Tag: Keziah Beardsley

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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

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

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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

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Meet Paul Gorman – OV Party at the Suites

Oh, happy day! Saturday morning (Oct. 24), I joined Outlander fans for an Outlandish Vancouver Party in the Suite with Paul Gorman! 

You remember Paul?  He appeared in Outlander Season five, playing the Beardsley twins, Joshia (Jo) AND Keziah (Kezzie)!

What is Outlandish Vancouver (OV)? OV is an annual event held in Surrey, British Columbia, independent from but concurrent with the Surrey International Writer’s Conference (SiWC). 

I have been attending both events since 2016, although I missed 2017;  forgivable, because I was touring Scotland!  😃

A wee bit about SiWC. For more than two decades, SiWC  has included Diana Gabaldon as speaker, teacher, and panelist. One year, she served as organist for Michael Slade’s Shock Theater!  Shock is supposed to be silly and mysterious, hence the creepy music, but who knew she also plays the keyboard?

OV has focused entirely on Outlander, hosting celebrities and cast members. Over the years, I have met John Bell, Cèsar Domboy, Lauren Lyle, Steven Cree, Carmen Moore (S4, Wahkatiiosta), Braeden Clarke (S4, Kaheroton), and Trevor Carroll (S 4, Ta’wineonawira or “Otter-Tooth”), known in the 20th c. as Robert Springer!

Every interaction I have had proved to be delightful and well worth the long drive from Oregon to British Columbia!

This is me with Outlander’s Gaelic consultant, Àdhamh Ó Broin, who offered a rousing presentation and Gaelic lesson at OV 2016!  

You might wonder, who is the MasterMind behind the OV creative venture? Why, it is KoKo! Also known as the wee pocket dynamo!  

Both SiWC and OV were cancelled this year, but OV came to the rescue with virtual interactions between attendees and Outlander guests. Many thanks to her and her crew for their heroic efforts putting Outlander fans and cast in contact during a global pandemic. Kudos to all! 🙏🏻

Now, on to Paul! He joined the  Zoom group precisely at 10am PT,  to a bevy of adoring fans.

What a cutie!  Have you ever seen a more generous and genuine smile? Adorable! (psst…I can safely state this because I am old enough to be his grandmum!) 🤗

BTW, his somber IMDb photo does little to reflect this funny, articulate, and expressive young man!

As we each introduced ourselves, he greeted each attendee with enthusiasm, interest, and curiosity.

Understand, we came from near and far to meet Paul! Scotland, Washington, Oregon, Florida, New Jersey, California and as far away as Lebanon – the country!

And, this lucky lass, Carrie Needham, joined us from the Fraser’s Ridge set. Yep! She was actually there!!! 👍🏻

Paul offered a brief introduction including the tidbit that Lizzy finds BOTH brothers verra interesting. 😉😉

Next, each attendee was given the opportunity to ask Paul a question.

Tell us what your first day was like on the Outlander set? He thought for a moment and then responded that his prior acting experiences had been limited to theater so he was extremely nervous about filming!

Early on,  he met Caitlin O’Ryan (Lizzie Wemyss) for a “chemistry” test – it went very well!

On the first day of filming a van picked him up at 5am and hustled him to the set! Everyone, cast and crew, was extremely friendly and helpful, but he felt a bit overwhelmed by the number of people who periodically descended to fuss with his hair, costume, and makeup.  He explained that Sam and Cait helped calm and reassure him given the newness of the situation. He also said that Sam was always in the background crunching on carrots! 🥕😆

Given that Kezzie is deaf, how was their communication determined? Paul said that sign language wasn’t available to Kezzie and Jo, raised in the back country of North Carolina, so they had to develop their own communication scheme. 

In preparation, he worked with a consultant to develop style and signs unique to Kezzie. Paul recalls about 60 or 70 different signings  – extras in case a director asked something of Kezzie that was not scripted.

Were you outgoing and gregarious as a kid? No, actually he was shy and an introvert (surprising as he came across as a natural people-person in this Zoom).

He also noted that young girls scared him. How about the older ones? 😂

He settled on acting after visiting the Royal College of Art. Eureka! He realized hat he could get a job in the field of acting! And, aren’t we pleased that he did?

Are you musical? Yes! He plays bass and guitar in a band, although he claimed he sings, badly. Ahhh! I am dubious about this, because he possesses a mellifluous speaking voice!

Does he share similar traits with the twins? Paul said, yes. He pointed out that both Jo and Kezzie want to be part of a family. Kezzie, especially, is very affectionate. The twins are aware of the world and strive to put others first; these are traits Paul aspires to emulate. And, working on Outlander has affirmed to him how kind people really are.

Are you a hunter like Jo? Paul responded, “only of hearts!” Clever lad! 🥰

Paul has never hunted animals. Lacking such experience, he did research into Native American hunting styles reasoning that Jo would likely emulate their practices. He studied still hunting, a technique requiring practices such as slowness, patience, covering tracks, taking down the leader of a herd to make it less defensible. Growing up as a Beardsley servant in the back country of North Carolina, Jo also had learned by trial and error.  

He also revealed that in Outlander episode 509, Heroes and Monsters, the rabbit was dead but the maggots were very much alive!!! So, he is gaining experience with game. 😳

How did you film the twins together in one scene? Paul explained that director Jamie Payne had never filmed one actor acting as twins.  For some of the scenes, they used a double for him to interact with. For other scenes, Paul acted to air, but against a blue screen not a green one, as the latter did not work well in a forest setting. He said acting to air was not difficult because this is done in theater work.

Jo (L) and Kezzie from Outlander, episode 503, Free Will

Do you like cats? Turns out, Paul is obsessed with CATS! He likes dogs, but felines are the cat’s meow!

He has two cats and both are Siberian forest cats. He secured them from a breeder near Glasgow.  This breed is hypoallergenic and fetch much like dogs. 

He whipped put his phone and shared images of his furry children. They are sisters!

Ruby 

and Alexi.

If you could have a superpower, what would it be? Well, he has been obsessed with Spiderman since 5 y.o.! As proof, he shared a cute picture from his cell phone: Paul with his Spiderman costume! But, since Spiderman is not a super power, he would choose to be a shape shifter. Great choice, Paul!

Final question: How was the tonsillectomy scene from episode 505, Perpetual Adoration filmed?

He said filming that scene was trying because he spent the entire day with a mouthful of gauze! A bit of filming followed by “cut,” where upon his mouth was decorated with bits of blood or tonsillar scraps! More filming and repeat. The Outlander medical advisor was on hand to add authenticity and pointers.  

After the last question, the session came to a close. A thoroughly charming young man is Paul Gorman. I look forward to more storyline about Kezzie and Jo during Outlander, Season 6! 🙏🏻

Thank you OV and thank you Paul!

PS: If you wish to find out more about OV, you can find them on FB or their website.

PSS: OV images were taken from my iPad by my iPhone. Thus, they are a wee bit blurry. 🙄

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo and Video Credits: Sony/Starz, Outlandish Vancouver, Outlander Anatomy