Vampires beware! The original Buffy The Vampire Slayer Kristy Swanson, who starred in the 1992 film, is bringing her stakes to the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo. She appears April 17th to the 19th and will be alongside her Buffy co-star, Luke Perry, for autographs and photos. The Calgary Expo marks the first time the two have appeared at a convention together. GayCalgary caught up with Swanson over the phone recently, who was excited to spend time with Luke and her fans for the weekend.

"I had lunch with Luke four months ago, but I think I hadn’t seen him for about two years before that. I see him here and there. I absolutely love and adore Luke; he has been a great friend for many years. Same with Jason Priestly – he is lovely and wonderful and I have loved being friends with him as well. I don’t know Ian as well, but I look forward to seeing him as well. It is totally going to be a throwback and a lot of fun, and hopefully nobody is wearing any ’90s clothes; we will be dressed modern.  Luke and I have never gone out together for this purpose. I am always up for new and different things so I am excited for it. To meet my fans and Luke’s fans and the Buffy fans is exciting."

The film’s cult classic status, combined with the passion for the subsequent TV version, means that Buffy has a special place in the hearts of many fans. Twenty-three years later fans still talk about the movie.

"It is totally impossible for me to know exactly why; I am not an expert in that field. There are certain films, not just Buffy, but many like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off or the Peewee Herman films that have become cult classics just because. They become very popular and a Friday night movie rental. For the TV series to have come and been so successful, that sort of made the movie have a bit of a rebirth in a way. I am very excited about it; I think it’s great and am excited to get out and see the fans."

Meeting fans is the highlight for Swanson, who said that her experiences have meant a lot to her.

"The highlight, for me, is just getting out and talking to people, and meeting them and taking pictures I really like doing that. Not for my ego – it pleases the person that wants to meet you, but it also pleases me that I touched their life in some sort of way in a performance I did. To be able to get feedback, or have people asking me questions, I am here to answer anything and am happy to so that is what I look forward to the most."

With a career dating back to the 1980s, and appearances in shows like Knot’s Landing and Psych, and films like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Hot Shots! and Dude Where’s My Car? Swanson has a long list of great roles to look back on. In 1995 she portrayed Kirsten, a student questioning her sexuality in the film Higher Learning. The film dealt with a lot of dark subject matter in the life of young people in the mid-90s. Swanson has played lesbian roles a few times, and has had no issue in doing so, but in 1995 it was a ground breaking role.

"I have played a lesbian a few times. I guess you are right; I hadn’t thought about that in a long time. I think that the movie Higher Learning was a very true and realistic take on many different issues that go on with young people back then and still today. It is pretty normal for teenagers or someone in their 20s to be curious. Some people know they are straight, some know they are gay, and some don’t know what they are. I think it is good that John Singleton exposed that side of sexuality in life and young people."

For fans of horror, Swanson is also present in the genre of scary animal movies. Dating back to Jaws through the recent Sharknado films, people are fascinated with sharks and films about them. Swanson has starred in two monster shark movies: 2003’s Red Water and 2011’s Swamp Shark.

"It is really ironic that I have done two shark movies. Snakes and spiders are up there too, but sharks are one of my biggest fears. I saw the movie Jaws at too young of an age and it messed with my head my entire life. The fact that I did these shark movies is really weird because I hate sharks, but am completely fascinated with them. I am the first one to be like hold on everybody; it’s shark week we’ve got to watch and DVR everything... It wasn’t the most comfortable thing for me to make those movies. There was a fear factor and a lot of the screaming and yelling that went on wasn’t very fake."

Swanson has taken on a different role since 2007: that of a mom to son Magnus.

"The acting came first, I am in my 37th year now in acting, which is just mind boggling to me that this much time has gone by. Now that I have played all those roles and was married to my career most of my life, Magnus came along, and that is the biggest role I have played in my life. There is no acting involved, but it is a huge role. I love it. He is an incredible kid who is understanding and loving about when I have to go away for a couple of weeks and shoot a movie. He likes to travel and come visit the set, and adapts and adjusts. He is cool about it. We Skype a lot. It is all about balance and we work it out. He is a really easy kid so I am very blessed."

The Expo is the first time that fans of Buffy can meet Kristy and Luke together; you do not want to miss out on this rare opportunity.

"Come out and meet us! We have some small Buffy posters that are easy to walk around with; we are going to sign those for you guys and take pictures with you, and tweet and Instagram and have fun!"

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Person Kristy Swanson |

Topic Angel | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Calgary Expo | Celebrity Interview |Comic Expo |