Clare Kramer – Fandemic Tour

By starrymag | October 10, 2019

By: Kemberlie Spivey

 

 

Q) What do you think will most hype the convention going towards The Fandemic Tour and how did you become apart of it? 

 

A) Well, I was lucky enough to be apart of a sci-fi show called “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.” And even though the show hasn’t been on the air for many years, as you know… In fact, it just celebrated its twentieth anniversary. It still has a real strong fan base and conventions like Fandemic are where the fan base for shows like “Star Trek” and “Buffy” and films like Lords of the Rings or Harry Potter converge and celebrate their fandoms. That’s what the Fandemic Tour is all about. 

 

Q) How did you become apart of it?

 

A) Well, they just called and asked me if I would like to appear. I think this year we are doing a little bit of a “Buffy” reunion, which is great because there’s James Marsters, Juliet Landau, Emma Caulfield, James Leary and Amber Benson as well. It just made a lot of sense to me. Of course, (we all the actors on the show) loved seeing each other as well. So, conventions are actually fun for us as more than just a job. We love to go interact with each other because we obviously didn’t see each other as often when we were filming. 

 

Q) What aspect of attending the conventions do you enjoy the most and find the most rewarding for you? 

 

A) I have kids now, so The Fandemic Tour especially has a really great kids day. Kids Day is a fun day for them and kids ten years old and under actually get in free, which is pretty amazing. I have four children. It saves a lot of money. They get in free with a paying adult and there are things like Make Your Own Harry Potter wands, a balloon artist, a face painter and kids cosplay contest. This year is close to Halloween. They have a safe trick-or-treating where the kids will go throughout the convention center to different vendors trick-or-treating and get candy. I’m really looking forward to it this year.

 

Q) Is there anyone on the convention circuit you haven’t met yet that you’d geek out over? 

 

A) To be honest, I haven’t meet Sebastian Stan yet so I’m much of a fan of his as anyone as. I love Marvel. I love Bucky Barnes and Winter Soldier. He is someone I’m definitely am going to try to get to talk a little bit in the green room or get to know a little bit. He is really cool. From all his social media, the thing I really like about him is he seems really down-to-earth and funny, not just kind of the man hunk. 

 

Q) What does “empowering female characters” mean to you? 

 

A) I think that an empowering female character is hard to define. Obviously, people are just going to have two different perspectives of different characters in general.  As an actress, what I like to do is create a character that has a diverse and rich background so that whether they are protagonist or the anti-protagonist they are firm in their beliefs and grounded. I think that is what makes someone admiral rather it’s a male or female character. I think that just having a full rich story, having interesting dynamics, not everything being black and white in a character perspective is depth. That, to me, is strong and powerful. I sorta, as a person, perceived in-decision or wishy-washy when I’m portraying a role, I like to have defy points of views as possible within the storyline. 

 

Q) Cosplay has really taken itself to a whole new level these days. What’s been the most crazy costume that you have seen at conventions?

 

A) I don’t know if I can narrow it down to one. Your totally right! That’s anything that Fandemic has on Saturday – it is the cosplay costume. Saturday night for adults with some really great prices and I have seen some crazy stuff. I remember, in particular, a Guardians of The Galaxy..There is a group that is so amazing somewhere out there. They were at Fandemic last year, all the punk costumes are amazing because they are interactive. I really love there was one guy last year who was the older gentleman from UP who had a house with balloons. It was totally amazing. He was a 70-year old guy who never cosplayed before and just got into it, read up on it and figured how to do this. That one in particular stuck in my mind because I have a lot of admiration for people at any age who are willing to jump in to learn something new. 

 

Q) What is it about the Buffyverse that you think has continued to resonate with fans after all of these years? 

 

A) I think “Buffy” was the first time you saw a group of high schoolers on television who were imperfect. They weren’t meant to be sorta of “90210.” The demons and vampires created this sci-fi genre when you watched the show allowed the viewers to have a sense of escapism and having that escapism sometimes make you feel things a little bit deeper. I think that one thing. Another thing, you know it was the first lesbian relationships that was portrayed on television, first lesbian kiss, I think. There were characters that really were ahead of their time. Buffy, she was far from perfect, but that’s what made her relatable, I think. 

 

Q) We see so much of Buffy’s influence in so many series these days, what do you really think it is about the series that has had such a ripple effect between the writing and character portrayals?

 

A) I think there have been a lot of shows over the last two decades that have tried to reciprocate the magic that Buffy had. I don’t necessarily think it’s been done because you kind of hit the nail on the head. It was like one of Joss’ [Whedon] first projects – Jane Espenson, David Fury, David Greenwalt and Drew Goddard, all these amazing writers on the show trying and doing things that hasn’t been done before and just that alone. Then, Joss had this amazing ability to cast people who were different and unique and didn’t fit the mold that was on television. If you look at that cast, nobody looks like each other. Everybody was very unique and definitely had a strong artistic acting style, so it was magical combination that happened with that show. I hope it does inspire other creators to continue to inspire because that’s actually what it was meant to be – personal and creative inspiration. 

 

Q) Would Cordy and Glory have been friends if it weren’t for Glory’s pesky apocalypse plans?

 

A) I don’t know. That’s a good question. I have to think about it. 

 

Q) Have you  enjoyed your transition from a Convention Guest to one of the Most Sought After Moderators (while still a guest) for Conventions at major cons in the US and Australia?

 

A) I love moderating more than anything. I mean, I still love acting, of course. It’s a totally different skill set. For me, when I’m interviewing someone, as a fan myself of different genres of film and television it’s my chance to get to liaison with the guest and the talent and bring out what I know as an artist I would like to know during a panel. I absolutely love it. I’m hoping to take my moderating skills and develop them into a television show in the next year or two. 

 

Q) Are their any projects you can share with fans you are excited about? 

 

A) I just had a series drop on Amazon Prime in July, it’s called “Dark Web.” It’s really cool. I play a character not totally unlike Glory, although she is different in many ways. She is definitely a strong female character. You can definitely check that out. Of course, my next convention before Fandemic will be at New York Comic Con moderating The 20th anniversary “Angel” reunion at Madison Square Garden, which should be really crazy. 

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of the work you do?

 

A) Thank you. The fans of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” are loyal and that is a quality I really admire in my personal and professional life. I thank you for believing in me, following along with my career and my life. Now, I really (from the bottom of my heart) feel like I won the lottery when I got cast on “Buffy” and I’m extremely grateful. 

 

Follow Me on Twitter at ‪@ClareKramer‬ and Instagram at @clarekramerofficial