Jan. 12--With a passion for monsters and slitting throats, Anna Cali seems like a natural fit for reality television.
But most on the drama on Syfy's "Face Off" is tied to the fantasy characters the contestants create, not among the special effects artists. Cali, an artist at Kosart Studios in Westmont, is competing on the show's 10th season, which premieres 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Fourteen artists face off in fantasy-themed makeup and sculpture challenges, with one contestant typically eliminated each week by the judging panel. In Wednesday's episode, Cali is part of a team that crafts the look of an alien bounty hunter. In next week's episode, the contestants create characters inspired by oversized toys. The show winner gets $100,000.
"It's a crazy competition. We are really pushed to the fullest on it. It was super fun to do. I tried my best and my hardest," said Cali, who lives in the Belmont Heights neighborhood on the Northwest Side.
Cali, 31, said she studied makeup at the Aveda Institute in Chicago and took classes at Kosart Atelier, an entertainment arts studio in Westmont.
Last year, she worked as a makeup artist on the Lyric Opera production of "The Passenger."
This year, she plans to teach skill lessons at Kosart including how to create a silicone piece that looks like a ripped throat. She also hopes to work on movies and TV shows.
"I got into special effects because I was a fan of the horror genre," Cali said. "I really want to focus on more of the realism of special effects -- making things look as real as possible."
Cali is not the first contestant from the Chicago area to appear on "Face Off." Kosart founder J. Anthony Kosar won Season 4 of the show and Grayslake artist Stevie Calabrese came in sixth place last year in the ninth season.
