DESPITE being a huge movie buff, geek culture mostly eluded me.
I did not read comic books, I never obsessed over movie plot theories, I was never interested in anime and The X-Files was the only sci-fi television show I watched religiously.
And I was never compelled to dress up as Agent Fox Mulder (or Dana Scully).
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Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOWSupanova Pop Culture Expo was my first taste of this world and it was an eye-opener.
Thousands of salivating geeks (used as a term of endearment) filled the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre for two days, hungry for signatures from and photos with the stars of Charmed, The Vikings, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Game of Thrones, and Deadpool, and animation artists.
The sheer volume of the crowd was overwhelming for this occasionally claustrophobic attendee, but the parade of costumes was fascinating.
Some were film-set authentic, others clearly homemade (lots of cardboard cut to various shapes), but despite varying degrees of quality, the passion was apparent.
Signs posted around the expo discouraged bullying and harassment, yet it seemed redundant; this felt like a safe haven.
The film nerd in me loved Peter Facinelli’s candid on-set stories about doomed production (and appropriately titled) Supernova (2000) with on-set re-writes apparently watering down the original concept.
The charming star, mostly known for his role in the Twilight movies, abandoned the stage couch early on in his seminar to hang out in the audience, at one time filling the empty seat next to a fan who got the chance to ask him a question.
Industry stalwart and raconteur Sean Astin (The Goonies, Lord of the Rings) satisfied little known facts and personal accounts, such as when the Lord of the Rings cast got matching tattoos (complete with a flash of his ankle to show said tatt), and the answer to a long-burning question many The Goonies fans have had since 2010: why did he leave the DVD commentary taping early?
Turns out the recording began lat e and he was scheduled to make an appearance elsewhere.
Getting to mingle with so many die-hard fans of various iconic pop culture programs turned out to be a lot of fun.
I may end up being a Supanova regular.