2022 Outlandish Vancouver/Outlandish Adventures – Day 3

Day three and we were off and running!

Jamie caught up with us in the vendor room and held us at gunpoint! We surrendered! 😍

Next panel was the guys! Just the guys! And, only the guys! 🤗

They got settled in and the questions began!

Jody stood at the mic and said she had been a teacher for 36 years and wanted to predict the type of student each had been. She Thought Tim and David were quiet. But, likely, Paul got into trouble. Yep, turns out, she was right.

David was studious. Tim also was quiet in school but did use humor to deal with bullying! 😮

And, Paul……  Weil, Paul got into trouble for talking too much! His punishment was to write many time what it was that he did that was bad!

Tim was asked if it was difficult to play Tryon.  His answer was candid, interesting and enlightening. He replied that it helps to understand that the British always think they are right! He said he put himself in that frame of mind when he played the part of Governor Tryon. He added that Tryon felt justified in all the decisions he made even though they were bad for the settlers. He was so good as a baddie!

Then, questions were interrupted for an surprise auction! An Outlander fan who was not named donated a rug to be auctioned  off to benefit the Wounded Warriors project. Koko explained that she goes by the moniker, “The Happy Hooker.” 😊 She is a disabled vet. The rug was made of wool that was hand dyed, hand carded, hand spun, and hand hooked! It really was a splendid piece of work!

Bidding began at $20. For a moment, Tim took over and did a perfect imitation of a bonafide auctioneer!

Bidding moved to $30, then $40, then higher and higher until it sold at $1600 to the highest bidder: Tina from Texas. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Sadly, time was up and the guys exited. Buh bye, guys! 👋🏻

Then the gals came in. Caitlin and Joanne took their seats and the grilling began anew. People are very curious! 🤔

Asked what male character of Outlander they would like to play, JoAnne wants to play Roger. Caitlin wants to play young Ian! (Psst…..I think she would make a swell young Ian)

Question: “What was filming like?”

Caitlin said, nothing is like what you would expect. Scotland is cold and wet. She was very scared at first. And, most importantly, she made sure she carried Tampons in her purse! 👍🏻

I asked how they liked the corset. Caitlin said not at all! She had trouble getting food through her esophagus into her stomach and it was very hard to use the toilet! They had port-a-potties, which were cramped with dirty floors.

But, JoAnne loved wearing a corset. She said it was the best her figure ever looked!

I have to agree. I wore one while walking the Royal Mile in Edinburg in 2016 and I liked my posture! 😇

Caitlin shared that any stories about how difficult children are on set, are true. She said at the S5 wedding scene , she was supposed to take care of Jemmy, but both twins were terrified of her. She was directed to lay Jem down in the basket but the baby kept standing up! Director, Stephen (Woolfenden), was signing to her to push him down in the basket which she tried to do but after that he screamed whenever she came near him. (moms know this wouldn’t work) 🫣

This is one reason Joanne was given a “plastic” baby to hold for her scenes as Amy.  The camera would cut away to a live baby for close ups. 👍🏻

Asked what was hard for Caitlin to play the role of Lizzy, she was very candid. For her screen test, she was asked to do the bit where she tells Claire about the wee curlies around Jo’s paps!
😜 It was hard to be serious, but then, she took it seriously because she loves Lizzie’s innocence and her wondrous exploration of her sexuality. She also looked forward to playing a polyamorous relationship which is a first for her.

The ladies left and then the whole crew re-emerged for the last panel of the event. And, we were able to posit our final questions.

When you joined Outlander, were you prepared for the fandom?

Caitlin, No!

Paul, No, but he is grateful and appreciative of us!

David, No. These experiences are not available to anyone outside this room (includes entire fandom). He really appreciates hearing and receiving the love of the fans.

Tim, No. At first, he only knew what the director told him. Soon, he learned that the fans know the books forward and backwards. (Of course we do! 😇)

Any fun fan stories?

David said he appreciated the gifts fans give to his son. He is very grateful for their thoughtfulness.

Caitlin was in Glasgow walking down the street with John bell. People would stop them and ask if she would take a pic of them with John! Puir lass! 

Tim said someone gave him a foot spa as a gift! 😁 He wondered if this was OK?

Joanne said someone knitted her a pair of fingerless gloves. One bore a picture of a bear and the other a cluster of grapes. She wondered what that meant! 😉

Last question was did you know about Outlander?

Paul did because he is Scottish and very aware of the influx of tourists. He shared this apocryphal story: Diana was on tour and stopped at a bookstore in a small hamlet. She picked out two books and took them to the counter to pay. The bookstore owner said they were on “the house!” Everyone in Scotland knows about Diana. 🥰

And then it was time to say goodbye for this event! Great time! Great guests! Great fandom!

We exited the event and even said goodbye to our strange security guard. It was asleep at its docking station! 😁


The
deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

Follow me on:

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

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

Follow me on:

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