A cabinet of curiosities for people of all ages. A more than simple classification to describe the 2022 version of the comic Contaking place this weekend at the Rural Society Grounds, with Jamie Campbell Bower and cartoonist Bill Plymton as featured guests.
The sample includes comics, video games and merchandising in all imaginable variants. There will be book presentations, exhibitions, talks and shows and, of course, the appeal of those who meet in person for conferences and meet and greets with fans looking for the obligatory selfie as a prize and diploma of “having been there ”.
And among those famous faces for fans to share a few moments with, Jamie Campbell Bower ranks very high. The 34-year-old Londoner has been part of many of the youth sagas that can be seen as transversal not only for his popularity but also for a proposal that can be ATT: Suitable For All Target.
“I’ve always been drawn to the dark,” says the actor clarion. He will explain it.
Campbell Bower made his Tim Burton debut with a supporting role in the film adaptation of the musical Sweeney Todd. Then he embodied Caio Volturi in Duskalong with Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.
He was also the wizard Gellert Grindelwald, when the character was young, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallowsstarred in the cult film Shadow Hunters together with Lily Collins (his ex, daughter of the great Phil) and, as if all this were not enough, from the fourth season of the television series stranger things It’s Henry Creel, aka Vecna, aka 001.
The villain of this story who gradually enters its final stretch and whose future is cut short, can say “little or nothing, beyond the fact that I’ve already seen the new scripts with Matt and Ross Duffer, the creators of the series”.
And to close an incomplete portrait, the boy was a model, he appeared in the clip of the subject Never let Me Go of Florence + The Machine and fronted Counterfeit, a punk rock band that disbanded in 2020.
In person, the actor is as friendly as any self-respecting Englishman. He seems to be as happy with his visit to Argentina as he is unaware of the heat wave hitting Buenos Aires. The same is fervently grateful for an iced drink that is served to him and lends himself to dialogue with Clarín with an enthusiasm that does not seem fake.
-What were your acting references when you played Vecna?
-When I went to audition for the role I made a selection of people who I thought might have something to do with the character. And everything referred to me hellraiser. I took the test and when they called I was in an apartment in downtown LA with a huge view of the sky and a picture of Will Byers. And everything went blue and everything about the character got me down. But let’s go back to the references, hellraiser is the main one, and then the Draculas of Gary Oldman, Christopher Lee and Claes Bang.
-At times, Vecna looks like a mix of Freddy Krueger with Jareth, the character played by David Bowie in “Labyrinth”. A villain who is scary but also adorable…
I really like that you saw it like this. From the beginning I knew that the character was very important, so I tried to build the visual side of him very well. And, of course, he had to have a human side. There was inspiration from people I know for the latter, and also from Funny Gamesby Michael Haneke. Vecna is a downtrodden boy, unable to be free or himself.
-And what can you tell me about the makeup that covers Vecna’s face?
-It took the makeup artists about seven hours to leave my face like this, and I weighed about forty pounds. A lot of effort, but it was worth it.
From “Twilight” to “Harry Potter”
-You have been part of both the “Twilight” saga and the “Harry Potter” saga. Before being in the movies, were you a fan of his books?
-Of course. I wanted to be part of the first film of Dusk, and got to meet both director Catherine Hardwicke and producer Wyck Godfrey. And they were the ones who told me they were thinking of me for New moonSo when they called me I was happy.
-How is working with Tim Burton?
-Working with Tim Burton is great. He is a true artist, a man who creates his own worlds in everything he does. And creating a world is a quality of artists, whether they are painters or filmmakers. Tim is someone who creates a universe to inhabit, and he creates it for himself and for people. It is something very special and very difficult to describe.
-Why did you disband your punk rock band Counterfeit?
-(Laughs out loud) The pandemic had a lot to do with it. It’s hard to say in a friendly way. When dealing with external factors that dictate what to do and what not to do, internal tensions and frictions arise. And if we add the pandemic to it, it is clear that everything can get out of control. Being an artist also implies taking charge of the dark and difficult moments, in order to then be able to do good things in the best moments.
-And how is your solo career?
-I’ve released a few songs that sound in a more gospel and country vein. I think today that’s what relates me the most to punk, because for me punk is being against the social and against yourself, to bring out that darkness that you have. And the country has a dark side in the way it tells its stories…
-You also have a dark side, if we look at the characters you’ve played during your career…
-I’ve always been attracted to the dark. Darkness for me is not synonymous with something evil, but what I relate to it most from the conflict side. The same thing happens to me with the tension of punk, the coming and going towards something. And I try to apply that to music and acting.
All Comic Con activities
Friday 9
main stage
14:30 Conference: Luis Carreño.
15:15 Panel: Vincenzo D’Onofrio.
18:00 Lecture: Jamie Campbell Bower.
19:00 Show: Musical Tribute at Disney Studios.
19:45 Cosplay contest.
21:00 DJ Magma.
Public
14:40 La Rioja presents: animated series.
15:20 Marvel and DC: the most important comic industries.
16:00 56 years after Star Trek Is utopia possible?
16:40 Artist Alley presents: German Peralta.
17:20 Be part of an eSports team in Argentina.
18:00 The man with a thousand faces.
6.40pm International artist: Bill Plympton.
19:20 Risso, a tight life.
20:00 Star War – Counterattack.
20:40 La Rioja presents: game development.
Saturday 10
main stage
12:45 Conference: Luis Carreño.
14:00 Panel: Vincent D’Onofrio.
15:00 Cosplay contest.
4.15pm Musical tribute to Disney Broadway.
17:00 Parade and show: Panni Margot.
18:00 Lecture: Jamie Campbell Bower.
19:00 Musical tribute show at Disney Studios.
19:45 DJ Magma.
Public
12:30 Masterclass: Bill Plympton.
14:00 Batman: Knight of Vengeance.
14:40 Matías Lértora – The man of steel returns.
15:20 DC Universe – By Ariel Olivetti.
16:00 120 authors in 4 years: The adventure of Primavera Revolver.
16:40 Scripttubers.
17:20 Trapeze artists by Facundo Arana.
18:00 Mega 2: The awakening of the Black Swan.
6.40pm Marvel vs. DC with Damian Nakache.
19:20 From idea to paper: Freeing the writer who lives in you.
sunday 11
main stage
12:45 pm Star Wars Parade.
13:30 Conference: Luis Carreño.
14:30 National Cosplay Contest.
15:30 Show: Amelie snack.
16:30 Show: Tribute to Michael Jackson.
17:15 Entertainment: Tribute to John Williams.
18:00 Lecture: Jamie Campbell Bower.
19:00 Show: What happened yesterday Band?
Public
12:40 La Rioja presents: Comics.
13:20 Exploration X: Horror in abandoned places.
14:00 Science prime time – The Science of the Big Bang Theory.
14:40 Star Losers presents: Star Wars and the Baby Yoda phenomenon.
15:20 Olivetti and Risso, the absolute crossover.
4.00pm Where do ideas come from?
4.40pm International artist: Bill Plympton.
17:20 The reign of fear: Stephen King at the cinema.
18:00 The Hero – From the screen to the seat.
18:40 First anniversary of UFO MANGA.
19:20 Robin Wood, a life of adventures.
POS
Source: Clarin
