“Here’s the thing. Mostly, what makes these trips for me, is the people. You just walk around this city and you get to know how lovely people are and how welcoming and open they are.”
It’s the general consensus I’ve been getting from Oz Comic Con guests who have been discussing the vibe of the Australian audiences. Of course, on a talent line up that pulls from all realms of pop culture – television, film, comics and more – there is obviously a bit of a melting pot of creative experiences and backgrounds. Nana Visitor celebrated television actress best known for roles on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Dark Angel and recently, Torchwood: Miracle Day comments on the strong bond and connections formed through these conventions, of which she has attended many.
“I had [in Perth] a fan who has followed me for 20 years who I had never gotten to meet, so that was pretty emotional, to actually finally get to meet this person. There is a core group who follows me all over the place or wait until I come to their country and there is a certain delight…I got an email from John in Ireland saying, ‘Welcome to Adelaide, I know you’ll be shoe shopping pretty soon!’ and I wrote him back saying, ‘Already did it! I’ve already gotten my Australian shoes!’ There’s a level of knowing each other that is just incredible. I love that the most. It’s fascinating and they’ve formed friendships around it, you know? I mean, it’s a great net that this causes and people have relationships…there have been marriages, I mean we all know that! I know a few of them. Wendy is flying in from Melbourne and I’ve known her 20 years.”
Aside from being in Australia for Oz Comic Con, Visitor’s current schedule remains quite hectic, with a European trip soon to be on the cards. The New York native is enthusiastic about discussing her current and recent projects, which have been rooted in New York City, a place obviously close to her heart.
“I just moved back to New York, which is my home city.” she reveals. “I love New York. My husband works as a General Manager of live shows, so he got a job in New York after we’d been living in LA for a long time…it was like, ‘Okay it’s his turn to work, so back home we go to New York’. It thrilled my son Django, because he adores it there, what 17 year old wouldn’t, right? It’s out of control! I’ve been doing some independent films and there is one that I think is going to be very good. It’s called Hell of a View, but I’m not sure when it’s going to come out. Of course, I always get into a studio and do a few Family Guy‘s here and there; Seth McFarlane is so adorable and hires me whenever there is a voice appropriate for me. That’s pretty cool. I’d like to do TV. I’ve just gotten to a point where I can see myself…now that my children are grown and just about out, I could see myself doing another series. I’d love to.”
Working in independent film, especially when contrasting it with the relative security of filming a role as a recurring or series regular on a successful television show, would be a completely different set of experiences, one would assume. Visitor acknowledges this contrast in work environment, but also relishes the way working in in independent film has been able to satiate that creative desire every actor has and the way New York is accepting and embracing these sorts of projects, especially in recent times.
“It’s not a creative challenge. Creatively, it’s very satisfying and some of the best work is being done there. In terms of comfort…there’s a joke, you go, ‘You know you’re doing an independent film when you’re changing clothes in a bathroom’ or ‘…when you are sitting on a street corner, waiting for a scene’. It’s not luxurious! It’s certainly where some interesting work is being done. It existed in 60s, this bumping up against each other of creative forces. Meeting in coffee shops and going, ‘Let’s put on a show’. It seems to be happening now again, with things on the internet and with small films and small theatre. It seems that people are back in New York and collaborating, which is exciting.”
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