my interactions with mads at dallas fan expo 2024:
the photo op 11:30
I was there with my great grandma, and we went to the photo ops for mads mikkelsen. i was terrified. to make matters worse, when we were standing in line two, i realized i forgot something in the car, and that my great grandpa left with my dog so i couldnāt get it back. this was devastating but weāll come back to it later. when it was my turn a crew member told me to put anything i didnāt want in the photo on a table, so i carefully put everything down and went into the curtained off room. there was a small line i waited in until it was my turn. when my turn came mads held his arm out for a side hug, and i had no idea where the camera was so i looked at the lighting umbrellas. then i ran off because i thought the photo was over but they called me back halfway through me grabbing my things. i tried to set them back down but they slipped off the table and onto the floor. i panicked but luckily my great grandma was there and she picked it up while i retook the photo. the camera man said look here and i took a breath*, then he took the picture. i slowly drifted away with my arm outstretched, he was reaching out to me too, it was like we were mirroring each other as i waited for the camera man to tell me the photo was good. my hand grazed his forearm and hand lightly, it was like a dream. then i got the ok and I dropped my arm and began to leave. as i glanced back he was smiling, and i ran off to collect and check in my things while buzzing with joy.
the autograph 1:15-1:40
after the photo op i briefly looked around the vendors, then got in line at 1:15ish. i stood in line for about an hour and 30 minutes, while my great grandma found a chair to wait in. i feel a bit bad for mads considering some people in line were talking about getting refunded if they didnāt get an autograph** and he was still in the photo area with a bunch of photo groups all until a rumored time of 1:20, though he may have taken some photo groups sooner considering what time he got back to the autographs. mads made it to the autographs at about 1:15. once i was at the front of the line a nice crew lady ushered me to get my name spelled. i was excited and scared. i walked to the man writing and gave him my name and spelling (a-k-s-e-l) and he wrote it on a sticky note, placing it on my bullet journal and sent me to wait in the smaller line. i originally was going to do a section of duolingo*** and tell mads that i aspire to be like him as an actor, but having left my art in the car that i spent hours and hours to draw for him, i scrapped that plan and pulled the art up on my phone, thinking iād have no chance to get it back and give it to him personally. i gave mads my journal to sign and told him my predicament. i showed him the art and asked if there was any way i could mail or email it to him. upon seeing it he said it looked nice and said i could get in contact with the people running the con and that they could get it to him. as he spoke he had a concerned look in his eyes, like he didnāt want my hard work to be all for naught. then he smiled and handed me my book as i said thank you with a relieved smile, taking my book and walking away.
(image 1) journal with ālecter-graham butchery, est. 2015 āethically sourcedāā printed on the cover.
(image 2) inside cover of the journal in image 1 with āto akselā¦ā and mads mikkelsen so signature on it.
panel 2:45
my great grandma and i were general admission, but we got to sit in the front row because my great grandma was with me and the people on either side of us werenāt the type to call others out for breaking a rule like that. not much happened with me and mads during this panel, i didnt ask a question, but i did sit in his ālook off into the distance and thinkā spot. he reacted to me once i think. near the beginning of the panel he looked at me and i raised my eyebrows at him, then he raised his eyebrows lightly back at me, but looked away before it could turn into a competition. this couldāve been him thinking about something and raising his brows once he got an idea or something but thatās my perspective.
art gift! 3:25-4:01
after the panel i asked madsā crew if heād be back for more signings and they said yes, so my great grandma and i fast walked 5 blocks away from the convention center in dallas summer heat, which was about 99 degrees fahrenheit at the time, then my great grandpa drove us and dropped me off back at the con center, and i booked it inside and fast walked through security, the vendors and back to madsā signing desk. it was 4:01 when i arrived and i was winded, standing there holding it at my chest, waiting to be noticed, unsure if i was too late. iām pretty sure mads made eye contact with me then the group noticed another guy walking up behind me with a walker, and the nice lady from the autographs spoke with me while another spoke with them. she asked me if i wanted the art signed and i shook my head, trying to breathe, and said no, i just want to give it to mads, so she got permission for me as long as i kept it short and sweet and ushered me back to his table. the crew must not have realized i was trying to breathe, and thought i was scared again. one told me not to be scared or anxious, and i said, iām not scared. i just ran 5 blocks outside, which while hyperbole, felt true to my lungs. i waited my turn and gave him the art, to which he smiled softly and said āit looks like my wife.ā i think i said it was, then i thanked him for making my birthday wonderful. he did not respond. he was too busy looking at my art, then he looked up, smiled more genuinely, and thanked me while offering me his hand to shake. i think heās left handed, because when i looked down at our hands, i saw mine had graphite on it****. i smiled and i think i nodded but i canāt be sure that i gave a verbal response. then, finally, i walked away.
(image 3) top left corner says āmads og hanne er sĆøde sammenā which should mean they are cute together, and to the right of the dog is itās name from what i can tell: āmessiā
real photo of me trudging away:
ignore that other dude
