Once more armed with my dictaphone, a notepad and a sonic screwdriver that doubles as a pen, I set course for Earls Court Two.
Earls Court Two is somewhat of a place of nostalgia for me. I first came to this venue two years ago for my first ever London Film and Comic Con (actually, that's a lie – I really first came to Earls Court to audition for the role of Tom Riddle in Harry Potter many, many moons ago, and was less than successful, but that's another story!). LFCC 2011 was my very first convention, and also the first event I covered as a member of the press, having only started writing for Step2TV a month beforehand. There hasn't been another Showmasters' event held at Earls Court Two until now, so it was strangely nostalgic to be back there again this year... They say you always remember your first, and I still vividly recall my first interview: it was with Mark Sheppard (Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, Doctor Who). We had a long discussion about his character on Battlestar, Romo Lampkin, followed by a slightly shorter conversation about his favourite cheese (manchego).
It was also at LFCC 2011 that I first met friend, colleague and co-conspirator Josh Harris, where we talked at length about Doctor Who whilst stood next to the DeLorean waiting to interview Christopher Lloyd (there's a time travel joke in that somewhere...). Befittingly, for LFCC 2013 Josh and I rallied at Clapham Junction and made our way there first thing Friday morning to set up the stand for Subversive Comics – for whom Josh works – and for me to pick up my press pass for the weekend.
Friday night marked the beginning of the event, opening with a preview evening where a handful of the guests were providing autograph signings and photo opportunities. The venue wasn't overwhelmingly busy, but considering that this was just a two hour preview there was still a considerable amount of people – a large amount of whom had already come in costume! I spent my evening taking a look around the various stalls that had been set up, chatting with some of the visitors and exhibitors, and attempting to plan out the weekend ahead.
Day Two, Saturday. It was ridiculously, unnecessarily hot. I know a lot of people enjoy the heat of the sun, but whenever this time of year comes around I turn into an angry summer goth. In hindsight, it was probably an unwise decision to wear black jeans with a black t-shirt and black jacket... It was impressive to see the amount of cosplayers who remained dedicated to their costumes and their roles in this weather – I can't imagine it's particularly comfortable being a PVC-clad Catwoman or full-armoured Iron Man in heats exceeding 28°C!
I attempted to grab a couple of interviews with a number of the guests for the afternoon. I had my eyes set primarily on the cast of Deep Space Nine and Stargate (Amanda Tapping and Jason Momoa; unfortunately, Michael Shanks and Claudia Black had to cancel their appearance).
The first guest I was able to interview was René Auberjonois. Amongst the many, many roles in his long and distinguished career, Auberjonois is probably best known for his portrayal of my favourite character in Deep Space Nine, Odo, and Father John Mulcahy in MASH (and, if you dress him in a pink satin dressing gown, you may remember him as Professor Tewksbury from an episode of Frasier). I was fortunate enough to grab ten minutes with Mister Auberjonois, in which we discussed his time working on DS9 and how he felt about Odo's character. Unfortunately things had to be cut short as a queue had started to form behind me, but it was an absolute pleasure talking with Auberjonois for the time I had. He's a genuinely excellent man.
In addition to meeting the fans and signing autographs throughout the weekend, Auberjonois was also collecting donations for Doctors Without Borders, a secular humanitarian-aid, non-governmental organization whose volunteers provide urgent medical care to victims of war and disaster regardless of race, religion, or politics.
My second interviewee was Nana Visitor, Kira Nerys on DS9, and chatting with her proved to be one of my most memorable interviews to date! We started to talk about her experiences working on DS9 (including the resultant nightmares of being chased by Cardassians), and things were running smoothly... Until I forgot what I was saying mid-sentence. My brain literally ground to a halt. All I could do was profusely apologise for my apparent lack of brain cells, and prolifically perspire in the sudden uncomfortable heat I was experiencing. Thankfully, Visitor relating her tales of also occasionally forgetting what she's saying (arguably in a worse situation, performing on Broadway and completely freezing up) gave my absent mind some space to breathe and cobble together some vague semblance of the interview I had initially planned out. It may not have been my finest hour, but it's certainly an interview I'll remember for quite some time! Visitor is a truly lovely lady, and an absolute pleasure to chat with.
Sunday being Sunday, things were a bit more relaxed – and nothing was more relaxed than London Underground's service that morning! I arrived a bit later than I had the day before, and set about attempting to arrange the interviews for the day. Among those who I planned to chat with were Avery Brooks (Captain Sisko, DS9), Amanda Tapping (Sam Carter, Stargate SG1 and Dr Helen Magnus, Sanctuary) and Jason Momoa (Ronon Dex, Stargate Atlantis, Khal Drogo, Game of Thrones), however I had been informed that their agents were incredibly restrictive about interviews. Again it was advised to try again towards the end of the day when hopefully the extensive queues would start to grow shorter. As such, I decided to return to having a look around the convention, occasionally returning to the guest area to try my luck with the queues.
I stopped by the Sea Shepherd stall to see some friends I'd met at previous conventions and at Sea Shepherd demonstrations and protests, and I was fortunate enough to meet one of Sea Shepherd's esteemed Captains, Peter Hammarstedt. I have the utmost admiration and respect for the work that the Sea Shepherd crew do to protect our oceans' wildlife, and I honestly can't stress enough how important everything they fight for is.
On the note of good causes, Amanda Tapping was also promoting the charity she started up with writer/producer Damien Kindler and Jill Brodie, Sanctuary for Kids. I was unable to formally interview Tapping over the weekend, but I was able to introduce myself and tell her how much I admired the work she was doing with S4K. Sanctuary for Kids is a charitable organisation dedicated to helping children in crisis across the world, raising money and working with small charities such as the Watari program in East Vancouver, Nepal Orphans Home, Asha Nepal, Next Generation Nepal and SOPUDEP in Haiti.
After speaking about the work she does with S4K, Tapping noticed my Sea Shepherd badge. Of course, her Stargate co-star Richard Dean Anderson is a very prominent supporter of Sea Shepherd and a member of their Board of Advisors, having worked with Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson for many years. So we also discussed Sea Shepherd's work, how she herself had also met Captain Watson, and the Captain's present situation following his unjust arrest in Germany last year under false allegations. Despite not being able to interview her properly, it was fantastic finally meeting Amanda Tapping, and even more so to discuss the causes we both feel passionately about.
Around mid-afternoon came the event I'd been looking forward to for most of the weekend: the Q&A with the cast of Deep Space Nine. The guests for this interstellar line-up for the Q&A were Avery Brooks, Alexander Siddig, René Auberjonois, Andrew Robinson, Armin Shimmerman, Nana Visitor, Salome Jens, Aron Eisenberg and Max Grodenchik. Among the things discussed were how the cast first got into acting (Auberjonois said it was because he “didn't know any better,” Shimmerman simply answered “girls”), and if they had to choose a different character to portray, who would they be (Auberjonois: “I would have been Morn.” Shimmerman: “I wish you had been.”). The mystery of what happened to Captain Sisko's baseball at the end of the series may also have been partially solved, as the subtle clues – and Brooks's suspicions – all seem to point towards Nana Visitor...
All in all, LFCC 2013 was a brilliant and memorable event. I met and spoke with a number of fantastic people, and had an overall highly enjoyable weekend. Interviews and transcripts of Q&As will be up soon, and will be linked to below.
For more pictures from LFCC 2013, please visit my website at www.bronjames.co.uk
London Film and Comic Con returns with a new winter event in October this year.
Visit www.collectormania.com for more details on London Film and Comic Con Winter and for more of Showmasters' upcoming events.
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