Cosplayer Glorychi Montana first caught my eye on social media when she posted some photos of herself as “Mercy,” the main female character from Walter Hill’s 1979 cult classic film, The Warriors. After browsing more of Glorychi’s social media photos, it was evident by her outfits, that besides being a big Warriors fan, she was an even bigger fan of the film Scarface, as well as a fan of some popular wrestlers and game characters.
Hailing from Puerto Rico, Glorychi tells me she liked to dress up as her favorite characters ever since she was a little girl and she draws her inspirations from many different characters from films, video games, pro wrestling, and often even gives her takes on some of her favorite male characters such as Eric Draven from The Crow, Chi Chi from Scarface, and Frank N. Furter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, just to name a few. It is a pleasure to present such a positive and creative lady, who overcame great odd to be here, in the following interview. All accompanying photos courtesy of Glorychi herself.
As “Mercy” from the Warriors. She didn’t get the action she craved with the Orphans, so she hooked up with Swan and the Warriors on their journey back to Coney Island.
CHRIS CHARLES: Thank you for doing this interview, Glorychi. Is this your first interview with a publication? GLORYCHI MONTANA: Greetings, Good evening Chris, it is an honor to be here for your interview. Extremely grateful for the opportunity to talk with you today. CHRIS: When did you start cosplaying? GLORYCHI: Since I was a little girl, I liked to dress up as my favorite wrestlers, then over the years, on family birthdays, they always chose a theme and I always liked to dress up until one day, I decided to do cosplay and to this day I really enjoy what I do, it helps me develop my artistic techniques. CHRIS: Have you appeared at any cosplay events? GLORYCHI: Not publicly at the moment, but yes, in family activities and through social networks. But I hope to soon be able to attend activities and share my talent with others. CHRIS: Who have been some of your favorite female characters to cosplay as? GLORYCHI: Good question, if I could choose my top three favorites they would be; Jade from Mortal Kombat, Catalina from GTA, personally, she is my favorite of all, and finally, Mercy from the movie The Warriors. CHRIS: I see you have done a few characters from the film The Warriors. What is your favorite gang from that film? GLORYCHI: The movie The Warriors is very interesting. Personally, my favorite gang is the Orphans, because it is an easy gang, and besides that, I really like Sully (Orphans’ leader) and I really liked the interpretation of Apache Ramos (Orphans’ lieutenant), who is a great friend and teacher.
As one of the Hi-Hats, an unforgettable gang that we didn’t get to see enough of in the film.
CHRIS: Was it difficult to find an outfit to match what Mercy wore in the film? GLORYCHI: Honestly no. Mercy wears a simple and casual outfit. I used the same clothes that I usually wear in everyday life. CHRIS: How about your Hi-Hat outfit, how difficult was it to find the correct clothing? GLORYCHI: I had a lot of fun doing it, it was very simple and at the same time very entertaining, because her outfit is very striking with her hats, suspenders, paint, on that day, I didn’t have paint available. I enjoyed it a lot. CHRIS: I also know you are a huge fan of the film Scarface. Would you go to a cosplay event as Gina looked and dressed in the final scene when she shoots Tony in his office, or would that be a little too risqué for you? GLORYCHI: The truth is, Gina wears a very sensual and provocative outfit, in my opinion. I would say that of course I would do it, but a little more covered, because it’s not the same as photos, than in public, where there are minors, etc… but yes, I would definitely do it. CHRIS: What characters are you planning on doing in the future? GLORYCHI: I have many cosplay plans, I always have my mind racing, looking for ideas, etc… if I could mention some characters, I could say; Héctor Lavoe, Pablo Escobar, Mileena (Mortal Kombat) Angel Fernández (Scarface) Tuco Salamanca (Breaking Bad), and others that I hope to share with you in the future. Also, I would like to do cosplays with a Puerto Rican wrestling theme.
As a member of “The Punks,” whose leader wore roller skates.
CHRIS: Do you make any of your own costumes? GLORYCHI: The truth is, all the accessories used in my cosplays, the vast majority, are from my own wardrobe and accessories like jewelry and earrings from my daily life. CHRIS: Are there any professional cosplayers you particularly admire?
GLORYCHI: I admire all those cosplayers who take the time to create and express their talent. Personally, my favorite cosplayer is the Puerto Rican WWE wrestler Thea Trinidad or better known as Zelina Vega. I admire her cosplayer costumes and how spectacular she looks in them. I admire her a lot. CHRIS: What cosplay events do you plan on attending in the future? GLORYCHI: My goal is to get to a recognized event in Puerto Rico called Comic Con. It is the largest cosplay event and its variants in Puerto Rico. Since I was a child I have longed for it and I have faith that one day I will get there. CHRIS: Have you done any acting or professional modeling? GLORYCHI: During my high school days, I had the opportunity to model on two occasions on catwalks in a school activity and regarding acting, once I recorded a school project, where I was a scriptwriter and acted in said mini movie. Another time was a play, where I played the role of a pregnant woman in a play [that I wrote myself] with the theme of Hurricane Maria, which severely affected Puerto Rico in 2017. My role was called “Diana.”
“I admire all those cosplayers who take the time to create and express their talent.”
CHRIS: Besides cosplay, what are some of your other interests and hobbies? GLORYCHI: Besides cosplay, my main passion is art. I love to draw, create, design, everything that is related to drawing. I love video games, as you have seen in my cosplays, I usually know a lot about them. I am passionate about wrestling, I like to watch it and go to shows and have a good time. In short, I am a very creative person and everything artistic is my thing. CHRIS: With that, I’ll thank you again for doing this, Glorychi. In closing, do you have any shout-outs or hellos to anyone? GLORYCHI: First of all, I thank God, because of him I have the ability to do all of this, to be here talking to you, since thanks to Him I am here, because I was born with a disease called Hydrocephalus (water on the brain). The doctors diagnosed me that I would remain a vegetable in a bed and I would not be able to do anything, but for the glory of God, at three months, God healed me and I am here. I thank my family, who are my greatest support in everything I do and are my driving force to continue and all those people who have been on my path, supporting me, advising me, and believing in my talent. I thank you Chris, for this opportunity and for allowing me to share this artistic part of me with your followers. This is just the beginning of many more creations with God’s favor 🙏🏽 Thank you for having me here. I love you very much. Your Puerto Rican friend, Glorychi Montana ❤️
More characters from Glorychi’s portfolio (Click any image to begin slideshow)
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Chris flirted with the music business there and in Nashville before joining the U.S. Army and serving in South Korea. He remained in Asia for several years afterwards, teaching English, traveling, and covering the regional entertainment scenes. Currently in a mindset between Seoul and San Francisco, besides Idol Features, you can also catch his writings in the print edition of the monthly magazine, Effective.
(Author’s Note: This interview I conducted with cosplayer Chai Chen was originally published at Amped Asia, entitled “Cosplay Cutie Chai Chen” on April 17, 2015. I am republishing it here, thus making this the final installment into a three-part feature
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