Actor in popular shows such as “Doctor Who”, “Torchwood” and “Arrow” fills ballroom to capacity in Phoenix.
John Barrowman photo copyright Suzanne Philips/CFM
Actor John Barrowman has long been a fan favorite. From his start in the “Doctor Who” franchise as the beloved Captain Jack Harkness to his run on “Torchwood”, to his recent turn as bad-guy Malcolm Merlyn on the CW show “Arrow”, Barrowman has turned roles into beloved icons for years.
At the recent Phoenix Comic-Con, Barrowman joined a host of other celebrities, including fellow “Arrow” co-stars Stephen Amell and Manu Bennet to meet fans, take photos and speak about current and past projects.
copyright Suzanne Philips
Fans waited in line for hours to get the chance to see Barrowman’s panel, which is known in convention circles as being one of the most entertaining. Barrowman did not disappoint. Before the panel began, the event organizes held a dance contest and Barrowman came out and danced with the finalists before the winner was picked.
copyright Suzanne Philips
Barrowman said he was a bit worried earlier in the day as he was at his booth in the exhibit hall and only about 4 people were in line to see him. He mentioned to his husband Scott that perhaps they might have to re-think returning next year. Scott told him that people had been waiting in line upstairs for 3 hours to get into his panel!
Fans asked questions about his time working on “Doctor Who” and “Torchwood” and Barrowman, a long time “Doctor Who” fan himself shared stories about working on the iconic series. He claimed you could always tell who had the difficult “Whovian” dialogue that day because they would be in the hair and make-up trailer pouring over their script to try to get their lines down. When Barrowan asked creator Russell T. Davies why he made the dialogue so difficult, Davies laughed and responded “because I can!”
copyright Suzanne Philips
Barrowman also shared stories about pranks that he has played on his “Arrow” co-stars, particulary Stephen Amell who plays the lead character Oliver Queen on the hit show. He said that paricularly in the first season Amell came to him for advice and with questions on being the lead in a show. A fan asked if Barrowman thought it was funny that Colin Donnell, who plays his son Tommy Merlyn on the show, is about the same age as Barrowman himself. Barrowman stated that he and Colin had a conversation about how they were going to play it to make it believable and they finally decided to just “go for it” and it worked out.
copyright Suzanne Philips
Barrowman is not only an accomplished Film and TV actor, but is also very well known for his stage work in shows like “Anything Goes” and “Le Cage Aux Folles”. A fan asked if he could sing something during the panel and he sang an Acapella version of a song from “Anything Goes”, much to the delight of all in attendance.
Barrowman ended his panel by mooning the audience, something he is fairly well known for that always delights the crowd.
copyright Suzanne Philips
