This time two weeks ago* I was about to interview Sean Maher.
It’s still a little weird to say it. I’m not a journalist, or a blogger of note or anybody really. But I had a crazy idea, a dream if you will, and somehow it became reality.
In late 2011 when Oz Comic Con launched by announcing a June convention in Melbourne with Sean Maher among the guests, I got a bit excited. Ok, maybe more than just a bit.
Of the 9 Serenity crew members**, Sean was second only to Nathan Fillion in order of who I’d really like to meet. Not that I ever really thought I’d meet any of them. And Sean had been at Supanova Sydney only months earlier which made me a bit sad, so close yet so far!
But guest actors at these conventions often have to cancel if work opportunities arise, so I tried not to be too excited as so far out from the con there was every chance he may not come.
A couple of months passed when that crazy idea popped into my head. Somehow I’d ended up committee chair of Melbourne’s Can’t Stop the Serenity 2012 events. Being that it’s Firefly’s 10th anniversay, the 20th anniversary of Equality Now and 7 years of Can’t Stop the Serenity I wanted to celebrate that at our event with something special. It would have been impossible to get someone involved with the show to Melbourne for the event without great cost so that was out, between internet connectivity and time zones a live skype interview was too fraught with potential disaster. But with Sean in Melbourne two months before our event, we could pre-record an interview to screen exclusively!
I contacted the PR company to request an interview and was put on the list. And waited.
Supanova Melbourne brought Summer Glau and Morena Baccarin, who were both lovely, but the person handling the press interviews never replied to our query.
In early May Oz Comic Con announced Jason Momoa as a guest. I may have squeed.
After much waiting and a last minute flurry of emails, we recieved confirmation late last Tuesday the interview would go ahead on Thursday. Que frantic preparation of questions and trying not to freak out.
With everything that could go wrong I wasn’t daring to believe it was actually going to happen until we were sitting there with Sean.
And then Leanne, my CSTS right hand and awesome friend, and I were in a hotel room with Liam and Lauren setting up the recording equipment. Liam was also interviewing Scott Allie, Senior editor at Dark Horse Comics, and Julie Benz, so I met them and watched their interviews and became more nervous as it got closer to my interview.
I happened to be closest to the door when Sean came in and barely got out “Hi, I’m Julia” before I was being hugged. And not just a quick, nice to meet you hug, it was a fellow Browncoat embrace. Sean then gave everyone else one. For someone who had only gotten off the plane from LA that morning and had been doing the press rounds he was enthusiastic, genuinely happy to be spending time with us and lovely.
Sean, Leanne and I
While checking levels before the interview started Sean did the most amusing impressions of his kids at the dentist. I think the interview went well, I don’t recall much other than trying to figure out which question to go with next for flow, and which ones to drop due to time restraints. My hand holding the paper of questions seemed to shake more as the interview progressed. What came across most is his passion for Firefly is as deep as any fan’s. Sean was thrilled and excited about the New Melbourne Browncoat dogtags we gave him as a thank you gift. And after a quick photo and another round of hugs, it was all over and we were in the bar having a celebratory drink! I was also quite high on excitement.
So when we were walking to the taxi outside the hotel and passed Mitch Pileggi talking to Jason Momoa I may have squeed on the inside while trying not to be obvious about taking a nice, long look.
I managed to make it just in time for Sean’s Q&A session at Oz Comic Con on Saturday after queues and battling through the crowd failed to thwart me. Luckily I was pulled into the very long queue and adopted by a small group who proved fans are awesome. We figured out we didn’t need to be standing in the ridiculously long queue we’d been standing in for 45 minutes since we’d already been given wristbands and walked straight in.
Sean was charming and gracious, though I’m not sure he quite got when someone started their question with long time listener first time caller but
it amused the audience. I was very happy only two questions in the whole hour touched on the subjects I’d spoken to Sean about in our interview. It was a relief to get out of the crowd and go home. Having learnt Sundays at these type of cons generally are a little less busy I’d always planned to get my signings and photos then.
Not long before heading in to Oz Comic Con on Sunday, Leanne texted asking when I was coming in as Sean had asked after me when she saw him! It was an exciting start to the day, especially when Sean had his handler bump me up the photo queue. I was there a bit early for the photo session but ended up with a view of Jason Momoa doing Stargate group shots which was a nice distraction. As I also had a token for a photo with Mr Momoa and take up a bit of room, I managed to talk to a staff member while waiting for Sean’s session to start who decided it was best to have me go from Sean to Jason’s photo booth and then out of the very crowded photo area. Having watched Jason’s line grow longer and longer this was an absolute blessing and I will be forever thankful to the wonderful Oz Comic Con staff. Especially when they let me do it again at his signing which I probably would have missed out on if they hadn’t.
Seeing Sean smile in recognition as I stepped up for the photo was just lovely. We asked how the other was doing while they adjusted the camera, snap, see you at the signing and done.
Then on to photo booth 2, where after a little wait I came face to face with Jason Momoa who before I could utter a word was on bended knee with his arm around me. We may have said something, I don’t exactly recall, but I may have left the booth a little breathless and sadly unable to find a friend to go OMG OMG with.
Jason and some swooning fangirl.
Finally the crowd had thinned enough I could have a good look at Jason Palmer’s gorgeous artwork at his booth. If you haven’t seen any of his work, Jason does fantastic licensed art for geek favourites such as Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, Indiana Jones and Star Wars just to name a few. Having loved Jason’s art for a while now it was great to have a chance to meet him and browse his work in person. Not being able to choose between two prints of the Serenity crew I bought both and also couldn’t resist an amazing Star Wars trilogy panorama.
After the shopping time out it was back to the signing queues. Sean was later than expected to his session but it was a good chance just to people watch, and catch up with some a couple of people I know only by sight from Continuum. Once the queue started moving I glimpsed Patrick Stewart!
The wait was worth it, Sean makes you feel like he has all the time in the world to talk to you, he was holding up a lot better than especially considering he’d been at the con a lot longer than I had. Picking up on something Sean said at the interview it turns out we share the same favourite episodes of Firefly which is great since two of them rarely get a mention in best episode lists. All too soon it was time to move on but Sean wasn’t letting me go without a hug, which he had to climb over the table to give me. I even got a kiss on the cheek.
A quick stop at Jason’s signing line where I think I talked more to the staff member sitting next to him while trying to choose a photo to have signed. I may not have said much but as I walked away Jason winked at me.
And that was the end of my Oz Comic Con as I went home and collapsed in a heap, meaning I missed the special Cabin in the Woods screening with Fran Kranz. I wouldn’t say I had a great time at the con, I have a love hate relationship with these commercial expos where I hate being there about 90% of the time and the other 10% is filled with wonderful moments I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Oh and in the midst of all this, I became an aunty for the first time!
It is said you should never meet people you admire from afar as they can never live up to your expectations. They’re wrong.
All the guests at these things are generally lovely but Sean Maher is on another level. I find it hard to describe in words just how amazingly awesome he is and hope he returns to Melbourne soon. Sean is an absolute joy and a delight and it was an honour spending time with him.
*I started writing this post a week after the interview but as you can see it got away from me a bit. I apologise for the length, it’s so I don’t forget everything in my dotage.
**For those that don’t know, there’s a little show which was cancelled after just only 14 episodes called Firefly. It is, in my humble opinion, the best tv show EVER!
Of Shadows and Dreams 