Fans of anime hit ‘RWBY’ or machinima (the art of blending footage from games with alternate dialogue) snigger-fest ‘Red Vs Blue’ know, and love, Arryn Zech.
Arryn is an actress with a knack for dynamic, emotionally compelling characters who can leave you reeling from their profundity or giggling with a well-placed bout of perky psychopathy.
And fans are in luck. Arryn’s headed to Australia for Supanova Melbourne and Gold Coast next month.
In 'RWBY', Arryn plays Blake Belladonna, a strong-willed faunus who might just help save the world.
There’s a special place in Arryn’s heart for Blake. “When people consider the classical idea of a quiet, demure girl, it’s because she’s shy or it’s a 'Pride and Prejudice' sort of thing, and Blake is very much not that.
“She’s heavily opinionated and she’s very strong-willed and stubborn, but she’s thoughtful about it.”
For Arryn, the character of Blake is an important one. “The audience for the show tends to be younger girls and boys, people who are still developing themselves as a person.
“Because of that, she’s kind of helping people to question themselves or be strong in themselves, and know that everyone else is doing the same thing too.”
But though rumours abound as to how Blake will evolve during volume six of the show, Arryn remains tight-lipped. “It’s been quite a journey from the first volume to where she’s at now, and I can only imagine how different she’s gonna be in volume 6!”
Older audiences might be more familiar with Arryn’s role as Dr. Emily Grey, the creepily cheerful robotic doctor in ‘Red Vs Blue’.
Though she and Blake are lightyears apart, there’s a hint of childlike whimsy in even Grey’s psychotic persona. “When I [play] Dr. Emily Grey, I stand up straight, but I have bubbly hands, almost Disney Princess hands.
“You know, like what Snow White does when she sings. I do that when I talk about destroying people’s lives as Dr Grey. I find having something that they do, and actually doing it, easiest to put myself in an animated character.”
In April, Arryn will be participating in panel conversations as well as photo and signing ops at both Supanova Melbourne and Gold Coast, and she’s eager to meet and reconnect with her fans and friends. “I really enjoy meeting everybody and seeing a bunch of old friends.
"I’ve done the Supanova tour a couple of times, so I know some of the people there.”
Stories abound about the perils of guesting at Cons, from Beatles-esque screaming fans to projectile underwear mid-conversation. But for Arryn, it’s no big deal. “There’s almost nothing that someone could say or do that I would consider weird, unless it was inappropriate.
“I think [between] the internet and Rooster Teeth… there’s nothing I haven’t seen before, really. So unless you’re doing something inappropriate, I’ve seen it and I don’t think it’s weird.
“The amount of tattoos I’ve seen - my Dad even has a tattoo of my character on his calf - you can do no wrong.”
What can fans expect when Arryn hits Supanova? “Probably jet lag. Lots of caffeine, maybe a bit of chaos in the brain department, but fun!”
As for what’s next for the bubbly actress, it’s a bit of a mystery. “What’s coming out next? I can’t really say… secrets! Intrigue! Mystery! Such wow!”
You can actually hear her grin turn evil. “But you could expect Grey back… possibly.”
