Panel Highlights From Fan Expo Chicago 2024
Image Source: Fan Expo HQ
This weekend I attended Fan Expo Chicago 2024. It was my third year attending the convention, and it's always a blast. This year was very Star Wars-oriented, as the con even got Mark Hamill as a guest. I paid for a photo op to meet the Star Wars legend, and it was worth every penny. The moment was brief but he said he liked my shirt, and the picture came out great. I also attended some panels, which made for a busy three days.
Friday this year was a shorter day. The con decided to get rid of the Thursday preview day and switch it to Friday instead, which caused Friday to be shorter. I got there a bit after it opened, and went immediately to my Mark Hamill photo op. The con had the good idea to put it in another area, so it wouldn’t crowd up the main photo op area. The process was super quick and smooth. Later that evening, I got to attend his panel. He talked for an hour about various projects. The panel started with a surprise from actor Giancarlo Esposito. He was escorted by members of the 501st Midwest Garrison. He was on there for about 10 minutes and gave a speech, where he then introduced Mark Hamill.
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Mark comes out and gives Giancarlo major props. Marks talks about how busy he has been lately and discusses some of the recent projects he has been a part of. He talks about working with Mike Flanagan, and how wardrobe is a crucial part of the roles he plays. He talks about being the Flying Dutchman in the upcoming SpongeBob movie, and what it was like to work with Tom Kenny. He’s known him for 30 years and was proud that he made him laugh during a recording session. He also talked a bit about Carrie Fisher and admits it's still not easy. He shared a story of them getting lunch together while filming the first movie, about how she was talking about very personal details about her mom's and her boyfriend's relationship. He was very confused because they barely knew each other, but the story was funny and just showed how iconic, and who, Carrie Fisher was as a person.
He thanks all of us for being there, and how he sometimes gets overwhelmed by emotions when he meets us. He then talked about getting the role as Joker, and how he didn’t think he was going to get the role, so he went in without a care in the world. He loves “character roles” and thinks that animation has some of the best character roles in Hollywood. He didn’t want to get too political, but says he hopes we all vote. He then wraps up the panel by saying how shocked he was at the reception of the first movie. He drove by and saw lines of people waiting to get in to see the movie at the TCL Chinese Theater. He never expected Star Wars to be as big as it is but is very appreciative of all the fans.
Image Source: CultureSlate
Sunday was a day I wasn’t anticipating going to, but I had to secure Cameron Monaghan’s autograph. He was super nice, and it was worth the third day. While waiting, I had some time to kill, so I went to Temuera Morrison’s panel. His panel was my favorite of the weekend. He jokes about the Mandalorian stealing his spotlight in The Book Of Boba Fett. He greets us in his native tongue. He said it was fun to make the show, and he loves working with Ming Na Wen, and that they both hit it off immediately. He and Robert Rodriguez would both jam out on their guitars while waiting to start shooting.
The panel was then crashed by Eman Esfandi and Diana Lee Inosanto, who both stayed for a bit. They reveal that their characters weren’t pitched to them, and Diana reveals that they wanted an authentic martial artist, so they typed in “badass female martial artist” into Google and found her. Eman got an audition but didn’t know what for. He eventually pieced it together that it was for a part in Star Wars. Tem talks about how he was an unemployed actor until he got the role of Jango Fett. He jokes about driving around New Zealand to find others like him and see if they want a part. He praises the volume and says he was able to bring haka to when he was using the gaffi sticks. He keeps in contact with Danny Logan and loves him like a son. He sang to us a few times and talked about his love of food that he always got to eat on set. His panel was hilarious, and I was so happy I was able to attend.
Image Source: CultureSlate
Fan Expo Chicago was as fun as always, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us next year. Con season is still in full swing, so now it’s time to prepare for New York Comic Con in October!
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