Any comic con experience is pretty wild, but if you add Sebastian Stan to the mix? Well, that takes everything to a whole knew level of insanity.
Sebastian Stan is a very sought after man. Whether it is by fans or Hollywood, everyone seems to want to at least take a picture with him! And that is one of the main reasons why his convention circuit is so amazing. He gives fans the opportunity to interact with him and talk to him on a regular basis.
Now that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with a level of insanity. Luckily, I got to spend the entire day doing the Gold VIP circuit of Wizard World Philly which is, at its very least, an all day thing. Starting with the VIP photo ops first thing in the morning, fans spend the entire day going from event to event to meet and talk with Sebastian.
Photo Op
At 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, we were in line for our pictures, and Sebastian Stan was just casually waiting in the line, talking to all of us. It was a nice way to break the nerves of the day, him just talking to fans and interacting with them without the insanity of the situation really setting in.
There was a nice moment where he talked about the last con he went to and how he hated the flight back because it was turbulent. I happen to be a terrible flyer and said, “Nope, not for me. I don’t like flying,” which he responded with “Yeah, same”.
What is lovely about Sebastian Stan is that not only is he a generally nice person, but he doesn’t forget a face. He cares about his fans and wants their experience to be great. In my case, he was aware of me being funny on the internet and continually told me how he thought I was funny. Starting with me walking into my photo op and him saying “Rachel Leishman, I think your posts are so funny.” Obviously, I then died.
Panel
From the VIP photos, you run straight up to the hall where his panel is held. There, you have specific sections you can sit in depending on your badge. But for me, it didn’t matter because if you want to ask a question, you have to stand for the majority of the time anyway.
So there is a moderator who asks Seb some things and then, from there, he goes through and answers fan questions. There isn’t any filtering for the questions, so they tend to range from the insane to just mundane questions fans want to know.
In my case, he decided to again remind me that he thought I was funny, and then I asked him about what musical he would be in on Broadway if he could be in one.
Autographs
Once you finish the panel (at least if you have Gold), you have a few moments before you have to go get in line for your autograph. Don’t be mistaken, it isn’t long, but it is a little while. There, you’re basically cattle herded into a line where you walk through, and he has to sign his name on whatever you hand him.
I had him sign the wine bottle from my photo op and then left — while a lot of people had him sign multiple things, which is fine. They even provided pictures if you didn’t know what to have him sign!
A comic con
Basically, it is a crazy time. If you don’t like crowds or waiting in lines for hours, it may not be the place for you.
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In turn? It was a wild day, and if you ever want to go to a comic con where Sebastian Stan is going to be there, be prepared for a full day. Like, non-stop running from event to event to make sure you get to see Sebastian for all your money’s worth.