Not all panels at Comic Con are centered around a specific TV show or movie, some bring together like-minded people or people only fans would dream about seeing together. The latter panel concept being known as “fan favorites” and are often the most entertaining (and hilarious) type of programming. This was no exception for TV Guide Magazine’s fan favorite panel featuring Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones), Ming-Na Wen (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D), Normam Reedus (The Walking Dead), Yvette Nicole Brown (The Odd Couple, Community), David Anders (iZombie), Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs) and Eliza Taylor (The 100). Even though those actors and shows are quite different, they had some interesting similarities. Here’s five things you may not have realized connect actors:
1. They Have Very Passionate Fans (duh!)
One of the first questions moderator Damian Holbrook asked was about strange fan encounters. Maisie Williams, who in person appears incredibly sweet, got a bit snarky (Stark-y?) with a fan who asked her to provide his yearbook quote. Apparently there is a yearbook somewhere with a person’s quote saying “Anyone could be killed.” That, however, was nothing compared to Norman Reedus who has received not one but two women’s breast implants (!?!).
2. Actors are Fans Too
Everyone has a fandom, or an inner fangirl/fanboy! Ming-Na Wen bragged about a run in with Harrison Ford in Paris and Yvette Nicole Brown had the room put their hands together for the indomitable Betty White. Wendy McLendon-Covey was asked who she wants to see on her show Repeat After Me. Her response? Prince! She would have him go to Home Goods with a shopping list that included anything covered in seashells. Their stories were all topped, once again, by Norman Reedus who upon meeting President Obama actually remarked, “This is a lot like Comic Con.”
^ We even asked that question to many actors we met at Comic Con ^
Then the panelists talked about what TV shows they’re watching: Eliza Taylor gushed about Yvette Nicole Brown’s Community, both Yvette and Wendi McLendon-Covey support Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Norman Reedus watches Louis CK and Maisie Williams gave props to the British show Humans.
3. Everybody Hurts
Quite a few members of the panel portray strong characters who get into a lot of fights. Ming-Na Wen and Eliza Taylor traded secrets about how to deal with the bumps and bruises from performing stunts all of the time. David Anders broke out into a southern character, Mable, when describing a different kind of hurt. He had his heart-broken in his early acting days when someone on a chat board poked fun of his one insecurity, his crooked lip (the result of a childhood injury). And, SPOILER, Maisie Williams anticipates future struggles now that her character has to learn to fight blind (the contacts she wears make the actress blind as well).
© Kristen Coveleskie, 2015
4. Dirty Fan Art
One surprising thing panelists bonded over was fan art of the graphic nature. Eliza Taylor and Norman Reedus especially seem to be recipients of nude drawings of themselves sometimes in compromising positions with other characters from their respective shows. Wendi McLendon-Covey, feeling a bit left out, remarked that she hopes to see some nude fan art of her character Beverly Goldberg, perhaps with just a dickie and a cat.
5. Social Media is Important
You don’t become a fan favorite by not interacting with your fans. The panel discussed the importance of communicating with fans via social media sites like Twitter to help build a community. Yvette Nicole Brown was especially enthusiastic claiming she will respond to every tweet even if it sometimes gets her into trouble. David Anders claimed to be so “obsessed” with Twitter that while he was filming in Canada he unwittingly amassed a phone bill of over $2000 in one month. Ming-Na Wen spoke of the importance of these sites to help get her out of the bubble of being on set and only seeing what she does from that perspective. One thing the panelists agreed upon, Twitter = good. Reviews/googling yourself = very bad.