“What’s fascinating about that world is that you never see an unhappy person at a convention. They are always having a great time. I mean, they might be exhausted because it’s tiring, especially if you’re dressed up as Chewbacca or something like that, walking around in a boiling hot suit. But they love it. They absolutely love it.”
It comes during a break from filming the next season of Outlander, which McTavish said is an “out of body” experience returning to the same character after several years away.
“I put on the costume and it was the same costume, and I was sort of looking at myself and it was like I was looking at myself from very far away.”
Though if you are wanting to become an actor, McTavish said he would not actively encourage people to move into this career.
“As long as you really, truly want to do it, I would never stand in the way of anybody becoming an actor because I’ve had a wonderful time doing it, and I still enjoy it.
“I wouldn’t particularly encourage people to become actors. I wouldn’t say, ‘Hey, there’s a shortage of actors, we need more’, because there just isn’t. They’re everywhere. Especially if you go to LA - it’s like every person, third person you meet is an actor.”
Listen to the whole podcast above or more on McTavish’s time filming Outlander, The Hobbit and House of the Dragon, his life in New Zealand, and other tips for actors.
• Ask Me Anything is a NZ Herald podcast, hosted by Paula Bennett. New episodes are out every Sunday.
• You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
