2022 Outlandish Vancouver/Outlandish Adventures – Day one

Greetings, all Outlander fans! Writing from the Doubletree by Hilton Seattle Airport Hotel in SeaTac. KoKo and her trusty team are at it again with Outlander Vancouver/Outlandish Adventures (OV/OA) for a second time this year! The theme for the event is “Redcoats on the Ridge.” 

January of 2022, an earlier OV/OA event was hosted by KoKo.com. If you want, you can read about the January event using this link.

My friend, Jody Kawamata-Chang of “Aloha Outlanders” flew in from O’ahu while I drove north from Oregon. We checked into our hotel late in the day and the next day went shopping!

First, to a nearby-by Trader Joe’s where pumpkins were half what they are in Hawaii! Sadly, no way for Jody to take one back to her home state. 

Then, on to IKEA. Neither store is on the big island so Jo stocks up whenever she is on the mainland. (He, he. My shaka sign is backwards! Jo says, that’s because I am a tourist! 😇)

For the OV/OA event, masks were optional, but all attendees were required to present a negative COVID test within 48 hours of registration. We both passed our tests and wore masks, throughout!

Registration went quickly and smoothly due to friendly and helpful volunteers. 

Our first panel was Friday evening. Five Outlander cast members entered the room to Queen’s “We Will Rock you!” shared their lives with us:  First into the room with big applause was Tim Downie ( plays Governor William Tryon)!

Next was Caitlin O’Ryan (plays Lizzie Wemyss)

Cutie Paul Gorman (plays Josiah and Keziah Beardsley) joined us!

Followed by Joanne Thompson (Amy McCallum)!

And, last but certainly not least! David Berry (plays Lord John Grey).

The cast took their seats on stage and the Q and A began!

Asked what they did the day before and, of course, they went to Pike’s Market in Seattle. This is a must-see of Washington state! One of the cast exclaimed, “They throw fish!” Yes, yes, they do! 😃

Apparently, their Uber driver was a fellow named Omar who promptly fell in love with Paul. He drove them all over for no additional fee.

They even visited the famous gum wall. Yuk! 🤢

David was asked how he got cast for Outlander. His agent sent him the casting opportunity. He got 10 pages of script! He submitted his demo reel. Got a call, “Can you be on a plane?” 😉

Tim was asked for any funny filming experiences. He played a small roll in the fifth film of the series, Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)! He was asked to film a polo scene because he had a bit of riding experience. He was put on a very small aggressive polo pony. A drone few overhead and a filming car drove next to him. Turned out everyone but Tim was an experienced polo player. He was terrified and the director, Michael Bay, commanded three more takes, ending with the comment, “You are a funny guy.” Tim was terrified! 😱

Joanne told us the role of Amy was the fourth time she auditioned for Outlander.

• • She auditioned for the woman who meets Frank in the bar and he who subsequently strangles (Outlander episode 108, Both Sides Now).
  • She auditioned for Roger MacKenzie’s sixth times great grandmother, Morag Gunn MacKenzie.

• • She even tried out for the part of Eppie the whore (Outlander episode 510, Mercy Shall Follow Me.) Psst…I am glad she didn’t get this part!

• • Finally, success! She snagged the part of Amy McCallum! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Paul worked hard to get a job after acting school. He had bit parts here and there. But then got a call to try out for the Beardsley twins. He and Caitlin had a chemistry test and it turned out great. They have become very close friends. He is very grateful to all the fans.

After the chemistry test for Caitlin and Paul was finished, Paul stepped out of the room and the casting person said to Caitlin, “Wow, you are really tall!” They also said Paul was “phenomenal” and reminded them of a young James McAvoy!

A few more comments included Tim stating he tried out for the part of Archibald Campbell! Why? Because he is “fluent in English!” 😂

The cast said their goodbyes and David was the first out the door! 

On our way back to our hotel we met this odd security guard looking like a pear-shaped R2D2! No fooling, it is real. It toured the parking lot “looking” for problems. 😲

More posts to come about the delightful OV/OA event!

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo and Video Credits: Sony/Starz, Outlander Anatomy, Jody Kawamata-Chang, www.natgeo.com, www.secretseattle.com