Student Rubs Shoulders With Celebrities

Members of the Bottom Shelf Review traveled to Washington D.C. for Awesome Con 2018 on Friday, Mar. 30 and Saturday, Mar. 31. Kirsten Bilger ’18 and myself were able to get press passes for the event, giving us better access for taking photos and asking questions. While Bilger covered the Star Wars events at Awesome Con, I spent my time meeting some of my favorite celebrities.

I had the chance to meet one of my favorite actors, John Barrowman. Barrowman is known for playing Captain Jack Harkness in “Doctor Who” and “Torchwood.” He is also known for his role as Malcolm Merlyn in the D.C. shows “Arrow” and “Legends of Tomorrow.”
I was nervous at first, but Barrowman’s sister, Carole, a famous author, calmed me as she introduced herself. She held m conversations with everyone waiting in line for autographs. She talked about how her brother never sent their mother photos and how great the show “Doc McStuffins” is for children.
Barrowman was his energetic self, as he joked around with fans and showed off his sparkly TARDIS sneakers.

Instead of standing behind the table like most celebrities, Barrowman stood in front of the table so he could meet fans. I told him that I thought he was a great actor and I absolutely loved the shows he was on. He signed a photo for me, gave me a hug, and told me to have a great day. He continued on with the rest of the line as friendly as ever. It was a great first experience with a real celebrity.

Barrowman hosted a Q&A panel on Saturday, Mar. 31. He arrived on stage dressed as Princess Leia with a R2D2 speedo and sparkly silver high heels. He told stories about his 50th birthday party and trips with his family, making the crowd laugh nonstop.

I also met Stephen Amell, WWE Superstar Christian Cage, Tom Welling, and Michael Rosenbaum. Amell is known for his role as Oliver Queen on the D.C. show “Arrow.” He has guest starred in “The Flash,” “Legends of Tomorrow,” and “Supergirl.”

Cage was one of the biggest names in the WWE a few years ago and is still well-known. Welling began his career on the show “Smallville,” playing a young Clark Kent. He was also in “Cheaper by the Dozen” as Charlie.

Rosenbaum played Welling’s opposite in “Smallville,” Lex Luthor. Rosenbaum is also known for voicing Flash on the original “Justice League” and “Justice League Unlimited” cartoon, “Impastor,” “Guardians of the Galaxy 2,” and voiced some characters on video games. Rosenbaum now hosts his own Podcast called “Inside of You” where he interviews celebrities.

I was nervous to meet Stephen Amell. I was playing thoughts in my mind over and over again about what I could say or how to act. I managed to keep my composure, and when I got up to the table.
Amell was very friendly. He asked me how I was and thanked me for telling him how much my friends and I enjoyed the show. He shook my hand and told me it was nice to meet me.

With Cage, I randomly found him at a booth. I took some pictures from a distance for two of my friends who loved him growing up and asked him for a photo. A guy beside him told me I had to pay $30 for a photo, making Cage look a bit agitated. While we waited for the guy to process my payment, I told Cage that my best friend loved him. He laughed and told me to tell her hello. He was very polite. Cage asked me if I was having a good weekend and who I got to meet. After the photo, he told me to have a great weekend and that it was nice to meet me.

Welling and Rosenbaum have never attended conventions together, mainly because Welling just did not go to many conventions. When I heard that both were going to be at Awesome Con, I knew I had to get a photo taken with them. There were four huge lines for the photo op I paid for. When I finally got up to the booth, I was freaking out. I did not get a lot of time to speak to them, but Welling said he liked my Daily Planet t-shirt and Rosenbaum, who was ill prior to the session, said he appreciated me coming out to see them. They were so much taller than me that it made it a bit more intimidating.

I enjoyed it, though. It was a great end to a great weekend to meet two of my favorite actors from one of my favorite shows.

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