I no sooner left Michael Madsen (scroll back or click HERE) before an announcement boomed over the loud-speaker that the line to see Robert Patrick was relatively short. Having been hit with the autograph bug, I decided to take their not-so-subtle hint and meet him. Though Patrick was on the main convention floor, he had his own room located down a hall. That may have explained why his line was down as it took me a while to track him.
Robert Patrick as T-1000
By the time I arrived there was a line but it was a relatively small one. This allowed me to check out the photo stills he had available for fans. Not surprisingly, most revolved around his role as T-1000 in 1991’s hit Terminator 2: Judgment Day. I did enjoy that movie but was more impressed with his role in Fire in the Sky (which I covered HERE). That film dealt with an alleged true case of alien abduction and, with regard to the subject matter, was handled credibly and in no short thanks to its stellar cast. In my opinion, the best performance in that movie was given by Patrick.
Patrick as Mike Rogers in “Fire in the Sky”
Patrick’s role in Fire in the Sky is said to have inspired Chris Carter to later choose him for the thankless job of replacing David Duchovney’s Fox Mulder on TV’s The X-Files. Since there were no photos available at his table from Fire in the Sky, I opted to choose one of several from his X-Files role as Agent John Doggett; all of which featured him standing next to his co-star, Gillian Anderson a.k.a. Agent Scully.
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–I watched Patrick interact with his fans and noticed something I hadn’t seen before. Usually these celebrity encounters provide brief opportunities for people to ask questions or simply gush over their “star.” Robert Patrick, on the other hand, seemed much more interested in using the time to learn about them.
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Despite not having any shots from Fire in the Sky, Patrick resembled his unkempt, bearded character, “Mike Rogers,” from the film. Perhaps his feral appearance was due to his current role as the werewolf, Jackson Herveaux, on HBO’s True Blood. Whichever the reason, he looked fairly intimidating though he countered it with sheer hospitality.
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Patrick as Jackson Herveaux on “True Blood”–
As soon as a fan approached, he’d shake their hand and look them dead in the eyes before saying, “Hi there!” “It’s great to meet you!” “What’s your name?” (say the person’s name was “George”) “Well, hello George! Where are you from?” And so on…
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His inquisitiveness appeared to be sincere which was either a) further testament to his acting abilities or b) he’s a genuinely great guy. In this instance, I’m going to go with “b” as illustrated by the two men standing in front of me in line. These guys were (like most of us by the end of the convention) flat BROKE. Having no money to buy a photo, their sole purpose for standing in line was simply to meet Patrick and shake his hand. After talking with them a bit, Patrick insisted that they not walk away empty handed, and summoned his handler to take their camera and snap a picture with him. When the assistant hesitated, Patrick snapped his fingers and said, “C’mon, let’s take a picture!”
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Any readers out there who may be contemplating this strategy as a means to save money, I’d strongly advise against it. It is highly unusual for celebs at these events to over-rule their assistants whose main purpose is to handle the dirty business of money. Some of these helpers are more aggressive than others, with the worse one I’ve witnessed assisting Lisa Marie (covered HERE) back at Horrorhound Weekend 2011.
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As soon as the two happy fans left, it was my turn and (after learning who I was/where I was from/and whether or not I was enjoying the convention) I told him I was sorry he didn’t have any stills from Fire in the Sky because that was the movie I liked him in best.
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“Yeah, we really need to work on getting some shots from that one. I’m glad you liked the movie.”
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While he was signing I said, “Yes, I loved the movie and I thought your performance was particularly good because I actually felt more sympathy for what your character went through than I did for your friend who was abducted
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He stopped signing and looked up at me. “Well, Dave, I really appreciate those comments a lot. Thank you for saying that.” He then shook my hand for the second time. Whether I was caught up in the moment or not, I have to say that his appreciation did come off as genuine.
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–We stood for our picture and I asked him if he could match the “serious” look he had on his face with the X-Files photo I picked. It looks like he obliged…
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–Robert Patrick shows you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Despite his tough exterior and appearance, he was a VERY friendly guy who isn’t content to just appear at a convention but actually get the most out of it while he’s there. It would be natural, in lieu of the enormous turn-out, to be considered just a nameless fan. Patrick gets props for taking the time to get know you.
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I was very happy with this encounter and it would later prove a timely one. I discovered after wards that Gillian Anderson will be appearing at an event I’ll be attending in a few months (Fright Night Film Fest). I’m hopeful that Robert’s signature will be joined by hers….although, so far as The X-Files goes, I’m definitely an Agent Mulder guy. I loved that series which was enhanced by my soon-to-be ex wife reminding me of Scully and my father being an FBI agent (you can read my full X-Files memories by clicking HERE).
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Patrick may have been a cordial guy but I already knew that the next celebrity I’d meet would not be. I’d met him before at a 2010 Horrorhound Weekend but, since that time, I’d obtained something that just wouldn’t be complete without his signature. Like it or not, it was time to pay tribute to the god of horror FX…
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Coming up…Tom Savini cracks a smile.
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Dave Fuentes~
Terror from Beyond the Dave 