Welcome to our next InterWho (Whovian Interview)..
I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Chloe, so grab a cup of tea and enjoy the read (and lots of Paul McGann)!!
CM: Hello! My name is Chloe! I have dedicated the last ten years of my life to educating myself in the art of theatre and I have very recently completed a Masters degree in Contemporary Theatre Practices. I own and run my own professional theatre company called Hunki Munki Theatre Company. For my company, I spend the year writing pieces of original theatre and then direct these pieces with actors before embarking on a summer tour around Fringe festivals in the UK. When I’m not doing that I like to shamelessly indulge myself in all the brilliantly nerdy things life has to offer from box set binge watching to convention attending.
BBB: When did you first become a Whovian?
CM: I remember watching Doctor Who as a very small child, I think I was about three or four years old and I remember being fascinated by the Daleks; alas, being born in the early 90’s meant that Who was not on my TV every week so I didn’t really become a proper Whovian until the show returned in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston. I remember being totally swept away by Chris’ performance and the incredible imagination behind the storylines. I was hooked from the first episode and I’ve been passionate about the show ever since. My parents separated just before the show aired and Doctor Who offered me some much needed escapism and comfort; the show got me through a very difficult period in my life and it’s something I will always be thankful for.
BBB: I understand that you cosplay, please tell about that and what costume are you working on now?
CM: I mainly cosplay Pepper Potts, as portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow, from Marvel’s Iron Man movie franchise. I have numerous different outfits of hers from across all three movies and the Avengers movie so I get to mix it up a lot. Over the past few months I’ve decided to move away from Pepper and work on some new cosplay’s as I feel like a new character is needed after cosplaying Pepper for so long. Right now I’ve nearly completed a Ms Delphox cosplay from Doctor Who’s ‘Time Heist’ episode and I will be taking it to a convention next month. On top of that I am working on a Cersei Lannister cosplay from Game of Thrones and I’m also planning a Female Data cosplay from Star Trek: The Next Generation which I’m hoping to take to a con early next year.
BBB: Some of us know that you are a HUGE Paul McGann (8th Doctor) Fan, and that you have met him several times. Where did your love for Paul come from?
CM: Very true! I am a massive fan of Paul’s and have been incredibly fortunate to meet him and see him perform in theatre. Paul has always been one actor that I have seen regularly on my TV screen growing up and as I saw more of him, the more I began to admire him as both an actor and an individual. The seminal moment came for me when I saw him in the BBC drama True Dare Kiss. Despite seeing Paul in many things before that point, there was something about his performance in TDK that completely consumed me and that fascination has continued with progressing fervour ever since.
2014 has been a very important year for me with regards to Paul. After many, many years of wanting to meet him, I was finally able to this year and it was a complete dream come true. Not only that but being able to see him perform in theatre, a medium that is very close to my heart, was the icing on the cake of life for me; especially as it was Three Sisters by Chekhov, one of my favourite playwrights. One of the most precious memories I have is meeting Paul at a con for the second time a month after I saw Three Sisters and we engaged in a very in-depth discussion about the show, theatre etiquette and Chekhov. He asked me about my theatre company and admired the fact that I was juggling a business with a Masters degree, compelling him to admit that if he had a brain like mine, he would be doing the same. This conversation lasted for about fifteen minutes and majorly irritated the woman who was waiting behind me in the queue but as the people in front of me only spent thirty seconds or so with Paul, I felt highly honoured that he wanted to talk to me for such an elongated amount of time and about a subject that we are both very passionate about. That discussion is priceless to me and moved me so much that I credited Paul and our discussion in the acknowledgments page of my Masters theatre dissertation. I met Paul again in Kent a month later and managed to thank him properly for all the motivation and inspiration he has given to me across my life by handing him a piece of Withnail & I art with my personal message of thanks on the back. Being able to personally thank my hero and give back just a little of everything that he has given to me was an incredibly special moment and I still feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have had such an opportunity.
*More pictures of Chloe and Paul McGann ... AW!!!
BBB: What is your favorite Classic Who and/or New Who episode and why?
CM: ‘Dalek’ from Chris Eccleston’s era. The poignancy of the episode still hits me today and brings tears to my eyes. We saw a very humanistic side to a creature that was ultimately very scared and lost. It was exemplary of the ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ motto and made me see the Daleks in a very different light. The episode highlighted how important Rose was to the Doctor and enforced the indestructibility of their partnership. From that point on, Nine and Rose’s relationship has been cemented in my mind as one as the most precious and indestructible partnerships in the Whoniverse and I only wished that they had more time together than a single series.
BBB: Series 8 is at its half way point, with a brand new Doctor. What do you think of Peter Capaldi and the series so far?
CM: I think he’s doing brilliantly! I’ve been a fan of Peter’s after being enraptured by his performance as Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It and Leonardo Da Vinci in Inside the Mind of Leonardo. It’s really enchanting to know that Peter was such a MASSIVE fan of Doctor Who growing up. Knowing that he is now living his dream of being the Doctor all these years later gives us proof that dreams really can become reality and instils hope that one day we may all be able to live our wildest dreams. Peter is pure proof that we should not give up on them!
I love the darker edge that Peter’s Doctor has and makes me reminiscent of one of my all time favourite Doctors, Nine. Chris Eccleston hit the nail on the head in terms of characterisation in my opinion; the perfect balance of maturity and fierceness but with that compassionate, approachable side. I have missed the more mature edge in recent incarnations of the Time Lord. I think people have forgotten that the Doctor should be slightly feared (after all, he’s called the Oncoming Storm for a reason!) It's time people remembered that fact and I think Capaldi’s fierceness will bring that in abundance.
BBB: If you could meet just one Doctor Who cast or crew member, who would it be?
CM: I’ve been a massive fan of Keeley Hawes since I saw her portrayal as Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes and she is one of the few actors on my ‘want to meet’ list that I have not had the pleasure of meeting, so Keeley would definitely be the one! I adored her stint as the steely Ms Delphox in series Eight, another reason as to why I wanted to cosplay her next month.
BBB: Who is your favorite Doctor and why?
CM: It’s very difficult for me to choose between McGann and Eccleston’s Doctor. I adore McGann’s Doctor as Paul is my favourite actor and has been an inspiration to me for a very long time. Despite the Who Movie being rather questionable, he gave an engaging performance and the way his Doctor has developed over the audio dramas and novels has been enthralling; it has allowed Eight to grow in to one of the most fascinating and engaging incarnations yet. However Eccleston was the Doctor who grabbed my hand and introduced me to the brilliance of his world; because of that I’ve been running with him ever since. I think there is always a special place in a Whovian’s heart for their first Doctor, a place that no other incarnation can ever penetrate.
BBB: Who is your favorite companion and why?
CM: I really like Sheridan Smith’s companion Lucie Miller from the Eighth Doctor’s audio dramas. She’s got a brilliant feistiness about her and has an admirable no-nonsense attitude. She has great inner strength and is a brilliantly independent woman which is highly preferable to the stereotypical ‘damsel in distress’ notions of a female companion.
BBB: If you could travel with The Doctor in his TARDIS to any time and/or place, where would you like to go?
CM: I would go to the Rum Runner night club in Birmingham in 1981. I have been enamoured with the New Romantic movement in music and fashion for many years (something which is unmistakably clear when browsing through both my wardrobes and vinyl record collection!) and it would be a dream come true to witness the New Romantic movement first hand and revel in the ostentation of their atmosphere for an evening.
BBB: Are you in any other fandoms besides Doctor Who? Such as Torchwood or Sherlock?
CM: SO many that I know I will probably miss some out! Definitely Torchwood & Sherlock. Other fandoms include: Hannibal, Red Dwarf, Game of Thrones, Marvel Comics, Rocky Horror Show, Ashes to Ashes/Life on Mars, Star Trek: The Next Generation Era, Hunger Games, Withnail & I, Derren Brown. I’m a massive Scandophile so Nordic Noir films and TV shows such as The Bridge, The Killing & Jagten etc. I grew up on classic British comedy such as Fawlty Towers and Bottom so if there’s a fandom for that, I’m in it!
BBB: Tell us about your hobbies even if it is not related to Doctor Who..
CM: I do a ludicrous amount of writing for both professional and recreational reasons. In my spare time, I enjoy writing fanfiction for any of the fandoms I am a member of. I have also spent the last ten years working on numerous volumes of Victorian era detective novels which is my main outlet for enjoyment. I regularly attend conventions with two of my closest friends which has given me the cosplay bug which is a great hobby. I had to make an arm of Iron Man armour for my Pepper Potts cosplay last year which was a lot of fun to make but very time consuming. In the end, it was worth every minute and I hope to make more costumes from hand in the future.
BBB: Tell us your favorite geek stix or geek scent from Blue Box Balm..
CM: So hard to choose just one! Every single one I buy becomes an instant favourite but I think the Doctor’s Kiss Geek Scent is really extraordinary; an addictive balance of floral and sweet chocolate so if I had to pick one, that would be it!
BBB: Is there anything you would like to add before we wrap up this interview (such as conventions you gone to, cast you have met, a collection you have, etc)?
CM: I collect loads of Sci-Fi memorabilia and autographs and McGann’s Eighth Doctor is the staple of my memorabilia collection; one particular memory I have is carrying a six foot high cardboard cut out of McGann’s Doctor from The Night of Doctor from Kent, around the London tube and to my home in the Midlands which all in all was a six hour journey. Safe to say, I got some pretty amusing looks that day!
I regularly attend conventions in the UK and have been lucky to meet many heroes from my childhood such as the Red Dwarf cast and Superbike champion Carl Fogarty along with members of the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Torchwood.
My other favourite actor (after McGann!) is Richard E. Grant and I was lucky enough to meet him at a meet & greet he threw in London for the launch of his perfume, Jack. It was the first time I’ve ever really felt star struck but I managed to overcome it and we had a lovely chat about antiquing in France.
Big THANK YOU to Chloe for participating in our whovian interviews!
If you have any questions for Chloe please comment below..
No comments:
Post a Comment