Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Nicholas Brendon Q&A at Hal-Con 2011

Nicholas Brandon (AKA Xander from Buffy) Q&A at Hal-Con 2011
Warning: Some of the following clips contain foul language

When I heard that Nicholas Brendon from Buffy was going to be at Hal-Con, I just knew I had to go and represent our supernatural TV podcast Hexed: Sisterhood of the Supernatural.

My sister Shannon and I talk about Buffy all the time even though it has not been on TV for a few years now. You can not talk about this genre without bringing up Buffy and let's face it, I am a huge fan and just HAD to be there!



I took this video moments before Nicholas came on stage. I tried to get as close as possible but the crowd was unbelievable. The anticipation was electric!



What is Nicholas Brendon like? Just like Xander from Buffy but throw in some curse words. He is hysterical, loves getting attention and does not take much seriously. Sound familiar?.

Inner Space host Teddy Wilson asked Nicholas what he had been up to during his stay here on the east coast. His response actually made me laugh, as did his inability to remember the name Prince Edward Island.



This was a great Hexed question for Nicholas. What would he do if he ran into a vampire? I was tempted to stand in the giant lineup and ask if he believed in the paranormal and/or had a personal experience he could share with us. I started to have the feeling that his response to my question would have been very similar to the vampire one. I decided instead just to record as much video for our listeners as possible instead. I think I made the right decision, LOL.



I absolutely love hearing behind-the-scenes stories of shows. It sounds as though things on the Buffy set were quite serious but that did not save Nicholas from getting a practical joke pulled on him while on set. Nicholas said it was the funniest day of filming Buffy but it was clearly at his expense!



One of my favourite episodes of Buffy was Hush and it was fascinating to hear Nicholas talk about what it was like to film that episode and work with "The Gentlemen." His favourite episode is Once More With Feeling. Funny, those are my two favourite episodes!

It tugged on my heart when he said that he has not watched an episode of Buffy since the show went off the air. He equated it to reading an old journal and said, "I'm still mourning it."



This video clip is quite hysterical and adorable. What a lucky fan to get a hug from Nicholas and what a costume!

When another fan asked what his biggest fear was it seemed as though Nicholas had no idea how to answer the question. He responded with, "Public restrooms..." followed by, "drowning would suck... There is a lot to be afraid of."



Nicholas ended the Q&A performing the Snoopy Dance for us fans who just ate it up. He truly is quite the funny force of nature.

The topic of the potential new Buffy movie (something Shannon and I have discussed in length on Hexed) came up. Nicholas did not seem to be very interested if Joss was not going to be involved.

Nicholas Brandon (AKA Xander from Buffy) Q&A at Hal-Con 2011

On the last day of filming Buffy, Nicholas was not on set because he was away shooting a pilot. He never had a chance to say good-bye. But then, he added, "How do you?"

When asked about how he felt getting the role of Xander he said, "It is an actor's dream to get that role." He loved playing the regular guy. "If that's what I am known for, I'm blessed."

Attending the Q&A with Nicholas Brendon was an absolute highlight at Hal-Con for me. Not only did I get to hear all these funny stories about filming Buffy and be entertained by Nicholas, who was clearly born to be in front of the camera, it felt like I also got to hang out with Xander in the really real world. Lucky me.

2 comments:

Amai said...

These are awesome videos. It was very cool to be there, and nice to see it again, since I didn't managed to get any shots of the Q&A.

Out of curiosity, did you film the whole thing? Would it be possible to get a snippet emailed to me? I was the Jedi who asked the Snoopy dance question after the Grr who got a hug.

Thanks either way.

Suzie Ridler said...

Thank you Amai! Oh I know, the place was packed and I tried to get close but... That's why I focused on the video instead.

No, unfortunately I just did little clips. I couldn't keep my hand up filming the whole time.

Oh no way! It was you who asked him to do the dance?! I am so sorry, I don't have that part which is a bummer. Well good for you! A person on youtube said she sat in awe of him dancing so you made so many of us happy with that request.