Roger Perzan: the Man Behind the Mask

Not long after I joined Instagram, I stumbled upon a very talented cosplayer, Roger Perzan (aka @theegreypilgrim). Perhaps you’ve encountered him before – he’s become very well-known for his incredible Witch-king outfits, both of which he has made himself. He was kind enough to answer some questions we had about his outfits.

Photo Source: Instagram

When/how did you get into cosplaying?

I started getting into cosplay after I attended the Calgary Expo 2012. After seeing the costumes there, I knew what I was going to be for next year. I don’t have any metal work experience. I basically had to learn everything from scratch.

Have you made any other costumes, or just the Witch-king? How long does it take to complete a costume?

I made two costumes so far, both being the Witch-king. My first build was basically, just getting myself familiar with making armour, techniques, hammering, bending and so forth. My first build took me about 10 months and close to 1500 hours….yes, 1500. You have to remember that I have absolutely no experience. I was very quite happy with my armour but, as every cosplayer, I can do better…and I did. My second build, I added lots of added features like a fan in the helm to breath, hidden leather strapping so the armour will not hyper extend, completely felt lined for better sitting on the body…the list goes on. And of course, I did get better. The second build took me about 8 months and about 1000-ish hours. The gauntlets turned out spectacular. These took me about 2 months and about 200-ish hours.

Which conventions do you typically attend, and what are some of your most memorable experiences?

I typically attend the Vancouver and Calgary expo on a regular basis. In 2013, I sported my first version of the Witch-king and 2014, I wore my second version. There are just too many great experiences but a couple are…the pictures taking of me. I kid you not, I get about 500 to 1000 pictures taking of me every hour, just not stop and I am so very grateful of every one of them. Meeting the celebs in costume, their reaction is priceless! Getting photo bombed by Bill Paxton was epic! Fist bumping Manu Bennett as he rides. But the best part is my daughter Carina. We attend Calgary faithfully now and it’s just a pure moment the whole time.

What are some of the best compliments you’ve received?

My best compliments…to this day, I still have a hard time on receiving so many great, fantastic compliments. The ones that really stand out are when a person comes up to me and literally cannot say a word with their mouth wide open. The costume is very overwhelming to people, especially the children, so, I really take my time with them. When I met Jessica Nigri in costume, she was in awe and actually bowed to me for my cosplay…can never forget that.

Which LOTR/Hobbit actors have you met?

The actors I met from the LOTR and the Hobbit: Sean Astin (Sam), Billy Boyd (Pippin), John Rhys-Davies (Gimli), Craig Parker (Haldir), Mark Ferguson (Gil-Gilad), Sadwyn Brophy (Eldarion), Mark Hadlow (Dori), Jed Brophy (Nori), Manu Bennett (Azug), and Dean O’Gorman (Fili). The major ones I will still like to meet (I think everyone wants to) is Sir Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, and Richard Armitage ….to name a few.

What are some of the best compliments you’ve received from the LOTR actors?

I would have to say it was not the compliment but more the reactions from the actors in the Hobbit and LOTR. When I met Sean Astin, he actually got really nervous…it was like he was right back into the role of Sam…truly priceless. And the photo-op went viral. Just Google “Witch-king and Sean Astin”.

Richard Taylor (CEO of Weta) gave the best compliments. Weta does all the armour, props, makeup, and so on for the Hobbit and LOTR. Richard just showered me with compliments and took picture after picture of every inch and he took all my contact info. I was truly impressed.

With Richard Taylor

What are some questions you’re frequently asked by convention attendees?

My top questions I get asked by people: Is it steel? (Yes.) How heavy is it? (Approx. 100lbs.) Are you hot under there? (First day I lost 6 lbs; very very hot.) Did you make it? (Yes.) How long did it take you to make it?

On a side note…I don’t make my costumes for selling (maybe in the future but not right now), and I don’t make them for attention. Every cosplayer had their reason why. Mine is that I get to be a part of a fantasy world for a brief moment and actually be that character. I’m just extremely grateful that people like my work.

Do you have plans to make more costumes on the same level of complexity as the Witch-king?

I am in the works for my third costume right now….Sauron from LOTR. It is ten times more complex than the Witch-king. It’s a huge push to get it completed for 2015 conventions. I recently had two shoulder operations and it really takes the time away from armour making so, every spare minute is precious (yeah, lotr) to me.

For more photos and updates, be sure to follow Roger on Instagram and Facebook!