Pop culture conventions are big news – geekery now mainstream. The Australian Movie & Comic Expo (actually the rebranded Armageddon) happens late in Melbourne's 'con' calendar, but in time for Halloween.
In 2016 the two-day celebration flaunts a cross-spectrum of TV and movie actors participating in Q&A sessions (and available for paid autographs and photos). Among them are Hunter Page-Lochard(Cleverman), Malese Jow (The Vampire Diaries and The Flash) and Tammin Sursok (who went from Home And Away to Pretty Little Liars, with a music career between). There are likewise comic and animation guests. The AMC even has a real-life astronaut in Rick Searfoss.
The Hollywood Reporter recently exposed just how lucrative the convention circuit is for particularly genre idols – Arrow's Stephen Amell launching his own talent agency – but the tone was unnecessarily cynical. For fans, the opportunity to interact with a hero is almost priceless. A few AMC stars cancel – Michael Trevino the day prior to shoot three episodes of The Vampire Diaries' final season as Mystic Falls' errant werewolf Tyler Lockwood. Nevertheless, it's not all bad, with Ray Fisher, the cyborg from Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, replacing Seth Gilliam (Teen Wolf and The Walking Dead). The AMC also encompasses comics, gaming and, in 2016, iconic cars… Then there are collectables stalls (wanna buy a Pokemon terrarium?). And, for many attendees, the event is primarily about spectacular cosplay. We encounter a Disney Princess Girl Squad that Tay Tay might recruit. Notably, the AMC deserves props for its inclusivity with panels like Diversity In Art: Working Creatively With A Disability.
Saturday's schedule kicks off early with Alona Tal and Lindsey McKeon from The CW's cult show Supernatural on the main stage. More culturally symbolic is the appearance of Page-Lochard, who plays Koen West in Cleverman – Ryan Griffen's engrossing ABC series that transports stories from the Aboriginal Dreamtime into cutting-edge sci-fi and superhero mythology. Sporting jeans, plus snappy sneaks 'n' socks, Page-Lochard rests on the side of the stage. He has brought his fiancee, who sits discreetly in the audience. A man in a shiny suit hosts. Page-Lochard reveals how he was initially cast as a Hairy in Cleverman. He discusses the importance of storytelling, and sharing, in Indigenous tradition – and the importance of representation today. Cleverman screened Stateside on SundanceTV – and its star would welcome work in Hollywood, especially portraying a character not defined by race. Later, Page-Lochard, a charismatic extrovert, will confess to us quietly that doing his first expo was "quite daunting" – "being a little Indigenous fella from bloody Sydney".
Indeed, at lunch media-types are permitted to interview amenable guests in the green room. It's determined we talk to everyone in succession, including those for whom – awks – we haven't prepped questions. (Would you recognise the charming Linda Larkin as the voice of Princess Jasmine in Disney's Aladdin?) We probe the actors on how they view cons – and are surprised by their genuine fascination with the subcultural activity their work inspires. "Geek culture is sexy," Matt Doran, aka Mouse in The Matrix, tells us. The Australian is himself "a fanboy", having looked up the AMC's other talent. David Naughton, star of John Landis' '80s horror-com An American Werewolf In London, is always impressed at punters' knowledge.
We ask the genteel American Southerner Daniel Davis – famed as the snarky British butler from The Nanny (and holographic professor in Star Trek: The Next Generation) – about whether public exchanges are ever emotionally "draining", or imposing, since in March Justin Bieber suspended meet-and-greets for this reason. "I think that probably as Mr Bieber grows a bit older, he may discover how valuable it is to have that kind of interaction," the septuagenarian ponders. "Sure, it can be draining, but you hear such amazing stories. If you're an actor, you're constantly observing, you're constantly listening and thinking, How could I celebrate the life of someone who is having this turmoil? How could I make it better for them? You can't get yourself really involved with [people], because time won't allow it, but you can listen to their stories. Sometimes that's all somebody wants – just to be heard; to be listened to. And so that's what you do."
Though now blonde, McKeon is familiar as the recurring reaper Tessa in Supernatural. The program has achieved remarkable longevity, reaching its 12th season. How? "I don't know if anybody knows really the answer to that – why a show works and why it becomes magical and lasts forever," McKeon responds. "I think the boys [Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki as the Winchester brothers Dean and Sam] are wonderful. They have a chemistry with one another that is undeniable. And I guess just the fanbase is so steadfast. [The producers] seem to actually listen to the fans and their wants – and I think that's probably a big part of it." McKeon notes that Supernatural's set has "no drama" – something she again attributes to its down-to-earth leads.
Best of all, we corner Page-Lochard for Cleverman scoops following Season 1's cliffhanger. In his panel the actor disclosed that, so far, the narrative arc of Aunty Linda (Deborah Mailman) has been about "foreshadowing" – she holds a guilty secret. What else can he share? "Look – we got all our drama out of the way, we got all our character development out of the way, in a sense," Page-Lochard teases. "A lot of people will say that we lost the element of sci-fi – which wasn't a bad thing – because we were focussing on the drama. Now all I can say is, Season 2, we're focussing on the sci-fi and the action and the actual genre of it. So, if I can give it a word, I would say 'sleek'. So you're in store for something that's fierier than the first one, in my own personal opinion."
