currently, I have three children and a husband in the Navy. We live in Virginia Beach, Virginia which is in the souteastern part of the U.S. We have two doberman Pinschers and a house that is too far from the beach to make me happy! I first got involved in SW in 1999 when Decipher cast me as the model for Mara in their Collectable Card Game. No one knew how large her fan base was until the response came in from the first set of cards.
SWCP: Did you have any previous knowledge of STAR WARS before being contacted by Decipher, Inc.? I mean, were you aware of its potential as a cultural, worldwide, phenomenon? Did you even suspect what you were getting into after you said 'Yes'?
SHANNON: I saw the original three movies along with he rest of the world, but was not as big a fan as a great number of people are. I knew there were comics and books out there, but I didn’t follow them. No one knew what I was getting into, least of all me.
SWCP: What memories do you retain about the whole process of becoming 'Mara Jade'? Was it hard work? Did they ask anything specific from you, as a model?
SHANNON: I read Tim's books and a handful of comics to prepare. I thought I should know who she was to be able to look as much like her as I could. Tim Zahn told me a great deal about what was in his head when he was writing her... so, after I met him, I had a new perspective. The first shoot with the dark side outfit was the hardest because it took a long time to get the shot they wanted. They had already drawn up the look of the card, and I had to match it. I also hated the hairstyle they had me wear. It was so LARGE and unattractive. The worst shoot was in the dancer's outfit because the art director wasn't nice to me on set and asked me to do things I felt were very 'un-Mara' like. The other shoots were fun.
SWCP: Did Decipher, or Lucasfilm, let you have any of the costumes or props used in the photo shoots? If not, would you like to have had the chance to?
SHANNON: Decipher has everything. Lucas didn't even get any of it to keep. Decipher wasn't very happy with anyone after they lost their SW license. I didn't really need any of them. I don't collect anything. But I think Lucas or at least Steve Sansweet should have gotten to keep a few things- just so they would be remembered properly.
SWCP: What does it feel like to see one's face and body in playing and trading cards, one mini-bust, one much sought-after replica of 'your' lightsaber, a role-playing game and featured in novels and comic books? Does that scare you somehow? And how does your family cope with it, if we may ask such a personal question?
SHANNON: My family doesn't care one way or the other...as long as I'm working and liking it. My kids have figured out that every so often it has it's perks, but they don't think about it regularly. Mara was already an established character when I was thrown into it. Some people don't like me as Mara, some do...I consider it wonderful that I've had anything to do with her and get very excited every time I see something new. Although, you know we don't get paid for anything when they use our faces in portrayals of the character for products. I think it's funny that people think you make money every time your face is used and something sells. That money goes elsewhere!!!
SWCP: You're obviously also a common presence in some of the major STAR WARS fan conventions worldwide. We ourselves have first met you at Europe's first official STAR WARS Con, Celebration Europe, in July 2007 (which was a thrill for us, by the way). Although you didn't feature on any of the six movies, you are about as recognizable a STAR WARS character as can be! How do you think fans look at you, as Mara's embodiment?
SHANNON: They like me, or I'm not what they pictured when they read the first novels, so they don't like me. It is nice to be recognized at cons, but that probably has as much to do with the red hair as anything else. I think it's mean when people bring up the fact that she was never in a movie...as if that is the only credibility for a character. The universe of SW is larger outside the movies than in. A real fan knows that and appreciates Mara for her contribution to that world (not mine personally, but the character's). She's a great character, well written, and has an amazing story if you follow it all the way through!
Conclui na 2ª parte.
Nota: todas as imagens usadas nestes dois artigos (excepto as fotos das cartas da Decipher, Inc., retiradas dos nossos arquivos) constam da página oficial da nossa membro VIP, a quem agradecemos a cedência.