Having now been to two Heroes and Villains Fan Fest events, I can say without a doubt that there is no better convention out there right now if you’re a fan of superhero shows like Arrow, The Flash, or Legends of Tomorrow. This convention gets you up close and personal with all of your favorite heroes and villains, resulting in an experience that you will never forget. Between panels, photo ops, and autographs, there are plenty of opportunities to interact with the stars, all of whom are truly wonderful people. Each convention is its own unique experience, however, and the only way I can think of to talk about it is through my own personal experience. Keep reading if you want to find out who I met, what I learned at panels, and who the best hugger in the Arrow cast is.
To start out the day Saturday, my group decided to head straight to Stephen Amell’s autograph line, knowing that as the convention filled up, his line would get longer and longer. One of the perks of having any kind of VIP pass is that you get into the convention at 9:00am, an hour and a half before general admission. This allows for shorter lines and less waiting around. When Stephen arrived, everyone let up a big cheer and with that, the convention officially started.
Waiting in line, I knew that I wanted to ask Stephen about the fake wedding that will be coming up in the next episode of Arrow and even printed out the Olicity still from the wedding, hoping to engage him in conversation about it. My first big question to him was, when is the real wedding going to happen? He tried to play it cool, even asking how I knew that the picture wasn’t a real wedding but I didn’t let that stop me. I then asked if Oliver was going to be able to get back in Felicity’s good graces and his response was exactly what one would expect from him. He said that while Oliver might get back in Felicity’s good graces, that didn’t necessarily mean they will get back together. Grade A trolling from Stephen. But don’t despair, Olicity fans, because later David Ramsey was able to offer some hope. I walked away from this first encounter with Stephen with the impression that he truly cares about his fans and having those one-on-one interaction with them. No matter how long his line got, he took the time to speak to each person and make those personal connections. Not every lead actor of a show would do that so I’d say the Arrow fandom is very lucky to have Stephen.
One of the perks of Heroes and Villains Fan Fest is that a lot of the actors also offer selfies for fans that can’t afford the higher prices of photo ops. Taking advantage of that, I made my way to Echo Kellum and Carlos Valdes, excited for the chance to interact with more of the stars. Everyone was exactly as nice as you would expect them to be, as I was able to have great conversations with both men. Echo was excited to talk about how great it is to work with Emily Bett Rickards, telling me how easy it is to work off of her as an actor. We also discussed his role on You’re the Worst and the project he has coming up with Aya Cash. Overall, he seemed very grateful for the Arrow experience and was hopeful that we’d see more of Curtis in the future.
Carlos was also a delight, commenting on the “B*tch With WiFi” shirt I was wearing and exclaiming that “that’s me, that’s you, that’s everyone.” Cisco is one of the most fun characters on television right now and you could see the energy from that character in Carlos. It’s clear that Carlos’ charm and charisma is part of what makes the character he plays so entertaining and it’s always nice to know that actors are just as great as their characters.
Next up were a charades panel, along with panels for the Women of Arrow, Stephen Amell, and The Flash cast. Starting the weekend with a charades panel is a Heroes and Villains tradition, and one that is highly entertaining, as it always ends in dance offs between our favorite stars. Let me tell you, Echo and Carlos certainly know how to dance. The Women of Arrow panel was also highly entertaining, mostly thanks to the bright light that is Willa Holland. Willa doesn’t have much of a filter and it’s truly something to behold as she animatedly answers questions with such an enthusiasm.
Every woman on the panel provided insight into their characters, giving tidbits of information such as that Katie Cassidy has never enjoyed a role more than playing Laurel Lance and that the hardest scene for Willa to film was when Moira died. The best part of this panel, however, was seeing how strong these women are. It’s fantastic that girls have women like this to look up to, as they not only play superheroes on television but are also superheroes in real life. Caity Lotz is a prime example of this, as she offered encouraging words to women everywhere to never apologize for who they are and never waste time being insecure.
Stephen Amell’s solo panel was up next and it started with a look at Code 8, a project that he and Robbie Amell have been working on for a while. Despite being against the idea of showing a preview for a preview, Stephen lamented that he has become part of the machine as this is exactly what they did. Throughout the rest of the panel, he was as insightful and genuine as he always is, taking a lot of questions from young fans and handling them perfectly. He even brought a little Felicity Smoak on stage and had her reenact the scene where Felicity walks away from Oliver, in one of the most adorable moments of the convention. He talked about Oliver’s tendency to be a ‘dink’ along with his own personal experiences as a father, something he always lights up when talking about.
Before The Flash panel started, I was able to make it over to my newly declared BFF, Willa Holland, and chat with her while getting a selfie. She remembered me from the first Heroes and Villains (after I reminded her of our encounter) and was again incredibly sweet. One thing that’s obvious with Willa is that she loves interacting with kids and it was adorable to see her talking to the younger fans in front of me. Her enthusiasm shines through in every interaction you have with her and really, I couldn’t think of anyone better to want to be best friends with.
At this point, I also snuck in an autograph with David Ramsey, who is one of the easiest people to talk to in the Arrow cast. When I asked him if there would be more Felicity and Diggle scenes coming up, he confirmed that there would be but he didn’t stop there. I questioned him about how Diggle would handle the Olicity breakup and he offered a huge amount of hope to fans of the couple, saying that everyone knows that they’ll get back together. He even hinted that Diggle might help the couple, talking sense into Oliver like he does in practically every episode. The next day in my selfie with David, I also learned that he gives the best hugs out of everyone in the Arrow cast. While I’d never say no to a Stephen or Colin hug, there’s nothing quite like a David Ramsey hug.
Highlights of the panel for The Flash included insight into how competitive the cast gets playing Uno, as well as Robbie’s despair at always being killed off the show. The majority of the questions at the panel were directed at Carlos, something the rest of the cast poked fun at, with Teddy Sears declaring it the “Carlos Valdes Show” at the end of the panel. We did learn that Teddy didn’t explore acting until later in his life and that Danielle Panabaker really enjoys playing an evil version of Caitlin. And of course, that Carlos truly is a nerd like Cisco and thinks that everyone who is passionate about something shouldn’t be afraid to show it.
That may have been the end of the convention for day one, but Saturday nights of Heroes and Villains Fan Fest always bring with them a Nocking Point Wine Party. Stephen and Drew more than know how to throw a good party, and this was no exception. Even though I personally didn’t have a chance to talk to any of the actors, as they were constantly surrounded and I preferred to just enjoy an evening with friends, that didn’t stop it from being an incredible time. By far the best part came when Stephen, Colin, Neal, and Brother Sal took the stage, providing their own twist on the Beatles’ song “Why Don’t We Do It In the Road.” If you haven’t seen this, go to Youtube and find it because it is truly a sight to see. I was fortunate enough to be up close while it was happening, and was right there when Neal decided to stage dive, somehow managing to hold him up with everyone else. Stephen later described this moment as one the top six in his life and I’d be foolish to disagree with him on that.
Everyone was more tired the next day after a great party and losing an hour of sleep but it still proved to be an excellent day. I started out the day right, talking to Colin Donnell who agreed that it’s very possible that Earth 2 Tommy is actually on Chicago Med, hanging out with his good friend Amanda Waller. I was also able to talk to Charlotte Ross, who couldn’t be more grateful for all the fans and the effort they’ve put forth to bring her back. Incredibly beautiful and really just a sweetheart, it was great to talk to Charlotte.
Before the Legends of Tomorrow panel started, I was able to sneak in a photo op with Stephen Amell, who is always up to do different posses. When I showed him a picture that I wanted us to replicate of him helping me shoot an arrow, he nailed it. You don’t have as much time to talk to the stars during photo ops because they go so quickly, but he’s always sure to make small comments to everyone, this time telling me “well done.” It’s those little touches that make the experience so special.
The main thing I gathered from the Legends of Tomorrow panel is just how much fun this cast has working with each other. They’ve truly become a family over the course of their first season and genuinely love each other. Whether Arthur is injuring his thumb in the one scene where he was to punch someone or the whole cast is working together to annoy Victor Garber, they are always having a good time. The highlight of this panel came from Arthur telling Caity that he is technically her TV granddad, as River Song in Doctor Who (Rory’s daughter) is also Sara’s mom in Arrow.
While all the panels were excellent and provided great insight, it was the Men of Arrow panel that clearly deserved the title of best panel of the weekend. The bromances between these men were amazing to watch and they made sure to bring up everyone’s favorite, Felicity Smoak, whenever they had the chance. Stephen provided some insight into how Oliver will handle the breakup, declaring that Oliver wants to be with Felicity but she doesn’t want to be with him right now and that Oliver will handle this like an adult…who occasionally stomps his feet. We also learned that Diggle and Felicity could easily become a thing on Earth 2 as long as Tommy keeps his hands off of her and that in an arm wrestling contest between Stephen and David, Felicity would clearly win. Paul Blackthorne also offered some inspiring words during this panel, encouraging everyone to focus more on what they’re giving to the world than what they’re getting from it. Neal and Echo were as charismatic as ever, telling us that we haven’t seen the last of either of their characters.
Throughout the rest of the afternoon, I was able to get pictures with Paul Blackthorne, who forgot to take a slice of his own birthday cake at the panel earlier, and Neal McDonough, who tried to attack me in our selfie. I also couldn’t resist the pull of getting duo photos with Stephen/Robbie and Stephen/Colin who were all great sports about it. With the convention winding down, all of the actors stayed and signed autographs until everyone in line got one, showing how much they care about the fans. All in all, it was another incredibly successful event with memories that will last a lifetime. If you ever have a chance to go to one of these conventions, I highly recommend it, as the organizers and actors do everything in their power to make it an unforgettable event.
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