There's usually a breakfast at the convention,
and you just kind of walk around and say hi to the different tables.
Take pictures, and things like that.
It's a more informal meeting with the fans that have chosen to go to the breakfast.
Then the convention itself starts.
Generally, I go on stage first. Or pictures, it kind of depends.
It's either a stage talk first or pictures. I guess it would be pictures.
Generally, for me, the stage presentation is the highlight.
I have assorted maladies, ADD being one of them.
I'll give you a warning.
I have ADD and Tourette's. So if there's like...
(thumps microphone)
...that's me.
And mild Tourette's.
So the stage presentations, for me, are a lot of fun. I usually make it through
not answering one question - my attention span's not long enough.
Did I answer that?
So it goes all over the place.
Then we do an autograph signing, where the fans get to come by
and get either a picture autographed or some personal item
or body part autographed.
The first convention I ever did was the LA film and comic con.
It was a good one to cut my teeth on,
because I really didn't know what to expect.
I'd heard about the "Star Trek" convention, Trekkies and everything,
but I really didn't know what to expect.
Anyway, we were a very new show,
so I really didn't think that there would be many people there.
So I took the car straight from the airport to the convention,
and I see this long line of people waiting outside the shrine.
I'm like, "Wow, I wonder who they're waiting to see."
So I go in the back way, and meet the convention organisers.
He said, "Did you see those people?" I said, "Who they waiting for?"
And he said, "You."
I was like, "You're kidding." And he said, "No. Some have been there since 6am."
I was just so overwhelmed by that. Then I was struck by sheer terror.
When I took to the stage, this room, this great big hall,
is full of "Stargate" fans.
And I was frightened.
But it went great. To have that that early on,
it was a great way to cut my teeth in the convention circuit
because I just was too dumb to know what to expect.
Conventions, for me, especially the ones we do during the season,
they're always great fun cos the fans are always really excited.
They're looking forward to seeing us, and getting to talk to us. And us, also.
It's pretty much the only time, especially I get to really find out what the fans think,
because I don't go on the Internet or anything.
So a convention, for me, is truly the only way that I get any feedback from the fans.
It's always great just to be able to say thank you for all their support.
From the moment that we step off the plane it's a day or two of sheer lunacy.
The fans are just overwhelming in their support,
in how excited they are about the show and about us as characters.
It's just really humbling. It's a real good experience.
(crowd cheers)
- (microphone fails) - (audience cheers)
(audience laughs)
(man) Plug him in!
I hate when you pull it out and can't get it back in.
(audience laughs)
It's like there's a thousand dirty people.
OK.
Welcome. Wait a second.
Let me think about it. Goodbye.
Everybody stand up.
Now turn to someone you don't know, and introduce yourself.
To be on stage in front of Stargate fans, it's like this rush of adrenalin,
because you can feel the electricity and how much they really enjoy,
and are looking forward to you being there.
It's an advantage for me,
because I can't remember a lot of what happened during filming.
I guess I'd like to say I don't remember it.
And it's funny, because a lot of fans know the show word for word, scene for scene.
At first it was daunting, but as long as you can laugh at yourself,
and know that these people know more about the show than I do,
I think that's a great jump-off point, just to really be OK with that.
You're gonna get answers wrong, people will correct you when you are wrong.
That's a great place to start, otherwise it could be difficult.
But if you embrace that, and embrace the fans' enthusiasm for the show,
it's fantastic.
See? Did you see that?
When I go off the question like that, you gotta just...
"You're doing it." Say, "You're doing it", and then I'II...
(woman shouts)
- What was your question? - (audience laughs)
Just about how you came up with getting more playback. You answered that.
OK, good. Good.
One of the wildest things that's ever happened to me on stage...
If you've ever seen me at a convention, you'll know I have a form of Tourette's.
I have problems with my language. The cuss words and swear words.
I try to watch it when there are kids in the audience.
I actually will poll the audience to see how many children are there.
This convention, I did the poll and it didn't seem like there were a lot of kids there.
So I said, "I'll give the PG talk." As I was going along, I began to see more kids.
So I apologised, and I said, "To keep me on my best behaviour,
"the next time I say a swear word, I will give every child in here two dollars."
I thought there was probably nine, ten kids.
So sure enough, within 30 seconds I said my next swear word.
If I had to kiss any more Chicago ass...
(audience's laughter drowns out punch line)
There was this roar from the kids in the crowd,
and I said, "You got me. Come and get your two dollars."
(man) That's two bucks for everyone.
(audience cheers)
Every child come up and get two dollars.
Right now. I should not be cussing in front of children.
Right now. Get up here. Run, run, run!
What I thought would be eight or nine kids actually turned out to be 30, 31, 32 kids.
I had to have one of the stage managers go make change for a hundred,
and I gave every kid two dollars.
It was one of the best moments I've ever had on stage.
(crowd cheers)
I don't know where all those kids were. They just came from nowhere.
What surprises me most about the fans is how much the show means to 'em.
I mean, it's gone beyond being just a pure entertainment vehicle.
You meet so many fans
that the show is something other than just entertainment for them.
It's escapism, or they find parables in life in the show.
It's amazing, but also very inspiring.
It makes you care about your work that much more
that you have all these fans that really not just enjoy the show,
but look to the show as an inspiration or it holds a meaning in their lives.
I always... I'm just so overwhelmed by that.
It's amazing how the stories that are told on the show,
how much they reflect what's going on in society now.
I really believe our fans get that. A lot of the questions are based in that.
"You see what's going on in this country? What if SG-1 encountered that?"
So I think they get that a lot of the show is representative of situations
that are happening now, but it's much safer because it's set somewhere else.
So you don't have to hit somebody over the head:
"This is what is happening in this part of the world right now."
You can set it somewhere else and kind of paint in broader strokes,
but the fans really get it. And that's a great part of the show.
The story lines are great. If you've watched a recent Atlantis one,
in which there was an issue involving medical ethics,
we are still talking about some of the implications.
So as long as the SG-1 and Atlantis keep having their quality writers,
and they keep bringing out issues that we can relate with,
then we are going to be loyal fans, and we're going to promote them,
because they are worth our time.
I don't know what you people do for a living,
but however you have the money and the time to do these costumes,
you guys are crazy. You guys are crazy.
But we've just seen some of the wildest costumes.
The best ones have great costumes, and then they'll do a scene from the show.
Those are my favourites. You people are crazy!
The payoff of doing the show is the terrific interaction with the fans.
In so much of this business, you really don't ever get what it gives to the fans.
Conventions are a way of really soaking that in.
(man) Christopher gave me this opportunity,
and I very much appreciate everybody for helping me out with this.
Because actually, it's not so much an impersonation, per se,
cos what it is is, Susan, love of my life, will you marry me?
(audience cheers)
A Jaffa wedding.
I think that's a first.
(audience laughs)
Actors are drawn to the business because they're needy, or need something.
Theatre, probably, is the only place where you get that instant gratification.
Very rarely, in TVand film, do you ever get that sort of love
from the people who watch the show.
"Stargate" is such a family environment,
that to know that it extends through this medium, television,
and really affects the viewer as much as it affects us here -
because we're very much a family here -
just to know that it really does permeate through the screen
about how much we care about each other, it's very gratifying.
People are on stage taking their clothes off.
That's one part of the thing I don't want to be involved in.
You might not be able to use that.
ENHOH