by Laura Janota (Reporter) and Michael Fye (Camera),

There’s always a level of camaraderie amongst fellow audience members at convention panels. These are your people, those who gathered together from near and far to share in your appreciation towards an actor or fandom. The energy at the Christopher Lloyd panel was something extra special. Together, these strangers and I assembled to honor the man who played some of the most beloved characters from the very movies we were raised on. The movies where we shared our first laughs and screams with our parents our living rooms. The movies we quote with our siblings. So when Lloyd walked on stage, he ignited something special.

At first Lloyd seemed at a loss for words. The first few questions had him rambling and perhaps a little confused. At 85 years old, who could blame him? I’ll admit I was a bit nervous. Perhaps this was too much for him? I was wrong. Suddenly the microphones went dead. And that’s when Christopher Lloyd found his rhythm. Like the true actor he is, he filled the awkward void with comedic miming that had the audiences in stitches. When the mics turned back on again, it was like he was able to catch his breath and get into his groove.

Acting

The host asked Lloyd a series of questions to take the audience on a journey of his impressive filmography. His eyes lit up when she asked,

“What is someone you worked with who taught you the most about acting?”

“Jack Nicholson” he responded instantly. Lloyd recalled how One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was his first big break. At the time, he was at his wits end struggling to find serious work, then suddenly he was cast in a movie, but not just any movie, an extremely important movie with a star-studded cast. Jack Nicholson was an actor he greatly admired, and he was fortunate to learn from watching someone so “smart, daring, gracious, and humorous”.

“What do you do to help you prepare for a role?” the host asked.

“Reading and rereading your script over and over”. Lloyd recalled. The more he reads his lines, the more he uncovers about his character – a sentiment most of us geeks who rewatch our favorite movies over and over can relate to.

Christopher Lloyd also reflected on how wearing a costume can help him get into character. For instance, donning full Klingon makeup and costume for Star Trek III: Search for Spock made him feel a sense of power that really helped him get into character. While many actors may complain about wearing intense makeup for weeks on end, instead Lloyd enjoyed being in costume and playing Klingon Commander Kruge.

“Let’s talk about voice acting…” the host prompted. Christopher Lloyd admitted he originally carried a bit of a negative attitude towards voice acting and avoided offers for roles at first, viewing live theater as more artistic, but over time as he took on iconic roles like Rasputin in Anastasia, he learned to love and appreciate the art form. When recording lines, he walks around and makes spastic movements just as if he is playing the character live, and oftentimes the artists will use Lloyd as a reference and incorporate his live acting into the characters animations. He now admires the art form and loves taking on these roles.

Childhood

For an actor that plays so many characters in kids and family movies, it shouldn’t be surprising that he often referenced his own childhood throughout the panel at various points. When reflecting about playing Uncle Fester in Addams Family Values, the first memory he had to share was how he used to read the Addams Family comics in the paper with his own family as a boy. When reflecting on playing the villain in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, he recalled being frightened of so many villains in Disney cartoon movies like Pinocchio, and that playing a scary villain himself was like payback!

Talking about Who Framed Roger Rabbit launched Lloyd into the role of a comedian, and he did a little bit where he comically kept getting distracted thinking about how beautiful Jessica Rabbit was, and again had the audience in stitches laughing.

Near the end, the host brought up the movie Clue where Lloyd played the memorable Professor Plum. Christopher Lloyd shared what most of us knew, how the movie didn’t do well when it first came out, but it built momentum of appreciation over time. He drifted off, and I got the sense that he was thinking about his own career as well… one that didn’t do well at first but build momentum and appreciation over time.

Thank You

When it was time to end the panel and share final thoughts, Christopher Lloyd did something I’ll never forget.

He looked at the audience, tears gathered in his eyes, and he said “Sometimes I go to these things and someone comes up to me and says, ‘Thank you for my childhood’.” and he drifted off crying and smiling. 

And the entire audience clapped and cried along with him. It was truly special witnessing a beloved actor recognizing how much of a positive impact he made on the world. 

…

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