Photos by Kayley Luftig.
While the name of the event plays as an ode to the fans, the lineup for this year’s Fan Expo Canada shows the organization’s deep understanding of what it truly means to be a fan. With the cast of Rocky Horror Picture Show, Stephen Amell, Nathan Fillion, the boys from Stranger Things, Zachary Levi and many more in attendance, Fan Expo Canada highlighted the magic that can happen when individuals from all over the world come together over one common interest.
Although it was an upset to fans to lose the likes of Cersei Lannister and Neville Longbottom, I was completely okay with suffering these losses for the last minute addition of Zachary Levi.
Watching Zachary Levi’s panel was different than any other panel I’ve experienced. While he gave the crowd plenty to geek out about in good Nerd Herd fashion, he also created a feeling of intense emotion with each answer he gave. His answers showed a vulnerability that seems rare at cons. It wasn’t surprising to see at times a teary eye’d room packed with Zac’s fans. After all, his fans literally saved Chuck two times over. There was something special about the energy in the room during this panel, that could easily be drawn back to the passion radiating from television’s most lovable fake spy.
Another stand out was John Barrowman (Dr. Who, Arrow, Torchwood) – if you’ve ever witnessed a John Barrowman panel, you know that no explanation of his antics can do him justice. I can’t say I’ve ever seen him on screen, but after spending an hour laughing in his presence, I’ve got a few marathons lined up. He treated the audience to a strip-tease like dance done in heels, a kiss with a topless guy from the audience, and hilarious anecdotes about him and his manager.
FanExpo went above and beyond bringing in Tim Curry for a rare panel and photo op experience. Tim Curry’s panel did not disappoint; he was like that weird and sarcastic uncle who casually cracks jokes in the corner and never takes anything confrontation too seriously. When asked what his weirdest fan experience was, he told us that he received death threats from a 200lb transvestite who was on parole for killing his ex-lover.
The weekend closed off with a panel including two cult classic favourites, Patricia Quinn (Magenta) and Nell Campbell (Columbia) from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. This panel was easily one of the highlights of the weekend. Patricia and Nell treated us to stories of their first Rocky Horror shows on stage, what it was like to move from stage to film, and poked fun at the rest of their cast members. They had the whole room laughing from beginning to end, with inappropriate jokes, sarcasm, and a few friendly back and forths with audience members. Patricia and Nell were everything you wish your favourite childhood characters were in real life. They were charming, entertaining, and both of them carried a little bit of the spirit of The Rocky Horror Show with them.
Every Fan Expo and ComiCon has this magic ability to reignite or just furth increase the passion that lies within fans young and old. With another exciting FanExpo under our belt, we can’t wait to see what ComiCon 2018 has in store for us.
