Pandemonium Con 1 – Matt Panel
Just like Matthew’s thought process, this is in no particular order and with no semblance of structure… enjoy!
Fan: We were hoping you could settle a discussion for us.
Matt: (gleeful) Start a discussion??
Fan: No, settle one.
Matt: Ok, let’s hear it. (laughs) I mean, you are asking the wrong person
Fan: Well, it is about Alec so you should be ok.
Matt: Okay, let’s see!
Fan: In the scene where they are closing the rift, and the demon swoops in, and Alec goes running back to Magnus. There’s a discussion as to why he does it… Some people claim it’s to get help. Some people claim it’s to protect Magnus.
Matt: Well, well, well, well, well…
Fan: And you better give the right answer.
Matt: Well… Now let’s get into a little discussion here first. And that’s about the nature of right and wrong. There are right answers to certain questions. Obviously truth does exist. And in this reality that we are looking at we’re going to say that there is a kind of truth and that truth was written down. So there was a written down truth in the script, that described why he was running back.
But is what is written down by the script really what is true. That depends on your nature. Or your understanding. Or your belief. In how important the script is in defining truth.
Because we can just arbitrarily apply truth to whatever we want and say that the reason he went over was actually because the previous day Magnus had said that he had cooked burgers and they were really tasty and Alec was like ‘You know what, I’m starving in this moment, I’ll deal with that in a minute. I’m gonna go and get a burger and then come back with a full stomach.’ And that’s whatever you want to make of it. So I think either answer works for you, if that’s the answer you like it to be.
And I’m not going to settle your discussion. I think it’s good you have a discussion going. I think you should argue until the end of time.
Fan: But will you agree with me on one point?
Matt: I will agree with you on any point you want
Mod: Sorry to interrupt, but they can’t hear you at the back
Matt: (shouting) I can just yell!
Mod gives Matt a new microphone to test
Matt: hello? Hello. Hello! I’m saying things that are so important!
Mod gives Matt another microphone
Matt: Testing. Testing. Can you hear in the back? That’s a Yes! So….
You want me to agree with something. Tell me what it is?
Fan: Would you say that Alec Lightwood is the kind of character who wants to protect others?
Matt: Are you going to use this, to then prove your point? (laughter) I would say that Alec Lightwood as a character both is interested in helping others and protecting them, and is interested in seeking help in the protection of others… (laughter)
Mod: Sorry to interrupt. Anyone who’s got a trio photo, go now! Trio photo, go now!
Matt: Trio photo with..? With..?
Mod: I don’t know who it’s with Matt, don’t put me on the spot
Matt: Two other humans… probably Isaiah…
Moderator tries to encourage people to leave. No one is leaving. Fan points out it’s because Matt is here. Moderator tries to explain that people have to leave, because they will miss their photos, if they don’t go now. Matt unhelpfully rambles nonsense in the background.
Fan: Imagine Jace was not your parabatai
Matt: Done!
Fan: Would you chose him to be your parabatai or would you chose someone else?
Matt: Okay, wait. Under these circumstances we are describing a situation in which Alec Lightwood does not have a parabatai, yet he is the age that he is at the start of the series, and he must chose a parabatai, who does he choose?
Fan: Yes
Matt: No. It doesn’t make sense. The question doesn’t work, because it’s ridiculous. If he’s spending all that time with Jace under the same exact conditions as though that Jace was his parabatai he would chose Jace as his parabatai and he would wonder why he hadn’t done it 10 years before and given a situation in which he does not know Jace then he wouldn’t even know how to choose Jace as his parabatai and at the same time you could say that a parabatai is sort of something that we assume upon birth, at the beginning, it’s inevitable that it would happen and I am sure that at some place, some way its possible that at one point Alec said good God I wish he wasn’t my parabatai and then he would have forgotten about it just minutes later. So Jace is the only option unfortunately just as Magnus is.
Fan: What about Clary?
Matt: What is happening??
(laughter)
Fan: Imagine Magnus has to transfer to Greenwich..
Matt: Greenwich Connecticut?
Fan: Greenwich…
Matt: Greenwich village?
Fan: The one that Asmodeus says…
Matt: Oooooh, London! Not Connecticut. He’s not trying to hide his taxes by moving out of New York City and moving to Connecticut, where they have a lower tax rate. Okay. Continue.
Fan: First. Would you let him go or would you want him to stay?
Matt: Ok, I’ve thought about this a few times. Here’s something… first of all…
Okay. What is the concept of time and distance…
(Audience groans)
…to a warlock, who can create a portal any time he wants and all of you can ‘uuuuuugh’ all you want, it sounds like I’m back at home. But the reality is that what he would do with his house is that he simply put a portal in the middle of it. So when he comes home, we just walk back and forth. In fact the kitchen can be cut in half for all I care. He can wander between. Half of it is in London, half of it is—
Fan: Magnus doesn’t have magic anymore.
Matt: Oh, you mean when he doesn’t have… oh… right.. oh…
(laughter)
Matt: Well, he’s going to have to get on a plane and do the long distance travel thing. It’s only a 6 hour flight. And I think that one of the best versions of growing you can do in a relationship especially early on is to work with that distance. It provides you a lot of ways to connect emotionally. It teaches you certain skills.
At the same time, no! that’s ridiculous! You want Magnus to live by himself in London? Where is Alec this whole time? He’s living in Idris? In New York? What are you trying to separate them? You can’t keep them apart! Ridiculous! Not happening, not going to work.
Fan: What if Magnus really wants to go?
Matt: Throw a temper tantrum? I don’t know. He’s going to have to get on a plane!
Fan: You’re going every week?
Matt: Of course you fly every week. It’s ridiculous. He has to get on a plane. It’s not the end of the world! It’s not like he’s… going to… Edom or something.
(OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH)
Fan: So what if he did go, what surprises would you do to keep connecting with him?
Matt: Okay, so… I think what we’re looking at… Is this happening to you right now? And you’re looking for advice?
(laughter)
Matt: I would recommend Skype. Daily phone calls. Texts. Maybe a nice little random Amazon order that gets delivered to them. Maybe one night you order a food delivery directly to their house. Little sweet nothings. Little reading books together. What did you read? What chapter did you read? What show are you watching. Delightful little things like that. That will work for you!
Fan: Who’s your favourite member of Queen? And my second question is… Alec shoots at very short ranges which I think is very inefficient, so why… why do that?
Matt: Right, a two part question. The two parts are completely unrelated but I’m going to combine them! Freddy Mercury is my favourite member of Queen and I think there’s an obvious reason to that. Whether or not the other members of Queen want to admit it, Freddy was the heart and soul, the thing that we all loved about the band, he was the performer, he was the face… Alec Lightwood (Matt pauses. Everyone laughs) is a performer. He is the face… of… the… New York institute.
He’s not going to go running around without his signature item. Just as Freddy has his voice and has his moves, Alec Lightwood has his bow and his stubbornness. And if you combine the stubbornness with the possession and use of a bow, you may end up using a bow in short range combat.
Fan: But he-
Matt: Da Da Da Da (shushing her. Everyone laughs.) Is it inefficient? Yes of course it is! Does it make no sense? of course it doesn’t! But there’s really a million other things that I could point to, that Alec does that make no sense because he is stubborn. He’s going to continue using that damn bow at very short ranges, he’s going to fire it from three, four, five feet away, it doesn’t matter. He’s not going to pull out that sword because he’s not carrying it anymore. Because why is he going to carry something, that Jace is using? (laughter) The bow is his! It’s his and there is no arguing with that. That’s the end! That’s the end of!
Fan: Wouldn’t it be better to take it and hit the demon with it, if it’s that close?
Matt: Nah.
Fan: Todd teased that there would be a Malec dance scene. Can you say anything about it?
Matt: Who? Who teased this? Todd teased that there would be a Malec dance scene? Ridiculous!
What kind of lies are being spread online? I can think of so many… A dance scene between Alec and Magnus. Ludicrous. Nonsense. How could it even work? How could I? Me? The person who plays Alec possibly dance with Harry, the person who plays Magnus, and not look like a complete buffoon? How would I tolerate this? How would you tolerate this? It would be like watching… like watching.. the… what’s an example of someone at the top of their game? It’s like watching LeBron James play basketball against a two year old. Would it be funny? It would be hilarious. But you would also need to avert your eyes at times…
I think sometimes… lies have a little truth. We’ll see.
Fan: Throughout season 1 we always see Alec bottling his emotions and putting others first and we see this carry through the seasons. Why?
Matt: Why does it carry through? Because people don’t just change all of a sudden. I think underlying qualities, values, things like that that you’ve established over a long period of time is not something you just change over night. Really it’s only been a few months. He needs a lot more time before he gets better at sharing his emotions properly in a healthy manner. It’ll probably take another few years. You see little spots of it. But at least now he can have the discussion. People can be like ‘hey, you’re not being emotionally healthy here’ and he’ll be like ‘Fine!’, whereas in the past he would have been like ‘No!’
It’s improvement, but it’s ongoing. As all things are. Your health improves gradually, not over night, especially with something as complex as emotions I think.
Fan: When you were studying, did you think about becoming an actor?
Matt: No.. I think.. it’s… how many of you have jobs?
(people raise hands)
Matt: All of us, right? Right. And all of us have these jobs because we chose to do them, because we love what we are doing so much, right? Obviously, if you’re not laughing, you can tell, that’s not why. We sometimes get jobs, if we are very lucky, that we really like to do. Other times we do jobs because they’re a career and it’s a possible thing that you like to do or something that you tolerate. In the case of economics, I like economics, I liked studying… In this case, actually, I was largely studying finance, which as a title has more application in the real world, especially in New York but that career was not something I was interested in doing long term because… it didn’t provide a livelihood. Economic research would have been more interesting to me but again, not really a livelihood but also was not really what I was in love with doing. Once I realised that acting is what I love doing, it became obvious that this was the only choice, even if it meant I had to work other jobs, that I didn’t want to work, in the meantime.
(Mod interrupts to announce Will photos)
Fan: This question will have an actual answer…
(laughter)
Matt: Let’s see. Let’s try our hardest.
Fan: What do fish never look?
Matt: Fish never look what?
(Matt is confused. Eventually works out if was about his two week memory spiel the day before)
Matt: The answer I gave yesterday was… fish never look…. Sad?
Fan: Unhappy
Matt: Unhappy! So there’s a little lesson, isn’t it? Because sad and unhappy are two different things, right? So really if I said that they never look unhappy yesterday, I think I changed my mind. I think they never look sad. I think some of them look unhappy. Especially the ones with those little weird faces.
But I would disagree, I was just doing this for Dom’s benefit because honestly I think he looks like a fish. So yeah. Dom looks like a fish. Ask me tomorrow, if I remember what I think Dom looks like and the answer might be a horse. I don’t know. I’m just going day by day here now. You’re right, two weeks is too long. It’s really an hour. Things are better that way. That way I don’t regret anything from the last 25 minutes!
Fan: My question for you is regarding the Malec relationship
Matt: Understood!
Fan: Obviously we hope for more seasons, but if we don’t get them, where would you like to see Magnus and Alec at the end of it all? Married with kids?
Matt: Oh, this is such a common question..
Fan: Sorry!
Matt: Not in a negative way. It’s a common question but I never really have an answer that I can settle on because I think sometimes what’s difficult is to say ‘what do I want with my life? What is the thing that I want in the end?’
Do I want a million grandchildren and a little farm somewhere and they come and visit me every Christmas and I get them little presents and I have a dog and his name is Jim and that’s so funny, because Jim isn’t a name for a dog!
Or maybe I want something entirely different and have no kids and live on a rock somewhere on the side of a mountain I have no idea! So what I want for Magnus and Alec is really just that they are doing the thing that they wanna do most and that they are happiest but I’m not really sure what that is. And if you have the answer, please tell me! If you know the answer for what will make people happiest in the long run, I would like you to write a book! And then sell it to all of us. Because if you nail it, if you have the answer… a lot of us are going to want to buy that book.
So… whatever makes them happiest which I think is… I don’t know.
You guys tell me. Go on twitter and write what you think will make them happiest. Instead what you’re going to write is ‘Matt said that he doesn’t want them to be happy. He was talking about happy something… I don’t know, I wasn’t listening. He said Magnus and Alec should never be happy! Now you’re going to put that, aren’t you! You’re just writing that in quotes and somebody will say ‘what do you mean??’ and even now, even as I’m saying this, you’re going to pretend I didn’t make a joke about it and it’s going to start a thing… this is why I don’t go on twitter.
Fan: I was going to ask a question about 3b but I’m not sure you can answer them
Matt: I can try
(laughter)
Fan: So instead I just wanted to say a massive massive thank you for everything you’ve done. You’ve done so much and I’m sure I speak for everyone here when I say that you were the best damn Alec we could have asked for and we are going to miss you. Thank you so much.
I was going to ask for a hug but I’m scared I’m going to get told off but… can I have a hug?
Matt: Yes, because I didn’t spend any time answering your question.
Matt steps down from stage, Mod steps in, but Matt goes to hug fan, anyway.
Matt: He gets one! Because I didn’t answer a question!
Their two microphones get too close and emit high pitch reverb
Matt: (jumping back) Get these away from each other!!
(back on stage)
Matt: That was very very sweet, thank you very much
Fan: Kiss, Marry, Kill – Harry, Dom and Kat
Matt: You’re asking me to play Kiss, Marry, Kill with my three very real, existing coworkers??
Okay, imagine such a question. You go to someone’s house… or their office let’s say! You go to their office and you say ‘oh you work here? Hi! Boss man right there, I know you don’t know me, this person right here, you work with, I’m going to play this game Kiss/Marry/Kill in front of the three of you.’ And you’re trying to work. You’re sitting… whatever it is you’re doing. Let’s say you’re sitting on a ledge where you go… maybe you’re an archaeologist and I say let’s play Kiss/Marry/Kill and the three of you sit next to each other and you have to spend a lot of time with each other over the next six months so you play the Kiss/Marry/Kill game and even though maybe there’s no truth to it and it’s complete nonsense maybe it nags at people. Maybe the one you chose to kill is sitting there late at night wondering ‘Oh my god are they going to kill me?’ The one that you chose to kiss is wondering ‘My god, do they really love me??’ and the one you chose to marry is sitting there thinking ‘Good god, how do I get out of this??? I really don’t want to…’
So this question sets me up for failure from the very get go. Even asking me… even me not answering puts me in a terrible spot because now they’re going to say ‘Why didn’t you just choose me to kiss? Why didn’t you just choose me to marry??’ and somebody else will be like ‘What? You didn’t want to answer because you’re thinking of killing me?!?’
So the question itself has already put me in a spot where I’m going to have to deal with three very sensible people that I want to kill!
So thank you
Mod: Guys, listen… (turns to Matt) You ok? Do you need a breather after that?
(Laughter. Matt is fine)
Fan: When does AU Alec learn that Magnus is a warlock?
Matt: Alternate Universe Alec actually.. (soft chuckle) Interesting fact about alternative universe Alec… There are actually only two… although there are many alternate universes, an infinite number, there’s actually only two Alecs. There’s one Alec, the one we all know and love from the majority of the episodes, and then there’s the Alec who is the version we saw in the alternative universe episode. All the other universes are only populated by those two Alecs which is what makes Alec so unusual in the multiverse. Quite an unusual quality. Super weird.
SO… Alec because of this sort of infinite set of knowledge, knows already that Magnus is in fact a warlock. So his little routine? His little cat and mouse game he was playing in that episode? (growly whisper) He knew.
(laughter)
And that was just his way of playing it coy, because he knew where he was going with that… Now, obviously the Alec from the other universe is sometimes a buffoon. But other alternate universe Alec. He knows what he’s doing…
(slightly confused silence)
Matt: Did that make any sense??
Fan goes past stage and reaches for a hug, Matt gets up to hug her
Mod: Just one second, sorry guys I –
Matt: Anyone who asks a good question gets a hug, it’s the bad question that don’t get anything
Mod: Two things. I know you all love him. I like him too. He’s pretty nice.
(Matt looks offended behind her back. Audience laughs. Matt pulls faces and pretends to leave)
Mod: So listen. He’s lovely. But just like before with Dom or whatever. If you all try and get a hug we will never ever end. And then I get complaints. And number two: photos with Will, go! I know you want to stay here with me, but you have to go! Right, continue, go!
Fan: Yesterday was Magnus’ birthday, right?
Matt: Yes..
Fan: If AU Alec is a party planner…
Matt: Yes…
Fan: What does he do for AU Magnus’ birthday?
Matt: An extravaganza!
(laughter)
Matt: Hang on, which universe Alec? Alternate Universe Alec? What’s the obsession with alternate universe Alec? He’s not the Alec you know and love! I’ve established there are two kinds. There’s the alternate universe Alec who exists in all dimensions and alternate universes simultaneously as sort of a cross verse monster. Almost like an omnipresent God.
And then there’s the Alec we know and love who is a babbling buffoon and he would throw an extravaganza just as well! Why are you throwing him under the bus?
He would do a great job! What do you think Alec can’t plan a party? Alec can plan a party! It just might be a very sincere party. Maybe no costumes. Come dressed well! There’ll be 3 different kinds of alcohol served! There will be 4 kinds of hor d’oeuvres and they will be served for one hour!
No, he’s not that goal oriented. That’s ridiculous what I just said. It would be terrible! It’d be horrible! He’d throw it in a basement! And there would be (growly voice) no shirts allowed.
(laughter and whooping)
Matt: Yeah. Yeah. Does that answer your questions? Good.
Fan: You and Esther travel a lot. Is there anywhere you’ve not been you’d really love to go to?
Matt: Oh so many places! We have a list. And in reality you can’t spent all your time travelling, you have to work. Fortunately Shadowhunters allowed me time off between (seasons), where there was set work coming, so it wasn’t like I could do much else in that time off so I figured why not do the thing I couldn’t do when I was younger and wanted to do my whole life so that’s what we did. We travelled a lot.
I want to go to a lot of central Asia. Poland is on the list. We haven’t done all the countries in northern Europe, Scandinavia. There’s a lot of Latin America we gotta do down there. Other parts of Spain, Basque country.
(Someone yells Germany)
Matt: Germany is also a big one. (more yelling) We’ve done most of South East Asia, but we want to go back. New Zealand is on the list. We’re trying to get everywhere. As long as you have beer and food, we’re coming, because we’re going to drink it and eat it!
Right, who’s next?
Mod: That was a the last question
Matt: Was it??
Mod: You talk a lot Matt. You’re done, ok? We still love you, but we can’t have any more questions.
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