Exclusive Interview with Brains’ Rebecca McDonald
The web series Brains has a roster of many different characters, each with their own distinct personalities and a wardrobe to match. The woman in charge of bringing these iconic looks to life is Rebecca McDonald, the head of wardrobe for the series. From Greta’s rough and tumble, ready-to-fight-zombies look to Alison’s cute and easy and “I’m trying to get my crush to notice me” style, McDonald is responsible for choosing what each character will wear.
Rebecca recently provided insight into her wardrobe selection, her character Sophie, and the importance of style in the zombie apocalypse.
What can you tell us about Sophie and her role in season 2?
(laughs) I can’t tell you much honestly! Bri has had to keep a watchful on me when it comes to spoilers this season (sometimes I get a little snapchat friendly on set). We definitely get to see more of Sophie this season and it’s really fun playing a character that gets more and more in-depth as we go! I feel like in the first season we see Sophie focused on helping other people but this season we get to see her faced with her own problems and how she handles that.
All of the characters have a very unique way that they dress. How do you select the wardrobe for the characters?
These characters are so much fun to dress! A lot of pre-production design starts with analyzing the text. Bri’s writing can be so fun and reveal little character traits that when you’re dealing with a cast of so many supporting characters it’s important for me to get to express the characters personalities through the wardrobe. Besides dressing and building the zombie ensembles, Edger’s plethora of sweater vests have been my favorite things to shop for.
Everything that Alison wears is very iconic. She even wore a dress once while on guard duty. What was your thought process behind Alison’s wardrobe?
I found a lot of inspiration from Sarah Michelle Gellar in her Buffy days. I feel like there is this stereotype that strong women have male characteristics. That the girls who kill zombies are going to be “tomboys” and Alison simply isn’t like that. She’s strong and feminine and she celebrates her sexuality. She’s not going to wear anything unsafe or ridicules, and yes I’m talking about some of those heels Buffy slays in! Alison is going to embrace her femininity and own it while kicking ass at the same time.
Can we expect the characters’ wardrobe choices to change at all in season 2?
Oh yeah! Because the characters, specifically Alison and Damian, go through such a shift in their dynamic the way they dress around each other definitely reflects the change in feelings. In season 2 we get to see a ton of vulnerability and that can be found in the wardrobe. And we can expect to see some cameos from Alison’s infamous red lipstick.
If you were living in a zombie apocalypse, would you still make time for fashion?
I don’t think I would have a hard time choosing practicality over fashion. If it’s not useful to my survival I wouldn’t wear it, that being said I’ve seen some pretty damn cute combat boots and I can definitely rock a bandana in my hair, in fact, I’m often already seen wearing one!
What would you miss most if there were a zombie apocalypse?
My cat. I definitely fall into the crazy cat lady category and I love him dearly but I don’t think I could justify bringing him along. He’s too pure, too good for that kind of life.
Do you think that you’d be able to survive a zombie apocalypse?
Yes, but only by the grace of others! I’m the type of kid that always seems to get hurt or break something yet somehow keeps getting invited. I’m good at being prepared for situations and call me paranoid but my boyfriend and I already have an emergency apocalypse plan! It involves a home depot and lots of applesauce.
Our website is called Talk Nerdy With Us. Would you consider yourself to be a nerd?
Definitely! For me a nerd is someone who’s passionate about something, and if anything I think that I have too many passions! Too many things perk my interest! I love learning and sharing fun information. Right now I’m on a documentary kick. I’m making my way through most of the documentaries on Netflix!
Catch up with season 1 of Brains before season 2 is released in September! And don’t forget to visit their website to learn more about the web series.