In Pictures: Fan Expo Canada 2026 — Day Four

Fan Expo Canada, Canada’s biggest convention, was back in Toronto for its 30th year! Situated in both the North and South buildings of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, it took place August 27th-30th and featured guests from the comics and entertainment worlds, celebrity signings and photo opportunities, cosplayers, lots of panel discussions and events, and merchandise galore.

The first panel I checked out was a reunion panel for the Richard Donner film The Goonies. Joe Pantaliano, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, and Sean Astin were on stage. Full confession: I have yet to see the movie (I love Donner and it’s just one of those flicks on the list I haven’t gotten around to seeing), so I was mostly coming to this panel as a fan of Pantaliano’s acting. He has a very particular way of enunciating and acting though he was notably subdued during the panel discussion, slouching in his chair. He did mention at one point that people love to hate his character in The Goonies and Feldman quipped that’s true of all the roles he plays. Pantaliano also mentioned that he to some extent disappears into his roles as he’s a lot less sure of himself in real life. His co-stars mentioned Bound and The Matrix, but no one mentioned The Sopranos where Pantaliano had a sustained and very memorable arc, perhaps playing the most complex and significant of Tony Soprano’s (James Gandolfini) antagonists. Other things that were discussed included a possible sequel to The Goonies (Feldman and Astin have tried to get such a thing going without any success) and how meaningful it is for the actors to reunite at cons and catch up with each other. Green didn’t talk as much as the others, but she was frank about the fact that her relationship with Feldman has improved. There was a moment when they all got existential about their lives but, for the most part, the discussion was lighthearted and focused on their appreciation of fandom.

I wasn’t able to catch the reunion panel for Starship Troopers. I would have liked to as I’m a big fan of Paul Verhoeven‘s movies. If I’d been able to go, I’d have seen the three other guests at the con from the movie: Michael Ironside, Jake Busey, and Dean Norris. As it was, I was only able to catch Denise Richards‘ solo panel and most of the joint panel with Casper Van Dien and Dina Meyer. Like the cast of The Goonies, Van Dien and Meyer were very grateful for the fandom Starship Troopers has brought them. Van Dien said that it’s the film which gets quoted at him all the time, including the time someone yelled “Kill them all!” at him during church, which he thought highly inappropriate. Van Dien said he was constantly amazed he was there while filming; at one point, he realized that Jack Nicholson was nearby filming As Good as it Gets, Harrison Ford was filming Air Force One, and Jeff Bridges was filming The Big Leobowski. Then Tom Cruise came roaring through on a motorcycle.

During her solo panel, Richards reaffirmed the good fortune of being cast in Starship Troopers. She said she’d lost parts to other ‘name’ actors, but when they decided to cast unknowns for Starship Troopers, she felt she actually had a chance. If you’ve seen Richards in interviews, you know she can be refreshingly frank. She said Verhoeven initially wanted her to do a topless scene (the group shower) and she resisted, saying it didn’t feel right and thought she might be fired for refusing. That led her to accept the risque role on Wild Things. Verhoeven didn’t fire her, but when he learned of Wild Things, he asked her about it and she said she felt they were two very different movies and going topless for the John McNaughton film made sense. Wild Things and the Bond film The World is Not Enough pushed Richards into ‘siren’ roles she did not feel represented who she really was, so she was grateful when other roles came her way.

Richards talked about contending with audiences hating her without really knowing her, especially during Charlie Sheen‘s worst periods, and working with him to raise their kids as well as the fact that she wasn’t sure if she’d encourage her daughters to become actors. It sounds as if she came from a stable, loving family and tried to provide something similar for her own daughters (although of course, this was simply my impression from watching her speak — the press has reported various tribulations in her relationships). Though she might not be what most people consider to be a serious actress, she strikes me as sensible, realistic, having at one time had the determination to get into the business and to a great extent, succeeded. She talked about how her father, a telephone operator, picked up his family when she was fifteen and moved them to California simply because he couldn’t stand Illinois winters anymore. The proximity to LA allowed her to pursue her dream. She seemed genuinely appreciative of the projects audience members said they loved her in from Undercover Brother to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

I try to pick up comic art if I can at shows. This show, I picked up David Finch‘s art to the cover of The Walking Dead Deluxe #63 from him. Finch was extremely nice and pleasant and engaging to chat with. He had many Walking Dead covers for sale as well as a few pieces from other projects. Usually, I tend to buy art by older artists but I like that Finch uses realistic proportions and detailed linework to invoke something that’s both gripping yet uniquely his.

I’ll end with photos from the second round of art created during the Comics Xplosion event on Saturday night. This took place after the con shut down for the day. As long as people had a con pass, they could attend. The event featured two rounds of artists having about 45 minutes to an hour to paint something on canvas. Easels and supplies were set up for them. Attendees could then bid on what the artists painted, with artists taking home the proceeds. The goal is to complete the work within an hour but Johnny Desjardins (who painted the face of the Joker) ribbed that other people had cheated by starting their work early and getting a head start. Besides Desjardins’ Joker, Casey Parsons‘ Galactus and Silver Surfer really stood out to me (he completed his painting within an hour and used no references) but all the paintings were lovely and winning bidders left the event in a happy state.