"~Some People~ not in this room, right?"
Note to self: need a Jack C. icon urgently.
So I'm kind of at a loss as to what I should post about tonight. It was definitely the most interesting way, I find, in which I've ever had the chance to interact with someone whose work I adore so. There were about 30 of us fans in attendance, tops. The atmosphere was very relaxed and informal, and topics varied from all things Heroes (duh) to the Beatles, via the paparazzi and various other things.
Trust me, I really hate to be one of those bitches who'll only tell LOL, you had to be there but... I got a strong sense that he's not a strong supporter of how fast "news" travel, and I use quote marks because that really only defines what we perceive as worthy of being reported. No great secrets were revealed, aside what I deduced from something he said, which he then confirmed with the request that it stay in the room. If interested, you'll probably read about it soon enough, but it won't be from me. This puts me at odds with my usual interest in knowing every little detail about events I was unable to attend, but I'm suddenly getting where the other side is coming from, and it's odd really, because I realize how uppity and full of crap I must sound. Anyway, not too take away from meticulous exposés (secret: I'll probably keep reading those and live with the shame), but I've come to see it as a matter of respect.
Also, I didn't take any pictures. I was sitting front and middle, about 5 ft. from the man and I would have been way uncomfortable pulling out the camera. We did however get a photoshoot! How that even slipped my mind before, I have no idea, but it did and thus- You know how sometimes you look at old con photo ops and wonder wtf you could have possibly thought you were wearing? Well I just have a feeling it won't take me much time to get there. >_> ANYWAY.
Having said all of the above, there are still a few of things I'd like to contribute to fandom pool that I don't feel are too intrusive on the ~moment~ (what are these words, idek).
An Audience With Jack Coleman - April 11, 2009 / London
About Heroes:
• The first question was about how he got the part. A: the old-fashioned way. Then he described the typical process, and expounded on how lucky he felt. He also said that if the part had originally been conceived as a regular, he doesn't think he would've got it. Nonsense!
• According to him, when the show gets too into the sci-fi, people tune out. He thinks it really works best as "a kitchen sink drama, with a backdrop of sci-fi". (I have to agree.)
• Company Man took 15 days to shoot and cost $7M to make.
• Because the production of the show is such an undertaking, it can sometimes get confusing for every one. Jack told us about a time when two units were each shooting a different episode, and a third concurrently prepping the next one. He and Sendhil ended up going "to cry in the principal's office" (Kring's) and ask precisely where and when and how they were meant to be next. "Write it down for me!" LOL.
• Re: the return of Bryan Fuller, Jack really feels it's a positive thing inasmuch as Fuller is really focused on character motivations and dynamics, and you can't go wrong if you get those right. (Not a direct quote, but it is the gist of what was said.)
• It takes a long time to turn around a show like Heroes ("it's like an ocean liner") and they were already heading in a better direction when Fuller came back.
• Asked whom of the cast he would wish to work with more, he said he had really enjoyed his recent scenes with Ali, and Adrian, and in future he'd like to work with Masi. Draw your own conclusions.
• I can't remember the context (MEMORY FAIL! ...possibly character motivations?) but he totally mentioned Mohinder and "~his father's research~," LOL!
• Because the latest episode aired on BBC2 was "Cold Snap," and Jack hasn't seen "Into Asylum" or "Turn And Face The Strange" yet, it was a bit tricky telling him how awesome he was in it without spoiling other people, but in the end I managed. ^^
• He loves the season finale and feels very good about the next volume.
Other stuff:
• He recently saw the Billy Elliott play in London and liked it a lot, despite not being the movie's greatest fan.
• As a fan of the original Star Trek series, he's very excited about J.J. Abrams' movie.
• As a fan of the Beatles, he cites Liverpool as one of the highlights of his trip.
• He was confused by The Dark Knight. Approximate quote: "That was like seven movies at once."
• The feature film he most recently scripted came very close to going into pre-production, then some of the details didn't work out and so it's getting delayed. It's a dark comedy, and the two leads have been cast (he's the third lead).
• British people can't say "dude!" properly. XD
• He stated again his fierce dislike of the paparazzi industry, and once more dispelled that ludicrous rumor involving Hayden's would-be whims. "Those people [who made up that story] should be fired. They probably won't be, but they should."
That's about all I can think of to share at the moment. I'm sure my re-telling is missing a myriad interesting bits and pieces, and if any come to mind later I'll edit them into this post. After the hour-and-a-half Q&A, Jack signed all of the photo op pictures, and then autographs on personal items and/or promo pictures. Overall, I got the wonderful impression of a man generous with his time, humor, and wisdom. I thought the setup was absolutely brilliant for a fan-actor meet-up, and I can only hope similar opportunities arise again in the future.
In other, less pompous words: OMG IT WAS THE BEST EVER! :D
So I'm kind of at a loss as to what I should post about tonight. It was definitely the most interesting way, I find, in which I've ever had the chance to interact with someone whose work I adore so. There were about 30 of us fans in attendance, tops. The atmosphere was very relaxed and informal, and topics varied from all things Heroes (duh) to the Beatles, via the paparazzi and various other things.
Trust me, I really hate to be one of those bitches who'll only tell LOL, you had to be there but... I got a strong sense that he's not a strong supporter of how fast "news" travel, and I use quote marks because that really only defines what we perceive as worthy of being reported. No great secrets were revealed, aside what I deduced from something he said, which he then confirmed with the request that it stay in the room. If interested, you'll probably read about it soon enough, but it won't be from me. This puts me at odds with my usual interest in knowing every little detail about events I was unable to attend, but I'm suddenly getting where the other side is coming from, and it's odd really, because I realize how uppity and full of crap I must sound. Anyway, not too take away from meticulous exposés (secret: I'll probably keep reading those and live with the shame), but I've come to see it as a matter of respect.
Also, I didn't take any pictures. I was sitting front and middle, about 5 ft. from the man and I would have been way uncomfortable pulling out the camera. We did however get a photoshoot! How that even slipped my mind before, I have no idea, but it did and thus- You know how sometimes you look at old con photo ops and wonder wtf you could have possibly thought you were wearing? Well I just have a feeling it won't take me much time to get there. >_> ANYWAY.
Having said all of the above, there are still a few of things I'd like to contribute to fandom pool that I don't feel are too intrusive on the ~moment~ (what are these words, idek).
An Audience With Jack Coleman - April 11, 2009 / London
About Heroes:
• The first question was about how he got the part. A: the old-fashioned way. Then he described the typical process, and expounded on how lucky he felt. He also said that if the part had originally been conceived as a regular, he doesn't think he would've got it. Nonsense!
• According to him, when the show gets too into the sci-fi, people tune out. He thinks it really works best as "a kitchen sink drama, with a backdrop of sci-fi". (I have to agree.)
• Company Man took 15 days to shoot and cost $7M to make.
• Because the production of the show is such an undertaking, it can sometimes get confusing for every one. Jack told us about a time when two units were each shooting a different episode, and a third concurrently prepping the next one. He and Sendhil ended up going "to cry in the principal's office" (Kring's) and ask precisely where and when and how they were meant to be next. "Write it down for me!" LOL.
• Re: the return of Bryan Fuller, Jack really feels it's a positive thing inasmuch as Fuller is really focused on character motivations and dynamics, and you can't go wrong if you get those right. (Not a direct quote, but it is the gist of what was said.)
• It takes a long time to turn around a show like Heroes ("it's like an ocean liner") and they were already heading in a better direction when Fuller came back.
• Asked whom of the cast he would wish to work with more, he said he had really enjoyed his recent scenes with Ali, and Adrian, and in future he'd like to work with Masi. Draw your own conclusions.
• I can't remember the context (MEMORY FAIL! ...possibly character motivations?) but he totally mentioned Mohinder and "~his father's research~," LOL!
• Because the latest episode aired on BBC2 was "Cold Snap," and Jack hasn't seen "Into Asylum" or "Turn And Face The Strange" yet, it was a bit tricky telling him how awesome he was in it without spoiling other people, but in the end I managed. ^^
• He loves the season finale and feels very good about the next volume.
Other stuff:
• He recently saw the Billy Elliott play in London and liked it a lot, despite not being the movie's greatest fan.
• As a fan of the original Star Trek series, he's very excited about J.J. Abrams' movie.
• As a fan of the Beatles, he cites Liverpool as one of the highlights of his trip.
• He was confused by The Dark Knight. Approximate quote: "That was like seven movies at once."
• The feature film he most recently scripted came very close to going into pre-production, then some of the details didn't work out and so it's getting delayed. It's a dark comedy, and the two leads have been cast (he's the third lead).
• British people can't say "dude!" properly. XD
• He stated again his fierce dislike of the paparazzi industry, and once more dispelled that ludicrous rumor involving Hayden's would-be whims. "Those people [who made up that story] should be fired. They probably won't be, but they should."
That's about all I can think of to share at the moment. I'm sure my re-telling is missing a myriad interesting bits and pieces, and if any come to mind later I'll edit them into this post. After the hour-and-a-half Q&A, Jack signed all of the photo op pictures, and then autographs on personal items and/or promo pictures. Overall, I got the wonderful impression of a man generous with his time, humor, and wisdom. I thought the setup was absolutely brilliant for a fan-actor meet-up, and I can only hope similar opportunities arise again in the future.
In other, less pompous words: OMG IT WAS THE BEST EVER! :D