#gabit

Then she talked about hard it was for her to see all the pictures of herself (taken during the photo session on Saturday) at the autograph session because she looked awful. And that she felt like a liar because she could see the beauty in all of us but not in herself. She admitted to struggling with body image issues, and that she can be slated by a single picture. On top, someone had told her recently that she’s not attractive anymore. (The audience loudly expressed its solidarity with Amanda by booing at the inconsiderate someone.)

What helps is talking to her daughter, and what we can bring to the table. Each of us has a light that shines bright than any picture ever could. We have to remind us of that and be kinder to ourselves. In the end, she promised to be kinder to herself.

After that, the last remaining items were auctioned off (that’s what my notes say). I only have this blurry picture for reference.

Next, someone asked how she peps herself up when she feels low. Her daughter helps her a lot, and the impact of her words and actions. She reminds herself how fortunate she is and that she has a great family. Instead of saying “I feel low”, she says, “I feel less than” which helps to break the cycle of negative thoughts.

Someone asked about the moments that take her back. Amanda said it’s usually conventions and all the things she found when she cleared out her garage. She feels grateful, and Stargate SG-1 had changed her life. Without the character of Samantha Carter there wouldn’t have been a Helen Magnus and so on. She would have been a different person.

A question about directing was posed. Amanda went into the process and it got technical. Two quotes stuck with me. “Sometimes actors have their own ideas. Pfft.” *followed by an eye-roll* and “Everyone is always beautifully bad lit.”

If she had to describe the GABIT experience in the three words, what would they be? - support, love, friendship

Someone asked how the heroines and female actions figures today differ from the ones she grew up with. Amanda said that we have to believe more in ourselves, that we can achieve anything, and that the heroines are tougher and snarkier nowadays which she likes. Sam could be tough but always had to fall back onto softness at the end of the episode. We have definitely made progress.

We got to talking about Teryl and the series Virgin Rivers. Amanda was offered the opportunity to direct an episode twice but she was unavaible both times. Now that the series has a new showrunner, she doesn’t get any offers anymore.

The audience sang a fan version of the Stargate theme/song and Amanda was touched. (If anyone is able to explain this or the origin story to me, pls do so.)

Someone asked what she would do differently in a new Stargate series. She said whe would include more diverse characters. At the time of shooting, Vancouver didn’t have a pool of diverse actors. And she would like to be a part, even if it was just a one-time gig. She imagined Sam could be a General but Jack and Daniel at Jack’s cabin would be a deal breaker ;-) She would steal Jack from Daniel who then had enough time to write a book. And she would rope Jack into a podcast. (side note: nice throwbacks to the AI reading and the bad book/no book discussion from Q&A #3)

Something about Travellers and how she had begged Brad to kill her character. Then she lay on the floor, pretending to be dead, and suddenly opened her eyes and shouted, “Cut!” That was cool.

Someone asked if she watches herself on tv. Amanda admitted that she struggles. Only now, after 15 years, she can watch herself on Stargate SG-1 without self-critizing her appearances. She hopes that one day she can fully appreciate herself on Sanctuary.

Someone asked how she gets back to reality after an event like this. Amanda said that the feeling of being in a wonderful bubble would last for a few more days. On the plane, she’ll read our letters and cry. The flight attendant will worry and ask her if she’s okay, and Amanda will sob, “I’m fine.”

Someone pointed out to Amanda that her shoelaces were untied. She thanked them and fixed the problem. We didn’t want to have a tripping accident.

Last question was about what her legacy is and how she wants to be remembered. She said Sanctuary for Kids and that people remember her as a funny and kind person who cared.

When Amanda overran again, this message popped up.

And Amanda was like “Seriously??? You think three question marks intimidate me?”

A light-hearted ending to an intense and insightful Q&A.

Julia and Tracy interrupted the auction and made us laugh.

a wooden box with numbered balls from Helen’s desk

a Helen Magnus tea cup with saucer (from which you can drink soup according to Amanda)

a box (lunch box?) with pictures of Amanda and Suanne on top; funnily enough Amanda bid on it and won

a Samantha Carter action figure

a set with a cap, a t-shirt, and a script bag from Sanctuary which prompted Amanda to say the wise words, “Life is just an adjustable strap.”

a signed green script (draft) from Dark Matters

a signed autograph from the original four members of SG-1; Suanne walked around with it and hypnotized us like Hathor so we would raise the bid

the signed SG-1 script “Fragile Balance” from which Amanda and Suanne read the first page (Suanne nailed the voice of young Jack O’Neill)

three different crew jackets from SG-1

a signed Stargate Atlantis chair banner (I think it was something like that)

a Stargate SG-1 compendium book

a fabulous galaxy painting

a Sanctuary crew jacket

a set with a cap, a drinking bottle, and a hand ventilator (the same as in the SG-1 bts video where Amanda hurt her finger immediately; due to Suanne’s skill no one was hurt this time) from Sanctuary

and several (four?) outfits from Sanctuary; one was advertised with “My breasts nested in this” by Amanda; another one sparked a discussion what a Canadian size 8 would be in UK size; and a third one was signed by Amanda

Suanne had a question about what GABIT meant, and the explanation touched her. She marveled at the love and dedication to get Amanda back together with her fans, praised the wonderful atmosphere and mentioned the fun she had being here.

At some point, Amanda mentioned that “most of her ass had moved to her face.”

They drew the winner of the “Tea with...” raffle.

After that, they said they cherished their friendship and that they (and we) have to support each other, especially older women, because they easily become invisible in show business and in life. Amanda pointed out she liked the term “elderly” more because it holds more grace than the word “old”. Old woman or old person sounds like someone has reached their expiry date.

In the same breath, Amanda talked about inclusive vs diverse. She used a swimming pool analogy.

inclusive -> a swimming pool where everyone can get in and mingle without restrictions

diverse -> a swimming pool where everyone can get it, but please stay in your corner and do not disturb the others

She encouraged us to use the term inclusive.

Next, Amanda was informed that a dedicated fanfiction writer had already turned her encounter with Naked Attraction into a fic “Jack’s Nightmare - aka Naked Attracttion”. She doubled over in laughter as did the audience.

Someone asked a question about Don S. Davis. Both noted that he was a nice and kind person with an artistic talent. And that once, he came to the makeup trailer and farted. He was subsequently banned from there.

Another question about their favorite movies was raised. Amanda said Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Jojo Rabbit, while Suanne mentioned Harry & Sally and some others.

Amanda’s new favorite catchphrase was “My hardrive is full.” She had heard it in a program of a female comedian. Especially during the Covid lockdown with its endless zoom meetings it came in handy.

Suanne did her famous “My cousin Vinnie” routine/imitation and made us laugh.

Someone asked Suanne how the idea for Hathor Hosts came about. She said most jobs were canceled during the first lockdown and she was stuck at home like everyone else. She bounced the ideas off with the people around her and decided to give it a try. She called her friends and contacts, like Amanda, and everyone was like, “Sure, let’s do it.” At the beginning, they had a lot of technical difficulties, and it was a learning curve. The best part was researching the guests, to find some interesting tidbits from their past. She’s grateful of how well it was received. “Without you, the fans, it wouldn’t have been such a success.”

Someone asked about any developments for a new Sanctuary series as there were some rumors two years ago. Amanda explained that someone had bought the IP and told us the story about a press release ending up on her desk which "cheesed her off”. (a press release which never saw the day of light) It said that a new Sanctuary series was in development with Amanda Tapping as director and a younger actress playing Helen Magnus. “How can a younger actress play Helen? She’s mine. I created her. Okay, Damien and Martin developed her but I filled her with life.” So, she called Damien and Martin to discuss the matter. And she called her agency to stop the release. In the end, a different version was published on Deadline. Amanda would never ever agree to a new Sanctuary series where she wouldn’t play Helen. She’s very protective of the character.

At long last, Amanda thanked Suanne for being here, and they hugged.