Comic-Con: 'Torchwood's' John Barrowman breaks into song
John Barrowman is clearly comfortable in front of a crowd.
The star of the British sci-fi series "Torchwood" went to school in San Diego and, back in town with a sizable contingent of his family, the actor bellowed, stood on his seat, sang and playfully groped his fellow cast members during a panel in Ballroom 20 on Thursday at Comic-Con.
"I thought I told you to never turn my mike off," he told the tech crew when they muted his microphone during a transitional moment.
Barrowman was asked by a fan during a question-and-answer session whether he would consider "rocking the blond hair" and donning the star-spangled superhero Captain America. Barrowman was emphatic that he would like to do just that if Marvel Studios calls.
"He's one of my favorite superheroes. ... My dad is probably sending the studio an e-mail right now," the square-jawed actor said, nodding toward his parents in the front row of the huge ballroom.
"Torchwood" executive producer Julie Gardner piped up and said she would "intercept that e-mail" to hold on to her action hero.
The rowdy panel like "Torchwood" was laced with sexual innuendo and flirtation and the crowd was delighted with the steady stream of wisecracks by Barrowman about his character, Captain Jack, and his sexual preferences.
The highlight was tender ad-lib moment: A young woman asked if Barrowman and fellow cast member Naoko Mori (who played Tosh until her death this past season) would sing a duet of "Sun and Moon" from "Miss Saigon." The pair starred in a stage production years ago and, after a bit of fumbling to remember the lyrics, they performed it to the delight of the crowd.
I was lucky enough to be the moderator of this panel, and it was pretty easy — all I had to do was stay out of the way of the Captain and his crew.
— Geoff Boucher
Photo: John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness) and Naoko Mori (Toshiko Sato) star in the BBC series "Torchwood," courtesy BBC America.
| Bookmark it: |
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c630a53ef00e553d3009b8834
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Comic-Con: 'Torchwood's' John Barrowman breaks into song:
Wish I could have been there, it sounds amazing :D
Posted by: Sarah | July 24, 2008 at 04:52 PM
I enjoy Torchwood I just hope season 3 isn't the last! So many rumors. No real details.
I'm really looking forward to the next season even if its only 5 episodes.
Posted by: Joe | July 24, 2008 at 04:56 PM
Amazing panels, both Dr Who and Torchwood. They were worth the price of entrance all by itself. Thank you for moderating (or letting them run free?!) so successfully.
Posted by: Idri | July 24, 2008 at 09:40 PM
Great report, thanks!
Barrowman is a wonderful man. It's refreshing to see such a friendly cast, they really love each other.
Posted by: hatekripke | July 25, 2008 at 03:24 AM
John is such a great guy and so good with his fans! Wish i could of been there to here him and Naoko sing, what a night that would of been! :D
Can't wait for TW S3!
Posted by: Elaine | July 25, 2008 at 05:06 AM
Oh, I wish I could've been there. We were caught in traffic at the time, just missed it. Thanks for this.
Posted by: Sam | July 25, 2008 at 11:07 AM
Oh I wish ComicCon would post its schedules before it sells out. For us out-of-towners who can only make one day, it's a crap shoot. Would love to have seen the Torchwood/Who panel and to hear Connie Willis today.
Posted by: Barrowman Fan | July 25, 2008 at 12:42 PM
I did not get tickets before they sold out. I LOVE Torchwood and an so devastated that I missed this. When I live in SD but they dint say ahead of time who will be there. :( This was a nice read. I just wish I could have been there. I really tried though LOL I;ll get over it someday. :)
Posted by: Liz | July 25, 2008 at 05:17 PM
It wasn't his dad but his agent Gavin, that JB joked was emiling execs.
Oh and if you follow sites dedicated to TW/DW, rumours of the panels were being posted around 2 months ago. About a month ago, rumours of it being on Thurs popped up, so you just need to find the whovian/woodie hangout to know what's going on in the world of DW/TW. Google is your friend.
It was a great panel and really wished it was 3x longer.
Posted by: Lianne | July 28, 2008 at 09:35 AM
I would like to know whether Geoff Boucher can tell me what it was that John Barrowman said (to a fan about to ask a question) that had the panel in hysterics, especially Gareth David-Lloyd who protested that HE had been careful about what he said. I have listened to the dialogue over and over again but cannot make out the words other than ".....to me". Please put me out of my misery...!
Jean Barron
Posted by: Jean Barron | August 12, 2008 at 01:35 PM
Jean, could you describe the exchange a bit more so I can try to recall it for you ? There was so much laughter it's hard to pinpoint which moment you were talking about.
Posted by: Geoff Boucher | August 12, 2008 at 02:49 PM