Day two in Surrey, B.C. Yay!
Another glorious day, but gusty winds swirled as I headed to the Sheraton to register for Surrey International Writer’s Conference. Hard to demo a breeze from a still shot, but you can imagine, yes?
The lobby was busy as attendees registered and picked up their badges.
Mine! 😁
Then, a bit of 🛍! (I left home without my black jeans! 😱) A drive around the area and another view of splendid fall colors. ❤️
Later, I headed south to Eaglequest Coyote Creek Golf Course for the Outlandish Vancouver Meet and Greet.
I arrived early. But, soon the banquet room started filling with Outlander fans!
The swag was delightful: tote, lanyard, name tag and photo. A close look at First Nation composite photo of Trevor Carroll, Carmen Moore, and Braeden Clarke. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
We were treated to a light buffet and drinks. Soon, host KoKo introduced the featured guests: Braeden, Trevor, Carmen, Ed Speleers, John Bell, and Kieth (Kikki) Fleming. A wonderful lineup of S4 characters!
No photos or videos were allowed during the meet and greet, but for the next hour and half, the actors visited each table to have a chat. I can share the following highlights:
Ed (Stephen Bonnet) greeted our table by grabbing a snack from my plate! 😁
He then asked to name our favorite character from S4. One San Diego fan (who will remain nameless) 😉, instantly quipped, “Leroi!” This was followed by fan flushes and a “Bonnet” steely look. Oh, he knew who Leroi was, for sure!!! 😂
Trevor Carroll (Otter-Tooth) was next. Fans will remember Otter-Tooth (Ta’wineonawira) was formerly known as Robert Springer, a time traveller who ventured from 1968 into the past to save his ancestors.
Otter-Tooth appeared in Outlander episodes 403, The False Bride, and ep 413, Man of Worth. The intro of 413, shows Trevor as annoyed Robert Springer, seated on a park bench as two little boys play cowboys and Indians, nearby!
Later, in episode 413, Otter-Tooth dances his war dance before meeting his final fate. We asked him about that experience. He explained that a Mohawk war dance is quite different from that of his Nation, so he watched YouTube to learn the dance with only a week of preparation.
Director, Stephen Woolfenden, asked Trevor to perform the war dance alone, before the fire. The result was so pleasing, he called in the 100+ First Nation actors and Trevor danced once again, this time before a very large audience!
Kieth Fleming (Lesley) Visited our table. What a bright and funny guy!
I asked him about the origins of his nickname, Kikki expecting it to be a fun family moniker. He explained that he felt the name, Keith lacked gravitas. Then, a director asked his name and when he answered “Kieth,” the director said “Ki, Ki, Ki!” And, his nickname was born.
At this point, everyone at our table started chanting “Ki, Ki, Ki, Ki, Ki!” He accepted the teasing with good nature. We were being silly as by then, everyone had had a few! 😜
John Bell came to our table, filled with enthusiasm and energy. He showed his wolf ring, last’s years birthday gift. This year, his gift was a handsome red plaid jacket. I wish I could share a photo.
John explained that, indeed, he did most of the scrambling, jumping, spinning and crawling in the gauntlet scene. As young Ian, John shines!
Carmen was next. Such fun to meet another Carmen! 🤗
She was asked to comment on the red stain on the sleeve of her costume, the mark of a warrior. She commented that it was a thrill to play a female warrior, Wahkatiiosta!
Carmen is currently filming a story about an indigenous mother searching for her missing daughter. The film will underscore the jarring fact that thousands of First Nation women have disappear without a trace and with little interest on the part of authorities! She is committed changing this practice. Yes!
Next, Braedon Clarke (Kaheroton) came to our table and what a fun fellow! I mentioned that his costume was my favorite from S4. He shared a fun fact.
He was initially outfitted in brown leather with skunk skin over one shoulder. He said it looked good on him (what wouldn’t? 😉). But, then he spied a rack of costumes. He pointed put a red coat and the costumer agreed, he should try on. And, voila! Kaheroton stood in all his glory! Braedon finalized his own costume. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
He also noted it was shocking when his shoulder length hair was shaved off. The wonderful feather headpiece was super-glued to his head, creating a truly memorable character!
The evening ended with personalized autographs from the First Nation actors. They were so wonderful and personable. A true joy to meet them!
Braedon also agreed to give me a second autograph, this time of his photo in The Making of Outlander, Seasons 3 and 4! What a sweetie!
Tired but delighted with the evening’s events, I headed back to my hotel and fell into bed!
The deeply grateful,
Outlander Anatomist
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Photo Credits: Outlander Anatomy, Pinterest, Starz, Outlandercast, Geno Acedo, Outlander Homepage
