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Jeremy Renner Gets Real & Geeks Go Feral: Florida Supercon's Best Interviews & Cosplay
Jul 30, 2025
Go inside Florida Supercon with Teens Wanna Know and Jaz! (@iam_jessicaann_) This video features a raw, emotional talk from Jeremy Renner on survival, gamifying recovery, and finding the fuel to heal. Plus, learn how to build a creative career with pro tips from Hollywood's biggest geeks: voice actors from Arcane and Kung Fu Panda, the actors behind Lost's Sawyer and Star Wars' C-3PO, a Disney animation legend who worked on Mulan and Lilo & Stitch, and the creature performers inside the aliens of The Mandalorian. We also dive into the world of indie authors and comic creators to see how they built their businesses from scratch. ? TIMESTAMPED HIGHLIGHTS: 00:00:22 - Jason Spisak (Voice Actor: Silko in Arcane, The Joker) 00:04:11 - Mick Wingert (Voice Actor: Po in Kung Fu Panda, Tony Stark) 00:08:08 - Danielle Bisutti (Actress: Freya in God of War) 00:11:28 - Tom Savini (SFX Makeup Legend & Acting School) 00:13:46 - Jeremy Renner on Survival, Healing & Gamifying Recovery 00:17:00 - Josh Holloway (Actor: Sawyer in Lost, Yellowstone) 00:20:26 - Indie Author Spotlight (Supernatural & LitRPG Authors) 00:21:32 - Dave School for Digital Animation & VFX 00:21:53 - Indie Author Spotlight: Richard Fierce on Writing Discipline 00:23:09 - Indie Comic Spotlight: Attic Door Media (Fissure & The Family Graves) 00:27:44 - Chris Bartlett (Actor: C-3PO, various roles in The Mandalorian) 00:38:14 - Dmitriy Karas (Creature Performer: The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi) 00:47:12 - Indie Comic Spotlight: Onrie Kompan (War Lion) 00:47:47 - Peter Raymundo (Disney Animator: Mulan, Lilo & Stitch)
View Video Transcript
0:00
Wanky Choolwaka
0:04
Hi guys, it's Jazz. I am here at Florida Supercon for the next three days. Let's go
0:24
You silly Teen Titans! Leave me alone! Hi, I'm Jason Spizak, and I play Silco on Arcane
0:31
Power, real power. Doesn't come to those that were born strongest or fastest or smartest, no
0:37
It comes to those who would do anything to achieve it. And Wally West on Young Justice
0:42
Hey, inches above sizzling death, I'm a town to speak my mind. Amongst other 300 or so characters in video games, TV, animation, etc
0:51
That is a lot of characters. Yes. How do you keep track of all of them in your brain and make each one kind of different
0:58
I have a file cabinet, and I simply just put stuff in a file, and there it goes
1:03
And once I play a character, it's kind of there forever. Yeah, like the Joker on Teen Titans Go
1:08
You silly Teen Titans! Leave me alone! It just, they just, once I become a character, it just gets filed away
1:16
Well, at least you have a good system, because I don't think I could do that, honestly. Sometimes the drawers get a little creaky
1:21
I got to put a little grease on that, but other than that, I'm good. Do you have a favorite that you have stashed in the filing cabinet
1:28
Oh, man. I really like Silco from Arkane because the story is so good
1:32
He's a very complex character. He's a villain of, he's the hero of his own story
1:38
who is the villain of other people's stories. And so it's so well written
1:43
It's such a beautiful show. He's one of my favorites. I like Razor from Green Lantern, the animated series
1:48
which is something that a lot of people wish they would come back and finish the story
1:54
I really like, I love Wally. I also really like, I got a chance to play the Joker in Batman Hush
2:04
And that was a really wonderful adaptation that they did of that graphic novel
2:09
I'm also looking for Harley. Have you seen her? So yeah, it was a lot of fun to do that as well
2:18
So yeah, good times. Do you have any advice to anybody that is looking to get into voice acting
2:24
Well, I would say you have to learn to act because whatever type of acting you do
2:29
whether it's stage or screen or in video games or motion capture
2:34
because I've done a lot of motion capture. I'm Scorpion in Spider-Man, PS4, PS5
2:38
I'm Schizo in Days Gone. That game's having a bit of a resurgence
2:42
I played a lot of motion capture characters as well. You have to learn the craft of storytelling
2:48
of actually becoming a character and just disappearing into the story to help it be told
2:54
So I would say to learn the craft of acting is the most important thing, wherever you might do
2:58
I mean, I was trained in conservatory theater type acting, but there's lots of ways to go about it
3:02
But I would say learning that craft is the best first step you can make
3:08
because it won't steer you wrong, no matter what avenue you end up choosing
3:13
Well, that is such an impressive resume. Thank you so, so much for sharing
3:17
and I look forward to seeing your future work also. Me too
3:22
There's a new, I'm Batman actually in DC high volume Batman. It's number one on Apple fiction podcasts
3:30
So go grab Spotify or Apple and look up DC high volume Batman
3:34
It's year one Batman from DC comics, year one long Halloween and dark victory told without any changes to the
3:41
words, very minimal changes. So it's right from the comics. So you have the comic on one hand and you're listening to it
3:47
It's literally word for word. It's fantastically well done. It's like an audio experience
3:52
And I get to play Batman. There's not much better. Do you like Batman or the Joker better
3:57
The Joker. I mean Batman. I mean the Joker. I mean Batman
4:04
Anyway. We'll just go with the Joker. I think he's better too
4:09
Thank you so much. Yeah. Cheers. Here are the legends of the Kung Fu Panda
4:17
boom boom. Do you have a favorite character that you've done? Why do you make me have to pick between
4:22
my kids? It's like picking children. It's like Sophie's choice. Here's what I will say
4:28
They're all my favorite children. And like any good parent, I have three favorites. Okay
4:35
Number one, and this is in no particular order, but one of my favorites is Poe from Kung Fu Panda
4:42
because his story is my story. He was just, he was just a nerd who worked in a noodle shop
4:47
who loved kung fu and was a total fanboy and then got to be the dragon warrior similarly
4:54
i also worked in a new i never worked in a noodle shop but we're gonna say you did
4:58
the internet is forever so uh i never worked in a noodle shop but i was just a fanboy who
5:07
loved voice actors loved cartoons and really wanted to do it um and so i kind of like his
5:12
story is my story and I got to be where I'm at. The other two are Professor Heimerdinger, of course
5:20
from Arcane. Because who doesn't love to be a cuddly little yordle? He also has a wonderful
5:25
character arc. If you watch the show Arcane over both seasons, he's just such an incredible
5:32
character with genuine depth. And then my third, the third and the triumvirate of my favorites
5:38
has got to be Tony Stark because who doesn't love being the coolest superhero to walk in any room
5:44
right uh I got to do like in what if I got to be like I'm not going to join your superhero boy band
5:52
do you have any advice for those watching if they want to get into voice acting
5:55
yeah I think number one it's acting so no matter what kind of cool parlor tricks you can do and
6:04
believe me, I've made a career on parlor tricks. No matter what cool parlor tricks you can do
6:08
if you can't play a character that sustains through all different kinds of emotions
6:12
you're not going to hit the way you want. So you have to study the acting of it. And then secondly
6:19
engage that imagination and learn what your instrument can do, right? Doing everything up here, like Heimerdinger up here
6:27
All the way down here to do something like Ilda Torre from Genshin. You have a wide range
6:33
everybody's got their own range of voices that they can do just based on the physiology of your
6:38
instrument and how old were you when you decided that this is what you wanted to do with your life
6:43
oh gosh um that's kind of a weird answer because uh i wanted to be an actor when i was since i was
6:52
very young um ironically i wanted to be a game show host uh which maybe there's better money in
6:59
that. So maybe I picked the wrong career path, but, uh, it's never too late. Uh, but I knew I
7:07
wanted to be an actor since I was a little kid. I will say that I didn't really focus. I'm, and I'm
7:12
I'm the exception rather than the rule, but I didn't really focus on voice acting until I was
7:16
about 30. And that's when I moved from central California, which is very rural farm towns to
7:23
Southern California which is where the entertainment industry is Um but that But again that atypical Most people most people figure out by their early 20s where they want to go and what they want to do And a lot of the peers that I work with
7:37
started then at that age in their 20s. But guys, like we said, it's never too late
7:43
Never. So if your heart is set on something, go for it. Absolutely. I'm living proof that
7:48
you could make a career change at the age of 30 and still be doing fine
7:52
Well, we appreciate you for making that career change. Thank you. Do you want to get that earworm stuck in their ears
7:59
Hear the legends of the Kung Fu Panda. Thank you so, so much
8:07
You're welcome. That's stuck in your head too. You're welcome. You're welcome. Choose yourself
8:13
Make your own project. Write your own script. I'm meeting people from TV series that I love
8:18
I'm fangirling on people. There was Wonder Woman walking around here. It's been a great day
8:22
It definitely seems it. I've loved everything. I'm hoping to meet your colleagues tomorrow also
8:29
What is like your favorite project that you've worked on? I would say probably the most gratifying one has been God of War because I was able to grow with my character Freya
8:40
She's the Norse goddess. She goes from a shell of what she once was all the way back to reclaiming her wings and becoming the queen of the Valkyries again
8:49
And so to be able to, as an actress, pour myself into that range of emotions that these incredible writers at Sony Santa Monica Studios gave to me was an absolute gift
9:00
So I would say, yeah, playing Freya. And then I would say Freya for all the dramatic work
9:08
But I played a very wily witch character named Hexala on a TV series called Dwight in Shining Armor
9:16
and it was produced by BYU TV and I got to be a sassy fashionista witch and I got to just be a
9:25
complete nut job and I gotta say as an actress it was it was very freeing because I'd always come up
9:30
with these crazy ideas you know and say can I get away with it and they'd always be like oh yeah sure
9:34
this is great so I felt very free as a comedian in that role and as Freya I felt very free as a
9:40
dramatic actress. You seem like a very strong present lady. I love it and confident. And I see
9:46
the fashionista. I'm loving the dress. Yes. Well, you know, it's humid in Miami. And so we had to
9:53
stay a little aerated. Yes. It's perfect. Do you have any advice for anybody that wants to get into
9:59
voice acting? Yeah. I, I, I answered this question a lot and I always start with, you have to love it
10:05
You have to know that it's exactly what you were meant to do because it's such a tricky industry
10:12
You know, you hear a lot of horror stories. It's not the most friendly, hey, everybody come on in
10:17
Oh, you have a great look at the soda fountain. Here's a job. You know, those days are kind of long gone
10:22
So I say learn the craft. Learn by watching people that you admire, great projects
10:29
Take classes. Understand what it means to be an actor, a voice actor
10:34
and then I would also say make your own content because now with outlets like YouTube and TikTok
10:42
I didn't have that growing up so you're waiting for someone to call you and say hey we're choosing
10:46
you but now I say choose yourself make your own project write your own script find a camera person
10:52
get a person that has a vo booth or create your own create your team of people and start making
10:58
your own projects and I'm basically speaking to the choir because kids today are already doing that
11:03
So, yeah. And then you build yourself a body of work. You build yourself a resume
11:09
And eventually you'll fall into the right place. I do believe that
11:14
But you just have to beat it for the long haul. I love that
11:17
I could not have said that any better, honestly, especially with the content creating and everything
11:23
because I know a lot of the kids watching already do that, like you said
11:27
So I think that is perfect. There's a $5,000 scholarship, yeah. Tom Savini, special makeup effects, actor, director
11:36
One of my favorite things was From Dusk Till Dawn with George Clooney, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Quentin Tarantino
11:43
And my advice to teens who want to do that sort of thing is to learn how
11:48
My school is 16 months. It's a degree program. And you do this all day
11:53
That's awesome. So is there like scholarships to the school? There's a $5,000 scholarship that I put in, but you have to earn it
12:06
Normally, you don't have to know anything to come to the school. You only have to be a high school graduate
12:11
But if somebody comes in with a portfolio, well, they're going to get a scholarship. That's how it works
12:17
That's awesome. Hear that, guys? So we'll have the QR code for that. We'll make sure we have it
12:21
all righty guys that is a wrap on day one of florida supercon the con actually closed so
12:31
that's why the out video is outside but lots of content coming lined up for day two so stay tuned
12:39
and you're watching teens want to know We'll be right back
13:21
Hey guys, it's Jazz. We're here on day two of Florida Supercon and I'm so excited. Y'all are
13:31
gonna love today's content. There's a costume contest and tons of fun activities going on
13:35
including panels. Let's go guys. The greatest things happen in your life when you kind of think you're right and you get out of your
13:50
own way and just let sort of other things happen. Wonderful things happen and I keep learning
13:58
every day to get out of my own damn way and it's a beautiful, beautiful sentiment. I highly
14:05
recommend it. I don't have any memories of doing things good or bad alone. All mine are
14:15
or the ones they take with you are the ones that you share
14:21
They always have to be good, but a shared experience is, to me
14:24
one of the most powerful experiences you can have and the only thing I choose to have
14:29
And so writing music is one of them. Recovery is the loneliest place, I think
14:36
Anybody here that's been through some obstacles, it could be mental suffering
14:42
It's sort of suffering. It's a very lonely business, right? It was a 24-hour job recovery, right
14:47
And I gamified recovery. I tried to make it fun, whatever it was
14:55
My fuel was my family to heal them I had to get better so I can see their faces smile if I can make them laugh And you know what I mean I can relieve them of the burden I put upon them for my daughter you know
15:09
It's like, I just gamified the, you know, I didn't look at the severity of it all
15:15
I just, you know, just one thing at a time, you know, and it was one small victory at a time
15:21
a thousand trillion small victories got me two milestones stuck to breathe to move on to continue
15:29
right so to gamify that was like i mean fun right because it certainly isn't fun dude right it's not a
15:37
fun thing to to um it's overwhelming there's just birds these damn birds um in the in the springtime
15:46
and they would come peck on my window because they thought it was a kind of mirrored kind of tint on the windows
15:53
so they kept seeing themselves so they're thinking because they're very competitive these birds
15:59
they're very territorial where they're nesting and so they're pecking, pecking, pecking
16:04
and the reason why there's a problem because they would do it like 5 in the morning and I'm like all I cared about was my sleep
16:10
and if I didn't get my I would sleep like a good 12-14 hours which is awesome
16:14
but if I didn't get that I'd be a really grumpy son of a
16:18
and these birds and I'm like I literally found a way so I gamified it to like
16:24
Alex give me my wheelchair where are you going I can't even fit
16:28
through the thing I get my pellet gun I'm going to kill these birds I literally
16:34
sat out there in my wheelchair like I was going to kill these birds like I was going to be able to take a shot
16:39
impossible it's not going to happen at 5am But what else did I have to do
16:45
I had nothing to do in my life. So then they put up like my headshots of Hawkeye on the window
16:54
Maybe that would scare him. You know, so we had to just gamify sort of the recovery process
17:01
Probably best known for the series Lost. I played Sawyer on that
17:06
Kind of an asshole, but he grew. He grew. That's important. It's important. Colony
17:14
I don't know if any of you remember Colony Where Aliens come down and imprison us all
17:21
So that's a real fun Time Saving my family all the time
17:26
And then Mission Impossible I don't know if you saw Mission Impossible
17:31
Just finished a series Duster Where I'm a fixer for the Mafia 1972 HBO
17:41
and I just finished a western called Flint. So my first western
17:48
Oh, nice. A lot of fun. Oh, and I was on Yellowstone
17:53
Five Fishermen on Yellowstone. I don't know if you guys remember that, but been on a few things
17:59
Yo Gabba Gabba. I did for my daughter and I, you know, I have a daughter
18:05
and I'll do... I watched that show all the time when I was a kid. Farmer Josh
18:09
Really? Oh my gosh. I did. I've not watched that show at all the time. I was the former guy
18:14
And we were making gardens and trying to teach them how to grow things
18:19
My brother actually loved that character. I love that show. So I did that for my daughter
18:27
What else? Community. I did an episode of Community. You ever watch Community
18:31
With Chevy Chase. It was way back. I don't think so. You've seen it
18:35
Cameraman's seen it. Yeah. So that's it. Kind of a little bit of everything
18:40
That's an impressive resume. Very all over, like very diverse. Yes, kind of diverse
18:48
So what is this? This is Teen Magazine? Yes, Teens Wanna Know
18:53
Teens Wanna Know, that's right. There you go. Okay, fantastic. Do you have like a favorite character that you've been or a project that you've worked on
19:02
Yes, I mean Lost was probably my favorite because it shot in Hawaii for six years
19:08
so I got to live in Hawaii. That's right. And kind of play the opposite of who I am
19:16
I was raised Southern, sugarcoat everything, but my character on that show was very direct, if you will
19:25
So I enjoyed that. And the last one I did, I just finished a Western
19:30
so I'd never done a period piece, so that's a lot of fun
19:35
That's awesome. To do that, ride horses. that kind of thing that's awesome did you have to learn how to ride the horse or did you already
19:41
know how to do that i knew how to do it uh because taylor sheridan they wrote yellowstone i slid
19:48
horses with him a bunch and so i know how to ride but it had been like five years so i had to get
19:55
back on it get used to uh you know running and positioning horses because horses on camera if
20:04
If they just do this and lean on one leg, then you're completely off frame
20:08
Oh, no. So you're like, ah. You always have to know how to give them a little leg, and then they'll come back in frame
20:14
And then they'll lean out of frame. You're like, oh, God. So it's fun. That does sound super fun
20:20
Do you have any advice for anybody that might be wanting to get into acting? Yes. Yes
20:30
Have other interests. acting is very inconsistent though it's amazing it's a study of human behavior it's fantastic
20:39
as an art but it is inconsistent so have other passions as well as acting i love that hi i'm
20:49
ben meeks um so i have two series this is my first series it's about a were otter hunting demons for
20:55
the earth mother and then my second series pax or seven uh it's basically old man stuck in a video
21:01
game. He's dying in the hospital, gets his consciousness uploaded to a digital retirement
21:04
home, and wakes up as a space marine with no idea how he got there. So he just has to play the game
21:09
so he can figure out how to get out. Spoiler, he's not good at it. My main series is about a young
21:14
man who made a deal with the devil that put him at the center of the war between heaven and hell. Now he's stuck in a conflict he wants no part of, but happens to be the catalyst for
21:22
That's at least my main series. I also write short stories for samples of my writing. Like I said
21:26
Supernatural is kind of my wheelhouse, so I've got Halloween-inspired Grim Reaper, and then I do
21:30
have some traditional fantasy. We focus on digital animation as well as visual effects
21:36
and so we're helping our students become CGI artists as well as TV animators. That's amazing
21:42
Do you have any special requirements to get to the school? Can anybody come join it
21:47
Yeah, so our only requirements are being 18 and over, as well as having your GED or your diploma
21:53
When I was younger, I didn't like reading, and a friend of mine, his mom, was like
21:57
you don't like reading? I think you just haven't found what you like. And so she handed me a fantasy
22:02
book and I read it and I fell in love with fantasy. So I read a bunch of, you know, books in that
22:09
series and started writing my own little fan fiction about my favorite character. And then I
22:14
got started getting my own ideas and just basically reading kind of inspired me to create my own stuff
22:20
Favorite that I've written is The Price of Honor. It is a Mulan fantasy about a dragon rider Do you have any advice for people that might want to get into writing Yes I could talk all day about that
22:35
The one thing I will say is you have to be disciplined because you're not always going to feel motivated, right
22:40
Especially if you only have one book out or you're working on your first book, you're not selling books, no one knows what you're working on
22:47
You're going to find sometimes you'll be frustrated, you know, with the process or you have some stuff out, it's not selling
22:54
but you'll have that moment where like why am I doing this right so you gotta you gotta be
23:00
disciplined but in the chair put the words on the page and just and just write don't worry about all
23:06
the other stuff and just just get the words down just never give up and stay disciplined so that's
23:11
awesome so we have two titles that we write and produce um the one that I write on is called
23:17
Mythfall it's a fantasy epic in space uh it's the story of an ancient king who tells a lie
23:23
to save his people from their gods. And then we jump 5,000 years into the future
23:28
They are a space-faring civilization, but a terrorist group has learned the truth
23:33
and they're threatening to reveal it to destroy the society and the gods along with it
23:37
That sounds so entertaining. Oh my gosh. And then we also have a superhero slice of life that my co-creators work on
23:46
And this is the story of Anne Harris. She is a social worker for kids with superpowers
23:51
so if you find out that your kid can fly, she shows up, she'll get the kid down from the
23:56
ceiling, hook you up for flight lessons, get you whatever you need to raise a super-powered kid
24:21
We'll be right back
24:51
Outro Music
25:21
all righty guys that concludes day two of Florida Supercon that was an amazingly full day like all
25:31
day 10 o'clock to 7 o'clock and now it's actually 8 30 the costume contest just got done so I hope
25:37
you enjoyed this one and stay tuned for day three guys you're watching teens want to know
25:51
Thank you
26:21
Thank you
26:51
Hi, guys. It's Jazz here with day three of Florida Supercon. I'm so excited to see all of the cosplays and who I get to interview today
27:00
So stay tuned and let's go, guys. This character needs no introduction, but can you please introduce yourself to everybody
27:51
Well, he is fluent in over six million forms of communication. I am C-3PO, human-type of relations
27:59
Actually, that's who this is, but I'm actor Chris Bartlett from The Mandalorian and Ahsoka and all the other shows
28:07
How did you get into doing this with Star Wars? Like, how did you get into being the character
28:13
Well, there was an audition. and, you know, the audition was mostly a movement audition
28:19
to see, you know, if you can move and animate like Anthony Daniels, the original actor, as C-3PO
28:27
But I really wanted to nail this audition. So when they turned on the lights and flipped on the sound
28:33
I said, hey, my goodness, why, hello. Is this a droid maintenance facility
28:38
Where are we? R2. R2-D2, it is you. You know, and they said, okay, great
28:44
well, you're going to fly to Australia and you're going to do this event
28:49
And then it turned into every live-action appearance of C-Fripio on television
28:54
over the last almost 20 years, with the exception of Ahsoka, where Anthony Daniels made a cameo appearance as C-Fripio and Ahsoka
29:02
That's incredible. Congratulations. So you just kind of auditioned once and they said, okay, Australia
29:08
Yeah. Yeah. They had seen some work of mine in movement as a suit performer
29:15
And that's how they became aware of my work. But then when they started making Mandalorian, they said
29:24
You possess a particular set of skills. Could you play Q90? He's a bounty hunter droid from Mandalorian
29:33
And then it turned into 20 characters. Wow. So it's just, as an actor, it's one gig at a time, you know
29:42
It's one role at a time, and you never know what it's going to turn into, but that's how it's been so far
29:49
I feel so lucky to be part of, especially this character's legacy
29:54
Do you have, like, a favorite project that you've worked on, either as C-3PO or..
29:59
In The Mandalorian, like, is there a certain favorite that you've done
30:04
Oh, gosh. They're all so unique, and I really love coming up with the different..
30:12
It's a fun challenge to come up with different energies or animation or personality of each character
30:17
But there's one particular event that I have done as C-3PO, and that was the 88th Academy Awards in 2016 at the Oscars
30:27
And, you know, what that looks like is, you know, C-3PO and R2-D2 are walking around backstage at the Oscars
30:37
And there's crew back there, those movie stars. And, you know, everyone's, you know, you're waiting for your turn to go do what you're going to do
30:45
But I didn't want to be a guy in a costume with my head off, you know, back there
30:49
I wanted to be, you know, C-3PO. And so what I did was I told the dresser, just do the whole thing
30:57
And I told R2 just try and keep up. And so we walked along like we were arguing
31:04
It's typical in-character for those characters. I forgot the tickets. The tickets were your job, you nitwit
31:09
No, I'm not getting in there with you. That area is restricted. Will be deactivated for sure
31:15
And so while we were doing this, I see through these little eyes
31:19
movie stars coming over to talk. I see through you. Can you take a photo
31:24
And that was so gratifying. as a performer who, you know, I'm really doing a little show for them
31:32
And I just, it just felt so special to, to give something, you know
31:38
the people who make magic for us on screen to do that for them
31:43
That sounds so fun. And you mentioned the eyes, which leads me into my next question
31:47
Is it hard to see when you're in those costumes? Compared to what
31:52
Just like normally, is it hard to see out of the eyes
31:56
Like when you're filming, is it dark or are the holes super small? That's a good question
32:00
Yeah, it's like looking through drinking straws. Oh. And then inside the helmet is all wires and lights and fiberglass
32:09
So you don't want to focus on what's inside the helmet because that can be real disorienting
32:14
But you focus on what's out here. And even though you're limited vision, you can see, you know, there might be R2D2 or stormtroopers or a land speed or something
32:26
or people smiling that's the trick is to to avoid any people ask about claustrophobia or
32:33
disorienting feeling is you focus on what you're seeing through the through the eyes and then some
32:38
of them are more challenging vision than than c3b like in season three of the mandalorian i played
32:46
copper who is brief karga's right hand droid played by carl weathers and that one the eyes are
32:53
totally covered oh so in all the scenes i'm totally blind so what i do is rehearse it without
33:00
the head on i estimate that's about 12 steps that way part way through i have to turn and say it's
33:07
pirates and then uh run out the door and so i practice that a couple of times and then put on
33:13
the head and then you just go by memory but every scene in season three every episode as that
33:23
character I'm totally blind so if you go back and watch that just imagine that's my experience
33:29
so just kind of like walking blindfolded yeah like you're just looking at a blank wall
33:34
and you can't see what's coming but you know you practice it enough times and you get used to it
33:41
Well, I give you props. That's crazy that you just can't see
33:46
Do you have any advice for anybody that might be wanting to get into acting
33:51
Yes, take an acting class. That seems like such a simple thing, but it's like if you want to be a weightlifter, go to the gym and just start trying
34:02
You start a little bit at a time, and that's really what I recommend
34:06
um also um acting is behaving it's not pretending to be another character it's you
34:15
in that situation what would you do in that situation um you know for me
34:21
c-3po is a character that you um that has been established already and so we already know how he
34:29
how he acts and looks and talks and moves in an environment and and so you want to be really
34:35
faithful to that performance of anthony daniels yeah and um and but with other characters you can
34:41
come up with new um ideas so q90 he kind of looks like a praying mantis and and so i i that's what
34:51
i determined from looking at his face so i went home and studied uh praying mantis videos which
34:56
are terrifying if you have watched them i have those are not very funny yeah and uh but they
35:01
have a real creepy insect feel and so that's why that's what I wanted him to feel like an
35:07
unsettling kind of a feel other characters are teachers or bartenders or servants or pedestrians and it just really fun to come up with those But advice that I would give is think of acting as how you would behave in a situation that written down on the script
35:28
You know, there is no character. There's just words on a page
35:34
And it's up to the actor to look at that and go, What would I want to see on screen
35:40
Or what would I do if I was presented with these set of circumstances
35:46
And that's what I would recommend. And then just shoot your own stuff
35:50
We have iPhones that are like movie cameras now. And so you can learn a script
35:57
Maybe it's a scene of six pages or something. You learn it. Maybe you do it with a friend
36:03
Shoot it with an iPhone. And then watch it. And you can see, oh, I can see what I would rather do different in that, you know, to whatever
36:14
And that's what I would recommend is just make stuff and take an acting class
36:20
I love that. Thank you. My last question is more of a fun one. So out of all of the Star Wars characters, even including C-3PO, who is your favorite
36:29
Oh. If you can pick. That's like choosing one of your children
36:35
which is your favorite because they're all different they all had different special yeah
36:41
i would say q90 q90 is in season one of the mandalorian we talked about him he has a kind
36:47
of a bug face and uh i grew up with star wars i am a simple uh simple star wars fan i got to fly
36:56
a ship in star wars that that was an incredible experience because the cockpit was all practical
37:01
we were in the volume which is all digital screens of space so I'm in a real cockpit looking out of
37:09
the glass at space in 360 degrees and when I say jumping to hyperspace now all this all the stars
37:17
stretch to infinity like they do in the movies but I got a great shootout in the streets of Navarro
37:21
I got to work with Grogu for the first time I got a great death which is always fun I do all my
37:28
own stunt so I got to get shot by Mando but he was also had a cool attitude he
37:36
knew he was the smartest guy in every room and that's fun to play against the
37:40
other main characters who are humans who are like Mando hates droids right he
37:46
hates the machines but it's fun to play against that and I got to have some like
37:49
tense scenes with him which is really fun so he was my favorite well thank you
37:54
so much for helping bring these characters to life and keeping C3PO alive so I appreciate it and thank you so much for this incredible interview oh
38:02
you're welcome Jess it was a pleasure to meet you nice to be part of your show
38:06
thank you bye hi guys I found a super amazing celebrity can you please
38:12
introduce yourself to everybody I'm Demetri Karas I worked on a lot of the
38:17
Disney Star Wars shows all three seasons of the Mandalorian Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka I played close to 20 different characters between all of
38:27
those shows, mainly stormtroopers, the Tusken Raiders on both the Mandalorian series and the
38:33
Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka. I was a night trooper and I was one of the main alien performers
38:40
on all of those shows. So a lot of the more interesting and weird aliens that you see on
38:45
Star Wars, it's a good chance that that wasn't me. That's awesome. That's such a big resume too
38:51
with such a big name. Do you, like, is it hard being in all of those costumes? Is it like
38:56
physically demanding? It is. It definitely can be. They all have their ups and downs. Some are really
39:03
most of them are very hot. I have one in particular that was way hotter than the rest
39:09
That was just because I was wearing a snowsuit in the middle of like a 95 degree
39:13
weather shoot for three days. That was a pretty rough one. But yeah, all the costumes are
39:21
yeah they have their quirks the stormtroopers are certainly like the least comfortable of the bunch
39:29
because everything just doesn't quite fit the way that you think it would fit to a human body
39:34
and things get in the way and pinch everywhere and they're heavy
39:37
and also we're wearing them for you know of course you can take the helmet off
39:42
but for the most part the entire armor we're wearing it for like 12, 14, 16 hours
39:49
a day and not really removing it the entire time. That's insane
39:55
Can you see out of those costumes? Also, it depends on the costume
40:02
The Stormtroopers are actually pretty okay because the lenses actually match up to where your eyes should be
40:07
You work out the height of the helmet. So those are okay. The lenses are usually very scratched up, though
40:12
so it reduces visibility. And then they fog up really quickly because as soon as you put the helmet on
40:19
and you start moving around it gets hot, you know, they steam up
40:23
But I worn some of the characters you know the heads are so They designed in a way to obviously make the character look a particular way but like the Mandalorian Tusken Raiders have very narrow eye holes and they very far away from your face
40:40
So it reduces the angle that you actually see out of tremendously
40:46
Actually going back to that really hot outfit, it's a Trandoshan character
40:52
And so it's like a lizard person. and they are like this character here
41:01
They're looking through. I have those yellow lenses in my eyes inside the mask
41:06
but inside the lens is about a diamond about this big that I'm actually looking through
41:12
So I'm seeing very little, and I have to work with that in the scene
41:18
So not to mention that the eyeballs are looking sideways because it's a lizard
41:22
It's a lizard. So I can't just, this is all of this is just black for me
41:26
So if I'm looking at you, I have to, I have to look to the side so I can see you sideways
41:30
And during the scene, I have to scan back and forth to see
41:35
because there's always other characters moving in the scene, you know, different obstacles
41:39
So I have to be like looking around to make it look natural. So I'm not just darting all over the place, weird
41:45
But I have to spot way in advance what's ahead of me out of this, you know
41:50
out of the corner of my eye to see to make sure that I don't bump into anybody or trip or you know
41:55
fall down in the middle of a take. Yeah that would not be would not be a good thing. That was actually
42:02
leads into my next question of when you are filming and you can't see do you have to practice
42:06
beforehand without the armor on or do you just go for it once you're fully dressed? We generally
42:12
get you know we'll have a couple of rehearsals usually for most scenes and we'll work out the
42:19
the way that the whole, like the whole ensemble is in their actions and we'll figure it out first
42:25
during rehearsals and then anything that needs to be changed and adjusted, that gets done and then
42:30
usually there's like one final rehearsal so we all know what's happening and then on the next
42:34
take then we'll start doing the ones that will be kept for potentially being in the show
42:41
So with, as far as visibility goes, during those rehearsals that's our opportunity to work out our
42:47
timing to work out where anybody else is going to cross our paths and you know
42:52
there are other there are other aliens as well that might have limited
42:56
visibility as well and we're all passing by each other or walking with each
43:00
other whatever the situation and then in certain scenes there's way more action
43:05
happening so we all have to keep track of where we are in that scene just so
43:12
nobody gets hurt and so everything works out properly and the timing doesn't
43:15
doesn't change so it's it is up to us to to work those things out pretty quickly we don't always
43:22
have an opportunity to to get that like 100 dialed in but we already know generally how to like how
43:31
to navigate within those costumes and with each different type of character and so you do kind of
43:39
of figure it out on the fly most of the time but but we do have opportunities in
43:45
most cases to it's a like know what's coming well I give you props because
43:50
that is impressive to not be able to see and have other people on set that can't
43:54
see so I give you major props for that um how old were you when you realized
43:59
that like this is something that you really wanted to do I don't remember
44:04
exactly how old I was this is for me it was a there was a there was a large break
44:08
and how like my desire to pursue the film industry happened so I wanted to be a stunt performer when
44:16
I was younger and I was actively training in martial arts and like that's my background in
44:20
stunts and as I as I grew up I moved out of my my parents place very early I had to just you know
44:29
life came at me very fast paying rent working going to school all at the same time and juggling
44:34
all of that. I also didn't know how to go about getting into the film industry at the time
44:39
And very quickly, it was just kind of a forgotten thing. And I actually then years later met my
44:47
partner, who I'm with now for 10 years. And her family has been very directly connected to the
44:53
film industry for a long time. And, you know, her dad is a longtime son performer, son coordinator
44:59
and so as soon as I got in touch with them there was like a very
45:04
almost immediate rekindling of that desire and I was in a different place in my life financially
45:09
and I had different resources compared to how I was as a kid obviously
45:13
and by kid I mean like 18, 19, 20 when I was figuring out early adulthood
45:20
and yeah I was able to make the conscious decision to reduce
45:26
my income at the current job that I was working as a restaurant manager and
45:32
started to pursue the film industry and doing background acting and like
45:37
working toward getting into the union and that's like the way that most people
45:41
in the industry go about joining SAG and just doing background for a couple of years and then found my way on the set of Star Wars eventually And now we here
45:56
Well, congratulations. Thank you. That's incredible. My last question is just like a fun one
46:01
I know you work for Star Wars, but are you more Star Wars or do you like Star Trek better
46:05
I think I like Star Wars better. I never really clicked with Star Trek
46:11
I have seen a good amount of Star Trek when I was younger. I have an older brother. He's six years older. So a lot of the time, and he's also a Star Wars fan
46:19
but he made the decisions when I was growing up of what we watched on TV. So I watched a lot of
46:27
movies and television. That was very much his decision. And any times he would put on Star Trek
46:32
I would just kind of check out and go figure out something else to do. Because I don't know, it's not exactly a kid's show, as far as I remember, at least. And I've seen the new Star
46:43
Trek movies. They're pretty cool. Um, but yeah, I just never really, uh, connected to, to Star
46:48
Trek quite that much. Um, but yeah. And I've like, at this point I've seen like all, all of
46:54
most of the Star Wars projects that have released. Um, and so I do keep up for like with most of them
47:05
Well, thank you so, so much for this amazing interview. And it was so nice to meet you
47:10
My pleasure. Hi. I am the writer, creator, and publisher of a few different comic book titles
47:16
but the one I'm talking about today is Warline, which is about an old vigilante and his daughter
47:21
going after the tyrant that destroyed their lives and now controls their city
47:26
And I'll give you guys a little peek of it. It's a three-issue miniseries
47:31
and we happen to have the entire series done and completed, which I'm really proud of
47:37
It's a five-year project done. Wow. and we're here at Florida Supercon trying to move through the rest of these
47:44
before I got to catch a flight back home to Chicago. Hi, guys
47:48
I found a booth full of my favorite things, Disney and Stitch. Can you introduce yourself to everybody
47:53
Sure. Hi there. My name is Peter Raimondo. I was in character animation on nine movies for Walt Disney Studios in the 90s
48:00
including Mulan, Lilo and Stitch, and Princess and the Frog. That's incredible
48:06
What got you into wanting to be an animator, especially for Disney
48:10
The movies. I mean, again, I was a little bit older than you guys
48:14
but in the 70s, 80s, you could only see the movies in the theaters, basically
48:20
But my favorite movies were Disney animated movies. I loved Pinocchio and Peter Pan
48:25
Those were just huge to me. And then one day, literally in 1989
48:30
I saw on the wide world of Disney, I saw the making of The Little Mermaid. And I just, I was in high school
48:35
a junior in high school, and it just clicked that that's a career. that's something people can do and it just changed my whole life. That's amazing, well congratulations for that because you've made some of my childhood classics
48:47
I see you have a book here, did you write this? I wrote and illustrated it. So this is actually my ninth book
48:54
This is published by Penguin Random House, my favorite publishers. So it's a graphic novel, actually a hybrid graphic novel
49:00
Let's see if it looks like this. But this is about competitive speed cubing
49:04
So everyone knows what these are. But there's a whole world around solving these very quickly
49:09
And it's very organized. It's very competitive. But this is a story that has to do with five very different competitors all converging on a national championship
49:17
And you don't really need to know anything about cubing necessarily. It's really about competition
49:22
Do you know how to solve one? I do, yeah. But it takes me a couple minutes. That's okay
49:27
Under pressure, I wouldn't be able to do it. That's better than me because I've never actually successfully done one of them
49:31
Do you have any advice for anybody that might be wanting to get into animation or writing
49:36
The people who make it never waver in belief in themselves. And that's the difference
49:44
I fully believe between myself and the many, many, many, many people
49:49
who did not make it to Disney at the time when I was trying to get in, or even now, or to make it as a writer
49:56
It's true that the chances might be one in 10,000 or 20,000
50:01
But just make sure that you're that one. Do what it takes. I mean, if it takes, and it does take sometimes doing 20,000 or 30,000, 40,000 drawings to become that good, then that's what you do
50:12
Right? If it takes 150 submissions to get a book published, then that's what you do
50:16
And that's the abstract thing. To get, for drawing-wise, I mean, animation, for one, be passionate about it
50:22
Love that thing. And if you don't really truly love drawing and love animation or love motion
50:26
love movies, you're going in the wrong field because people on the A list like that, they truly love what they're doing
50:32
They're obsessed with it. Same with the books. I mean, it's like this took me a couple of years to make and you better love
50:39
doing that, that thing and love the process, not the outcome, not I'm going to
50:43
work on famous movies, not I'm going to be rich and famous one day. Now, don't worry about the outcome of it
50:47
You have to worry about the process of making that. That's that's the key to success
50:53
I believe. All right, you guys, that is a wrap on day three of Supercon and Supercon in general
51:00
I hope you had just as much fun watching it as I had coming to it. So as always
51:05
you're watching Teens Wanna Know
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