Wayne Pygram at the Wolf Event in England

Thanks to Jane for letting us in on this super event!

Both Wayne and CB had just got in from over-night flights from New York that morning, so I have to say that from personal experience they must be tough guys to be able to turn around and be up-beat, wide-awake, and 150% there for the fans. Wayne did not finish signing until 7.30 pm at least.

I suppose Scorpius followers don't want to hear about Claudia, so I will skip to the afternoon session, when we started with the obligatory crowd-raiser of images of Farscape and then the intro music, and on he came! (cheers and clapping etc)

(I didn't make notes, so this is by no means comprehensive)

Wayne had two main things to say; 1 that even if he never made any more episodes of Farscape the whole experience of working with the "family" of cast, and production team, for all of them, was so different from any other acting experience, so empowering, that it was something he hoped to be able to bring to bear on whatever projects he was involved in. And that they all hoped to be able to work together again, perhaps on something new.  

He elaborated on how Farscape was different, how open to everyone's contribution, giving the example of how after getting the script for next day's filming, he and Ben(ny) would drive home back to Ben's to work out scenes between JC and Scorpius, and be working it out in the car, or Ben would ring him to discuss it at 11 at night. (When usually with this sort of rapid turnaround you just learn the lines!)

2nd thing he had to say, was that as for working in make-up again, he had made the decision only ever to do it for HIM. Talked about hot flesh and the costume - how he lost 4 kilos in the dumpster scene - how the costume dictated the way Scorpius moves, a certain deliberation - as it is skin-tight. How when they were filming JQ his skin just rebelled because they were doing glued-on latex in the morning for Harvey and hot flesh in the afternoon.  

Then he went onto Q & A - questions about drum kits, requests for Scorpius quotes - he said to get into character he would say " hello, John", but he was reluctant to be in character out of costume. A fan asked permission to stroke his head (citing CB's assertion that he is a pussycat), which was granted. Questions about the costume - there is most of a real crocodile on Scorpius' back. An interesting question about the most embarrassing thing which had ever happened to him - a story about an extra who had been really unpleasant, when Wayne messed up the lines a couple of times (I think in 3.20 or 3.21).He went up to this guy, tapped his cheek and said "How would you like to be eating through a straw?" – this as Scorpius. Which he will always regret. The extra made a huge fuss about it, but everyone had noticed this idiot's unpleasant attitude.

He told us about his diet problem, that he can’t eat carbs (Caeliac disease), and how he was so ill when they were making 4.2 and 3, and so thin, he really looked like Scorpius was terribly ill (making himself iller by eating loads of carbs) he also said that he can’t eat potatoes but he does like sweet potatoes. And he talked about meeting a long time friend on set in the Scorpius get up and asking about her kids, she didn't know who he was and so was very shocked it went on for about a week before she realised who she was. And one day he was wearing shorts but still had the top half of the scorpy outfit on and his ex girlfriend still recognised him! And he only brought 100 photos because he didn't think a lot of people would want them.
He was asked what he thought about the poll for the best villains of all time and he came in at #5, he was so chuffed because all the others were such classics and #1 was Davros.

In answer to a Q  about what input he had in to his character he told us about the 'acid flicking' in LAPT. How in the last scene, he did it on the spur of the moment and, as the director said cut, thought he'd get told off for making them do another take but instead he got told 'bravo' and they kept it in. And it is a wonderful Scorpius moment.    

Then Claudia came on as well and they shared NY experiences; Wayne talked about the band and how they hoped to find some cool places to perform there next time, as he went to some cool places to listen. He mentioned the one band member staying in a crackhouse/hotel which Raelee had booked into as well, so they had to find somewhere else quick. (It was only $45 a night!) And that another member of the band almost got flattened by a group of off-duty firemen.  

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