GalaxyCon Columbus 2023, Part 2: Strike-through

Among the many celebrity guests present at the con, Grant Gustin from The Flash and both Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio from Daredevil provided exciting insight into working on their respective series.

Though there were many fun elements of GalaxyCon Columbus 2023, the most notable for many fans were the celebrity guests. Many fandoms were represented on the guest list, ranging from classics like Star Trek to newer hits such as Wynonna Earp. The convention’s main stage played host to the biggest of these panels, and even the smaller stages offered interesting options.

The end of the months long actors’ strike was particularly notable at these panels. At the ones I attended, the end of the strike was mentioned quite a few times. Though I hadn’t experienced any convention panels during the strike, the mood seemed to be that of relief as guests could finally discuss their projects in panels.

Saturday morning opened with Grant Gustin from The Flash. When asked about the most difficult days on set, he cited the Arrowverse’s various crossover episodes due to long hours and having to move from set to set of the various shows. He also commented that the musical episode was also challenging since much of the crew didn’t seem to realize what they were getting into.

He explained how his time on Glee helped him get the role of Barry Allen. Though he grew up a fan of the Christopher Reeve Superman films, he read a lot of Flash comics after getting the role. Gustin said that the first season was his favorite, and that he particularly enjoyed working with Tom Cavanagh (Harrison Wells) and Carlos Valdes (Cisco Ramon).

Gustin spent much of the panel discussing his experiences of working on the series for nine years. He admitted that nobody called him to appear in the most recent Flash movie. When asked what is next for him now that the series has now concluded after nine seasons, he expressed his excitement to be making his Broadway debut in the upcoming musical based on the book “Water for Elephants.”

After the main stage hosted panels featuring cast and crew from Once Upon a Time and Wynonna Earp, the afternoon featured the stars of Daredevil, Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio. While the two actors were free to discuss their experiences on the Netflix series due to the ending of the strike, the moderator emphasized that they couldn’t provide much information about the upcoming Disney+ revival, Daredevil: Born Again.

When asked about how they ended up joining the original Netflix series, D’Onofrio explained that he was approached for the role of Wilson Fisk. Cox detailed his audition process, admitting that he didn’t know what project or role he was reading for and didn’t realize that the character was supposed to be blind during his initial audition.

Both actors were asked about when they knew that the Netflix series would be a successful adaptation of the character. D’Onofrio commented that he knew that Cox was the perfect choice for the role after observing him on set. Cox talked about the genuine enthusiasm that reporters seemed to display during the initial press junket.

While describing their on-set experiences, Cox and D’Onofrio told a story about how D’Onofrio received a face wound while fighting Cox’s stunt double and how he had to be stitched up before filming could resume. Cox also told a story about how he stole a prop bomb from set to be able to practice working with it for an upcoming scene, and how he panicked when he realized that he left a realistic-looking bomb in his hotel room as the hotel staff was scheduled to come in.

Though the moderator tried to shut down a fan’s question regarding concern about the tone of the upcoming Disney+ reboot, the actors navigated the question successfully. D’Onofrio pointedly asked the crowd if they had seen the trailer for the upcoming Echo series, while Cox gave a similar assurance that fans would be most likely satisfied with the revival’s tone.

While much of GalaxyCon Columbus 2023’s programming was entertaining, it was particularly exciting to hear the behind-the-scenes details and stories of bringing these fan-favorite series to life. With the frequent mentions of the end of the actors’ strike, the event seemed to be a return to form for the convention format and will thankfully remain that way for all fans going forward.

Author: Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Film/Video. She has a passion for entertainment and representation in entertainment. She currently resides outside of Washington, DC.

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