For anyone who has ever been to a comic con or an expo, there are certain things you come to expect. The enormous crowds, long lines, and endless purchasing possibilities make it easy to arrive, but difficult to go. If you throw in an impressive lineup of celebrities and comic book artists, then it is especially exciting.

This year’s Fan Expo Boston did just that. To give you an idea, there was a The Princess Bride reunion featuring Cary Elwes, Wallace Shawn and Chris Sarandon, A Back to the Future reunion with Lea Thompson, Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Tom Wilson and beyond that we also had Evangeline Lilly, Jason Momoa, Famke Janssen, Jeff Goldblum, Billy Dee Williams and William Shatner. And this is only a sampling of what was available. There were many more celebrities, comic book creators and voice actors providing photo ops, autographs and some did Q&A’s.

As I moved around the expo shoulder to shoulder with cosplayers and geeks alike, I wasn’t able to participate in all of the reunions/Q&A’s, but I was able to sit in on a few and I’ve got some interesting stuff to share!

The Weasley Twins

Harry Potter, as popular now as it has ever been, had a presence within the convention center, everywhere I looked. Included were brothers James and Oliver Phelps, who played twins Fred and George Weasley, our constant comedic cohorts in all eight of the films, and who answered some lighthearted fan questions.

As you may remember, later in the films, the two brothers open a shop in Diagon Alley. Ever wondered whose head that is on the outside? Since there is only one?

Well, you’re not alone. When asked, James spoke up and admitted it was his. He remembered because he “actually had to sit and have about sixteen photos taken.” The two were also asked about the books compared to the films. Was there anything they would have liked to have seen that didn’t make the cut? They both agreed that the character of Peeves, a poltergeist, would have been interesting.

James actually went on to tell the crowd that the character had been cast, by Rik Mayall, someone whom they had watched growing up. It didn’t work out, mostly because of the sheer length. James went on to say that “if they had put all of book one into a movie it would have been seven hours long. We’d still be filming book three now.”

His brother Oliver added that he “always wanted to do the swamp scene, from the Goblet of Fire.”

When asked if there was anything from their store that they wished was real, Oliver quickly jumped in and said, “Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder.” You’ll remember it’s what Harry takes from the store and uses as a distraction when spying on Draco.

Evangeline Lilly

The Antman films, The Hobbit and Lost star Evangeline Lilly also attended. On top of being a film and television star she is also the author of a children’s book called The Squickerwonkers.

Evangeline, during her Q&A was asked what she initially thought about Antman when it was first presented to her. She said, “I was just finishing up my press tour for The Hobbit when my manager called me.” Her initial response was to laugh saying, “have they run out of superheroes and now they are making them up? I had never heard of Antman and I genuinely thought it was a joke!”

However, once her manager assured her of its validity, and she was told that Paul Rudd and Edgar Wright would be involved, everything changed. She pronounced “this sounds awesome! I love this!” When asked who she liked playing better, Tauriel or the Wasp she approached the answer diplomatically.

”I enjoyed the process of living and breathing Middle Earth for a year more than almost anything else in my entire career, and as a fan and an audience member I could watch either Antman film over and over ad nauseum.”

When it’s mentioned that Lilly plays one of the first female superheroes in the MCU (that has some kind of power, even if it is a suit) the moderator asks if she thought about this at all.

“Well, obviously there are incredible women in the MCU, and personally I have a huge crush on Okoye, she might be my favorite. Being in the title and being the first titular female superhero in the MCU is an incredible honor. And it came at such an important time, and that might seem from the outside very calculated, might seem like men at the top of the company were thinking ‘oh, now we’re gonna want movies from a woman. Let’s follow with the trend of the Time’s Up movement.’

“But we started filming this movie about four months before the Harvey exposé broke, and we had been planning, writing and preparing, for two years before that and I was sent the title card two months before shooting. So, I can attest to the fact that this was in Kevin’s [Feige] heart. It was what he wanted to do, and it was his conviction long before it became the thing to do. And I’m very proud of that.”

“This movie came out at a very important moment, and I’m very proud to be at the helm of that.”

Was it hard to be Elvish in the Hobbit? “The hardest thing about speaking Elvish in the Hobbit was getting the intonation right. Because you can memorize a bunch of sounds, but to make it actually sound like conversation is a whole other thing. You have to really make sure that you understand what those sounds represent, and they don’t just become a blur of noise to you.”

She was also asked if she was her own favorite character within Middle Earth and if not, who was. Lilly said she’d too critical to be her own, but that she “crushed on Thorin a lot.” She went on to say how much she loved dwarves, and that the original book was her favorite “when I was thirteen years old, I was so invested in their story.”

Apparently, she was also interested in reuniting with J.J Abrams when he was making Star Wars. “When J.J was first announced, that he was going to do his first Star Wars film, I reached out to his producing partner, for the first time ever since Lost ended. I never requested anything ever before, and I said, ‘I wanna be Leia! Make me Leia!’ ” She added, laughing, that of course, “By the way they said, ‘Carrie Fisher is going to be Leia.’”

A lot To See

On top of that, I wanted to share some information on a couple of the exhibitors – and there were many, ranging from a Big Gay Ice Cream truck (soo good if you haven’t tried it) to tattoo artists. There were themed escape rooms, cosplay contests, and even speed dating! There were around 1000 aisles of toys, collectibles, light sabers, and finely crafted pieces. All of which I couldn’t scoop up and bring home with me, but boy did I want to.

There were so many amazing cosplayers too! I found myself pointing like a giddy child each time I recognized a character. Which… was a lot.

While I personally didn’t attend last year’s, I chatted with someone who did. Frequent con attender Kelly Citro from MA, said that this year’s Expo was better than the last, primarily because of the selection of celebrities and comic book artists. Though she didn’t dress up this time, she was most excited about seeing stars Jeff Goldblum and Jason Momoa, the latter snagging a photograph with her sister.

In general the atmosphere was one of excitement and anticipation, something that was remarkably contagious and definitely needed. The audience varied too, from young children to seniors.

As I maneuvered the 1000 aisles of comic books, collectibles and attire, I found R2-D2 zooming by. He looked so real that the Star Wars fan in me was enamored.

It turns out he was created by Joe Francazio. Joe told me a bit about how he got started, and how there is a group you can join where you can actually make your own! Star Wars fans – if you didn’t know about this prior, it might be worth taking a look! This is what he had to say:

“I have been fascinated with Star Wars my whole life, R2-D2 being my favorite character. I have been trying build different versions of R2 since I was eight using everything from cardboard to aluminum. 10 years ago, I joined the R2 Builders group and began my authentic R2. The journey is different for every builder – depending on resources, time, and complexity of the droid the cost and length of the build will differ from builder to builder.

“The builder’s group is a droid builders best friend, info about any aspect of droid building can be found here. Anyone can join, there is no process. The Boston Fan Expo is a great event to show off your R2. We always have fun and it’s a good time to see the other droid builders out there. Getting up close and personal with other fans dressed as their favorite characters is the best.”

There was also a display featuring an artist who crafts masks per the buyer’s request. What was on display was incredible, straight out of a creature feature, and I spoke with Bob Gouveia with Wretched Hive Creations, after the Expo.

“I was at the Boston Fan Expo as a member of the 501st Legion, New England Garrison. I was showcasing some of my company’s work as part of their member’s maker space. I’ve been a member of the 501st since 2002, typically costuming with them as Darth Vader or Boba Fett. We had a great time talking to people at the convention and showcasing our member’s different costuming talents. We had other members there who were showing 3D printing, resin casting, sewing and leather working. I was doing head-casting demonstrations, latex mask painting and applying a silicone Emperor Palpatine facial prosthetic. My main focus with Wretched Hive Creations is silicone and latex masks.

I started Wretched Hive Creations in February of this year and it’s been keeping me extremely busy. I’m really excited to see where it’s going! I’ve had commissions from all over the world. Currently, my focus is on Star Wars but I’ve also been commissioned to do things from other genres such as James Bond and Game of Thrones. I have a shop space at Western Avenue Studios in Lowell, MA which is an old mill building filled with over 300 artists.”

Check out the website, it’s really cool!

Conclusion: Fan Expo Boston 2018

It turns out that my biggest struggle at Fan Expo Boston was restraint. My geek radar was going off the charts, not only because of the impressive collection of celebrity guests, but also the seemingly endless array of collectibles, comics and attire. I quickly realized I didn’t bring enough money to satisfy. Nor was I able to catch all of the Q&A’s that I would have liked to, including the Back To The Future one. Ahh!

Still, even if I walked away green with envy from what I didn’t have, the experience was enough, and walking around you truly get a vibe from the fans among you, a warmth. It’s energizing.

I’ll end with something Jeff Goldblum said in his Q&A when asked about the fandom surrounding him now.  “The most fun is meeting all of you. It really is fun. It allows me to come here and see people who have enjoyed what I’ve done. Say hello to them, take pictures with them, and sign things. I really enjoy it.” He waved and said “I love you very, very, much.”

As do we Jeff.

I’m hoping this won’t be the last time I attend, and to eventually make it across the country for San Diego. A girl can dream!

For more information about Fan Expo Boston check out their website.