Denver Comic Con 2017 Day 3
Total Con Recall
Dalton here with a few brief notes closing out the festivities of DCC 2017. It was a great year, as the con only gets stronger. First, I want to talk briefly about the Chiklis panel below, then get into my impression of this year’s con!
Michael Chiklis
Chiklis in person was exactly as I pictured: a commanding presence with an aura of personable touch. Chiklis, like most celebs of DCC, just loves interacting with his fans and it showed in his panel. His passion really shined in his unrelenting desire to share the details of his career and life with the fans, occasionally chasing squirrels and running on tangents to deliver exactly what fans want to hear; insight. Chiklis apologized on numerous occasions for “rambling”, but admitted that he was trying to give us exactly what we wanted, and he did.
Probably unsurprising to most, Chiklis’ worst experience as an actor came in the first Fantastic Four film. However, it was with the sentiment that most might think. He felt those two films were for fun, and who could argue? And while they are generally panned across the board, I can’t argue with his lighthearted nature towards the material. But he did mention that the Thing suit was his worst experience as an actor. The suit from the first film in particular had him admitting he almost quit after the first day. With about 5-inch thick latex around his core, 12-16 pounds of weight on each hand and foot, a 5-hour prep time, and 12-hour shooting schedule…it’s no wonder Chiklis considers the experience a nightmare. He literally visited a psychiatrist to see how he could mentally tackle this assignment. He received the advice of focusing on elements of his environment to take his mind off of the suit’s claustrophobic imposition. He also repeated a mantra that reminded him that he is still in control of his mind, body and senses. It was a good reminder for those of us that struggle with anxiety that even a celebrity can have moments of overwhelming stress and there are solutions that can at least help a little in quelling the anxiety.
Chiklis was asked if he preferred playing a villain or hero, and he responded that it’s fun to be the bad guy, to which he received laughs and applause. But he quickly got serious saying that he feels his hero roles are more important, especially today. He said that he thinks the world, including America, needs heroes right now. Heroes in real life and heroes on screen. While I love my villains and I stand by my sentiment that villains make the hero, I think his words were a refreshing reminder for me that without heroes, the world becomes a dark place. Even the real world needs heroes, even fictional ones that remind us how the world should be.
Unsurprisingly, Chiklis said his favorite all-time role was as Vic Mackey from The Shield. It is most certainly his defining role as an actor and the one he is most generally associated with. You could tell he was truly attached to the role and the story, calling the series a 100-hour movie. That is what they set out to do. Make a movie in a TV series. They also wanted to make the finale something outside of the conventional. They didn’t want a victorious Butch Cassidy blaze of glory, and they didn’t want the clank of prison bars either. They wanted a proverbial purgatory. A truly artistic approach to the conclusion of a great series.
Chiklis’ role as the clown from American Horror Story was my personal favorite performance from the entire series. He briefly spoke on the role in regards to the show as a whole. He loves the team-oriented style of AHS, relating it to the team-oriented nature of the New England Patriots. It isn’t about a couple of A-list actors with huge parts, but rather a communal effort to deliver something amazing as an amalgamation of talent. Also, he thought Kathy Bates was an absolute joy to work with. I would imagine so.
Con Recall
This year’s con featured some great faces that had even bigger voices. From the openly vibrant Millie Bobby Brown, to the ironically egotistical Nathan Fillion, to the gruff teddy bear that is Michael Chiklis, it was a pleasure across the board in each panel. The cosplayers were there, making their presence known. I’ve attached a few of my favorites here. I can always appreciate an MST3K cosplay. Go Tom Servo.
Can’t wait for next year! DCC keeps getting better!
-Dalton