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The con was great. Some of the organisation could have gone smoother, but things seemed to be working from my end of the pointy stick!
The actors were charming and really friendly, delightful to hang with, and lovely to the fans. The Q&A was good, I loved the cocktail party and the breakfast (platinum tix) and think I'm going to be a platinum tix person so long as I have the money to do so.
Chuck Campbell - talked a bunch, very social and chatty. Comfortable, talking about the various roles he's done and the people he's met along the way - at one stage, found himself sitting at a table with Sam Neill, Val Kilmer, c/o a one-scene he did in a horror movie with Sam Neill (the inverse of Jack Carter?) and a Toronto film festival. Did stand-up comedy at various points in his life. First time in Australia and has been here since Monday with fiancee and did a bunch of touristy things, including visiting Taronga Zoo and petting a kangaroo. Was generally an awesome guest. Hugged a bunch of people during pictures. Including me. (Started by the woman four in front in the queue.)
Carmen Arganziano - a charmer. Talked more about the long view of acting, enjoys his bit-parts all through the industry, is a very easy-going guy. Spoke about his career through the years, and working with various actors - the House actor in the episode he was in. Nathan Fillion on Castle and the younger actors in the business who are 'big names' being friendly rather than being all snooty and refusing to speak with the guest actors. Was charming and delightful and hugged me even when it turned out I wasn't getting a "Carter Family Photo".
Robin Dunne - zonked by the trip over: only arrived on Friday was at the cocktail party Friday night. Still not accustomed to the convention circuit, I think. He seemed a little uncertain at the cocktail party, but that might have been the jetlag (drugged himself up during the flight). Was very chattily forthcoming though once he got some sleep and coffee into him. Nice but not tactile - both Chuck and Carmen were pretty easy-going about the fans and touching them. I think it's a more dangerous proposition for a guy as young-and-cute as Robin: there's sure to be fans who take it the wrong way.
During the Q&A: wouldn't drop trou on stage. (I didn't get this at first, but an explanation followed.) Apparently his mum wasn't happy about him showing ass during the televised interview with Martin Wood. Was very mysterious about the 2nd half of S3 - lots of complicated references that didn't really spoil anything but he said "You'll understand it when you see it!" Apparently the end of S3 is one of those episodes where the cast and crew are kinda holding their breath even though they know how it's going to turn out.
Held a conversation with himself on stage while mentioning the sets created in the parking lot for the show ("they know what a parking lot is, you idiot!" Very Jekyll and Hyde if you've seen the musical.) Talked about a three-year running prank he played on Martin Wood that culminated at ComicCon this year (last year?). Couldn't keep still during the Q&A - paced the stage back and forth all the time. Did a whole string of accents, Sean Connery, Jack Nicholson, and I honestly don't remember the others.
Amanda Tapping - lovely and beautiful and hilarious. It's been a while since she was last here, I think - eight years, apparently. She's gotten better with age, IMO. Last time she was a lot more reticent. This time, she let herself go and just let it all flow. Interestingly, her body language goes for bashful and deprecating, but when she talks about the stuff she does professionally, it becomes less so. How she got into acting - wanted to from an early age, her dad took her to her first audition actually hoping she'd get rejected, but she got the part and was so excited and her dad's face fell: "That backfired..." How she got the part of Sam Carter - down to two actresses, and she did a lot of goofing off with RDA between the audition takes, finally was asked to stand next to RDA and kinda awkward-hug him, and finally asked if this was 'the swimsuit part of the audition'. There were other things going for her, of course, but that's what she remembers.
Her best memories of SG1 are from all over the seasons, but a key example she spoke of was working with RDA, Shanks, Chris, and the others that first couple of weeks of the show. Living in the same hotel/apartment complex, working together, eating together, everything. Then going for a walk with RDA one night and asking him if it was hard to be forever associated with MacGyver. RDA: Oh, nobody remembers that anymore. A van drives by with a guy hanging out the window: "HEY! MACGYVER!" Amanda: So, uh, yeah, like that.
About Helen and how her complexity - both a woman and a mother and a leader and one who makes her own choices all at once - was Damien Kindler's conception - back in 2000 when he wrote Sanctuary as a spec script. Showed it to Martin Wood eight years later, and Martin was all "We have to get Amanda in on this!" Amanda read the script in about 45 mins, called up Damian and was all, "I have to play Helen Magnus!"
Little to no chance of Ashley coming back. AT likes the new role of directing/producing, and loves Sanctuary and all the lines that it pushes. Would like to do an episode where they more directly address the fact that Helen is very comfortable with her sexuality. (I think she mentioned an episode where there's a "will they, won't they" encounter with an evil female character, but I didn't recognise the ep.)
Also talked about RepliCarter and how she played the character differently. Cited it as one of the reasons she enjoyed working on SG1 - Dr. Carter was different to Sam Carter was different to RepliCarter - but the three women (two women and a replicator?) still had essentials of the one person to them.
Talked about Sam and Helen as role models for women: Sam as the 'career woman' choice, and Helen as something beyond even that. Sam pushed the envelope, but Helen is living firmly outside the box...and kicking it to pieces!
All in all, the Q&As were very good. Very enjoyable!
Okay, for my part, I gave Amanda the present I'd been charged to give her, talked the topics I wanted to talk about, bought way too much stuff at the auction, but had a really good time.
And, um, I...think I might be able to call myself a Sanctuary fan now. One of the things I spent too much on was a framed S1 Sanctuary promo poster. Too. Much.
*coughs* Whether any fanfic comes of it is another matter entirely.
The actors were charming and really friendly, delightful to hang with, and lovely to the fans. The Q&A was good, I loved the cocktail party and the breakfast (platinum tix) and think I'm going to be a platinum tix person so long as I have the money to do so.
Chuck Campbell - talked a bunch, very social and chatty. Comfortable, talking about the various roles he's done and the people he's met along the way - at one stage, found himself sitting at a table with Sam Neill, Val Kilmer, c/o a one-scene he did in a horror movie with Sam Neill (the inverse of Jack Carter?) and a Toronto film festival. Did stand-up comedy at various points in his life. First time in Australia and has been here since Monday with fiancee and did a bunch of touristy things, including visiting Taronga Zoo and petting a kangaroo. Was generally an awesome guest. Hugged a bunch of people during pictures. Including me. (Started by the woman four in front in the queue.)
Carmen Arganziano - a charmer. Talked more about the long view of acting, enjoys his bit-parts all through the industry, is a very easy-going guy. Spoke about his career through the years, and working with various actors - the House actor in the episode he was in. Nathan Fillion on Castle and the younger actors in the business who are 'big names' being friendly rather than being all snooty and refusing to speak with the guest actors. Was charming and delightful and hugged me even when it turned out I wasn't getting a "Carter Family Photo".
Robin Dunne - zonked by the trip over: only arrived on Friday was at the cocktail party Friday night. Still not accustomed to the convention circuit, I think. He seemed a little uncertain at the cocktail party, but that might have been the jetlag (drugged himself up during the flight). Was very chattily forthcoming though once he got some sleep and coffee into him. Nice but not tactile - both Chuck and Carmen were pretty easy-going about the fans and touching them. I think it's a more dangerous proposition for a guy as young-and-cute as Robin: there's sure to be fans who take it the wrong way.
During the Q&A: wouldn't drop trou on stage. (I didn't get this at first, but an explanation followed.) Apparently his mum wasn't happy about him showing ass during the televised interview with Martin Wood. Was very mysterious about the 2nd half of S3 - lots of complicated references that didn't really spoil anything but he said "You'll understand it when you see it!" Apparently the end of S3 is one of those episodes where the cast and crew are kinda holding their breath even though they know how it's going to turn out.
Held a conversation with himself on stage while mentioning the sets created in the parking lot for the show ("they know what a parking lot is, you idiot!" Very Jekyll and Hyde if you've seen the musical.) Talked about a three-year running prank he played on Martin Wood that culminated at ComicCon this year (last year?). Couldn't keep still during the Q&A - paced the stage back and forth all the time. Did a whole string of accents, Sean Connery, Jack Nicholson, and I honestly don't remember the others.
Amanda Tapping - lovely and beautiful and hilarious. It's been a while since she was last here, I think - eight years, apparently. She's gotten better with age, IMO. Last time she was a lot more reticent. This time, she let herself go and just let it all flow. Interestingly, her body language goes for bashful and deprecating, but when she talks about the stuff she does professionally, it becomes less so. How she got into acting - wanted to from an early age, her dad took her to her first audition actually hoping she'd get rejected, but she got the part and was so excited and her dad's face fell: "That backfired..." How she got the part of Sam Carter - down to two actresses, and she did a lot of goofing off with RDA between the audition takes, finally was asked to stand next to RDA and kinda awkward-hug him, and finally asked if this was 'the swimsuit part of the audition'. There were other things going for her, of course, but that's what she remembers.
Her best memories of SG1 are from all over the seasons, but a key example she spoke of was working with RDA, Shanks, Chris, and the others that first couple of weeks of the show. Living in the same hotel/apartment complex, working together, eating together, everything. Then going for a walk with RDA one night and asking him if it was hard to be forever associated with MacGyver. RDA: Oh, nobody remembers that anymore. A van drives by with a guy hanging out the window: "HEY! MACGYVER!" Amanda: So, uh, yeah, like that.
About Helen and how her complexity - both a woman and a mother and a leader and one who makes her own choices all at once - was Damien Kindler's conception - back in 2000 when he wrote Sanctuary as a spec script. Showed it to Martin Wood eight years later, and Martin was all "We have to get Amanda in on this!" Amanda read the script in about 45 mins, called up Damian and was all, "I have to play Helen Magnus!"
Little to no chance of Ashley coming back. AT likes the new role of directing/producing, and loves Sanctuary and all the lines that it pushes. Would like to do an episode where they more directly address the fact that Helen is very comfortable with her sexuality. (I think she mentioned an episode where there's a "will they, won't they" encounter with an evil female character, but I didn't recognise the ep.)
Also talked about RepliCarter and how she played the character differently. Cited it as one of the reasons she enjoyed working on SG1 - Dr. Carter was different to Sam Carter was different to RepliCarter - but the three women (two women and a replicator?) still had essentials of the one person to them.
Talked about Sam and Helen as role models for women: Sam as the 'career woman' choice, and Helen as something beyond even that. Sam pushed the envelope, but Helen is living firmly outside the box...and kicking it to pieces!
All in all, the Q&As were very good. Very enjoyable!
Okay, for my part, I gave Amanda the present I'd been charged to give her, talked the topics I wanted to talk about, bought way too much stuff at the auction, but had a really good time.
And, um, I...think I might be able to call myself a Sanctuary fan now. One of the things I spent too much on was a framed S1 Sanctuary promo poster. Too. Much.
*coughs* Whether any fanfic comes of it is another matter entirely.
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