Hey Origins fans!!
We are back with a WormholeRiders News Agency (WHR) EXCLUSIVE!!! Thank you to GAMA and the powers that be running Origins Game Fair 2013 for granting WHR press credentials this year, allowing us to bring you the following interview with Mr. Ioan Gruffudd!
Most recognizable for his roles as Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards) from the Fantastic Four films, Sir Lancelot from the theatrical King Arthur, and as Horatio Hornblower in the TV series of the same name.
Born in Wales, Mr. Gruffudd caught the acting bug at the age of 13. After several call backs, he was cast as Gareth Wyn Harries in the Welsh BBC soap opera People of the Valley. At the time, Mr. Gruffudd was also an accomplished oboe player and talented baritone, but halted these pursuits once acting took hold.
After a time on People of the Valley, Mr. Gruffudd left the show to attend the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London.
In spite of facing various struggles, Mr. Gruffudd stuck it out at RADA and in his final year landed the lead role of Jorgen Tesman, the husband of Hedda of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler.
This role was the tip of the iceberg, the lead domino if you will, and it set in motion a series of “events” and roles that has brought Ioan Gruffudd to the forefront and created the leading man that we all now know.
From RADA to leading man, the timeline pretty much goes as follows (though this is just a brief timeline, Mr. Gruffudd’s career is quite extensive), he went onto star in the BBC series Poldark, followed by the British bio-pic Wilde.
Wilde landed Mr. Gruffudd his role in Titanic, which in turn gave the world Horatio Hornblower – a favorite role of Mr. Gruffudd, having claimed that he would love to pursue Horatio through all eternity, to play that role for the entirety of Horatio’s life, it was such a joy and an adventure.
Horatio Hornblower, a breakthrough role, gave Mr. Gruffudd the leading man attribute that caught the eye of Hollywood, leading him to such roles as Lancelot from King Arthur and Mr. Fantastic in the Fantastic Four films.
Lancelot and Mr. Fantastic fall right into the theme of this year’s GAMA Origins Game Fair of Super Heroes, hence the brilliant request of Mr. Gruffudd to attend as a Guest of Honor! As a Guest of Honor, there were of course the customary autograph sessions, but there was also gameplay with the designers and manufacturers, a press interview, and general exploration of the convention.
Our (WHR’s and my own) interaction with Mr. Gruffudd came in the form of an interview, a Q & A session that turned into a WHR exclusive!
As WHR arrived at Origins, we checked in at the show office, attaining our press passes and press itinerary.
Our itinerary listed the Ioan Gruffudd Q & A session scheduled for 2pm for Friday afternoon, June 14, 2013.
As we arrived at the room to get set up, we were greeted by Ms. Erica Gifford, the media liaison for Origins, informing us that the session was mistakenly listed for 2pm when it is actually scheduled for 4pm.
Due to mix up, the other media outlets apparently had previous engagements for that time slot, and we got the scoop, a “private” Q & A with Mr. Gruffudd.
A very personable and genuine gentleman, Mr. Gruffudd was quite accommodating to being a focal point for WHR and our “monopolizing” of his time and the session – being that we were basically the lone media outlet that returned at 4pm for the session.
Essentially my first ever Q & A, face to face, with a celebrity, I would almost guess that Mr. Gruffudd suspected this, and to his credit, did a very effective job at putting me at ease – I am certain that the majority of our questions he had heard before in some form or fashion, but it was new to us and his answers were informative and leading, and just overall fun for all involved!
One of my favorites was asking him about his experiences so far at Origins, only to find out that he had just arrived that morning on the red eye from Los Angeles, and had not really had much of an opportunity to see much yet.
He mentioned that he quite enjoyed attending conventions, he enjoys seeing the fans – not just his fans, but the fans of the event he is attending, seeing the passion that they possess for what it is they are here to see and to participate in. Along that line, he seemed to enjoy our passion for cosplay as we “photobombed” his autograph session the next day as Clone Troopers.
I do not want to spoil the interview for you, you will just have to watch it! I DO want to thank Ioan Gruffudd, a most pleasant gentleman and great conversationalist.
Also, I want to express major thanks an sincere gratitude to GAMA and the Origins Game Fair crew for granting us the privilege to have media credentials this year and the opportunity to participate in media events and Press Q & A events with the Guests of Honor. THANK YOU!!!
Thanks to Kenn for the final audio, video-embedding, and image staging, and many thanks to you for reading and for visiting Convention Corners at WormholeRiders News Agency!
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Thank you,
Dear Ioan and Karina,
Thank you for an outstanding interview from Origins Game Fair 2013! We here at WHR were honored by the opportunity provided by GAMA and the great team at Origins Game Fair, in specific the wonderful professional courtesy of Ms. Erica Gifford!
Best Regards,
Kenn Weeks of WHR
Thank you very much for posting this – especially the more than likeable interview. I enjoyed it a lot!
Hello Lady Barabara,
Thank you for the nice comment on the interview with Ioan by Karina at the 2013 Origins Game Fair.
Best Regards,
Kenn Weeks of WHR