GARETH DAVID-LLOYD. *flails*
Okay, so I was lucky enough to attend the Vortex Convention in the Europa Hotel in Belfast today. Yep. Where Gareth was the main guest. Also, Paul Marc Davies and Chipo Chung were among the guests.
Soooo. At the unfathomably early hour of 6 (with a hangover...yeah) I got ready blah blah blah. Run up to half 8 where we finally got into the venue.
Anywho, this is just a brief post of general fangirliness and incoherence, but yeah, enjoy. And I'm going to get hundreds of awesome pics off my lovely friend. (y)
Until then you'll just have to deal with my awful ramblings.
Okay, so firstly Paul Marc Davies (who is VERY tall, but also VERY charming) came onstage and was like "HI I'm Paul Marc Davies" and got terribly confused as to what he was doing, and then the incredibly pretty Chipo Chung came on too and did pretty much the same thing! She was so lovely! And then obviously Gareth came on and was just...woah. :D
Okay, so after they introduced themselves, Gareth went backstage again (after commenting on the set, which really was incredible. I have no idea how they managed it, but they made a full TARDIS console, and a TARDIS) and generally causing mass screaming, Paul and Chipo settled down for their chats.
So I can't really remember much, but it was lovely to hear how comfortable they both are talking about their roles in the shows, Paul especially, he's so animated and if I'm honest, he was the highlight in terms of just how enthusiastic he was. And Chipo really loved her parts with such a passion; both Chantho and the Fortune Teller, although she admitted that the "Chan, hello, tho" did get annoying after a certain number of takes. I was kind of worried that not many people would ask questions, but again, they both had such a wonderful banter going on it didn't really matter, and either way there were plenty of questions.
Paul also decided that if he had the TARDIS for a day he'd pop back in time to see Jebus, and then pop to the future to get next week's lottery numbers. :D
And Chipo has a love of Kung-Fu movies, along with her sci-fi, but she really wants to be in one of those movies, to which Paul retorted "Jackie Chan-tho" Oh yes, and we all sang the Doctor Who theme with them. :)
To be honest it was so early I can't remember much, but it was generally hilarious and they were both incredibly charming.
Well. You can guess who came next (Gareth) and his question and answer session. He was lovely, although he seemed a bit peeved he couldn't swear because of all the children there. Although he was so lovely to all the kids asking questions; again he seemed a bit annoyed there were so few adults asking questions. But he was charming and lovely. I don't mean those things to sound negative. But anywhooo, he mentioned how when he tends to bugger up his lines it's in a torrent of curses, and that in itself was a rarity. Oh yes, he mentioned John was on some facebook account and wrote a Gareth David-Lloyd song, but he couldn't remember the lyrics to it (in response to a question about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOkjB7ZZm9M this song. He said that six girls just mobbed him with ukeleles. The most surreal thing apparently. Who knew?) Oh yes, and John is going to murder him for singing the edited lyrics to the Torchwood theme tune. ("really it's just "bugga bugga bugga" repeated to the tune, but John gets worried about these things" (or something like that. I suck at paraphrasing)). That's all on that for now.
Bless him though, he's been on the go since Friday and he wasn't very well. He had the cold and the event organiser went "Haven't been near Mexico lately?" to which he pouted and asked for some tissues (which my friend Laura threw at him *shakes head*) Oh and before I forget, he wants Natalie Portman and/or Scarlett Johnson to play him in Almost Perfect. Oh and he has an undying love for Gary Oldman (but hey, who doesn't?). Oh yes, and someone asked him what it was like to kiss John Barrowman to which he laughed and said, "WET!" and rolled his eyes. Everyone asks him that...Oh and Countrycide was his favourite to film, but the one that terrifies him the most. There was also a point where he said Ianto should get his own spin off show where he owns a coffee shop, and the aliens come to him for coffee, and he defeats them by messing up their orders. I know I'd watch (y)
Moving swiftly on, I could only afford one photo, so I chose Gareth. :D He's so lovely, and while I'm here, can I just say how nice he smells and how ridiculously good the hugs he gives are? Yeah that made me pretty chuffed. He called me "sweetheart". :D Made me very happy. Also can I take the time here to say how much energy Paul Marc Davies has? He bounded over and just was so enthusiastic in my friend's photo.
Okay, moving on, after lunch we got our exclusive "Ianto's Coffee Club" meet thing. It was really nice to talk to the stars on a one to one basis, although it was good that they were so enthusiastic, because there were certainly a couple of people who were more than a bit nervous. We got Chipo first, and she really is lovely. I'm going to keep saying this, but it's true. She was ecstatic that she got to play a Chinese woman in Turn Left, because she (as a half-african, half-chinese woman) has got cast quite often as an African in political plays. What made it even better was that I was at one of the seats at our table which was beside an empty one, and all three of the guests sat in it. Made me happy. :) Anywho, what they all re-itterated was how much they love the jobs they got, and Chipo would love to return to Doctor Who at some point, and would absolutely LOVE to be in Torchwood. (Hear that RTD? I suggest you cast her (y) she'd be brilliant)
Ahhh next I see we have the wonderful and gorgeous Gareth David-Lloyd. Dear love him he mentioned the videos on youtube (the hitler one for a start. :') He loves it apparently) and how he doesn't watch them anymore because he saw one and it was a review of the very first episode and someone had said in it "The only pair of tits you see in it are when Ianto and Owen are in shot together". So he was a bit offended by that. But he was embracing the Irish-ness. He went to The Crown (if you haven't been, come to Belfast and go) and said how he had his Irish Stew and Guiness. (Did I mention he was sitting beside me already? And he kept leaning closer and woah....Oh yes. He seems to have a scar on his right eyebrow too...still wondering how that happened) He mentioned the Countrycide shoot again and how much fun it was, namely the bit where they were all drunk up to the point where he ended up hitting his head on a bell. (I'm rambling now! Oh well)
Next was Paul, and by god he's just so effervescent and lovely and charming. There aren't enough nice words I can use to describe him! He just sat down and was so engaging from start to finish! He talked about how he got into acting (a wrap party for a movie in which a drunk director thought he was an actor and told him he was to go to the audition for a part the next day. At this point Paul was a sculptor...) Anywho, I'm glad he became one, because his personality is brilliant! He told us about how he based the character of the Trickster on basically a eyeless perv (SUPER!PERV) and how he kind of wants him to become more likeable (EXCLUSIVE! The Trickster is coming back in SJA in series 3) and he wants to know how he ended up with no eyes. Caught in a lift was our theory. :P
Okay so then there was the autograph session, which was nice, because I got a Ianto action figure and got to have a brief chat with him. Again. LOL And his fiancee was there with him, and she bullied him into autographing the action figure. Yep she's lovely bless her. :)
So that was about it. After that Gareth had to fly home because he was filming the next morning and getting his lovely orange tan done ;) (for a role in a short film in which he plays a gay baker who runs an amateur drag queen contest; and his costume is blond highlights, an orange tan, a white suit and a pink shirt. Officially, I can't wait to see it) and a little later Chipo had to pop home to London as she had rehearsals the next morning. Anywho, the lovely Paul remained and then we played the Weakest Link. Which you got into via raffle tickets; of which I'd bought one purely by chance! And I ended up being the first one on. Paul decided to join in after the first person got voted off and stood at the podium beside me, which made me feel incredibly small, but he was so talkative and lovely, and I came second in the Weakest Link YAY! I felt bad leaving at 9! He stopped me at the door and was like "STAY!" and I was like "Huh?" and he was like "You have to stay for the party! C'mon! We're practically friends now!" Hahaha bless him he's lovely!
ANYWAY, before I ramble any more I'm going to stop. The next post will probably be of all the photos and some more writing, but that's the day summed up! :)
Toodles! (y)