Supanova 2016
Last weekend, I went to Supanova in Sydney. It was a pleasant and relaxing day: attended a couple of panels, saw some of the cosplay competition, and wandered the stalls.
Juliet Landau
* Juliet was really warm and funny. She was interviewed by her husband Deverill Weekes, who kept the conversation flowing and knew what to ask to prompt good anecdotes.
* They talked about their new project, a vampire documentary called A Place Among the Undead. They interviewed many creators and performers whose work involves vampires, including Anne Rice, Joss Whedon, Charlaine Harris, etc. They visited Bram Stoker's grave, filmed in quaint churches where they were charged two pounds for permission, and fled dodgy neighbourhoods while lugging heavy equipment and dressed in heels.
* Vampires are used as metaphors for many things:
- Buffy - high school as nightmare
- Dark Shadows - dysfunctional family
- Underworld - interracial dating
- True Blood - discrimination
- Interview With the Vampire - loss
* Gary Oldman turned shy when when he met Joss Whedon, saying how much he loved Much Ado About Nothing.
* After Juliet landed the part of Drusilla in Buffy, they had her do screen tests with the candidates for Spike. She and James Marsters had instant chemistry. They brainstormed together the head-on-shoulder, turning-to-the-camera, in-sync move they used in the promos.
* Juliet likes to do what she calls taking characters out, which means going out in public in character. She took Dru out to the liquor store, where the guy behind the counter was having an argument with a belligerent customer. He cast a look at Juliet, as if to say, "Can you believe this crazy woman?" And then his expression changed to horror, as if realising, "Oh no, there's another one."
* Another time, she took out a character who was a screen siren, to a restaurant with her husband. She noticed that all evening he seemed stiff and awkward, and she thought, "Oh good, he's getting into character too." But afterward, he said that she was so different in character, it felt like he was on a date with another woman. And when she put her hand on his thigh, he thought, "Oh no, what will Juliet think?" And she was like, "But it's me! I'm right here!"
* During the filming of Buffy, Juliet told Joss, "Dru isn't crazy, just a bit touched." Joss said, "It's good you think that, you're getting into the role." Years later, when she rewatched the series, she realised, "Dru really is crazy!"
* When she heard about the musical episode of Buffy, she rang Joss several times to tell him, "You know I can dance and sing, right?" He had to tell her, "I've already written the episode, and Dru's not in it..."
John Noble
* I intended to start this paragraph with "I saw John Noble a few years ago at Supanova", and then I went and looked up that LJ entry, and it was 2004! That is quite frankly terrifying.
* What I remember from back then is, he was funny, down to earth, and self-deprecating. This time, I can add to the list, totally charming.
* He's had a few people come up to him at Supanova and ask, "Have you been to Australia before?" and he's had to tell them, "I'm actually Australian."
* There was a time some years back, when he was down on his luck, auditioning with desperation, and not getting roles. He decided to quit acting and go teach. But his agent said, "There's a role that's perfect for you, just go." And he decided to go audition, not in hope of getting the role, but to practise his craft. And he got the role.
* Someone asked him to say a line as Denethor, and he did. "The rule of Gondor is mine! And no other's!"
* Someone asked about the scene where Denethor was devouring his meal messily. John said that in rehearsal, he was planning what order to eat the food on his plate, to preserve continuity through multiple takes. At one point, he bit down on a tomato and it squirted out the side of his mouth. Peter Jackson liked it and told him to do it for the rest of the food. I wanted to facepalm. Of course it was Peter Jackson, master of the unsubtle.
* Someone asked about memorable scenes from the Lord of the Rings. John said when they were sitting at the table and Billy Boyd started singing. It was beautiful. There were tears running down Denethor's face.
* He talked about how much he loved playing Walter on Fringe, a character who got to do so many things. Ironically, his agent had told him he was too young for the role. (He has a new agent now.) He loved how they had an animated episode and a musical episode. He was also humbled to get to work with Leonard Nimoy.
* He talked about being on Elementary, which I really have to catch up on now. Jonny Lee Miller was so intense, it was almost scary to be on the same stage as him. Lucy Liu was wonderful, John had nothing but good things to say about her.
Shopping
I picked up Part 4 of science fiction comic Eternal Life and the Monsters anthology of monster comics for kids.
Photos
Jafar, Belle, Hatter, and Witch Queen.
Deadpool and Loki.
The Goblin King.
From the WETA store: Rivendell.
From the WETA store: Minas Tirith.
Harry Potter diorama.
Juliet Landau and Deverill Weekes.
John Noble.
Juliet Landau
* Juliet was really warm and funny. She was interviewed by her husband Deverill Weekes, who kept the conversation flowing and knew what to ask to prompt good anecdotes.
* They talked about their new project, a vampire documentary called A Place Among the Undead. They interviewed many creators and performers whose work involves vampires, including Anne Rice, Joss Whedon, Charlaine Harris, etc. They visited Bram Stoker's grave, filmed in quaint churches where they were charged two pounds for permission, and fled dodgy neighbourhoods while lugging heavy equipment and dressed in heels.
* Vampires are used as metaphors for many things:
- Buffy - high school as nightmare
- Dark Shadows - dysfunctional family
- Underworld - interracial dating
- True Blood - discrimination
- Interview With the Vampire - loss
* Gary Oldman turned shy when when he met Joss Whedon, saying how much he loved Much Ado About Nothing.
* After Juliet landed the part of Drusilla in Buffy, they had her do screen tests with the candidates for Spike. She and James Marsters had instant chemistry. They brainstormed together the head-on-shoulder, turning-to-the-camera, in-sync move they used in the promos.
* Juliet likes to do what she calls taking characters out, which means going out in public in character. She took Dru out to the liquor store, where the guy behind the counter was having an argument with a belligerent customer. He cast a look at Juliet, as if to say, "Can you believe this crazy woman?" And then his expression changed to horror, as if realising, "Oh no, there's another one."
* Another time, she took out a character who was a screen siren, to a restaurant with her husband. She noticed that all evening he seemed stiff and awkward, and she thought, "Oh good, he's getting into character too." But afterward, he said that she was so different in character, it felt like he was on a date with another woman. And when she put her hand on his thigh, he thought, "Oh no, what will Juliet think?" And she was like, "But it's me! I'm right here!"
* During the filming of Buffy, Juliet told Joss, "Dru isn't crazy, just a bit touched." Joss said, "It's good you think that, you're getting into the role." Years later, when she rewatched the series, she realised, "Dru really is crazy!"
* When she heard about the musical episode of Buffy, she rang Joss several times to tell him, "You know I can dance and sing, right?" He had to tell her, "I've already written the episode, and Dru's not in it..."
John Noble
* I intended to start this paragraph with "I saw John Noble a few years ago at Supanova", and then I went and looked up that LJ entry, and it was 2004! That is quite frankly terrifying.
* What I remember from back then is, he was funny, down to earth, and self-deprecating. This time, I can add to the list, totally charming.
* He's had a few people come up to him at Supanova and ask, "Have you been to Australia before?" and he's had to tell them, "I'm actually Australian."
* There was a time some years back, when he was down on his luck, auditioning with desperation, and not getting roles. He decided to quit acting and go teach. But his agent said, "There's a role that's perfect for you, just go." And he decided to go audition, not in hope of getting the role, but to practise his craft. And he got the role.
* Someone asked him to say a line as Denethor, and he did. "The rule of Gondor is mine! And no other's!"
* Someone asked about the scene where Denethor was devouring his meal messily. John said that in rehearsal, he was planning what order to eat the food on his plate, to preserve continuity through multiple takes. At one point, he bit down on a tomato and it squirted out the side of his mouth. Peter Jackson liked it and told him to do it for the rest of the food. I wanted to facepalm. Of course it was Peter Jackson, master of the unsubtle.
* Someone asked about memorable scenes from the Lord of the Rings. John said when they were sitting at the table and Billy Boyd started singing. It was beautiful. There were tears running down Denethor's face.
* He talked about how much he loved playing Walter on Fringe, a character who got to do so many things. Ironically, his agent had told him he was too young for the role. (He has a new agent now.) He loved how they had an animated episode and a musical episode. He was also humbled to get to work with Leonard Nimoy.
* He talked about being on Elementary, which I really have to catch up on now. Jonny Lee Miller was so intense, it was almost scary to be on the same stage as him. Lucy Liu was wonderful, John had nothing but good things to say about her.
Shopping
I picked up Part 4 of science fiction comic Eternal Life and the Monsters anthology of monster comics for kids.
Photos
Jafar, Belle, Hatter, and Witch Queen.
Deadpool and Loki.
The Goblin King.
From the WETA store: Rivendell.
From the WETA store: Minas Tirith.
Harry Potter diorama.
Juliet Landau and Deverill Weekes.
John Noble.