Who’s Who Geek Edition: Stephanie Thorpe

I decided to do a set of mini interviews with people I’ve interacted with and have extraordinary backgrounds. Many I’ve met via Facebook and many I’ll meet when I attend SDCC for the first time this July. Last, and most certainly not the least of this series, is Stephanie Thorpe!

———————————————————————————————————————————–

Name : Stephanie Thorpe
Online Handle: @TheStephThorpe
Site: TheStephanieThorpe
“Age”: There is such a stigma about age here in this city! I see so many fellow actresses turning towards botox while they are still so young, when clearly vampirism is the solution. I’m 204 yrs old. Not bad, right?!
Fave cartoon/book/movie/whatever:
My Dad showed me Star Wars & Star Trek early so those have always been with me; he also introduced me to William Gibson and Philip K Dick (much too young!), while I devoured Dragonlance, Xanth, and early Ann Rice. This is so tough for me to pick just one! I’ll tell you, right now I’m just floored by the movies we have coming out this summer–it’s a geek dream come true! Between Avengers, Dark Knight, Dark Shadows, Prometheus, SW & the Huntsman, Abe Lincoln, Total Recall, Bourne Legacy, Moonrise Kingdom & Brave—I might just pass out. Regarding comics, my first crush was on Nightwing from The New Teen Titans, and I’ve always been drawn to The Scarlet Witch. This year I’ve had the honor of modeling her for The Marvel Universe Trading Cards.

L: You made a fan trailer for ElfQuest that garnered vast amounts of media attention and even led to your own panel at SDCC, a feat that does not sound easy. Tell us a little about what led you to make that trailer.

ST: It was an absolutely magical experience. ElfQuest was a comic I discovered as an 8 year old—and I really didn’t have anyone to share it with—remember—this was in the time when geek things weren’t sanctioned or mainstream. Fast forward to years later when I was sorting through all my comics and I posted a panel of ElfQuest on Twitter—and my feed exploded. So many people I knew were fans! And among them, Paula Rhodes who became my producing partner on this. We quickly realized that we had the unique skill set to create a live-action fan version of a story we adored. We were completely overwhelmed by the response from fans worldwide—and that people lined up for HOURS at SDCC for us was beyond amazing! And getting to know Wendy & Richard Pini through this process has been wonderful—their stories were so influential for me: they showed me what is was to be a heroine…and led me here to the fields I work in today.

L: Since you seem constantly doing something amazingly cool, what kind  projects do you have in the works?

ST: Oh I have a bunch I’m super excited about! I’m producing Weird Girls with Mark Gardner (the series is inspiring to me much like Buffy was!), and Shelf Life with Tara Platt and Yuri Lowenthal I also have a couple of shows in development with Jessica Mills (Awkward Embraces), as well as a creepy fantasy thriller, and teen focused sci-fi adventure in the works. Yeah. I don’t sleep. I just want to create and play resonant roles that speak to all of us—I want to form heroines that gals will identify with and embrace.

L: Since you’re an actress, is there a show currently airing that given the chance, you’d die to be on?

ST: Oh, so many! TV has gotten so deliciously good—we are so lucky! Having devoured the series when they were first being published, I have to say Game of Thrones. They are doing a stellar job of bringing Martin’s vision to the screen. Fringe also speaks to my Sci-Fi soul and Mad Men is simply excellent. I’m really excited about Defiance too. And as for comedies, I’m in love with Community and 30 Rock. Hey, maybe I could be Tina Fey’s geeky younger sister?

L: The ASOIAF series has to be my top favorite at this very moment and I have to agree, they are exceeding my expectations with the show.  Everyone has a science fiction property that means the world to them, be it Star Wars, Back to the Future, or even E.T. What’s yours?

ST: Do I have to choose?!?! I snuck out to hear Patrick Stewart recite Shakespeare at a Vancouver Star Trek convention as a teen, (he did Cassio from Julius Caesar BTW), and Star Wars was a major influence too—I held Stormtrooper Olympics in our pool—they do a perfect swan dive! Then of course, as I’ve mentioned, ElfQuest and Game of Thrones were instrumental, anything with dragons in it and of course Blade Runner, Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, BSG, and Buffy.

L: Out of everyone that you’ve gotten to know/meet/see from a distance, who was the one that left you star struck?

ST: Harrison Ford. Without a doubt. Between Han Solo and Indiana Jones, I got weak in the knees when I met him. That was a true test of my social etiquette and acting chops to keep it together.

L: …You’ve met Harrison Ford?! May I touch you? In a last ditch attempt to hide that show of fan girl love, I ask this question of everyone, so be honest: If aliens landed in front of you and, in exchange for anything you desire, offered you any position on their planet, what position would you want? I know I’d crap my pants.

TS: Supreme Dictator/Tour Guide, or maybe CEO of Weyland-Yutani Corp.