The Poster Memorabilia blog

A Journey to the Highlands for an Autograph

One transatlantic flight, one Edinburgh convention, and the Highlander at last.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

Anybody remember Highlander? That action-fantasy movie from the 1980s? I feel like I'm one of only a handful of people who've actually seen it, much less remember it. But I'm sure once Henry Cavill's planned reboot takes off, more will look back on it like I do. And for that, I'm ready.

The movie starred Christopher Lambert, a name many have likely forgotten but an iconic one nevertheless. He was the quintessential fantasy action star in the 80s and 90s. Not necessarily a box office draw, but a trusty leading man for the era's most imaginative filmmakers. Beyond the Highlander film series, he also starred in Mortal Kombat, Fortress, and most famously, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes.

Though he has continued working over the years and remains active today, he hasn't led many mainstream projects in the US. He became more of a guest star in TV series or starred in TV films and mini-series in other countries. Over time, audiences forgot his fantasy hits from back then, and his name fell into obscurity.

Fortunately for him, he still had fans like me who followed him wherever he went. And I mean that literally!

Lambert rarely stepped out in public, but he did show up at a few conventions here and there. The only thing was that none of them were in the US. Many were in Europe, where he stayed more active after the 90s.

“I met the Highlander in the Highlands.”

Frustrated that he never appeared at San Diego Comic-Con, I bought a ticket to Comic Con Scotland in October 2019 and met him there. It was billed as his first ever Scottish convention appearance, which felt like the kind of thing I couldn't miss. I'd always wanted to go anyway, and I figured this would be the perfect reason to finally check it off my bucket list.

When I got there, I was really surprised at how far American pop culture has spread around the world. I never would've thought that movies like Highlander had many fans in Scotland. They weren't huge crowds or anything, but they were still pretty sizable. And the crowd got loud enough when Lambert appeared on stage.

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After years of watching Highlander again and again, as well as hoping he'd appear at any convention in the US, I finally met him at the Royal Highland Centre outside Edinburgh. I met the Highlander in the Highlands. Or at least, at something called the Royal Highland Centre. I can't help but feel like fate planned it.

He was more sophisticated in person, likely because of his French upbringing and years of working in Europe. He looked grateful that his movies still had a lot of fans, and I'm sure seeing my Highlander poster choked him up a bit. Well, that’s just my wishful thinking.

What I can say for sure is that he's a nice man who was very accommodating to fans. He met everyone sincerely, shook hands, hugged people, took selfies, and, of course, gave out autographs. He did everything the fans asked, and to our credit, none of us asked for anything weird or creepy.

I hope that my asking him to sign my Highlander poster showed him that he and the movie still had a significant fan base in the US. Though he hasn't appeared at any American convention since then, it's not too late yet.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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