Tag Archives: Fan Expo

Dave Bautista

One of the panels at Fan Expo Canada that I was particularly interested to attend was that of Dave Bautista.  I was entirely unsure what to expect.  I did not know if there would be a lot of wrestling questions, or a lot of Guardians of the Galaxy questions… I had no idea how the wrestler/actor would come across — but on all scores I was curious.

Dave Bautista

Dave Bautista

I was late to the panel, because I was coming from one in the South Building, and his panel was in the North one.  While I was there, the questions were predominantly about Guardians of the Galaxy, with a few about wrestling in general, and his time as a wrestler.

Dave Bautista came across as an incredibly thoughtful and entertaining person.  He clearly considered his answers, enjoyed talking with those who came to hear him, and as you can see from the photo, instead of sitting up on stage in the chairs, and being elevated up above the crowd, he came down to our level and was at more of an eye to eye level with his fans.

When a kid asked him whether he would be a good guy or a bad guy if he returned to the wrestling ring he gave a well thought out answer about how it is more fun to be the bad guy, and more options are open to him, but at the end, he also told the kid not to feel bad about booing him and calling out against him.  That you can still like him, and boo him when he is the bad guy in the ring.

Killjoys Panel – Fan Expo Canada

Luke Macfarlane

Luke Macfarlane

Aaron Ashmore

Aaron Ashmore

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The panel for the Space/SyFy show Killjoys was great fun… and very informative, the later part being particularly fortunate given the show has only filmed 3 episodes and will not air until 2015.   The cast was great about teasing the show, and telling fans about it without spoiling it — letting us know it is about Bounty Hunters in space who operate within a set of rules and procedures, and a structure they are not always happy to be a part of.  Towards the end, when each was asked to give one reason why we should tune in, they offered spaceships, guns and the strength of the characters (inside and out).

Hannah John-Kamen & Luke Macfarlane

Hannah John-Kamen & Luke Macfarlane

Orphan Black Locations – Toronto

One of the added bonuses of a trip to Fan Expo Canada in Toronto is the opportunity to do a little sightseeing in Toronto — like seeing a few of the locations used in the filming of the BBC America / Space show Orphan Black.

Within easy walking distance of the convention center we found both Beth’s Condo and Felix’s loft.

Beth's Condo

Beth’s Condo

At first glance Beth’s condo looks exactly as a fan of the show expects.  A very modern building, with plenty of street in front of it for Art to pull up and talk to her, and the little dead end area for other’s to sit and wait and watch (that’s where we were standing as we took our photos.)

CN Tower over Beth's Condo - Orphan Black

CN Tower over Beth’s Condo – Orphan Black

The show Orphan Black is discreet about where it is set, not blatantly being in Canada, or even “the here and now” as some fans have put it.  Some of the fans have paused on the scenes where we see birth certificates and other personal documents trying to get clues as to when and where the show takes place, but viewers can rest assured that if the powers that be wanted it to be clearly set in Toronto they would have needed to just shift the camera angle on Beth’s Condo by a hundred feet or more and voila… the CN Tower would have been clearly visible in the background and they mystery would have been solved.

This was a quick and easy walk from Fan Expo, taking us past Rogers Centre / the Skydome and a Blue Jays game.  If you are an Orphan Black fan, and ever at a convention in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre… you just might want to consider swinging by Beth’s Condo yourself.

Further afield, and a bit of a walk was Felix’s Loft, which has a different paint job than we were expecting, and a gate over the stairs, but we persevered and found it.

Felix's Loft

Felix’s Loft

Tardis outside Rogers Centre

Tardis outside Rogers Centre

Tardis outside Rogers Centre

As we looked outside one of the windows during the walk between the North and South buildings of the convention center at Fan Expo Canada, on the top of a small rise in a park we saw a Tardis surrounded by fans!

Brilliant!

When we found our way outside it was surrounded by fans, we tried to take photos of it with the CN Tower in the background, but the light was not in my favor, and the CN Tower came out as a striking silhouette, and I know the shape in front of it is the Tardis, but I doubt anyone else would recognize it as that.  I did however find an angle from which the Rogers Centre, otherwise known as the Skydome, could be seen in the background.  A little fun with the focus made for a whimsical photo, and helped respect the privacy of the fans enjoying the Tardis.