This weekend, the Four Hobbits — yes, those Hobbits — reunited at Edmonton EXPO, our city’s annual comic con extravaganza. Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan are in town, shuffling through photo ops, autographs, and Q&A panels like a walking, talking piece of fantasy history. Middle-earth at the Expo Centre. Mordor on the LRT.
As a lifelong fantasy fan, for me this should be catnip. These are the halflings who launched a thousand memes, delivered some of the most quoted lines in fantasy film history, and bravely carried a prop ring through three of the most formative movies of my life.
And yet… I didn’t go.
Here’s the spicy behind-the-scenes bit: I actually edit a city magazine here in Edmonton. I review theatre, I write about arts and culture, I have my bylines in more places than I care to count. I wrangled press credentials to the con (no small feat), but when I asked for an interview with any of the Four Halflings of the Apocalypse, I was told — politely — no.
You see, interviews go to video-first journalists from the major networks. Content creators who can deliver that sweet, sweet exposure. A city magazine site? Dead, baby. Or at least deeply unfashionable. So even though I’ve been covering arts, culture, theatre and film for years, I didn’t get to ask even one hobbit a question.
Which, to be honest… I’m okay with.
Because even if you’re not press, even if you’re just a paying fan with a pass and a pocketful of nostalgia, the rules are the same:
Don’t speak unless spoken to. Don’t approach until told. Don’t linger. Don’t ask questions. Don’t touch. Smile, take the photo, move along.
(Also, no second breakfast.)
A very reliable friend of mine has attended big cons in the past, and described the experience of meeting major fantasy actors as somewhere between a bank queue and a TSA screening. You line up for hours. You shuffle forward in tense little increments. You finally, finally reach the autograph table… and you’re whisked away before you’ve even processed the moment.
It’s not a conversation. It’s barely a memory. It’s a highly monetized blur.
Now, don’t get me wrong — I get the appeal. There’s something thrilling about seeing a childhood icon in person, even if it’s just from across a con hall. There’s a deep joy in sharing space with other fans, cosplaying, geeking out, quoting lines, remembering that this weird little genre we love is also beloved by millions.
But is the price — in time, in money, in energy — worth the 7.5 seconds you get in front of a celeb?
For me, this year, the answer was no.
I stayed home. I put on the Lord of the Rings extended editions. I curled up with my cat, ordered good takeout, and watched the actual work that made me love these actors in the first place. I didn’t have to elbow anyone for a seat. My bathroom line was very short. My food was hot. My hobbits were still heroes.
And isn’t that what matters?
So I’ll ask you: what’s your con threshold? Do you go to meet creators, or just to swim in the fandom? Have you ever had a con moment that made it all worth it — or was the best part still the rewatch when you got home?
Let’s chat.
Taylen Carver
SRP Fantasy Author
Browse Taylen’s books here.
