Kevin Sorbo Shore Leave Convention Q&A, Saturday, July10, 2010

If you ever met Kevin during one of his appearances at the many conventions he attends yearly, you noticed what a nice and gracious guy he is. You remembered that he often takes time out from filming to trek around the globe to greet his fans, and appreciated the time he spent making you feel like a friend. You saw his amazing stage presence and genuine gift for public speaking as fans (denoted here as Q) asked him questions during his hour-long Question and Answer (Q&A) sessions.

If you haven’t had that opportunity, I give you some quotes from last year’s fantastic Shore Leave Convention in Baltimore, MD. Here are edited excerpts from Kevin’s Saturday, July 10, 2010, Q&A session:

Q:  Can you tell us a little bit about your charity?

KS:  It’s A World Fit For Kids! I’ve been doing it for 13 years now, and it’s a good program. We got an award from (former) Governor Schwarzenegger about two-and-a-half years ago for having the Best Afterschool Program in the State of California. And, if you’re interested, go to worldfitforkids.org. I work with over 12,000 kids in L.A. County, which has a 54% drop-out rate. We have a 98% graduation rate with the 12,000 kids in our program. It deals with physical activity, fighting childhood obesity, grades, mentoring, self-esteem and positive reinforcement. We have a golf tournament every year. It’s doing great. It’s just getting bigger and bigger every year right now. It’s fun.

Q:  Many years ago in Denver you auctioned off a pair of your Force Lance shorts. Are you planning to do that again?

KS:  I should do that again. I do crew gifts every year at the end of the year for the entire crew as a small “Thank you” for all their work. One of the years I got Force Lance shorts. On the front they had the “Andromeda” logo. On the back they said, “Have You Seen My Force Lance?” I’ve given out a lot through the years in charities and auctions for my foundation.

Q:  How did you get the role on “Andromeda” that was originally created for John Saxon?

KS:  “Andromeda” was written in 1969 by Gene Roddenberry. “Star Trek” had run its three-year course, and he wrote “Andromeda.” John Saxon shot the pilot, but it didn’t get picked up because the network thought the space shows were a waste of time. I got the part because when I was on my seventh season on “Hercules” with three months left in the show I was starting to look for something else to do. Majel Roddenberry called me and told me about Captain Dylan Hunt and that her husband had written three different pilots. He loved that name. It was the first captain he created after Captain Kirk. I said, “I’m a huge ‘Star Trek’ fan,” which I am. I’ve probably seen every episode 30, 40 times. She sent me a script, and I said, “I’m ready to do this.”

It was because “Hercules” was still such a successful series that they just offered me the show. I said, “I get to be Exec Producer on it. I get to pick the cast. I got final edit on the show.” I did a lot of things on the other side of the camera, which was a really good learning experience for me. And I got to pick the city. It had to be in Canada; I love Vancouver. I’ve shot there before and it’s in the time zone to get me back to L.A. So, that’s how that whole thing really happened. We had a nice five-year run.

Q:  You played both Hercules and Dylan Hunt, which of the characters do you prefer?

KS:  Obviously, “Hercules” is where it all started, but I had a great time with both shows. I’m very lucky I had two series that ran for 12 consecutive years and played two characters that were just so cool to play and so much fun. I was very blessed with great casts and great crews.

Q:  What are your favorite episodes of “Hercules” and “Andromeda”?

KS:  For “Hercules,” I’ll pick “The Apple” just because that’s the first one I directed and I loved it. I loved the storyline. And the second one is actually Michael Hurst’s first one directing called, “Fancy Free,” where I had to tango. It was the first episode in which I got to wear a different outfit. Actually, Michael and I did a bit that the writers kept in. We talked about it and said, “Well, this is perfect for this,” where he as the Widow Twanky said to me, “And we’ve got to get rid of that outfit you’re wearing.” I said, “Why? That’s all I ever wear.” And he said, “Yes, I know and I’m sick of it!” They kept it in, which was great.

“Andromeda,” I think, “Banks of the Lethe.” I really liked that one a lot. It was the teleportation episode. My wife was actually in that one. It’s a pretty good one.

Q:  You did the voice of Hercules in “God of War III,” how was being a different version of the character that you played for so long?

KS:  I’ve been doing a lot more voice-overs lately. I’ve got two games that came out. One’s called, “The Conduit,” and the other one’s “God of War III” in which I got to be Hercules. But that Hercules is very different from my Hercules, and it was fun. That whole voice-over thing is fun. I got to work with Malcolm McDowell, which was neat.

You do the voices first. They give me an idea of what the characters look like, but they throw in all these instructions and you do lines over and over and over again. My throat was dead. We did three days of it. It was a great experience. It’s a different kind of acting, even though it’s the same because we are acting. I hope to do more of it.

Q:  Do you have any new projects?

KS:  I’ve been busy. I shot a movie called, Avarice, and I play a guy that’s the caretaker of Pandora’s Box and it gets taken away from him. He’s not happy about it. I don’t play a good guy in this one. It’s got Patricia Richardson, Brad Dourif, Jason London and Tinsel Korey.

I shot another one called, Poolboy: Drowning Out the Fury. If you like Naked Gun and Airplane, it’s that kind of movie. It’s completely politically incorrect, which I love, and I get to make fun of everybody. It’s funny. It’s really stupid, but I laughed through the whole script.

What If was a wonderful film I shot in Michigan with John Ratzenberger and Kristy Swanson. It’s a really nice, faith-based film with a great message. It’s a reverse of It’s a Wonderful Life where John Ratzenberger is this curmudgeon angel who shows up to show me how I just really screwed up my life. And it’s good. It’s a tear-jerker, it’s a comedy, and it’s got a lot of good things.

And then on the flip-side of that is a movie I did called, Julia X. I played a serial killer and I get my victims off an internet dating service. It’s going to be in 3-D. We shot it in Shreveport, Louisiana. If you like psychological thrillers and seeing really weird things very close-up and 3-D then you’ll enjoy this one.

*Here’s Kevin’s upcoming convention schedule:

August 26-28, 2011 – Fan Expo Canada, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

August 26-28, 2011 – Comedy Bar, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (evening appearances after Fan Expo convention)

September 19-24, 2011 – Estepona Film Festival, Malaga, Spain (Kevin’s appearances September 19-22 ONLY)

Oct. 28-30, 2011 – Central Canada Comic Con, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

*Please note that all appearances are dependent on Kevin’s work schedule. See the respective websites for updates.

The more I read or watch videos on Kevin Sorbo, the more I get hooked…

You might remember that Fatima in Spain previously wrote a lovely story about her “Hercules” jigsaw puzzle that she planned to enter in last year’s Basauri Convention (Spain). Here’s her original tale of how she became a Kevin fan. Gracias, Fatima!

Here’s how it started:  My “Sorbino” fanaticism:

I got “infatuated” by Kevin very young. I think I was about 12- or 13-years-old (now I am 28) when the series began with “Hercules” on T.V. Mother of God! I did not know what to do, looking like a lunatic at magazines, looking for news about him, (and) recording all the episodes. I kept watching again and again… lack of control! My mother did not like me “obsessed” with this man and the series, either, because in truth (it) also happens that I liked Greek mythology, and, of course, what a combination.

(When) T.V. retired the series, I was “forgetting” about this man so charming; and, well, years passed. I could not do much more; the internet era had not yet arrived and I resigned.

But, last Christmas I found a friend who told me they’ve released the series (“Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”) again (DVD), and it was like a hormonal revolution! I think all of those feelings resurfaced again, but, even stronger.

Today, I still do not know how I waited so long to find the Fan Club (OEKSFC) or something. I do not know, I swear, I cannot find an explanation: perhaps family circumstances, the transition to college, work…

My friends also told me these days, “Fatima, can’t understand why you did it not before.” And so I joined this wonderful club.

It is for this reason that you’d say I’m not a big fan of Kevin, but, believe me when I say that the fact that I´m somewhat off the hook of his personal life in no way diminishes my admiration for him. The more I read or watch videos on him, the more I get hooked. And not only for his work as an actor, (but) also for his involvement in charitable causes.

(Collage by Loli)

Which is hotter… July or these July Kevin Sorbo calendars??

Could Mara, Sanne and Loli be more talented? Thanks, ladies!

Together we can do this for Kevin Sorbo and A World Fit For Kids!

Hi, all,

As you know this year’s Fan Sponsorship for Kevin’s 3^rd Annual Kevin Sorbo Celebrity Golf Tournament to benefit A World Fit For Kids (WFIT) has joined the Official European Kevin Sorbo Fan Club (OEKSFC) Birthday Project to support this great event. Together we have raised awareness of WFIT and collected some nice donations already. Thank you so much, everyone!

The OEKSFC posted this message on their website outlining our goal:

Kevin was very touched by our suggestion of a sponsorship and thought this would be a great idea (e.g. a single player: $1,100, a foursome: $4,000), so we hope to be able to grant his wish with the help of our donations; it will then be up to Kevin who benefits from the sponsorship.

All names of those who have donated, together with their countries and the total amount received, will be sent to Kevin on a special card at the end of the project.

But, we need your help. Please consider donating via the OEKSFC website.

And spread the word that Kevin needs golfers and sponsors!

Use your Twitter and Facebook pages and various Social Media sites, blogs, websites and other means to help him, yes? Together we can do this for Kevin and WFIT!!

Here are the links to donate and for more information:

http://kevin-sorbo.blogspot.com/p/birthdayprojekt-2011.html

http://www.worldfitforkids.org/

https://sorbowriter.wordpress.com/2011-fan-golf-sponsorship/