Yes! So wonderful to see Diana, Maril, Sam, Caitriona, Caesar, Lauren and John! We have missed you, all!
Yes, it is the New York Comic Con Outlander panel. Just ran this morning at 11am EDT. Four of the panelists joined remotely, but three dared travel issues and joined the hostess on stage.
And, in case you missed it, below is the Outlander panel from 2019 NYCC! Our stars are so engaging. No wonder we love them so!
And last but not least, the 2018 Outlander panel, held at The Paley Center. I was there, and it was a fantastic experience!
All great panels. Of course, I have never seen a poor Outlander panel. 😉Always entertaining and engaging. Hope you enjoy all of them!
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?
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, ÀdhamhÓ 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.
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. 🙄
Greetings Outlander Fans! Many of you saw my conversation with Diana as we attended Surrey International Writer’s Conference (SiWC). For those who did not, you can see my post here: Diana Shares at 2018 SiWC.
Concomitant with this august meeting, Pacific Northwest Sassenachs (PNS) sponsored the 2018 Outlandish Vancouver (OV) fan event.
I managed to attend both and they were wonderful! The OV event allowed attendees the opportunity to interact with four cast members, the organizers, and like-minded fans and I had the privilege of meeting many new fans, most from the Pacific Northwest.
Who should be present at the Outlandish Vancouver 2018 event? PNS admins wrangled John Bell, Lauren Lyle, Cesar Domboy and Steven Cree to attend, hence, the title of this post. <g>
The first PNS event was a Party at the Suites on Saturday night. Shortly after 8:00 pm, all four stars swept into the room in roaring high spirits. They were greeted with cheers largely because it was John’s 21st birthday (also Claire’s). He was greeted by with happy birthday wishes which he received with style and joy. He rushed around the room giving hugs and promptly forgot who he had embraced – as I enjoyed three of them over the course of under three minutes!
For the next hour, we drifted between the cast members enjoying conversation and sharing. John, gushed about a trip to Gucci’s! His lovely mum bought him a splendid gift which he was wearing, but swore us to secrecy, not to be revealed until the Outlander premier in Savanah, GA.
No photographs or videos were allowed, but as we left, each of us got a photo with the cast on our own cell phone. Here, I am holding my Outlander Anatomy tag, designed by Jody Change of the FB group, Aloha Outlanders!
The next morning began with a series of panels involving the cast. Photos but no videos were allowed.
First up was Steven who shared with us The Little Princess, an 8 minute film he has written and produced with Jason Maza. This short film is deeply moving and features an riveting premise which is powerfully executed. You can catch a glimpse of it on IMDB.
The film was followed by Q&A session. I asked if he had submitted the film to the various award groups for consideration because it is that good! Aye, he answered, he has done that. I hope you get to see it soon!
Ian the elder was then joined by Ian the younger for more Q & A. John is amazingly poised and interactive for one so young! To me he looks more youthful than 21!
A 15′ break and then the entire cast entered the theater dressed in Hallowe’en gear! Steven led the troop wearing a toothy monster mask, Cesar sported a ghoulish ghost mask, Lauren donned a dragon hat and John……… 😂
Well, John appeared with a bone through his head and Rollo between his legs! <G>
Here he is with stuffed Rollo tucked under his arm for moral support – a service pup, for sure!
Another very fun Q&A ensued. I asked John if he was as terrified during the filming of ep 312, The Bakra, as he appeared on screen?
Paraphrasing his response John explained that the bed-sitting bit was filmed entirely without Lotte even being present. He was acting to thin air and not to a bloody Mrs. Abernathy!
He further stated that they were laughing and giggling through the parts they did film together such as the witch running her little piggies across his wee cheek!
Then, he delighted us all by stating that besides, Lotte has the “peachy-est bum he has ever seen!” This unexpected response really brought the house down!
The cast was asked when they first decided to become actors. For Steven, it after seeing Jesus Christ Superstar!
For John, it was after acting in A Shine of Rainbows. Here is the trailer.
Cesar started in music and by happenstance, tried out for an acting part. It turned out to be a good fit!
Lauren has been acting for quite a long time in a number of different films. She is the only one in her family to pursue acting, but her parents supported her passion, especially after she earned her first paycheck!
In the afternoon, we headed for guess where? Why, the Fraser River, for a paddlewheel adventure.
We were joined by the cast and the organizers. Everyone mingled together, noshed on hors de’ oeuvres, sipped cocktails, talked Outlander and anything else we could think of.
This is the view from the stern of the boat. The day was splendid, clear and warm.
A view of the river bank – facing south toward Surrey, B.C. Fall colors were on full display. The cruise lasted a little over an hour and then back to the dock.
Hopped into my trusty Subaru at 5:22 pm and pointed her nose south towards home. Sophea (my car) knew her way and 5.5 hrs later, I pulled into my driveway, entirely satiated and satisfied with my delightful SiWC and OV adventures!
