FanX Flashback - Anthony Daniels Panel Highlights [FanX 2024]

Anthony Daniels, known best for his iconic role as C-3PO in every single movie in the Skywalker Saga, provided one of the most surprisingly humorous and fun panels of FanX 2024. He chatted with fans about that beloved galaxy far, far away for 45 minutes (which you can watch on the official FanX YouTube channel), strolling up and down the aisles of the Grand Ballroom and pointing his microphone at fans of all ages.

Here are some of the highlights from his Q&A session:

Would he be interested in doing a C-3PO show for Disney+?

I think Disney have had an effect on, uh, Star Wars. They’ve got enough… enough… (Audience nervously laughs and cheers) Some things are sacred. It occurs to me there has been a whole raft of Disney, Disney, Disney things, and I’ve been very lucky. I was in “Ahsoka” the other day. Anybody see “Ahsoka”? (Audience cheers) Thank you very much. Pinnacle of my career – just saying. I mean, three years at drama school, you know, and I end up… anyway… Um, no, uh, Disney have got plans for all sorts of places where 3PO doesn’t appear. Certainly, a TV series would be interesting, but only if I was doing it in motion capture. The idea of doing it day after day in that suit: absolute nightmare.

When asked about his opinion of Luke Skywalker in “The Last Jedi”:

My opinion on Luke? Um, what do you want me to say? (Audience laughs) Kind of one of the most difficult characters to play. There is Mark Hamill, back in the day, and, you know, he’s the blonde kid, he’s the hero, and who’s he acting with? (Mimics C-3PO’s body language) A gold robot, a little blue box, a Wookiee, what else? A man with a breathing problem who says he’s his dad. It’s incredibly difficult to act with these things, and Mark did extremely well, talking blithering dialogue – nobody understood what was going on. Mark did it with great sincerity. I used to say to him, “When I’m in the scene, you don’t need to act because I’ve only got to move a bit, and the audience’s eye is just attracted to things that glitter, and I could screw up your performance just like that. So, my opinion of Luke is that he is an immensely important character because he is the person that carries you through the story, the hero – we all know about that – so he’s the most important person, apart from C-3PO, of course.

Which was his favorite film in the series?

Curiously, my favorite was actually Episode IV, the very first film. The reason for that is that it was a very simple story: you had Luke, who was the hero, who comes from nothing. He’s a farm boy, becomes a hero, and he meets people on the way – the classic journey and all that kind of thing. Then you have a bad person called Darth Vader. At that time, we don’t know it’s his daddy… Yes, (imitates Darth Vader voice) “I am your f…” Oh, anyway… I understood it. My favorite film to make was the last one, “The Rise of Skywalker.” I had such fun with the new past, particularly Oscar Isaac, who had the similar… (Audience cheers) Yeah, Oscar Isaac, truly one of the best actors to be in a “Star Wars” movie. He had such a good relationship – or bad relationship – with 3PO that he persecuted him on an hourly basis, even worse than Han Solo. I just was giggling inside the costume as Oscar annoyed me. It was huge fun. The film didn’t kind of work out like I thought it might, but nevertheless it’s part of the saga, so you’re stuck with it.

On what he loves about being part of the “Star Wars” universe:

When “Star Wars” [Episode IV] opened, there was no budget for publicity. Normally, it’s a huge budget – there wasn’t any. “Star Wars” was a very low-budget film, but people went to see it, then they came out and they ran to their friends and dragged them back, and the friends dragged [their friends] back, and so it went on, and it went, as we would say now, “viral” – and you are part of that virality. The great thing, to me, is that film didn’t have a number at the beginning. It was “Star Wars.” Then, it became “Number Four,” and we made “V” and we made “VI,” “VII,” “VIII,” “IX” – you know the numbers – and that is all because of people like yourselves. One of the things I love is that you make friends in the “Star Wars” world. You get together, you talk. Some like the Dark Side, some like (gestures to a cosplayer) Jar Jar Binks. (He humorously does a facepalm gesture and winks to the fan.) Teasing you! There’s something in it for everybody, whether it’s the scenery, the music, the thoughts, the emotions, the morals of it all, there’s something for everybody, and I’m amazed to have been a part of it. I didn’t want the interview for the job, and here I am, nearly 50 years later, standing at the height of my career in Salt Lake City with you, and right now, I’m going to leave you – I’m going to take one last look… at my friends. Thank you.

*****

Also, if you didn't know, Mr. Daniels had recently written a book called "I Am C-3PO: The Inside Storhy" - a fact that he comedically brought up several times throughout the panel. You can check it out on Amazon or Audible, if you haven't done so already.

FanX 2025 is this week! Hit the comments section below to let us know what you'll be cosplaying as, your favorite "Star Wars" movie, and whether you think C-3PO could beat Jar Jar Binks in a street fight. While you're at it, follow us on Twitter (here and here) or open the Facebook app on your phone for 30 minutes until you've forgotten why you pulled it up in the first place.

For all of our other FanX blogs, click here.

Until next time!

FanX Flashback - Baldur's Gate III Panel Highlights [FanX 2024]

One of the most popular panels from FanX 2024 involved the cast of the Dungeons & Dragons video game "Baldur's Gate III." The panel featured the ultra-popular Neil Newbon (Astarion), Devora Wilde (Lae'zel), Jennifer English (Shadowheart) and Aliona Baranova (Corinna the Squirrel, performance director).

These folks were a real delight to have at the convention. In fact, one of the best interactions on the official FanX Twitter account involved a misunderstanding regarding Baranova's character in the game, as you can see in the following screenshots:

Despite the squirrel confusion, we parted from the convention on friendly terms.

Keep reading for a transcription of some of our favorite questions - or, if you've got the time, click here to watch the panel in its entirety on the FanX YouTube channel.

What was it like to act out their characters’ vulnerable moments in the game?

Neil Newbon: I think, as an actor, … you have to play the character’s truth. It’s a fictional truth, but it’s real for you and your work. So, I think the most important thing is that you have to honor them, even though some of us have (in Astarion’s voice) problematic characters, sometimes. (Audience cheers, Newbon resumes normal voice) But what we don’t do is judge, uh, because that’s the audience, the players, the audience’s role, is to make their own decisions about how the story goes and how they feel about it. So, from my point of view, these vulnerable moments are gifts because we get to play these stories that have been so well written by all the writers at Larian [Studios]. This game is a masterpiece that’s made by Larian. We get to honor and jump into their shoes – sometimes, very nice shoes (audience laughs) – of these characters and get to connect with the audience through our work as storytellers. I know it’s the same for everybody, but from my point of view, it was a perfect job. It was a perfect job. I got to meet friends, as well, which is good.

What is the most important part of building a character through their voice?

Jennifer English: For me, it’s about… I’m going to nerd out now. […] I love acting so much, so I kind of approach roles like a detective and I Sherlock Holmes the [expletive] out of it. Aliona actually bought me a pipe – not to smoke – but to just sit there with my scripts.

Newbon: You have a “thinking pipe”?

English: I have a “thinking pipe”!

Newbon: Do you do this [mimics sucking on a pipe]? “I like it!”

English: I genuinely do that. I don’t think I’ve ever revealed that to anyone, other than Aliona, before. You’re welcome.

Aliona Baranova: It blows bubbles.

English: Yeah, it’s a bubble pipe. I’m sophisticated. And I go through the script like a detective and try and find as much as I can. Like, I look at how the character speaks, I look at what questions they ask, I look at all the context I possibly can, get all the clues the writer gives me, and, um, yeah, I have far too much fun doing it, and that’s how I approach the character. Nerd!

On developing the Githyanki dialect for her character, Lae’zel:

Devora Wilde: [It took] a lot of practice. I think, when we started, it was the Early Access portion of the game, so there was just […] short phrases. And then, as the game went on and we went into Acts 2 and 3, the phrases got longer, and then we got into sentences that would kind of be running over one line and into the next like, and I’d be like, (laughs) “Ok…” Luckily, good directors – (she glances at Baranova) – very, very important, because, at the beginning, I had no idea, really, what I was saying, obviously, so I needed to know the meaning. Also, the way the Githyanki is spelled is not the way that it’s said, so I needed to read off the phonetics. I also needed to know what I was saying. But, by the end, I had gotten quite used to it and I sometimes had to even correct people because they were like, “This Githyanki word means this,” and I said, “No, no, no, my friend. I’m the expert on the Githyanki language, so…” The directors had a Githyanki glossary that they would look up all the words in, and it was a lot of fun.

Newbon: I would love Githyanki as a language, like Klingon, to eventually be a thing you learn at university. Wouldn’t that be cool?

Wilde: I think it’s a lovely language! – might be biased, but…

(A fan shouts out, “Duolingo!”)

Wilde: Duolingo! I love that!

Which character class and race would they want to be in the Baldur’s Gate universe?

Newbon: Rich! (Audience laughs)

English: I will answer properly. I think I would have to be, um – I change my mind a lot – I’m probably a barbarian, actually. Aliona will confirm. Yeah.

Baranova: Yes.

Wilde: Probably a bard! (Audience cheers) Because I am one in real life.

Baranova: Same answer.

Wilde: Aww, don’t do that!

Baranova: That is my answer! I “rizzed” Jen! I “rizzed” Shadowheart! I’m clearly a bard!

[Editor's note: English and Baranova are dating in real life.]

How has your perception of your character changed since you got the role?

Baranova: As a squirrel, I’ll answer that. (Audience laughs) I discovered how deep and profound Corinna the Squirrel really was to the game. Yeah, thank you, thank you. It really moved a lot of people. I’ll stop, I’ll stop. I’ll let them answer.

Wilde: You answer properly, Jen.

English: I will answer properly. So, Shadowheart, at the beginning – I don’t know if any of you played Early Access, but she was a little spiky. Um, she was a bit of a [expletive], and I think the writing really changed.

Newbon: Did it? (Audience laughs)

English: Hey, if she’s a [expletive] to you, you’re not playing it properly. Learn boundaries, people! Learn boundaries. And now, I love her and she’s the best and you can all shut up.

Wilde: I’ve always loved Lae’zel, from the very moment I set my eyes on her little, lovely, bumpy spots and her little – what was it? – “chewable ears.” (Laughs) And her “boop-able” nose. (Laughs) So, I don’t think that my perception has changed. If anything, I was very surprised by people’s perception of Lae’zel because I have loved her. As Neil said, you never judge your character, so I never thought she was rude or standoffish or a [expletive] or anything like that. And then, when the game came out and people were like, “Oh, Lae’zel’s really mean to me,” I was just like, “Oh, that’s kind of a ‘you problem,’ really, isn’t it?” (All laugh) And I still stand by that.

What was their favorite line in the game?

Wilde, to Baranova: We know what yours is. (Imitates squirrel noises)

Baranova: Perfect.

Newbon: Am I wrong in thinking your squirrel had a line, (in deep voice) “Look at these nuts!” (Resumes normal voice) Is that weird? That wasn’t your character.

Baranova: I wish. Not that original.

Wilde: I have a soft spot for, “That large, fleshy nose of yours looks like a mistake.”

Newbon: I don’t really have a favorite. I’ve got too many of them. But I quite like, “Careful… I bite.”

English: “You didn’t pick that by hand, did you?? They’re deadly poisonous! Joking!”

Wilde: That’s my favorite line of yours, as well.

Baranova: I have a favorite Shadowheart line: when she says about the squirrel at the end – that got added to the epilogue as [an homage] – what was the line?

English: It was, like, “Oh, don’t mind her, she’s just protective.”

Baranova: Yeah. “I give her all the snacks she can… and a shoulder to perch on…”

Wilde: Aww.

Baranova: That was written for us, so yeah, that’s my one.

English: Good. Good choice.

If they could play any other companion or NPC, who would they choose?

Wilde: I always oscillate between – yeah, the squirrel. I always oscillate between Orin and Mizora. It’s a tough choice. Maybe today I’ll go with Mizora.

English: Love that. You just want to wear her outfit.

Wilde: Of course!

English: It’s so hard, because everyone does their… I’m going to steal Neil’s answer.

Newbon, excitedly: Steal, steal, steal! I’ve got a different one today!

English: Oh, have you? Neil’s always, like, (imitates Newbon’s voice) “Look, everyone did such a beautiful job, and we just have to thank Larian for casting everyone so perfectly.” (Resumes normal voice) It would be really hard to replace anyone. I think if I had more gravitas and just, generally, was a completely different person, then I fancy Dame Aylin, hard. But it’s one of those where you’re, like, “Do I want to be with her or do I want to be her? I don’t know.” We’ve all been there, haven’t we? We’ve all been there. (To Newbon) Go on, what’s your original answer?

Newbon: I actually did get the opportunity to help other people’s performances. I got to do almost all of the body doubling for Minsc and Gortash – not because I’m good or anything like that – it’s just more like because they physically couldn’t get to do their stuff in the performance capture, because we all did performance capture, so I got to stand in and help their performances – not to take away from Matt [Mercer] and Jason [Isaacs], who [are] amazing; their performances are incredible. I just helped, so I got a little taste of what it was like. But their work was so good, in both roles, that it was a privilege to be able to go, “Oh, wow. I get to support a little bit.” It was really cool.

Did they incorporate or fight against any Dungeons & Dragons stereotypes in their acting?

Newbon: (In Astarion’s voice) Guilty as charged – sometimes literally, darling! (Resumes normal voice) It works very well with [Astarion] because [senior writer] Stephen Rooney is a genius – a mad genius and a beautiful writer. He also understood, obviously, the tropes. It allowed me a lot of playtime because […] it’s totally morally gray, in many ways. And so, as a rogue – (to the audience) rogue for life! – as a rogue, you know, you get to play with the fringes of what is socially acceptable, right? I just saw every moment that was possible and just went with it.

Wilde: I played against the stereotypes by not having a single idea or clue about anything to do with D&D, let alone the classes and the other things. So, in many ways, I was just a little – as Jen would call it – a “little dum-dum,” just being (in high-pitched voice) “Oh, it’s a lovely character!” (Resumes normal voice) “I’m just going to go with exactly what’s written on the page because I know nothing beyond it.” […] Now, knowing a little tiny portion of the Githyanki history and all of that, I think I would have been so overwhelmed. It would have been too much for me. So, I just went into it completely, like, just with what was written on the page, and, as Neil said, the writers and [senior writer] Kevin VanOrd, who wrote Lae’zel and Wyll, by the way, and they’re so different, and the whole team, because it wasn’t just one person that did it; the writing was so stunning, you really didn’t need to think beyond anything that was written down.

Baranova: I want to add to that. It’s a really good thing that you did trust your instinct, because – a little known fact – the Githyanki race… whenever someone else recorded a Githyanki, the reference for how a Githyanki should be was just a video of Dev playing Lae’zel, so you are the Githyanki race.

English: Yeah, you are!

Were any of them into D&D before “Baldur’s Gate III”? And if not, did any of them start playing after?

English: No, because someone keeps saying, (in mocking tone, to Newbon) “Oh, I’ll host you! I’ll DM for you!” (Resumes normal voice) And then, does it happen? No!

Newbon: And thank you for the question! (Audience laughs)

From a narrative perspective, what do they find more interesting: rolling a Natural 1 or a Natural 20?

Newbon: Oh, Natural 1, man! Oh, dude – great things happen when you absolutely screw everything up.

English: Valid. But that’s what “save-scumming” (repeatedly reloading old save files after experiencing an unfavorable outcome or making a poor decision) is for.

*****

For the record, save-scumming is a completely legitimate way of dealing with trauma in "Baldur's Gate," so we're not here to judge.

Feel free to drop your favorite "Baldur's Gate" memories in the comments below. While you're at it, you can follow us on Twitter (here and here) or try to look us up on Facebook.

FanX 2025 is less than a week away! Who knows what glorious adventures await? In the meantime, take a look back at our old FanX posts!

Until next time.

FanX Flashback - Lord of the Rings Reunion Panel Highlights [FanX 2024]

With FanX 2025 right around the corner, it's time to do what we should have done 11 months ago and post some panel highlights from FanX 2024 (whoops!). One of the most anticipated panels of last year's convention was slated to feature prominent members of the "Lord of the Rings" cast - Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan and John Rhys-Davies, although Astin was caught up somewhere else in the Salt Palace and was unable to make it to the Grand Ballroom stage in time. Undaunted, Wood, Boyd, Monaghan and Rhys-Davies served up a delightful panel, bantering amongst themselves and answering fan questions for the better part of an hour.

Here is a transcription showcasing some of the fun:

Elijah Wood Talks About Frodo

Elijah Wood: He’s Bilbo’s nephew – almost raised by Bilbo – and Bilbo carries with him a taste of adventure, which is very uncommon. Hobbits don’t like to stray outside of the Shire, and they don’t like to know what’s going on in the outside world because it potentially presents dangers. They like to be safe and comfortable and warm and cozy. Frodo grew up hearing these incredible tales, and I think part of what propels him forward with this – initially – with this particular ask is very simple. I don’t think Frodo understands, and I don’t think even Gandalf understands, that that’s going to be Frodo’s fate. It’s just “Let’s get this ring to Rivendell,” essentially, right? And it’s not until then that he really decides that it’s his fate or that he’ll sort of take up the mantle of taking the ring. And I don’t even really think that in that moment that he realizes that he’s potentially leaving all of that behind. I think there’s a sense of wanderlust and adventure… He leaves the Shire with the potentiality of seeing elves and, sort of, walk in the footsteps of his uncle. So, I think that’s the impotence, and I think once he’s gotten far enough along, like in the Mines of Moria, he realizes: “Wait a second… This is way [expletive] too much!” (Audience laughs) “Can’t we just give it away??” And then [he], ultimately, realizes that it’s something that he’s got to do, and he’s built of that stuff – and I think all of the hobbits are. I think they’re all made of something – an internal sort of fortitude that is beyond that of men and other creatures of Middle-earth.

On the most influential factors in their lives:

Dominic Monaghan: I think the biggest kind of individual factor in my life that influences me is the natural world – nature – so, wild animals and trees and anything… (audience cheers) That’s kind of my spiritual path.

Wood: I’d say, um, there have been so many things that have had an impact on my life, but music would be the top of the list, in regards to… (audience cheers, inaudible) …who I am as a person, my world view, everything, you know.

Billy Boyd: Sitting next to this man (Boyd gestures to John Rhys-Davies, audience laughs and cheers).

John Rhys-Davies: …In answer to your question, you do realize I belong to your grandparents’ generation, and we used to have – in little towns – we would have three cinemas, each of which would be showing a double-bill, and it would change in the middle of the week. And then, on Sundays, we would also have an extra change, as well, so I got to see hundreds of films. But the one, for me, that worked was “High Noon.” I thought I really wanted to live my life like that – be a man of principle, you know? Pity it didn’t work out that way.


Regarding some (legitimate?) confusion over Legolas’ outfit:

Wood: Is this true – that when we shot Lothlórien – they hadn’t finalized Legolas’ outfit yet? Do you remember that?

Boyd: No!

Wood: Legolas’ outfit was a work in progress. Do you remember? It just occurred to me now. I believe we shot a different outfit during the Lothlórien sequence.

Boyd: I think you’re right, yeah – a tutu! (Audience laughs)

Wood: The design changed.

Boyd, unconvincingly: Uh huh. Yeah.

Wood: The design changed. It was a work in progress.


On whether they still all hang out, post-LOTR:

Wood: We see each other quite a lot on the circuit. … Three of us live in Los Angeles…

[An unidentifiable voice notes that Sean Astin lives there, as well.]

Wood: I haven’t seen Viggo [Mortenson] in a while.

Rhys-Davies: He’s been directing, too, for goodness’ sake. He hasn’t got any time, at the moment.

Boyd: We just Zoomed with Josh Gad during COVID experience we all went through, and that was very special for all of us. And then, it seems to happen that, like, sometime around the Christmas period…

Monaghan: We might get involved in some sort of chain of emails, where someone – I seem to remember, like, last year – Cate Blanchett was like, “Happy Christmas!” And there was a little photo in there, very clearly in France – and a little photo with her cat – sparked a little chatter, so… it happens. We’re all busy.

Boyd: It’s lovely to see each other.

Monaghan: I seem to remember the “Friends” cast saying that they all go their separate ways, but then, when they see each other, that’s it for the rest of the night – they’re with each other. That seems to be the case between these three boys.

Boyd: Everyone’s busy doing stuff, but if you see that person…

Monaghan: That’s your person for the rest of the night.

*****

Rhys-Davies and Astin have been announced to return to Salt Lake next weekend for FanX 2025, along with LOTR alums Miranda Otto and Lawrence Makoare. Actor David Wenham was originally announced as a guest but has since postponed his appearance.

To keep up with all of the FanX festivities, including past panel recaps and exclusive interviews, click here. As always, feel free to leave a comment below. For everything else, follow us on Twitter (here and here) or try to find us on Facebook.

Until next time!

FanX 2024: Ernie Hudson discusses the lasting impact of 'Ghostbusters'

During FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention's opening press conference for its 2024 convention, I was able to ask a question to Ernie Hudson, who is most famous for playing Winston Zeddemore in the "Ghostbusters" movie franchise. Hudson, who was in a great mood that Thursday morning - and looking absolutely JACKED, for a 78-year-old - gave a thoughtful response to my question (and others) during the few minutes in which he sat at the microphone.

Here's what he had to say.

Signs of the Times: Hey, Ernie. My name’s Aaron, and I’m running the Twitter account for the convention this weekend. First of all, I just wanted to say thank you so much for coming.

Ernie Hudson: It’s great to be here.

SotT: When I was younger, I loved "Ghostbusters" - one of my favorite movie franchises - and now, as a parent, it’s so fun to introduce these movies to my own children. I have a son that’s almost four, and I was a little nervous to get him into "Ghostbusters" - I thought it might be too spooky - but he loves it. So, I was wondering if you could just touch on […] the longevity of that franchise, obviously, being one of the main Ghostbusters in the '80s, and now, being kind of a caretaker or steward of the franchise, moving forward.

EH: You don’t realize, you don’t plan those things, or you don’t even understand the impact that it would have. I think if studios knew how to make a hit, all the movies would be hits, but you really have no idea how people will react and respond. It’s one of those things that… I think we all have this sort of fear of what’s to happen. As I get older, I count friends who’ve "transitioned." We know that it’s not a forever thing. I think we’re always aware of that, throughout our lives. Little kids are concerned about who’s in the closet when the lights go out. I mean, it touches some primal part of us, and I think the movie does that in a way that’s comedic. It’s funny. We can laugh at our fears. But it crosses generations in an amazing way. Not all movies do that. “The Crow” was a movie that was very popular, at a certain stage in life, but then the older people didn’t necessarily respond to it, or little kids, but there’s a time in life, you know? There’s a period. But “Ghostbusters,” it’s sort of… I think I was watching the 30th anniversary showing in Chicago, and there were older people – [in their] 80s, 90s – little kids, and they were all laughing at different things, but they all found something in it that they responded to. […] I’m just very, very thankful to have been a part and that it still stands.

*****

This is the first of several posts with exclusive content from FanX 2024. Keep it here for all the good stuff. You can also leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter (here and here) and try to find us on Facebook for more pop culture conversations.

Until next time.

FanX Flashback - Andy Serkis Panel Highlights (FanX 2023)

 

FanX 2023 was a very strange convention. The SAG-AFTRA strike was still (somehow) going strong, which prevented pretty much all of the celebrity guests from speaking about any of their work. This led to some very strange questions during panels and, in retrospect, makes some of the audio we recorded borderline unlistenable.

One of the standout panels of the weekend, however, was Andy Serkis - arguably, one of FanX 2023's headliners. Without going into too much detail about his most famous roles (Gollum from "The Lord of the Rings," in particular), Serkis gave some great and very thoughtful responses to the cornucopia of "Favorite Childhood _________" questions with which he was bombarded during his 45-minute spotlight. This post contains some snippets of some of our favorite moments. Enjoy!

What was the plan if acting didn’t work out?

Andy Serkis: I never, ever intended to be an actor. I actually started off studying art. Literally, from the age of six or seven, I was given my first set of paints, and I started painting, and that really became what I wanted to do, up until the age of 18. I went to college, and it was only when I was in college, in Lancaster University, in the north of England… In the first year, you had to do another course, and I wasn’t even aware of that. I was going to study visual arts, and I thought that’s what I was going to do. And no, you had to do this first-year, other course, and there happened to be a Theater Studies department, and so I started designing props and making sets and posters for the shows and using my artistic skills, thinking that that would help with my Visual Art degree. Then, I started acting in plays – very small roles – and then they gradually got bigger and bigger. And then, by the end of the first year, I played a part that was a really significant role, and that literally changed my life. […] When I went to Art college, my parents were horrified. They were horrified. And then, at the end of the first year, I said, “It’s ok, I’m not going to do art anymore – I’m going to become an actor!” And they’re like… [mimics his parents’ reaction, audience laughs]. Silence on the other end of the phone. Total, total silence. They were terrified for me. They just thought, “What is he doing?” It took them a long time to figure out, actually, that it wasn’t too bad of a profession.

On misconceptions about motion-capture acting:

AS: There’s a whole misunderstanding about what motion-caption – or “performance-capture,” as it is known now… Motion-capture is born out of the medical industry, actually. It was a way of tracking injury – tracking, like, if you’d broken your ankle, it could track your gate – put markers on the broken points and see how your recovery, your rehabilitation was working. Then, it started to be used in the video game world, to track athletes’ and martial artists’ movements, and so on. So, that’s why it was called “motion-capture” – it was literally capturing physical motion. But when we started using it in the film industry, it became, very quickly, “performance-capture” because it was allowing an actor to see an avatar version of what they were doing on a screen. The very first time I actually had the opportunity of working on a character using the technology, [I] could lift my arm up, and then I would see the avatar character lift his arm up. It was a huge kind of epiphany for me that this was a way of becoming the marionette and the puppeteer at the same time. You’re driving this digital image so that it copies everything that you’re doing. When facial-capture came along, which was the next stage – a crucial stage – of becoming “performance-capture” – that was literally tracking every single facial expression. And then, when you’re capturing audio and physicality and [facial expressions], all at the same time, that was when it became “performance-capture,” and that happened over the course of maybe three or four years.

The moderator mentions how early Disney movies used to bring in live actors for the character motion, then animate over them.

AS: It’s kind of a more-21^st-Century version of that. That was called “rotoscoping.” For instance, [the character] Snow White, as you may know, was performed by an actress who danced [for the dancing scenes], which was then, frame by frame, drawn, and then those movements became what drove the animation.

 

On who he feels has influenced his career:

AS: I’ve been inspired by countless actors [and] directors, over the years. […] I’ve been a huge admirer of Charlie Chaplin, a huge admirer of Lon Cheney and Charles Laughton… Over the course of the years, you realize that the craft of acting goes back such a long way. As actors and performers, […] you pay homage to previous… If you’re film-directing, you’re looking at other people’s shots, you’re looking at other people’s… things that you’ve really committed to, emotionally. So, in terms of filmmakers, Martin Scorsese’s pictures… I remember seeing “Apocalypse Now” when I was 14 years old, and it was the thing that made me want to become a filmmaker. It was such a powerful movie. You sort of end up being a magpie along the road in your career. You end up taking little bits from here and there. Your taste is a sort of sum of so many different, other, previous, brilliant artists’ work. Whether you’re conscious of it or not, you do. That becomes your version, as it were – the culmination, the accumulation of all of those things becomes how you want to express or tell a story.

 

Reflecting on groundbreaking developments in cinema:

AS: You think back to films like “The General” – Buster Keaton – where some of the most extraordinary stunts were created, for real – "Ben Hur,” all of those films. And now, of course, we live in a world where so much can be created digitally, and there’s a lot more safety, as a result. But I look at those films in complete awe, in terms of the management and the skill and how those big stunts were pulled off.

 

On whether he does any good vocal impressions:

AS: I recently did a series of readings of Tolkien’s books… [Audience cheers] The books… It would be fair to say that I channeled some of the actors. [Audience laughs] I’m not an impersonator. I’m actually not a good mimic. My wife, actually, is a very, very good mimic. That’s a fantastic skill, and I really admire it in people. I love people who can really just get a tonality absolutely right, just by observation. Apart from that experience of sort of channeling people, I’ve had to play people in the past […] – and, again, we can’t talk about the specifics [because of the then-ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike] – but I’ve had to play real people in the past, and I’ve studied them. It’s interesting, when you’re playing someone in history or someone who’s existed, because you have to find a way of making them your own, so that you’re not just an impersonation, because that would be wrong and not really servicing the story that you’re telling. So, you find a way of bringing them to you and meeting that character so that it feels real to you, vocally, and, [for] the audience, they shouldn’t have to imagine that it is anything but that character. So, actually, it’s a meeting of you and that character.

 

On where he considers “home” to be:

AS: Basically, really, whenever all my family is together – wherever it is in the world, wherever we are – as long as we are all together, that is “home” for me. […] We’ve reached that phase of our lives, my wife and I, where all of our kids are just leaving home. It’s such a strange, bizarre… I’m sure many, many people who are listening here have gone through this at some time… but it’s this curiously, kind of wonderful thing because you’ve done part of your job – your job as a parent never ends, of course – but they’ve gone off and started to make their own lives and live their own lives. You let them out and let them out, and now they’re gone. And yet, you want them to come back! It’s this curious thing. It’s quite delicious, being at home when it’s just the two of us, and then you think, “Aww,” and you think about your kids all the time. And then they come home, and it’s just, like, “Go away. Get married.” [Audience laughs] It’s this amazing sort of push and pull between “They’ve got to go off and do their own thing” and “Um, you know, they haven’t texted me for four days.” It’s a very curious, curious thing. “Home” really is when we’re all together.

 

On his favorite books when he was younger:

AS: Some of the very early books that I read were The Phantom Tollbooth. I love that book. I love that book. The Hobbit was one of the first books I ever read, and Animal Farm, which is one of my favorite books. I suppose they were all that had a fable or a fairy tale or had fantasy elements – not surprisingly – but were fables – strong stories with underlying messages. When you first start reading books which have adult themes but they’re for young people to… they work on lots of different levels… those are the sorts of books that I love to read, I suppose.

 

On whether he collected anything as a kid:

AS: I loved Spider-Man and I love Batman and “Joe 90” and all the “Thunderbirds” puppets. I had connected models of all the monsters. I had those kits – those model kits – of Godzilla and King Kong, all those amazing model kits – Mummy and Frankenstein. One of the things my mom had… she collected dolls from all around the world. We sort of travelled around quite a bit, when I was growing up, because my father was Iraqi, and he lived in Baghdad, and my sisters all grew up in Baghdad. When I was born, my mom decided she wanted to come back to England, but we used to go back and forth to Iraq, when my dad was working, all the time. So, she used to travel a lot around the world, and she used to collect dolls. I was quite fascinated by this collection of dolls from, literally, all around the world, where my parents travelled. I think it left a marked impression on me because I’ve always loved figures and making stop-motion, really short movies with figures. It’s very strange to get to a point in your life where you start to see figures of [yourself] – that’s kind of weird – all of the characters you’ve been involved in. But it is fun. Like today, you’ve all brought them along for me to signs, and that’s kind of a strange thing because it’s like the stories that you’ve been involved in, having another life as a character that means something to you that you bring back to the actor that’s played that character… It’s a very interesting circle, for sure.

 

On rumors that he would drink a special juice to help him do the voice of one of his most iconic characters:

AS: People think of me as a “voice actor,” and, actually, I’m really not a voice actor because the voice is a part of creating a character. The voice is linked to physicality and the voice is linked to psychology, so I never think of myself as someone who just does a voice or picks a voice. It’s always connected to the way a character moves or thinks or feels. It’s an interesting perception that people have. But, that aside, the “juice” side of things, I do, when I’m working and it’s a particularly demanding role – which, will eventually, if you don’t lubricate, then it’s going to cause you damage… So I did create – for a certain character which we can’t talk about [because of the strike] – a juice that’s made lemon, honey and ginger, and so on and so forth, which I just kind of had to drink constantly, just to keep things going, really. And that is, yeah. And it was named after the character that I played, which we can’t talk about – it was what I called that juice. It was the “Hmmmmm” juice.

*****

Serkis will be a featured guest at FanX 2024 next week, along with his LOTR costars Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan and John Rhys-Davies.

If you missed any of our other FanX 2023 content, you can still catch up on a "Star Wars" reunion panel, an "Indiana Jones" reunion panel, and an exclusive chat with John Rhys-Davies.

We hope to rub shoulders with a few more celebrities next week, and we'll certainly have some audio transcriptions from some of the fun panels and events going on. So, for all of your FanX needs... you know where to keep it.

In the meantime, leave us a message in the comments below, chat us up on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter (here and here).

Until next time.

FanX Flashback - Star Wars Voice Actors Panel Highlights (FanX 2023)

 

Beloved "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" voice actors James Arnold Taylor, Ashley Eckstein and Matt Lanter took the stage at FanX 2023, providing some fun moments for those in attendance. The panel was subject to a lot of topic restrictions, due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, which was still in full swing at that time, which, in retrospect, just wasn't a whole lot of fun. However, the actors were able to express their gratitude to the fans, and JAT even got Matt to talk about "Timeless" for a second, which we loved.

Here are a few highlights from what was, all things considered, a fun little panel from last September:

Gratitude for fans:

James Arnold Taylor: [The responsibility of being a member of the "Star Wars" franchise is] not something that we take lightly. You know, there are so many amazing, talented voice actors involved in "Star Wars," from Jim Cummings – who’s here – to Corey Burton to Dee Bradley Baker, Tom Kane, Phil Lamar, Nika Futterman, on and on and on. Ashley Eckstein, Matt Lanter…

Ashley Eckstein: James Arnold Taylor!

JAT: Catherine Taber, uh… this guy, James Arnold Taylor. We don’t hold it lightly because we are huge "Star Wars" fans, and we are blessed to be a part of this. So, we’re just thrilled to be able to have you all come up to the table and say that and tell us your stories. We just thank you for that. [Audience cheers]

AE: And we know how much it means to you because it means that much to us, so thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support. Thank you for sticking with us. [In the voice of Ahsoka Tano:] "You’re stuck with me, Sky Guy." [Audience cheers]

On the difference between live action and voice acting:

Matt Lanter: It's a whole different process: you're behind the microphone, your technique has to be pretty good or else you're not going to be heard very well, you have to bring out all the emotion [while] being kind of confined…

JAT: No looks, so Matt Lanter can’t rely on those hunky good looks. You can’t look into the camera because there's no camera – it's just a microphone! And then, you have to rely on being able to convey everything with just your voice. It is also, when you’re doing animation like "The Clone Wars," we did it just like this. We were in the round. We read together. We were in the room together. When you’re doing a video game, you’re alone in the studio. If you’re doing an animated feature film, you’re usually alone. So, each one of them has their own challenges. Each one is different. But you’re always, hopefully, conveying the right emotion and character and don’t get them confused. That would be bad.

AK: I will say – because we get this question a lot – a lot of people come up to us and they say, "How can I be a voice actor?" Well, voice acting is just acting, at its core, so I say, if you want to get into voice acting, get into acting. I started in theater, and then I actually went to film and television, and then I went into voiceover. So, the techniques are different, you know, like Matt said, but, at its core, it’s all acting.

ML: Yeah, just using different tools to bring a character to life. And, you know, there’s just different… You’re hindered by some things in live action, and the opposite goes for VO – but it’s all acting. You’re right.

Matt Lanter talks about "Timeless":

JAT: You’ve done a lot of time travel. What was your favorite episode? What was your favorite era?

ML: If I had been on a show where we time-travelled…

JAT: You were on a show where you time-travelled!

ML: We can talk about it, right? It’s done. It’s over.

JAT: Oh, I get it.

ML: …The whole "strike" thing…

JAT: [As Obi-Wan Kenobi] "You didn’t hear this." [Audience laughs]

ML: I had a lot of really fun episodes. I liked… We had a Nazi Germany episode that I thought was really fun. It was a great episode. My character was… That sounds really weird, I know: "The Nazi Germany episode was fun." My character got to fan-boy over Ian Fleming. […] But that was a fun episode for me. And also, behind the scenes – as a cast, as a crew – we just started to have a lot of fun in that episode, so it stands out for me.

*****

There you have it! For more FanX content, check out all of our other posts, find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (here and here).

Until next time.

FanX Flashback - John Rhys-Davies and Alison Doody Panel Highlights (FanX 2023)

I was reminded late last night how weird FanX 2023 was. It was in the midst of that dang SAG-AFTRA strike, so none of the celebrity guests were talking about the things we all wanted them to talk about. It was three days of "What's your favorite color?" "What was your favorite subject in middle school?" "Did you have any pets as a kid?" Some guests handled the weirdness better than others, and some even kind of straddled the fence a little bit, when it came to mentioning movies and shows they had worked on in the past.

John Rhys-Davies and Alison Doody seemed to be a little bit looser-lipped than others during their Grand Ballroom panel, so we did get a little bit of insight into their time working together on "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

Here are some of the highlights or otherwise noteworthy moments from their panel last September:

On concerns over the use of AI in Hollywood:
John Rhys-Davies: If we could get an agreement limiting the rights of copying us – getting some restrictions on the use of avatars based on us – it would provide a precedent for all of the other claims that would be made in the future… because artificial intelligence is going to take 20-50 percent of your jobs in the next 10, 15 years – by 2034, I believe. That prediction was made in 2016.

It is crucial that we hold out and get some sort of control over our image, and that becomes a precedent… [Audience applauds] …It becomes a precedent because you are not immune to this displacement that’s going to take place. We’re living in a momentous moment in history, but our technology has outstripped our ability to adapt to it, at this moment. We’ve left a demon out of the bottle, and I’m not sure if we’ll ever be able to control it, and we certainly cannot put it back.

On whether they have ever gone on the Indiana Jones Adventure ride at Disneyland:
JRD: I did it – we did it about 30 years ago, and, um, the first few times I went there, they broke down. I never actually got to do it. [Audience laughs] But I did take my daughter there, I think about … 10 or 11 years ago, 12 years ago, and it was working. She was quite impressed, actually – probably the only time she’s ever been impressed with me.

Alison Doody: I haven’t, but I… some years ago, I actually went and I saw the show [at Disney World}. I was sitting in the audience, watching the show, and people were looking at me and going, “[Imitates curiosity and confusion].” Everybody loved it, but I have only gone and watched the show once, but I haven’t gone and done any of the rides. I would like to do that, though. [To John:] We should do it together.

JRD: Very scary. “Don’t look into the eyes of the idol!” [Audience cheers]


Alison’s thoughts on Elsa from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”:
AD: [Elsa gave] the wrong grail to the bad guy, and without her getting rid of him, he would have shot all of them. [Audience cheers]

JRD: You mean, the irresistible charms of Indiana Jones persuaded you to halt, briefly, on the path of evil? [Audience laughs]

AD: And… I landed softly, so I didn’t die. [Audience laughs] I kept saying that on set, actually, after it said, “And… cut!” I kept saying, “I’m alive! I’m alive!” They kept saying, “No, you’re dead.” [Audience laughs]

On what may have happened to Elsa in “The Last Crusade,” if she actually did survive:
AD: She hung around for quite a while and then got a little bored. I thought the knight looked particularly bored. He had longevity, but it didn’t look like much was happening there. She took off and she’s going to come back, if they have another [movie].

JRD: You know, actors create characters in their imaginings. We see the script, and then we start thinking about it. We create a task. We create a parentage, a lineage, relationships, and that character lives in our imagination. Do you find that, as well?

AD: I do, but I just wish she wasn’t as nasty as she was because – it’s very strange – I really do get type-cast as the nasty priss. Even in my last film, I was particularly nasty. I keep thinking, “What? Why? I’m a nice person. Let me play a nice [character].”

JRD: Well, it’s all right for her! I got cast [in “The Lord of the Rings”] because they saw my inner dwarf!” [Audience laughs and cheers]

On the SAG-AFTRA strike, the legacy of Indiana Jones, and Sean Connery:
AD: “[Seeing the finished product of a film] on the large screen, [it’s] so impressive. And that’s why, again – even for everybody that’s involved, from the actors, the writers, directors, producers, the caterers, the crew – that’s why we’re really emphasizing how important it is for everyone to get sorted with this strike that’s going on. I truly believe that – when you see that film that’s lasted for over 40 years, and people [who watched] it as children […] are now watching it with their children or their grandchildren – that everybody […] who’s been a part of that journey and made it so special [deserves] to be treated in a way that they can continue to be in the industry.

For me, I was quite young when I got the role [of Elsa]. My agent even said to me, “You’re not going to get this. You’re in your early 20s and you’re Irish, and they’re looking for a 29-year-old Austrian.” And I said, “Well, just wait and see. I was so blessed to have been a part of that. So, to be a part of that franchise, and I think that character [Indiana Jones] who, as a main character, I think, is one of the best movie heroes because he’s a normal guy. He’s someone who makes mistakes. He messes up, but he has perseverance, and he’s a good guy. He takes the audience on such an incredible journey, which is full of action and amazing stunts. And the storyline, I think, is very, very good in our movie because it talks about father and son and their disagreeable past, and they talk through that on this journey and they forgive each other. So, I think that was a very strong element that appealed to me, watching it. [Audience cheers]

JRD: Can I ask you a question? What about the alpha male in the picture? [Audience laughs, likely assuming that he is referring to himself] Have you ever encountered a greater alpha male than Sean [Connery]?

AD: Sean. Oh, Sean. God rest his soul. He was truly unbelievable, wasn’t he? And he actually, in a lot of our scenes, improvised. So, one of those funny, quirky little one-liners – [Imitating Connery in the film] “She talks in her sleep.” […] And, you know, when… [Imitating Elsa] “I’ll never forget how wonderful it was.” [Imitating Connery] “Why, thank you.” [Audience laughs] It all was Sean. He was a true professional. All male. All male.

JRD: I’ll tell you what: I’ve seen some alpha males, in my time, but Sean was, I think, the most alpha that you could ever imagine. He had a charm and a dangerously seductive quality about him that no man that I’ve ever known or worked with has ever quite matched. You knew he was a man, and girls from 12 to 94 all looked at him… Those wonderful eyes just crinkled up slightly here, and those thin lips sort of pursed together in a wee smile, and you could just see women falling over.

*****

In case you missed it, I got a chance to do an exclusive interview with John Rhys-Davies at FanX 2023. You can read about his memories of working with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square here.

What's your favorite thing about Indiana Jones? Do you agree with us that "Last Crusade" is one of the greatest movies ever made? Let us know in the comments below, find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (here and here). And, of course, for everything else FanX-related, as we ramp up for FanX 2024, keep it right here.

Until next time.

FanX 2023: John Rhys-Davies recalls working with the Tabernacle Choir

One of the true unexpected delights of FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention 2023 was the opportunity to interview acclaimed actor John Rhys-Davies, who is best known for his roles in Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones. He made himself available to speak to the media before the convention opened for its first day on September 21 and couldn't have been kinder to us. He even offered to take selfies with us when we were done chatting.

Because FanX took place in the midst of the SAG-AFTRA strike, we were not permitted to ask any of the actors about their work - past, present or future - which meant we couldn't ask him about Gimli or Sala or anything else he'd done in Hollywood, and we had to get a little creative with our questions.

One thing that was not off limits, however, was Rhys-Davies' experience performing with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square; he was a guest for the choir's Christmas concert in 2013. When we asked him to recall his time spent with the choir, he had some nice things to say.

Well, I knew of the Tabernacle Choir, really, from very early on. I’m a Welshman, and I spent time in a little village in Wales when my parents were out in Africa. The one choir that everyone knew of and admired was the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

I did the Christmas show a number of years back. I expected to be impressed by the musicianship, and Mack [Wilberg] is […] probably the greatest choral authority in the world, I think, and I love him immensely and admire him immensely. The choir is superb – the musicianship, the range of their musical interests is enormous – and, as I’m a classical music fan, obviously, it was a match made in heaven, as far as I was concerned. 

But the welcome you get… I will be staying on for the service ["Music and the Spoken Word"] on Sunday [September 24], and I had the great privilege of attending the 95^th birthday of your prophet, who stood up and made one of the most moving and articulate speeches that I think I’ve ever heard. Wonderful man. 

To an outsider, on first coming in, you’re a rather strange community, but the more I come, the more I see the real strengths of the community. The measure of friendliness to strangers is really unmatched. You’re a warm, welcoming, intelligent, rational, committed community, and I love it here.

Social media posts by some in attendance at "Music and the Spoken Word" can confirm that Rhys-Davies and fellow LOTR alum Andy Serkis were present to hear the Tabernacle Choir perform that Sunday, following the convention. So hey, how about that? Pretty cool.

For more FanX content, you know where to keep it.

Until next time.

FanX Flashback - Giancarlo Esposito Panel Highlights (FanX22)

As we gear up for FanX 2023 - the 10-year anniversary of the convention, which is crazy - I thought it would be a good time to transcribe another panel or two from last year and put it out into the blog-o-sphere. I felt that Giancarlo Esposito put on the best panel of the weekend, so it pains me that I waited so long to publish this one. I thought he did a masterful job of taking the cliche convention questions ("Do you have a funny story about so-and-so? Did you ever steal something from a set? What has been your favorite role?" Stuff like that...) and turning his responses into teaching opportunities. I didn't capture all of his words of wisdom, but did boot up my recorder to catch a few great moments.

A fan asks Esposito whether he enjoyed working more on “Breaking Bad” or “Better Call Saul.”

I love the comparisons. They both are favorite shows of mine, for different reasons. I love that in “Breaking Bad,” I could come in for four or five days and really… For an actor who does… I come from theater, and then I moved into television, then I moved into film. Film is a continuum – you’re doing two pages a day. Television, you’re doing six pages a day. And in order for an actor to get a run on what he does, it’s always good to have your work put together so you can focus.

See, focus in life is really important. Asking for what you want is also important. We sometimes feel that we don’t have the power to ask questions when you’re hired to do a job because you may be new – it may be your first day or second day. How often do you go to a job interview and you’re asked all these questions – how often do you ask a question? “What do you have to offer me? How can I help your organization run in a way that’s different. What do you see in me that could help bring your business a new energy and a more empowered or more inspired way of working?” So, for me, I feel like that’s my position in life, and I realized that to ask for what I want is important because I want to be a contributor. I want to contribute to what I do.

So, I loved both shows – “’Breaking Bad” because I was so able to focus my energy and attention, come in four or five days, do my work, pinpoint it, have them be inspired with what I do, get on a plane and go out, come back in another two weeks and do the same thing again. But I asked for my work to be put together so I could feel like I had the engine behind me. In “BetterCall Saul,” I spent more time on the set, which was great. But I also was able to cultivate a more sensitive, vulnerable and astute Gus [Fring – his character on both shows] because he had a problem – a problem that was very specific. “Saul,” as a show, was more specific than “Breaking Bad” because it was about Jimmy. Right? It was about Gene, Jimmy, Saul… Good-man… right?

The focus… you have to know who you are within what you do and what you’re being asked to do. So go back to the job interview – how often are you asked, or do you ask, “What is my position here? What would you like me to do here? What is my strong point, my strength and my talent?” When you ask those questions of yourself, you will be put in the perfect position that is right for you in anything that you do. I say that what you do today determines your tomorrow. There’s no doubt in my mind about this. How you envision your life is how it will be. How you see it is how you then begin to create it.

Both of these shows are great for me, for different reasons, and I had different experiences related to those reasons because I started to see and say to myself, “What is the experience that I wanna have?” What is that experience? You see it, you create it – what you think grows. What you think grows.

A fan asks which of Esposito’s villainous characters is the most evil.

Another very interesting question – and it’s a difficult question for me to answer because I believe, and I think the success of the villains that I have played are because I inherently have thought that the anti-hero, the villain, is simply the fallen hero. That fallen hero is someone who feels that they are unseen, that they aren’t given credit for what they are, that they have to take a different route because no one is listening to them, that their ego is too big – insurmountable – for them to get beyond that they use force to get what they want. I feel like… which ones are evil? None of them are inherently evil, but then they take a road that guides them and leads them to being evil. You haven’t seen Season 3 of “Star Wars” yet – of “The Mandalorian” [at the time of the convention] – but even without seeing it, I have to say that hubris, the great word, that we [Moff Gideon] start to feel a little powerful and we want more. People start to listen and bow down to us and we want more, and then we start to want more and more until we start to have the power to control that becomes out of our control. So, if anyone is connected more to evil, I think it’s Moff Gideon than anyone.

Esposito responds to rumors that Marvel planned to cast him as Professor X.

I have to say, I love what Marvel does. I say it when I’m asked this question, always. I know some folks on the TV side and it sort of got out there that I talked to them a few years back, and that blew into, “Oh, he’s talking to them, he’s going to be at the [convention], they’re going to announce it,” all these things… Professor X was the last character to come up. I am fascinated by other characters in their universe, in their world, and I have to say: Magneto is one of them. [Audience cheers] Yeah, baby! I have to say: Freeze is another. I’m intrigued by the kind of majestic feeling of Freeze trapped in what he’s trapped in. I like that whole concept. I don’t know what it will be; I know that one day, Marvel is gonna hit for me, and I’m going to have a great time doing it. So, whatever that is, I’m hoping that they will be as excited as I am to work on something together.

Esposito tells a story about teaching his young daughter that he and the characters he plays are not the same person.

…That’s Gustavo Fring, and that’s not me. That’s someone else. So, whatever he does, that’s Gustavo, and this is your father. Well, the lights went down and, you know, I did a very ugly deed in [“Breaking Bad” Season] 4 [Episode] 01 “Box Cutter,” and the whole episode was galvanizing for her; she never took her eyes off the screen. She turned to me when the lights came back up. Without skipping a beat, she said, “Good kill, Papa.” [Audience gasps, laughs and applauds] I was just mortified! And then she went away - she had a couple more days of being with me in Albuquerque - and then she went home and she started watching the series from the beginning. She said, “This is such great storytelling, great filmmaking, I’m hooked.” But I swear, she never looked at me the same way again. [Audience laughs]

Esposito, on the importance of paying attention to those around us.

When we start to come back to who we really are, and we start to imbibe the gift that will never go away, ‘cause all it takes it to be able to listen and really hear – not just with your ears – with your heart, with your eyes, with your whole body – then, inspiration comes, and the right answer is always at the tip of your tongue because it’s organically the truth. It’s time for us to pay attention to each other again.

*****

Do you have a favorite Giancarlo Esposito role? We loved hearing him as Baxter Stockman in the recently released "TMNT: Mutant Mayhem," and really enjoyed the very un-family friendly Netflix series "Kaleidoscope." Leave us a comment below, follow us on Twitter (here and here) or hit us up on Facebook.

We're looking forward to FanX 2023 in a couple weeks. Are you going? There's still time to grab your tickets for what will undoubtedly be one of the biggest conventions in the history of the Beehive State.

Surely, we'll be back after the convention to post highlights from some of our favorite panels. Until then, keep it tuned here.

Until next time.

FanX 22: "Stranger Things" reunion panel highlights

Three stars of Netflix's ultra-popular show "Stranger Things" reunited at FanX 2022 for one of the biggest panels of the weekend. Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Eduardo Franco (Argyle) and Grace Van Dien (Chrissy) joined forces to tackle topics both actual and hypothetical, from what life has been like since joining the cast to who would die first in the event of an actual apocalypse.

Here are some of the highlights from one of the funniest panels of the weekend:

A fan asked Grace Van Dien if she is aware of the viral “Chrissy, Wake Up” songs.

Van Dien: Yes, I’ve heard all the “Chrissy” remixes. I think it's so cool. I think I’ll be singing “Chrissy, Wake Up” way past everybody else.

A fan asked Van Dien about her character's brief interactions with Vecna, resulting in this tweet that got a little love from Chrissy fans online:

"I think I'm a bit stronger than Chrissy. I think I could take Vecna." Shots fired by @GraceVanDien!#StrangerThings #FanX pic.twitter.com/f5crvjf5an

— FanX® Salt Lake Comic Convention™ (@fanxsaltlake) September 24, 2022

A fan asked Eduardo Franco how he would want his character, Argyle, to die on the show. Franco then hilariously proceeded to demonstrate that he and Argyle are basically the exact same person.

Franco: Let’s see... How would I… It’s gotta be good, man. There’s so many deaths in movies that like, you know, I’ll watch and I’m like, “[Expletive], that’s a crazy-good one,” you know? Like Quint in “Jaws,” how he’s slowly… he’s kicking and he’s just like, “No! No! No! No! No!” – so bad – and that [expletive] is just doing this… [Franco pantomimes the scene, audience laughs] Something like that, or it could be like… I don’t know, man. It’d be something like that. Maybe some… what’s a good – yo! You know what’s a good death in a movie? [Audience laughs] Sorry. I don’t know if you guys were like this, but it’d be [expletive] amazing to do it again: the guy in “RoboCop” – the one that slams into the vat of chemicals, and he comes out yo! [Franco screeches, audience laughs] And then, and then – yo! And then Red Forman [actor Kurtwood Smith, who starred in “RoboCop” and played Red Forman on “That 70s Show”] drives right through him and he [expletive] explodes! That would be [expletive] crazy.

A fan asked who their favorite "Stranger Things" character is (but they couldn't choose their own character), as well as their least favorite character.

Matarazzo: There’s an answer, for sure. Who’s my favorite character? Can’t choose Dustin. You guys could choose Dustin – I’m just saying. I’m gonna pick… Steve. [Audience cheers wildly, Matarazzo laughs] That was like the State of the Union. It’s like, “YES!”

Franco, mockingly: Steve.

Matarazzo: I think my least favorite… That’s messed up. Least favorite? I don’t want to pick a bad guy because I think that those characters are awesome. Know what I mean? It’s not necessarily, like, your least favorite character is someone that does bad things on the show because that’s what make shows exciting. People are saying, “Vecna!” […] Vecna’s probably one of my favorite characters in the show’s history. So, I’m gonna pick… Oh, man!

Franco: You have to pick one.

Matarazzo: I’ve got to pick one? Who’s that “Argyle” dude? [Audience laughs]

Franco, dejectedly: My favorite character has always been Dustin. [Audience laughs] It’s ok. Never meet your heroes, guys.

Surprisingly, Van Dien would go on to say that Season 4 bully Jason gets an undeserved amount of hate - an answer which seemed to irritate the overwhelmingly anti-Jason audience.

Matarazzo was asked about filming Eddie’s Season 4 rock concert.

Matarazzo: Oh, it was a complete bop and a half. I just felt really bad because we were on top of this trailer in a real neighborhood, like in the middle of the night. Yeah, we filmed that and I was… and there was a scene after that where, uh, spoilers… Ah, this is actually… Who hasn’t seen Season 4? Why are you… Aww [incoherent mumbling] … Well, something bad happens. [Audience laughs] And I have to go to the bad thing that’s happening and I’m screaming a lot while doing it, and it’s like 4:30 in the morning. [The directors were] like, “Really scream!” Like, “Ok!” So I’m running and then we stop and do it over and over again, and I’m like, “This sucks!” Yeah, so I just felt… It was awesome and I just felt bad. That was pretty much it. That was crazy, though.

*****

There you have it! What were some of your favorite parts from Season 4 of "Stranger Things"? What are your predictions for Season 5? How do you think Argyle should die? Is it ok to put pineapple on pizza? Let us know in the comments section, on Twitter (here and here) or on Facebook.

For more "Stranger Things" goodness, take a look back at our Season 4 Power Rankings!

And, as always, keep it right here with Signs of the Times for more glorious FanX panel transcriptions.

FanX 22: Timothy Omundson felt "incredibly lucky" for role on "Galavant"

FanX 2022 featured an exciting reunion panel for "Psych" fans, as stars Timothy Omundson and Maggie Lawson joined forces for a laughter-filled chat about pineapples, podcasts and solving cases. However, we at Signs of the Times remember Omundson best for his role as the baddie-turned-bestie, King Richard, on the short-lived musical comedy "Galavant."

Omundson took a few minutes during the panel to reminisce about his "Galavant" gig, with some supportive fangirling from Lawson. Here's what they had to say:

Lawson: How great was Tim on “Galavant?”

Omundson: […] I’ve had such incredible roles to play. To leave “Psych” and then – well, you never “leave ‘Psych’” – but, to have done “Psych” for eight years… well, eight years; 120 episodes; at this point, three movies – of, hopefully, eight… [Audience cheers] …to then get to do “Galavant” was just an embarrassment of riches. Here’s a little secret: I had not done a musical since high school, so I got to work and just, really, I had no idea what I was doing. […] In between hiatuses, I had to double down on singing lessons. I really wanted [to learn how to] sing because I really had no idea – I had no technique, whatsoever. I was in a recording booth with the great Alan Menken. [Audience cheers] He’s done some stuff. …and I recorded one of my first songs [-] one of my big songs… my big song – I think it’s from the pilot – and I can’t hit the top note. I could sort of see through the recording booth glass, all the producers kind of look at each other, and I immediately [start sweating]. I’m like, “I am getting fired. They’re gonna realize, they’re gonna discover I’m a fraud. I’m gonna get fired immediately.” Alan comes in the booth with me and he’s trying to teach me how to sing, and I’m like, “This is horrible!” So I left the booth that day, trying not to burst into tears, and vowed that I would never let that happen again. On hiatus, I went back and took lessons and learned how to sing, just because I was afraid I was going to get fired. It was the greatest job, second to “Psych,” of my life. Because, I mean, like, riding horses through the countryside of England and Morocco? Come on!

Lawson: I remember that process. You worked so hard. I remember being on a plane back from Vancouver as “Psych” was finishing up. […] I remember saying to you, “You can do whatever you want – what would be your next job?” And you kind of said all of those things that “Galavant” had, before “Galavant” had even come along. [Then] that showed up and I remember that audition process; it went on and on and on, and I remember being like, “He’s gonna get this!”

Omundson: It literally took five months for me to finally get the job. So, at that time, every human being that my family and I knew, knew I was up for this role, and I was like, “This could be so embarrassing if I don’t get this job.” But the […] network had a big English movie star in line for the role, so they kept putting it off until they’d offered the job to not just one movie star but two. I’m not saying who, but they were British…

Lawson: But they weren’t Timothy Omundson!

Omundson: Thank goodness. So, finally, one of them said, “You’ll have to hypnotize me to sing,” because he was afraid of singing. [“Galavant” creator] Dan Fogelman, right from the get-go, was like, “Don’t worry, you’re my guy. We’ve just got to get the network to let go of this dream with these movie stars.” And, the next thing, I’m on a plane to England!

Lawson: You’re still his guy!

Omundson: I’m so incredibly lucky. So, to go from “Galavant,” then… [sarcastically] Maggie, did you hear that I had a stroke?

Lawson, sarcastically: Wait, what?!

Omundson: Oh yeah, it was in all the papers! I’m ok, though. [Audience laughs, sympathetically]

Lawson: Oh, fantastic! [Audience cheers] You’re the greatest warrior I know!

Omundson: So, to go from that little, massive brain injury to then have my “Psych” family, who rallied behind me like they all did, to build the movies around me, was just… I’m still gob-smacked by it.

A few minutes later, a fan asked Omundson what his favorite song was to perform on "Galavant." Omundson replied, "[It was] probably the song 'Goodnight, My Friend.' It was such a beautiful song. I think that was my favorite song of all. It was a beautiful song, incredibly touching. So, it would probably be that one."

*****

What is your favorite Timothy Omundson role? Have you found all of the hidden pineapples in "Psych"? And, perhaps more importantly, how badly do you think they need to bring "Galavant" back for a third and final season? Let us know in the comments section, on Twitter (here and here) or on Facebook.

As always, keep it here at Signs of the Times for even more FanX fandom.