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Karen Gillan
Superior Con 2023
The Stars of Physician Who (Karen Gillan, Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill, Billie Piper, and Christopher Eccleston), Star Trek (Levar Burton), and Lord of the Rings (Elijah Wooden, Sean Astin, and Andy Serkis) Descend on Washington, D.C.
Aug 22, 2023
Images by Wendy Redfern
Karen Gillan has come a good distance since her two-and-a-half seasons enjoying Amy Pond, companion to Matt Smith’s Eleventh Physician, in Physician Who. Of all of the actors to look on the present during the last 60 years, the Scottish redhead has had essentially the most profitable Hollywood profession since leaving Physician Who.
Quickly after bidding the TARDIS adieu in 2012 she starred within the well-received American horror movie Oculus and landed the lead position in a primetime sitcom, Selfie, which aired on ABC for one season. True mainstream recognition got here with the position of Nebula in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, a personality she’s additionally performed in each its sequels, a TV particular, three different MCU movies, and two episodes of What If…? She then held her personal as Ruby Roundhouse reverse heavy hitters Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart within the two Jumanji motion pictures. And in 2018 she wrote, directed, and starred within the well-received indie movie The Social gathering’s Simply Starting. However at Superior Con in Washington, D.C. lately Gillan was sticking to her roots, bringing her mother and father alongside for the experience as she signed innumerable autographs in what was the longest line of followers we witnessed your complete weekend. She solely appeared on the three-day conference on the second day, the Saturday, which additionally occurred to be her mom Marie Gillan’s birthday. When Karen arrived to signal autographs her mom was introduced with a cake and followers sang “Comfortable Birthday.” “I’m having the very best time ever,” a clearly excited and proud Marie informed us, after I requested her what it was like celebrating her birthday at a sci-fi and comics conference along with her daughter.
At Gillan’s Q&A panel on the principle stage, she informed the viewers that she’d introduced her mother and father along with her, however joked, “They may have ditched me to go see Biden.” Gillan, who mentioned she took the prepare to D.C. from Manhattan, remembered that as a toddler within the Scottish Highlands she used to do the voice of an American granny character she created and was additionally “obsessive about Jennifer Aniston from Associates,” maybe foretelling her straightforward transfer to Hollywood appearing.
Gillan thought that changing into a companion on Physician Who appeared very far-fetched to her, as this system is such an establishment within the UK. “Individuals [in the UK] are born figuring out what a Dalek is,” she mentioned, referring to the Physician’s well-known exterminating adversaries. Gillan discovered on the day of her audition that she obtained the a part of Amy Pond. “It was very, very surreal,” she remembered. Gillan mentioned that her first episode, 2010’s “The Eleventh Hour,” remained her favourite Physician Who episode.
Earlier than touchdown the Amy position, Gillan had a small position as a distinct character within the 2008 Physician Who episode “The Fires of Pompeii.” Whereas filming that episode she watched Catherine Tate, who performed then companion Donna Noble. “I keep in mind pondering, ‘She has the best job ever and I wish to do this,’” Gillan mentioned, after which two years later she was the brand new companion.
“I used to be starstruck the entire time,” Gillan mentioned of appearing reverse Johnson, Black, and Hart within the two Jumanji motion pictures. “I felt like some form of fraud.”
She referred to Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) as DJ and mentioned, “I’ve by no means seen him get cranky, I’ve by no means seen him be irritated.”
Of her Marvel position of Nebula, Gillan praised the author/director of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, James Gunn, saying he was superb to work with and that there was plenty of improvising on the set. She additionally mentioned her paper soccer scene with Robert Downey Jr. in 2019’s Avengers Endgame (directed by Anthony and Joe Russo) was improvised. Probably the most uncomfortable facet of enjoying Nebula was the 4 hours she spent within the make-up chair. “I really feel like I’m being operated on,” Gillan revealed.
Gillan mentioned that her MCU costar Pom Klementieff (who performs Mantis and likewise spends a good period of time within the make up chair) has turn into an in depth buddy and was a bridesmaid at her marriage ceremony. She mentioned she didn’t besides to return as Nebula in so many various motion pictures and now, regardless of the heavy make-up she wears, it’s the position she’s most acknowledged for when out in public. “She’s killed all the opposite characters [I’ve played],” Gillan joked.
Gillan could have been the largest draw at Superior Con 2023, however there have been loads of different thrilling company, together with a number of fellow TARDIS vacationers in a lineup that was heavy on Physician Who actors. The occasion was celebrating its tenth anniversary, though it was our first yr attending it. My spouse Wendy, our 10-year-old daughter Rose, and I’ve been to the final three Galaxy Cons in Richmond, VA, in addition to the smaller Large Lick Comedian-Con in Roanoke, VA. And Wendy and I had attended the well-known San Diego Comedian-Con a number of occasions within the 2000s and 2010s, again after we lived in Los Angeles.
Issues kicked off on Friday with a Q&A with Phil Lamar. He’s primarily often known as a voice actor, but additionally talked about his days on the sketch comedy present MAD TV and his small half in Pulp Fiction, the place his character was by chance shot by John Travolta’s Vincent. Of working with Simpsons creator Matt Groenig on Futurama, Lamar mentioned, “He is without doubt one of the most good and sweetest individuals.” Taking part in the John Stewart model of Inexperienced Lantern within the Justice League and Justice League animated exhibits was “a dream come true” as Lamar was an enormous comedian e-book fan and excited to work with author/producer Bruce Timm after his work on Batman: The Animated Collection. He was stunned they went with the John Stewart model of Inexperienced Lantern over the extra established Hal Jordan model, commenting that the present was various earlier than it was stylish.
Certainly one of Lamar’s most iconic characters was voicing Samurai Jack within the acclaimed Cartoon Community collection of the identical identify. “If anybody mentioned, ‘I don’t like cartoons,’ I might nonetheless advocate Samurai Jack to them,” mentioned Lamar. “As a result of it’s a murals.” Lamar mentioned it was satisfying to return for the present’s ultimate season after so a few years. Lamar did the voices of each Inexperienced Lantern and Samurai Jack for the viewers and joked that he hoped to hang around within the inexperienced room later with fellow Superior Con company Levar Burton and Billy Dee Williams.
The Star Wars actor was up subsequent. He had with him a man who has labored with him for years attending conventions who overvalued the viewers and inspired them to ask Williams attention-grabbing questions, with prizes going to individuals who requested ones he’d by no means been requested earlier than. Williams teased his upcoming autobiography, What Have We Right here? Portraits of a Life, due out subsequent February and talked about his work as a painter. He mentioned he was afraid of AI. His favourite movie is On the Waterfront and he as soon as obtained to satisfy its star, Marlon Brando. One questioner was named after Williams’ Lando Calrissian Star Wars character and one other sang their query to the tune of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” Oh working with Harrison Ford, Williams remarked, “What’s he 80 now, operating round like he’s 20,” and mentioned Ford is a good father, which tells him how good a person he’s. Williams mentioned he didn’t find yourself with a ton of props from the Star Wars movies. “I ought to’ve saved the cape,” he lamented. “My largest remorse…. Are you aware how a lot that will be value?”
Saturday’s Q&As kicked off with Christopher Eccleston, finest recognized to the Superior Con viewers because the Ninth Physician from Physician Who, the Physician and actor who launched the revival of the long-running present in 2005 after a 16-year hiatus because the finish of the unique collection. The British actor’s flight to America was delayed by 4 hours and he was fairly jetlagged, however nonetheless recreation to debate Physician Who and a few of his different initiatives.
“The primary actor I believed was actual and true was Jimmy Cagney in White Warmth,” Eccleston mentioned of his early inspirations. He mentioned that he and his dad “have been large Trekkies” however of Physician Who he admitted, “I wasn’t a fan of the present, please don’t kill me. I used to be a fan of the writing.” Nonetheless, he requested producer/showrunner/author Russell T. Davies to audition for the position. “The Empty Baby” was his favourite episode to shoot and Eccleston mentioned he had a hand in creating the Ninth Physician’s leather-based jacketed outfit (“a few of the [previous] costumes for the Physician had gotten somewhat too florid,” he joked), and mentioned that the character of the Ninth Physician was half Davies and half Eccleston, by way of the character’s persona. He mentioned that his Physician had PTSD from the Time Struggle and that he met an Iraq Struggle veteran that day on the conference and that they each cried.
Eccleston famously left Physician Who after just one season, to get replaced by David Tennant because the Tenth Physician. “I cherished enjoying the Physician, I simply didn’t love a few of the individuals I needed to work with,” he admitted.
Eccleston has had many different roles earlier than and after his Physician Who tenure, together with in Shallow Grave, The Others, and The Leftovers. Of his villainous position in Thor: The Darkish World, by which he was unrecognizable buried underneath layers of make-up, Eccleston joked, “I’ve by no means met so many producers named Bob.” Of Jude, he mentioned, “That’s in all probability my favourite movie I’ve been in.” He’s additionally showing alongside Jodie Foster within the new season of True Detective.
Eccleston mentioned his children have been scared watching him in Physician Who, as a result of “their dad was in jeopardy.” He has little interest in returning to the present to do a multi-Physician story with different incarnations of the character, however did reveal he had a brand new Physician Who audio story with Large End in honor of the present’s upcoming sixtieth anniversary.
Eccleston was initially reluctant to look at sci-fi/fantasy/comedian e-book conventions, however was brutally trustworthy that chapter, divorce, and custody battles led him to rethink his place. However to the actor’s shock, he admitted that attending conventions has “been extremely optimistic in my life.”
The aforementioned Karen Gillan Q&A adopted after which it was three of the solid of the Lord of the Rings movies—Elijah Wooden (Frodo), Sean Astin (Sam), and Andy Serkis (Gollum). “It effectively and actually was the best household to be a part of,” mentioned Serkis.
Serkis began out as a painter, however needed to take an appearing class in faculty and fell in love with it. His voice for Gollum was impressed by watching his cat cough up a hairball. Serkis additionally mentioned he was an enormous jazz nerd, particularly of Nineteen Fifties and early ’60s jazz, and that he was halfway by directing a brand new adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
Astin spoke about his days as a toddler actor, together with appearing in a TV film along with his mom Patty Duke at age seven by which his mom’s character bodily abused him. “Faithfulness” was the attribute in Sam that Astin most admired.
Wooden, who made his personal audition tape shot within the woods with pals, as a substitute of going to the casting workplace, mentioned that the favourite attribute of his character was “Frodo’s humanity and his means to see goodness in darkish locations.”
On Saturday night time we attended the amusing cosplay contest. Then Sunday kicked off with a Q&A with Billie Piper, who performed Rose Tyler in Physician Who, the companion of each the Ninth Physician and Tenth Physician. Earlier than she took the stage, the host proclaimed, “That is our sporting occasion. That is our Tremendous Bowl.”
Piper, who wore loopy excessive heel footwear with spikes on them, first spoke about her former life as a pop star. Piper signed a report contract when she was 14 and when she was 15 her debut single, “As a result of We Need To,” turned her first #1 hit, making her the youngest artist to debut at #1 on the UK singles charts. “The music business was very, very onerous,” Piper admitted, calling her pop star expertise “traumatic” and saying that she “all the time wished to be an actor.”
When Piper was solid as Rose, though she’d had some appearing roles, she was nonetheless primarily often known as a musician. She wasn’t an enormous Whovian as a toddler, which Piper mentioned was in all probability a great factor, as she wasn’t too intimidated when auditioning for Rose. She mentioned she didn’t really feel effectively on the day of the audition, however feeling an in depth affinity to the character helped her land the position. “I knew that lady. I used to be that lady. I knew what it was like rising up in a working class household…. I knew that world. It didn’t really feel like an enormous leap,” Piper mentioned.
“What I cherished about Rose,” Piper added. “She needs one thing extra out of her life. As a youngster she understood how straightforward it’s to get caught in a humdrum sample…. She simply goes for it and continues to go for it.”
Piper loved working with costar Christopher Eccleston (“It felt like new floor for each of us”) and was devastated when Eccleston determined to depart the present after just one season. She thought-about leaving too, however went out to dinner with the brand new star, David Tennant (who performed the Tenth Physician) and instantly preferred him.
Piper mentioned her favourite episodes of her period have been “Tooth and Claw” (“As a result of it’s so humorous”), “Father’s Day” (“It’s very emotional”), and “Doomsday,” the season two finale that originally noticed Piper go away the present earlier than returning in season 4 (“It was so necessary to me personally”).
Piper has three children aged 4, eleven, and fourteen and her sons are afraid of the Physician Who monster the Weeping Angels. She mentioned she’d like to sooner or later work with Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, and Robert DeNiro. “I’d prefer to play a feminine Deadpool. I might be foulmouthed, inappropriate, and violet,” she added.
She’d prefer to return to Physician Who in some unspecified time in the future and hopes that Russell T. Davies would write an episode about Rose’s house life with the half human clone of the Tenth Physician (on the finish of “Journey’s Finish,” the ultimate TV look of Rose to date, she finally ends up dwelling in a parallel universe with the Physician clone). “I actually hope there’s an choice to do one thing with Rose Tyler,” mentioned Piper.
Subsequent up on the principle stage have been two extra Physician Who actors, Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill, showing collectively. Whittaker performed the Thirteenth Physician, the primary feminine incarnation of the character and the latest regeneration of the Physician (though Tennant returns this fall as not the Tenth Physician, however the Fourteenth Physician). Gill performed Whittaker’s companion, Yasmin Khan, a younger police officer who finally ends up touring with the Physician alongside Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole) and his step granddad Graham O’Brien (Bradley Walsh). Whittaker and Gill each wore white T-shirts, with Whittaker’s that includes a photograph of Gill on it.
There was resistance to Whittaker’s casting and the Physician changing into a girl from a minority of Physician Who followers and people within the right-leaning media. “You possibly can’t kick us out of the Physician Who household. We’re in it now. We’re right here,” Whittaker mentioned defiantly at the beginning of the panel. “It was there earlier than us. We have been a second and it carries on past us,” added Whittaker of the 5 years she and Gill have been with the present.
Of being the primary feminine Physician, Whittaker commented, “It was 2017, it was time,” including, “We’re all of the Physician.”
Whittaker was stunned when then-Physician Who showrunner Chris Chibnall requested her to audition for the position of the Thirteenth Physician. She had beforehand starred reverse David Tennant in all three seasons of Chibnall’s present Broadchurch, in a task that was way more critical and somber than the Physician. “The Physician is myself essentially the most of any of the roles I’ve completed,” Whittaker revealed, admitting that she didn’t come from a Whovian household.
Gill mentioned she cried when she obtained the a part of Yaz and that her brother-in-law is an enormous Physician Who fan. However she additionally joked that the remainder of her household isn’t overly impressed by her appearing profession.
Whittaker grew up on the movies of the ’80s and cited E.T. and The Goonies as two favorites. One other Steven Spielberg-related challenge, Again to the Future (which he produced), influenced her Thirteenth Physician portrayal, as Doc Brown helped encourage her tackle the character. Having been pals with Tennant, Whittaker knew that enjoying the Physician would put her within the “goldfish bowl” and take her to a distinct stage of fame, however she was additionally very emotional after they completed her ultimate episode. “[It was] so unhappy to let it go,” she admitted.
The night earlier than, we had met Whittaker when she was signing autographs recent from the airport. I had an opportunity to inform her how a lot it meant to my daughter Rose when she was solid because the Physician and that Rose obtained extra into the present as soon as the Physician was a girl. In the course of the top of the pandemic, Whittaker filmed a touching video in her closet at house, in character because the Physician and within the full costume, by which she reassured youngsters who have been Physician Who followers that all the pieces can be okay and we’d get by the COVID-19 disaster. I informed her how a lot that meant to children and oldsters. “I very fortunate, Chris [Chibnall], the author, wrote that for me,” Whittaker responded. “As a result of I feel I obtained plenty of credit score as a result of individuals thought that I had written it and I hadn’t. I used to be very a lot given these lovely phrases to say. It was emotional, wasn’t it? What a time.”
Whittaker’s love of Coldplay is well-documented, however I requested her what her second favourite band is. “My different favourite just isn’t a band, is a DJ referred to as Pete Tong. I’m exhibiting my Nineties roots there,” she replied.
The ultimate Q&A we caught at Superior Con 2023 wasn’t Physician Who-related in any respect, it was with Levar Burton, who is probably finest recognized for enjoying Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology. His breakthrough position was enjoying Kunta Kinte within the groundbreaking ABC miniseries Roots (1977), which Burton says was his first skilled audition, completed when he was nonetheless in college at USC.
Burton lately returned to the position of Geordi within the third and ultimate season of Star Trek: Picard, which reunited many of the Subsequent Technology solid. “We didn’t assume this was ever going to occur,” mentioned Burton, earlier than relaying his gratitude to showrunner Terry Matalas and all of the writers.
Burton mentioned that one of many highlights of Picard was the chance to work along with his daughter, Mica Burton, who performed Geordi’s daughter Alandra La Forge. Burton mentioned Mica grew up figuring out his fellow Subsequent Technology actors and it was rewarding to see her maintain her personal with the solid. Geordi had sophisticated romantic relationships within the authentic Subsequent Technology run, so it was necessary to Burton that in Picard the character had a secure household life.
Being on the rebuilt set of the Enterprise-D was “like being in a time machine,” mentioned Burton, including that Patrick Stewart (aka Jean Luc Picard) obtained sillier behind-the-scenes as soon as they have been filming on that set.
Burton mentioned “Second Possibilities” was his favourite Subsequent Technology episode as a result of it was the primary one he directed. He additionally actually preferred the episodes that happened on the Holodeck.
One viewers member informed Burton that his highschool physics instructor wrote the Subsequent Technology episode “Id Disaster.” One other informed him that she was raped as a toddler and that Star Trek helped her get by that.
It’s up within the air as as to whether or not the solid of The Subsequent Technology will return in a future Star Trek collection. “I’m completely wonderful if that is it. We went out on a excessive,” mentioned Burton.
The actor additionally spoke about Studying Rainbow, the PBS present he hosted from 1983 to 2006 that inspired younger youngsters to learn. Burton mentioned that at the beginning he was chatting with his younger son “by the lens of a digital camera.” He mentioned he feels disappointment when he will get in the direction of the ending of a great e-book, so he slows down his studying tempo as he nears the climax. Describing internet hosting Studying Rainbow as his rewarding position (with Kunta Kinte in Roots as his most difficult half), on the finish of his Q&A Burton led the viewers in singing the Studying Rainbow theme.
The final day of Superior Con was the day earlier than Juneteenth, the federal vacation recognizing the tip of slavery. Burton, who is commonly outspoken on social justice points, inspired the viewers to go see The Emancipation Proclamation, which was on show on the Nationwide Archives there in Washington, D.C. for a restricted time in honor of Juneteenth (and as per his suggestion we did wait in an extended line the subsequent day to see the doc). When requested if he had any Juneteenth traditions, Burton responded: “I feel my [Juneteenth tradition] is doing regardless of the hell I wish to do as a result of my ancestors bled and died for it.”
There was after all extra to Superior Con than illuminating Q&As with beloved sci-fi/fantasy actors. The conference flooring was stuffed with all method of distributors and artists promoting comedian books, motion figures and different toys/collectibles, signed artwork prints, and way more, to not point out all of the spectacular cosplayers discovered wandering round all weekend. One finish of the conference flooring additionally featured the autographs space, the place followers might meet the celebrities and pay for his or her autographs. It was there that my daughter and I caught up with Physician Who’s Mandip Gill. She mentioned she was pretty new to the conference circuit. “I’ve completed one, I did Gallifrey [One] in LA and that’s it. Hopefully first of many.”
Gill additionally revealed that she was open to returning to Physician Who in some unspecified time in the future. “Hopefully sooner or later. By no means say by no means with this present.”
Summing up her expertise that weekend at Superior Con, Gill mentioned: “It’s my first time in D.C., my first time at Superior Con, and I’ve had an superior time. No, genuinely it’s been actually nice. It’s been so good to satisfy individuals and have chats with individuals. The costumes are good. Simply usually having a dialog a couple of present which means a lot to me, it’s additionally beautiful to listen to that it means a lot to different individuals. Additionally, lots of people have are available in from a good distance, like 13-hour flights, which I’m so shocked about. It’s so much to digest. However I’m so grateful to be right here.”
It was additionally our first Superior Con, but when the visitor roster is as sturdy subsequent yr, I predict we’ll be again.
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