Meet Alaizabel Cray | Actress, Model, & Cosplayer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alaizabel Cray and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alaizabel, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
A lot of my desire to jump into acting/modeling actually came about during the covid lockdown!

I’ve always been interested in acting and modeling but as a kid, I didn’t have many chances to pursue it outside of school and community theater. Cosplay kind of filled that void for me in the sense that I got to be fictional characters for a while and pose for pictures as that character. In 2017, I attended a panel at Denver Pop Culture Con on Confidence and cosplay and one of the panelists was actually a signed model and actress. For a long time I wondered, “why not me, too?”

In March of 2020 with the pandemic in full swing, no cons to go to, and lots of time to get honest with myself about what it was I really wanted in life, I asked myself what it would be like if I really went for it with acting and modeling. Then one of my cosplay photos went semi-viral in the Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure fandom and while I got a lot of love from the fans, I also got some genuinely hateful responses, too. But I learned if I could survive that, then surely I could make it as a model/actress!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m an actress and model in the Denver area who mostly got started as a cosplayer. I’ve been cosplaying since 2014 and I mostly choose characters from anime although I’ve been known to dabble in western animation as well as life action movies. Perhaps my favorite cosplay I’ve done so far would have to be Satine from Moulin Rouge.

One of my favorite things about what I do is the opportunities I have to break boundaries, especially in modeling where the ideal “look” is someone young, skinny, and tall. If you’re a plus-sized model, you can’t be short and you must have an hourglass figure. Not that there’s anything wrong with those things. But when that’s all that’s you see, you believe that’s all there is. That’s what I loved about walking in Denver’s Unique Week of Fashion. It’s less of a traditional fashion show and more of a celebration of humanity.

Perhaps one of my most exciting accomplishments so far was getting to compete in Los Angeles this year at the International Model and Talent Association conference. I took first place in my age division in Screen Test and I took home two Honorable Mentions (one in improvisation and one in voice acting.)

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Afternoon tea at the Brown Palace Hotel is a must! We would also need to do a photoshoot at the Curtis Hotel. So many fun pop culture-themed rooms to geek out over! And then of course a concert at Red Rocks is in order, too. I’ve seen so many artists play there over the years!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a shoutout to everyone at Southwest Models and Talent for believing in me and wanting to watch me blossom as an artist as well as all my friends who have been cheering me on the last two years.

I also want to acknowledge Gage Gerardi and Lochlan O’Neil for hosting the panel at Denver Pop Culture Con that changed my life.

I want to thank my fiance for his unconditional love and support.

Lastly, I want to thank my dear friend Jessica Strothman. She passed away in Februrary 2020 before she could see what I was able to accomplish, but out of all my friends, she was probably one of my biggest cheerleaders. In her eyes, there was nothing I couldn’t do.

Website: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm12206964/

Instagram: Instagram.com/alaizabelcraycosplay

Facebook: Facebook.com/Alaizabelcraycosplay

Image Credits
Yuki Cat Captures Kiana Marina Photography