Monday, September 2, 2002: Exhaustion is the order of the day. I should be on the road back to Memphis, but I want to squeeze in a few more interviews. The costumed characters are not as prevalent today. It is like the last day of Woodstock for the unashamedly weird. The crowds have thinned out. The celebs are wiped out and I’ve got an eight-hour drive back to Memphis in front of me.

Kenny Baker (www.kennybaker.co.uk) welcomes me to sit for a while. He is losing his voice. I strain to hear as he whispers. Mr. Baker, like the rest of the celebs has given his all to meet, greet and talk to fans. "I’ve been in show business for 50, no, 60 years. I was approached in school to join a variety act." Fans approach. Mr. Baker strengthens his voice, puts on a big smile and gives his all for the couple dressed like vampires.

"This has been a crazy convention. The women! I was on an escalator last night. The woman in front of me was only wearing a thong!" I ponder Mr. Baker’s statement. I imagine that being a man of Mr. Baker’s stature does have its advantages.

Mr. Baker talks about some of his work. "I skated in ice shows all over Europe and South Africa for 20 years. I love to ice skate." Being the not-so-proud owner of two left feet, I admire anyone who can skate. Blair, my 13-year-old son plays ice hockey. He will think it very cool that R2D2 can ice skate.

Mr. Baker seems to like Time Bandits above his other films. "Michael Palin was a lot of fun. John Cleese was much more reserved." There is a bit of a rascally glint in Mr. Baker’s eyes. You can see why he enjoyed playing a scoundrel in Time Bandits.

As for his most famous role, Mr. Baker says, "That wasn’t acting. I was the right size to fit into the robot. I was operating a machine. There were switches and knobs to turn the head, eyepiece and the lights." Mr. Baker demonstrates R2D2’s impatient ‘potty-dance’ stomp. "That was the only movement I did. The rest was radio controlled." I always liked that little step. It personified R2D2’s spunk. The little robot is always ready to do battle for his friends. Size isn’t an issue. I think, as I leave Mr. Baker, that just maybe his personality did show from underneath the robot prop.

I came back on day four to talk with Mr. Baker and Australian actress Virginia Hey (www.virginia-hey.com). Ms. Hey’s performance in George Miller’s action classic The Road Warrior is a haunting portrait of strength and vulnerability. "It was sheer luck. That was my first film performance. I just read the script and went on instinct. I didn’t have a method. George’s direction had more to do with placement and movement than emoting." I asked about her impression of Mr. Miller. "He was a great action director. I believe this was only his second or third film. Like me, he was still learning. He evolved into a very sensitive director."

Ms. Hey is running on fumes. I spoke to her the previous evening and she was near death then. She signs autographs for free because her manager is away. Nice lady. I want to ask her about her meditation CDs. Events involving a small kitten, some clumsy and pushy fans and shear exhaustion prevent me from imposing on the poor lady any further. She apologizes, unnecessarily and tells me that all the info I would want about her meditation tapes can be found on her web-site. She thanks me for leaving. It is the first time that I didn’t mind that a woman was grateful for my departure.

A large line of fans forms from out of nowhere. The Mystery Science Theater 3000 guys have landed. I decide to wait for the line to clear out before I approach them. The stunningly beautiful and very tired Lisa Wilcox (www.lisawilcoxstar.com) is enjoying a rare moment of peace. I decide to invade her tranquility. I feel a bit of a fool this weekend. Not being a fan of Star Trek or its progeny, I have steered clear of actors from the series because I wouldn’t know what to ask. I make an exception in Ms. Wilcox’s case for two reasons. First, Ms. Wilcox has been in quite a few other movies that I have seen. Second, this is one of the few occasions I can say "Hi!" to a beautiful woman without having the words "Get Lost Jerk!" follow in short order.

Ms. Wilcox tells me she studied theater arts at U.C.L.A. followed by professional acting classes. She studied a Czech method of acting known as the Grotowski method. She remembered director Renny Harlan as a very giving director. Harlan cast her in Nightmare IV. "With Renny, casting was the difficult part. They said I looked too much like a cheerleader for the part. I did call back after call back. I went back with dirty hair, no make-up and scruffy clothes. I got the part." Ms. Wilcox has an All-American, Girl-Next-Door beauty that is both striking and intimidating. She admitted that many in Hollywood refuse to see past looks when it comes to casting. "I’m an actress who can alter my looks. I’ve played everything from a nun to a prostitute. Hollywood finally realized I could play a wide range of characters."

Ms. Wilcox has two projects near and dear to her heart. She and fellow Nightmare IV alum, actress Tuesday Knight own and operate a jewelry business under the name "Toe Brights" (www.toebrights.com). What started as a line of toe rings turned into a full line of different types of jewelry. The two businesswomen own two factories and have 1200 clients including Nordstoms.

Ms. Wilcox’s other project is entitled The Further Adventures of Chastity Blade. Ms. Wilcox’s agent passed her the script for a student film. The French film student; Julien Magnat had admired Ms. Wilcox since her Nightmare days. She reluctantly read the student’s script and fell in love with it. According to Ms. Wilcox, the short film received an Oscar nomination for best short subject. A feature-film version, as well as a TV series is currently in development.

I see that the line for the MST3000 guys has disappeared. I thank Ms. Wilcox for her time. Nice lady. I cross the room, only to discover that the MST3000 guys have also disappeared! Oh well. Maybe next year Dragon*Con 2003 will come up off of some extra press passes. Time to thank Star Roberts.

On the way to the media room, I notice that the hundreds of volunteer who made this weekend possible are still hard at work. All are exhausted, and rightfully so. One man tells me that the volunteer meetings for next September’s Dragon*Con will start in January. I believe it. Dragon*Con has been one of the most massive and well-run events I have ever attended. Over 20,000 fans flooded the Marriot and Hyatt hotels over the four days. I thank Star Roberts for the hospitality she and her crew showed EI. I climb, exhausted into my SUV for the drive back to Memphis. I hope I don’t have to sing the "ABC" song on the way home.

NOTE: Check back over the next few weeks for feature interviews with David Naughton, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, Jerome Blake plus two articles on independent filmmakers and artists present at Dragon*Con 2002.

Rusty White