Torchsong and still more about Peter Wingfield...

[fajrdrako]

A few odds and ends about Peter Wingfield at the convention:

• He looked good. Really good. I've never seen him in person before: I don't know if he looked that good because he always has and always will, or if the fresh air and exercise on filming in Kamloops helped, or if he has a painting in an attic. He is incredibly attractive.
  
  
• At the cocktail party, one of the organizers was making sure that the guests had a chance to talk to everyone. She (having met me one second earlier) introduced me to Peter. We did a "so pleased to meet you" mutual politeness while he smiled that incredible smile and I tried not to dissolve into a puddle on the floor.
  
  "Where are you from?" he asked.
  
  "Ottawa," I said, eloquently.
  
  "I've never been to Ottawa," he said. "I only know it by ... reputation."
  
  "It isn't our fault, it's the company we keep," I said. "I didn't vote for them!"
  
  "Neither did anyone I know," said Peter.
  
  We agreed it was one of those universal mysteries.
  
  
• In his first panel, Peter talked about working on "Riverworld", the TV miniseries based on Philip Jose Farmer's books, which he finished filming a week ago. When he was given the script, he instantly liked its themes and the possibilities they suggested, and he particularly liked the character he was being asked to read for, Sir Richard Burton - who was the antagonist. But by far the more intriguing character. "His motivation made more sense to me than anyone else's," said Peter. "In what world is he the bad guy?"
  
  
• He talked also about the real historical Sir Richard Burton, who intrigued him greatly: a nineteenth century explorer, adventurer, traveller, writer, linguist and translator. Among other books like Arabian Nights, Burton translated the Kama Sutra, which Peter read as part of the research. And actor must work hard to keep up his research. Clearly.
  
  
• He complimented all the other actors he worked with; said that at first he felt confident in his role, but by the end he was awed by their quality. "Everyone else is so good and so strong, and here am I, leaping into the greenscreen like a fourteen year old." He said that Jeananne Goossen will make quite a stir as Tomoe the Samurai; Mark Declan is hot and sexy and cool as Samuel Clemens; and Tohmoh Penikett "fantastically good".
  
  
• He showed still pictures from "Riverworld", and everyone did look strikingly good - Neananne Goossen particularly is gorgeous. He showed pictures of himself and Tohmoh Penikett fighting - at one point the fight coordinator thought he'd actually hit him. He talked about how the majestic mountains tend to overshadow the human characters, and yet their acting is good enough to hold their own.
  
  
• Peter talked about learning to ride a horse for the role, spending a week on a ranch in the area and learning to be more comfortable on a horse than he has ever been before.
  
  
• In the pictures, Peter's costume was a fascinating (and deliberate) mix of oriental and wild west - complete with holster and gun and opium pouch on his belt. "Sounds like he should be in Firefly," said my friend Marion, when I told her about this. I wish. Oh, how I wish.
  
  
• At the photo shoot, I felt self-conscious because I am not photogenic. "You do this so well," I said.
  
  "Well, it's my work," he said. And his talent, but I didn't say that aloud.
  
  "You're so soigné," I said.
  
  "Soigné," he repeated thoughtfully. When I said it, the word sounded like nothing. When he said it, it was textured and rich and full of magic.
  
  What a voice. What an amazing voice that man has.
  
  
• Speaking of voice: he sang at the cabaret, accompanying himself on guitar: two songs dedicated to his wife and son. One was called "Babylon". I enjoyed it thoroughly. He explained that he had taught himself to play guitar a year ago, and learned with surprise that it was possible to play and sing at the same time. The next day he confessed how nervous he was. Cool as could be when it comes to acting or talking, but the music - which was new - terrified him. When he went offstage after the songs, Carole Barrowman said to him in surprise, "Were you nervous?" He showed her his hand, which was shaking.
  
  
• On Sunday he talked about films like "Ten Thousand Days" and "Stonehenge Apocalypse". He said that different kinds of movies and different kinds of film-making were now possible, thanks to new movie-making techniques, on a very small budget. The monopoly of big studios, long taken for granted in Hollywood, might be at an end, with people who had the skills and talent being willing to turn to original, small productions done with imagination, delivered to audiences online rather than by distributors. The question remains of marketing. How would it work? "How would an actor make a living? It remains to be seen." It was clear Peter found the prospects exciting.
  
  
• He talked about living in Cardiff when young, growing up in Splott. Torchwood fans' ears pricked up, since Splott features in the episode "Ghost Machine". He talked about the changes in the Bay area that made it unrecognizable now compared to what ir had been, and the gentrification of Splott. He still runs in Cardiff, and sees changes all along the Penarth Road - Mazarati dealers at that. A quick Google bears this out.
  
  
• Sunday was his mother's birthday. He said he would phone her later. "Phone her now!" we all suggested, so he tried phoning her from the stage. "Do I file her under Mum?" he mused. "No, it's under name, with "Mum" in brackets." Then he couldn't get a signal. Pity. He promised that when he phoned her he would give her our love, "which you have been very generous with all the time I've been here."