I had never cosplayed before so decided to do my first one as Lorraine from Back to the Future wearing the dress from the enchantment under the sea dance scene. Above is the outfit that I wore. I had the dress handmade for me and the shoes were from ebay. I didn't have time to do my hair but nevermind for me it was about the dress. When walking around I was stopped many times throughout the day to be told how great my dress was including Lea Thompson who said that I looked great and that it was the best dress she had seen remade. Also Michael J Fox asked about the dress and said I looked lovely which was like a dream come true to have Michael J Fox even talk to me let alone ask me about me dress! People were also asking to have a photo taken with me (above right is one of the photos I found on Facebook taken with Lady Red Cosplay) which was strange for me as I had never attended a convention before but it did make me happy. People did not judge you there for what you looked like.
There were schedules and set times to meet the people but sadly due to it being extremely packed this all got mixed up and people were being thrown between photoshoots and autographs all day some of them having to get refunds or go home without even being able to meet the person they had wanted to. The first person I was able to meet was the wonderful Michael J Fox. Now there were rules such as don't touch him which I respected fully as obviously he has Parkinsons Disease and may not feel comfortable being touched. The photo was taken in front of the 1885 Clock Tower and everybody was rushed through pretty fast but he was able to question me about my dress. The 2/3 minutes I was able to spend with him were great he seemed like such a genuine nice guy. I was shaking and all sorts when standing next to him acting like a child again over meeting your favourite celebrities but for me this is like a hobby and I enjoy obsessing over movies and celebrities.
The second person to meet was Lea Thompson. She looks just as amazing in real life as she does on television! She was probably the nicest and sweetest actress I have met to date. She did not look like she has aged at all since she played Lorraine in Back to the Future. She was beautiful and had a smile which made you smile. I was able to spend the longest time with her as she had a conversation with me about my dress and said it was like meeting herself! To have these compliments from the lady who wore the dress herself was just amazing. When in the queue a man in front of me had a disability and had a photo with her and did rock hand sign (if that is what it is called) and she was so lovely and called him back for another photo with him doing the rock finger sign together which showed how caring she was towards others. Lovely lady!
Neve Campbell was next, now I have been a huge fan of the Scream Movies and The Craft. She is a brilliant actress and beautiful too! Sadly I was next to her for less then 30 seconds as everybody was being ushered through and she did not speak to anybody and just wanted everybody to hurry up. I can't have an opinion on somebody I don't know but from what I saw she just seemed a little frustrated but I can understand as the venue was boiling hot and there were 1000's of people crowding the area.
Michael Gambon aka Dumbledore!! Yes I am a big Harry Potter fan as are many people. They were brilliant movies and I can't get enough of them. Although I admit I only watched all of them the whole way through last year. Michael Gambon may have had a fashion faux par that day wearing clothes that clashed with various patterns on them but it showed he had character and made you giggle. Again everybody was being rushed through but I was able to speak to him for around 2 minutes and he was a charming man and complimented my dress saying it looked lovely.
I was lucky enough to be able to get tickets to go to the Michael J Fox talk which lasted around 30 minutes. I have a video also of him entering the stage but people were asked to turn their phones off so I did. The talk was a general conversation between the talk host and Michael about the BTTF movies and his career thereafter. He was a very funny man and when entering the stage made everybody smile and clap for him. I think he was shocked at the reception and how many fans loved him over in London. He was very sweet and answered the questions people from the audience had and considering that he has Parkinsons he seemed quite comfortable and handled it well, to be honest it is barely noticeable that he even has it. He is an inspiration to all aspiring actors/actresses and people who have Parkinsons as he shows that if you can put your mind to it you can do it and you should never give up.
Above are some other people I was able to see but not have a photo with and these are Naomi Grossman (Pepper from American Horror Story), Erika Ervin (Amazon Eve from American Horror Story) and James Ramar (Harry from Dexter).
The only negatives for me were the price of food was high and the crowding was unbarable. They had obviously had way too many people in such a small venue. It was so crowded you could barely walk through it and people told me they had actually got in without tickets which was a little worrying but all in all I had a fantastic day that words cannot describe!
