While at Fan Expo Dallas (aka Dallas Comic Con) over the weekend I had the opportunity to interview several of the show's celebrity guests. The catch is that I had very little time with each one, so I decided to try to learn a lot of little things about them very quickly. What's their favorite candy? Who was their first celebrity crush?
The celebrities interviewed were Laura Vandervoort (Smallville, Bitten), Charles Martinet (the voice of Mario and many other Nintendo characters), Scott Wilson (The Walking Dead), Drew Powell (Gotham), cosplayers Leeanna Vamp and Nicole Marie Jean, and several members from the crew at popular YouTube channel Smosh Games.
Who is your favorite superhero?
Leanna Vamp: Batman.
Nicole Marie Jean: Namor the Submariner
Charles Martinet: Well I guess it's Mario (Woohoo!). Every time there's a new [Mario] video game that comes out and I see it for the first time I get goosebumps. The first time I saw Super Mario Galaxy I got goosebumps. The first time I saw New Super Mario Bros. Wii I was giggling. Every time I see a new Mario game it's an absolute joy for me. My heart leaps.
Laura Vandervoort: I kind of have to say Superman or Supergirl, don't I? That's a really tough one for me. Let's say Supergirl.
Scott Wilson: Superman.
Drew Powell: Batman. And not just because he's paying the bills.
Smosh Games
Wes Johnson: Batman
Sohinki (Matt Sohinki): The Flash
The Jovenshire (Joshua Ovenshire): Batman
Lasercorn (David Moss): Does Venom count? [Editor's note: Yes]
What's one thing most people don't know about you?
Leanna Vamp and Nicole Marie Jean: We're very open. We overshare. So probably not too many things.
Charles Martinet: How I absolutely dream for everybody, to do what they want to do with their lives. To pursue their heart. To pursue their destiny and their joy. Life is kind of like a video game. You wake up in the morning and you choose the character you're going to be and then you go into your life and make decisions based on what comes towards you. To me the greatest hero is Mario because the choices and decisions are to face adversity with a, "Woohoo, let's a-go!" attitude. To win, to rescue the princess for the sake of love, you know? So when you live your life with joy and happiness and fun in your heart, that's what I wish for everybody. You'll find that the destiny you create is magnificent.
Laura Vandervoort: I'm a second degree black belt in martial arts. Some people do know that, though, so another thing is that I paint, and I'm executive producing a children's series.
Scott Wilson: I think everybody knows everything about me.
Drew Powell: I'm a singer.
Smosh Games
Wes Johnson: I'm a pretty practiced hip-hop dancer.
Sohinki (Matt Sohinki): I was a 2005 state champion skeet shooter.
The Jovenshire (Joshua Ovenshire): I started my career by being a paranormal investigator.
Lasercorn (David Moss): I ran the American Ninja Warrior course in a green morph suit. ["How'd that go?" I asked.] Not well. I couldn't actually see and the thing slipped, so when I made it past the first obstacle and got to the rope, I slid down the rope and into the water. It stuck to my mask and I almost drowned.
What's your favorite thing that you've worked on?
Charles Martinet: That's a great question. It's a tough one, though, because every single thing I do is a tremendous joy. And just being here at Fan Expo is one of those incredible experiences, too, that I absolutely love. We work in a vacuum at the studio, and when you come to a place like this and you see all this incredible joy and happiness and you hear, "Oh, you're the voice of my childhood! I grew up with you! I love what you do!" It's so very profoundly touching and moving. So the whole experience for me, from the text or e-mail that says "come and play in our sandbox" to today when I get to see the results, it's just absolutely magnificent.
Laura Vandervoort: Probably Bitten, because it's the first show that I've been the lead of where I've really been given the opportunity to explore my abilities as an actor, both physically an emotionally, and I just love our cast and crew and I'm really proud that it's a Canadian crew and writers. And it's based on books by a Canadian author.
Scott Wilson: You know that is so strange. My first film, In the Heat of the Night, won four Academy Awards. Then I was in In Cold Blood, a pretty classic film. I've worked with some of the best directors in the history of film, so it's tough to say. I'll go with the most recent, The Walking Dead. It's good.
Drew Powell: I have to say it's a tie between Gotham and Ponderosa, because that's where I met my wife, was on that job. It was pretty important, and also it was a great job. It was in Australia and I was playing a cowboy, so it was awesome.
Who's your (non-super) hero?
Leanna Vamp: Nicole Marie Jean.
Nicole Marie Jean: Leanna Vamp
Charles Martinet: I would say Franklin Roosevelt. A tremendous man who turned the country around and did tremendous things, recognizing the beauty and value of civilization and people working together to create a great society. I think that the inspiration I draw from him is magnificent. I think we've forgotten too much about how magnificent we are as people.
Laura Vandervoort: My sister.
Scott Wilson: Gary Cooper
Drew Powell: My mom and dad are the easy answer, and the true answer. I look up to them a lot. My grandpa was a hero of mine too. I'm lucky to come from a family where they're all heroes of mine.
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Leanna Vamp: I don't know. I was a huge N'Sync fan, but I didn't have a specific celebrity crush.
Nicole Marie Jean: Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block.
Laura Vandervoort: Mark Wahlberg.
Scott Wilson: I like all the girls.
Drew Powell: [Laughs] That's a good question. I don't know, man. It might have been Daisy Duke.
Smosh Games
Wes Johnson: Natalie Portman. Every time.
Sohinki (Matt Sohinki): Yeah, [Wes] took mine. Natalie Portman. [After a pause.] Actually, Meg Ryan was my very first celebrity crush.
The Jovenshire (Joshua Ovenshire): I was pretty good at not having one until I saw Anna Kendrick. Then I was like, "Sing to me more."
Lasercorn (David Moss): Melissa Joan Hart in Clarissa Explains it All.
What's your favorite candy?
Leanna Vamp: All candy.
Nicole Marie Jean: I think in my bag right now I have jelly beans, runts, I have some Air Heads, I have Hi-Chew. I do like Hi-Chew a lot. I like anything gummy and sugary.
Charles Martinet: I try so very hard not to eat candy. [He pats his belly.] I'd become much more like Mario than one thinks. But dark chocolate ... Mmmmm.
Laura Vandervoort: Swedish Fish.
Scott Wilson: I eat Snickers when I'm playing golf.
Drew Powell: Ultimately you can't go wrong with a Peanut Butter Twix.
Smosh Games
Wes Johnson: All of it. All of the candy.
Sohinki (Matt Sohinki): I'm gonna go Tropical Skittles.
The Jovenshire (Joshua Ovenshire): Twix
Lasercorn (David Moss): Banana Laffy Taffy
What do you like to do in your free time?
Leanna Vamp and Nicole Marie Jean: Work. We don't have free time. Actually, we both like Disney Land. We both go to Disney Land often.
Laura Vandervoort: I'm usually active. I live out in LA now, so I go out hiking, go to the gym, go to pilates, go to spinning ... That sort of thing. I love horror movies. I'm a horror movie fanatic. Don't go see the new Poltergeist, it was horrible.
Scott Wilson: Play golf.
Drew Powell: I love hanging out with my son and my wife, and I'm a big sports fanatic, both playing and watching. And I'm from Indiana, so it's a per-requisite to love basketball when you're from Indiana.
Weirdest thing you've received from a fan?
Leanna Vamp: A marriage proposal. So I might be married, I don't know. He proposed with a Ring Pop, so I don't know if it's official. ["It probably depends on what state," I replied.] It was in Texas. So we're probably legally married. I have two husbands now.
Charles Martinet: A couple of weeks ago I autographed somebody's arm, and he came back the next day with a tattoo of my autograph. It's going to be part of an elaborate thing on his arm. I also signed a few kids' foreheads, in Australia I think, and fortunately they did not have those tattooed.
Laura Vandervoort: Pictures of rat experiments. ["OK... Was there an explanation given for that, or..."] No, and it was sent to my parents' home address, so we had to get rid of that.
Scott Wilson: Fans have really been very sweet to me, and they've sent me some interesting stuff ... There are some very talented people in the world.
