Madeleine Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 (edited) A written account of an actor’s panel can never be as good as the real thing – the faces pulled, and the tone of voice used can make a straight line into a joke that has the audience in stitches – but for your edification and (hopefully) delight I’ve transposed what I could of Saturday’s panels, and a little of Sunday’s. If I've missed stuff you would have liked to read: sorry! I had to go slow some of the time due to wrist-ache, I've forgotten how to use a pencil cos it's like soooo twentieth century. John Barrowman was first up… Q; How do you see the difference between Doctor Who’s Captain Jack, and Torchwood’s Captain Jack? JB: The writers make the difference. In Doctor Who, Captain Jack is part of a team, not the main guy: The Doctor’s the leader, Jack is a follower. But in Torchwood he’s a leader. In a sense in Doctor Who Jack’s there to help, not to take responsibility. He’s more innuendo-building. In Torchwood he’s more in your face. The pressure’s taken off him when he’s in the Tardis, but in Torchwood the responsibility is on his shoulders. Q: You’ve expressed an interest in playing Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha. What attracts you to the role? JB: I like him cos he’s nuts! He’s a hero but a fallen hero in the sense that he believes in his cause yet everyone else thinks he’s a loon. He wears a shaving bowl for a helmet: “The Golden Helmet of Lambrino.†Also, Dulcinea, what a great role to play a whore that everybody loves. I love the show, I did it in college but I played the priest. Q: Why do you not speak in your Scottish accent when it’s so lovely? JB: I know it’s lovely, but it’s just the thing that’s in me from being bullied as a kid, when I moved to America. Over the years I’ve become more comfortable. It’s not that I’m not proud of my heritage, I am. When people would ask me to speak with a Scottish accent it was like I was being put on show. Those are things it’s hard to get over. I’m a success as an American, but I’m a Brit at heart. I have a British passport. Q: How do you cope with being recognised in public and the difficulty of being famous? JB: I don’t find it difficult, I absolutely love it! This is the career I wanted, you guys gave it to me, why should I be an ass? There are limits, and if they’re crossed I’m the first person to speak out. But I still go shopping, I still go to TK Max, to the supermarket. People who see me say “we thought you’d have people to do this for youâ€. Why? Why would I pay other people to do what I love? The fame is one of those ‘added extra’ things. Q: Jack has died a lot of ways. Which was your favourite way to die? JB: Favourite death? A weird question! Jack’s died so many ways. Shot in the forehead many times… in the heart… Here’s a teaser for s3: I like the way Jack dies in s3. There will be no more hints! It’s pretty awesome. I’m not giving any more hints. It’ll be all over the internet: “Oh my god he said THIS and then he said …†I know the internet. I have ‘names.’ I’m on a lot of the sites. Some of you I’ve spoken to, and you don’t know it’s me! But I don’t have, will NEVER have, a Bebo or Facebook page. (John went on to comment that he has to pay Myspace et al to get rid of the entries that people make in his name, and asked that if people see anyone on such a site claiming to be him, we let other people know it isn’t.) Q: How does Jack’s coat survive? And why a belt AND braces? JB: A lot of people think this is a fashion faux pas, but in the ‘40s it was done. People wore braces, and they would hang things on their belts. My father impressed on me that you needed to wear a belt to be properly dressed. Last series, we destroyed the coat a lot. I had six made for the series. They cost £1,500 each. I had one made. It comes on tour with me. I wanted my own so I can do the hoovering in it. (Mimes himself hoovering, while singing the Torchwood theme.) They don’t make the fabric any more. Graham bought all the fabric there was, because they don’t make it any more. They don’t make the boots either, so I’m going to have to have new ones. Q: Would you ever want to take over from Bruce Forsyth as host of Strictly Come Dancing? JB: Truthfully, yes. All of us know Bruce through the generations. I’d love to have a career like that when I’m 82. Yes I’d love to host Strictly Come Dancing. (John said that he wants us all to vote for Mark Foster and had printed out the phone number for us on flyers for us.) If Mark gets to the semi-final he’ll dance in his swimming trunks. Q: Knowing how television shows are made, does it spoil the magic for you? JB: It doesn’t. The first thing I do when I get home is turn on the TV. We have one in the kitchen, we’re thinking of having one in the bathroom. I love TV. TV is one of the best medias, mediums, did I say that right? And in times of a credit crunch, what do people do? Going to the cinema is difficult: they watch TV. I like Lost, Entourage. I like Family Guy. The more politically incorrect we can be and laugh at each other, the better. When I’m on TV I watch it. Some people are like “I can’t watch it!†But I’m like “I worked hard to be here, bring on the popcorn.†Q: Is it hard working with green-screen? JB: My first scene for Doctor Who was on an invisible spaceship in front of Big Ben. But you just have to play the scene. That scene was all about the romance between Rose and Jack, Jack trying to con her and trying to suck her in. Literally! (laughs) Or was it the other way around? Q: Did you enjoy driving a Porsche as Jack? JB: Yes, because it’s mine. I won’t tell you how we get it, but Jack gets a black Porsche. I leased my car to the BBC. And I have a Delorean. Q: What can you do better than anyone else you know? JB: Apart from the obvious? (much smirking and audience sniggering). You want me to be honest? This is going to sound bigheaded, but I am so confident in the way I do it: sing. I know my craft. When I go on stage, people go “fffn!†I have the presence. Does that sound naff? Q: How did you get into theatre, and what would you be doing if you hadn’t? JB: It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, be an entertainer, performer. In 1989 I went for an open call in the West End for Anything Goes opposite Elaine Paige. I got the part. If I wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be doing anything. I’d be trying to do it if I wasn’t doing it. I have other goals. I may not achieve them, but I believe it’s important to have goals. My cup is never half empty. Q: If you could have anyone, who would you want to be on Torchwood with you? JB: Alive, I think Brad Pitt. He’s really sexy. Jennifer Anniston. She’s sexy, she’s well put together, she knows her own style. Those two together would be really good: they’d fight. How good would that be? It’d be like Big Brother. Q: When Torchwood finally ends, what will be your most lasting memory? JB: It changed my life and gave me everything I could possibly dream of and more. And this is gonna sound corny, but it’s this, the convention and things. People who come and see me in the street, fans who write in. Those’d be my lasting memories. But it aint gonna end! Q: That’s all we have time for… JB: A little teaser for s3 – don’t tell anyone I told you – you get to see me naked. The second panel was with Naoko Mori, Gareth David Lloyd, and Kai Owen. GDL: This is great, Barrowman isn’t here so I get to sit in the middle. Q: Kai, would you like Rhys to become a regular member of the team? KO: No. I kind of just got caught up in it. Rhys is in touch with the real world. If Gwen’s in trouble he’ll get drawn in, he wants to protect Gwen. No. I prefer it that way. GDL: It’s not cos everyone keeps bloody dying? (For reasons unknown to me, at this point Gareth said “You remind me of the babe†and we joined him in the opening lines of “Magic Dance†from the David Bowie film Labyrinth. A little random to be sure, but he has a great voice.) Q: Gareth, if you and your band went on tour, who would you want to support you? GDL: All the bands I like are too good to support us. It’d have to be someone really s~~. Oh, kids here! I mean rubbish. Don’t smoke. Rubbish. Like Mcfly. KO: I like McFly. GDL: “I’m so generic, it’s so hard to be middle class†Q: Naoko, what did you make of Tosh’s background, like her coming from Osaka? GDL: Mousaka? NM: We didn’t know a lot about the background, but as the series progressed… We have such… What was I going to say? GDL: Just sing something NM: English is my second language KO: Say it in Japanese NM: Everything fits. One of my favourite episodes was Fragments. Everything makes sense. The reference with the space pig, tying in with Doctor Who. I’m not good at… GDL: What has that got to do with Moussaka? KO: You’re lovely to look at but you don’t half talk some s~~. Q: Naoko, How did you feel when you found your character was being killed off? (Ahhh from the audience) NM: Yes, that was my first reaction! To me, it kind of made sense. She went through a heck of a lot, especially in that second year. Of course, I was devastated, sad. (Ahhh) But it reaffirms the fact that working for Torchwood is dangerous. It’s like she came full circle. It was so well written. GDL: I was gutted. KO: Wasn’t those last scenes brilliant though? NM: When I read the scenes I was welling up, but I thought “That’s how to write a death sceneâ€. I’m welling up now. (Ahhh) I’m sorry it made so many of you cry, but I was glad, because it meant that it mattered to you. GDL: It means you can act. Q: What reality shows would you go on? KO: I would hate to be on Strictly Come Dancing. Hell’s Kitchen, or Gordon Ramsey’s F Word, something to do with food. GDL: Celebrity Love Island. I hate reality TV, but have you seen the knockers? NM: I’m with Kai. I’d love to do Hell’s Kitchen or Gordon Ramsey’s F Word. KO : We met him! NM: I know! I totally made a fool of myself! GDL: ?? KO: It was in London. GDL: Something else I hadn’t been invited to. KO: It was Barrowman’s fault GDL: Everything’s Barrowman’s fault. Q: Where does Ianto live (audience laughter) GDL: Why is that funny? Q: and where would he like to live? GDL: I thought he lived in Jack’s hole. There’s a manhole in Jack’s office. What? You find out a little bit about his background in the next series. I imagine he lives in the Hub, I reckon. KO: And where would he like to live? GDL: Hampstead NM: A bit of a commute… KO: Hampstead Heath. In the bushes with George Michael GDL: I’ve always fancied Ianto in a nice little cottage. Q: Naoko, what part in what musical would you most like to do? NM: Yes. What part. Oh, there’s so many… GDL: Can we get back to you because this is going to take a long time. NM: Oh there’s lots. I love Chicago loads. I’m hoping to do something next year. There’s a couple of things in Japan. But they’re in Japan. Q: What’s the most nerve-wracking thing you’ve ever done? KO: Being a best man. You’re not yourself and you’ve got to be funny. It’s terrifying. NM: Every single time I’ve had to go on stage. The first night is terrifying. Even something like this, last night. GDL: I don’t get nervous. No, the first time I was on Torchwood. It was so big. (audience laughter.) What the hell is so funny? I’m being sensitive! And my first day on TV with Stephen Fry, who is just a legend. NM: Were you really nervous on your first day? KO: Yeah, ‘e just said. Q: What’s your favourite hangover cure? GDL: Another f~~~ KO: Hair of the dog. Dominos GDL: Dominos? KO: Pizza GDL: Oh, I thought you meant (mimes placing dominos on end, and bangs his forehead as one of the invisible dominos sets the rest off too soon.) Q: Would you like to be James Bond? GDL: I turned down the last one. Yes I’d love to have a go. I was obsessed when I was younger. I had the deluxe box set with all nineteen films, and then they released another bloody film. So there’s another collector’s edition box set. And by then there’s another film. Before you know it you have 25 deluxe collectors edition box sets. Q: How do you feel when you hear a Torchwood ringtone? KO: That’s John Barrowman. GDL: John Barrowman. That’s the only one I’ve ever heard. Q: What does it feel like to know that people have pictures of you on their bedroom walls? KO: Great GDL: There’s not so many though. It’s usually Tennant or the gay one. Q: How would you describe yourself in a personals ads? GDL: Really good at oral sex, and I’m on the telly. NM: Delicate oriental lotus flower GDL: - or “talking Jap†KO: Big Welshman loves food, beer and sex GDL: Question from the lady with the nice teeth? KO: I’m glad you said Teeth GDL: I can’t see her spam Q: What coping mechanisms do you use for working with John Barrowman? GDL: Sometimes you’ve just got to close your eyes and relax. Put yourself in a different situation. JO: Hypnotherapy NM: Retcon Q: We’re out of time now KO: It’s because of Barrowman, isn’t it? It’s because of Barrowman! GDL: He gets to be up here on his own, AND he’s cutting us short, we want 45 minutes each! Q: We can do one more question, so what’s your favourite thing about your character? GDL: (to Naoko) Do you want to go first? KO: Take your time darling NM: I like – I liked – (Ahhh) (Kai and Gareth have been pulling faces every time we’ve said Ahhh for Naoko) KO : You’re doing it on purpose now! NM: The best thing about Tosh was that she was a geek. I’m a geek. Geeks rule the world. She wasn’t perfect, no one’s perfect - GDL: Oh, I dunno NM: - the fact that she’s a normal girl. Not very good with… words… KO: Stephen Fry she aint. GDL: I love the fact that Ianto’s such a mysterious baseborn cad. As an actor it was great to play, cos there were infinite possibilities. It’s less fun now that he’s less mysterious. Obviously it was more fun in the beginning when he was more. KO: What are you on about? I love playing Rhys. I get to snog Eve Myles. GDL: We all get to snog Eve Myles. KO: He’s just a nice guy. I like playing him and things like that. GDL: (slowly) Do you remember where you are? The group was joined by other guests, including Lachlan Niebor (Grey), Jack Montgomery (Young Jack), and John Barrowman for the next panel. JB: how come HE gets to sit in the middle? Q: What does everyone want for Christmas? JM: A Porshce. JB: Come to my room LN: A Porshce. JB: Come to my room GDL: ‘Hidden Depths – the emotions of Ianto’, a 13-part series. JB: You’d better work hard NM: A dog. GDL: If you want someone who’s going to sit in your lap and sniff you all day, I’ll do it. JB: I have SO rubbed off on you. Q: If you could really travel in time - JB: I do anyway! Q: - when and where would you go? JM: I’d go during an A Level class. I’d go to anywhere that was better than an A Level class. Anywhere. LN: I’d go back to the time I was working with John Barrowman JB: You are SO gonna get a porshce! I’d go back to my family before I was born and meet all the people I’ve heard about, have dinner with them. And there’s a naughty one: I’d go back to the Romans, and I wouldn’t watch them build stuff. GDL: I’d go forward to tonight. Fast forward to the orgy. NM: The ‘60s. Amazing music. KO: Maybe Madison Square Gardens, 1972, so I could see Elvis Other things… Naoko Mori filmed her bedroom scenes in To the Last Man on the same day as the bedroom scenes in Adam. Brian and Anthony were passing each other on the way in or out and highfiving. It was supposed to be a closed set, but she reckoned that still meant about eighty people. “I was like – can’t I gargle in between? Can’t we at least change the sheets? But it was the best day of my life and I got paid for it†Gareth arrived for his second panel handcuffed to a small inflatable sheep. “I miss home,†he said, before asking if anyone in the audience had the keys. When John Barrowman first saw Lachlan, the chap hired to play his brother Grey, he rang RTD and cried “you have to write an incest scene!†When RTD talks, apparently he looks like all those creatures from the Creature Comforts ads. But I can’t for the life of me remember who said so. Gareth has a nice line in mimicry, and was a scream whenever he ‘did’ John. Because Naoko umm'd and errr'd a lot, after a bit whenever she took the microphone Kai and Gareth or John and Gareth would put their heads on each other's shoulders and snore. There were posters, "Sponsor a Weevil... for just £2 a month you can sponsor a weevil in Cardiff Bay... you will get photos and letters from your weevil... this is the sort of letter you can expect to receive: [bad handwriting] Dear human, i killed a dog today, if I knew where you lived i would kill you too love from weevil xx" The thing I wanted but which was just for gold ticket holders was the mug that said "Property of Top Secret Organisation - if found please return to Torchwood Hub, Millenium Plaza, Cardiff" Edited November 9, 2008 by Madeleine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemzus Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 That's amazing! I'd forgotten some of the stuff that was said and its brought it all whizzing back! Thanks so much for writing it! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff29 Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 wooo the sheep we gave gareth lol woo brill transcript Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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