This upcoming weekend, we will make our way to the capital of Belgium for the very first edition of Heroes Comic Con Belgium. This new event  (from the same organisation that brings us FACTS, Heroes Dutch Comic Con & Heroes Made in Asia) will take place in the weekend of 24&25 September 2022 in Brussels Expo. We are super excited that we get to go to this new event and of course excited is an understatement! What makes it even more fun is the fact that a ticket for Heroes Comic Con also serves as a ticket for Heroes Made is Asia (an event for fans of the Asian pop culture), which will take place alongside Heroes Comic Con at the same time and place!!! Before we tell you, where to get the tickets for the event, we will take a look at the amazing list of movie and TV guests for Heroes Comic Con Belgium. So sit back, relax and read all about your heroes!

Alyssa Jayne Milano was born December 19, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York (United States) as the daughter of Thomas M. Milano (a film music editor) and Lin Milano (a fashion designer and talent manager). Alyssa grew up in Staten Island and was always surrounded by elements of showbiz (due to the profession of her parents).knew she wanted to become an actress from a very young age. One day (she was seven years old) her babysitter (who was a dancer) dragged Alyssa with her to an open audition for a national touring theater production of "Annie". Totally unexpected, Alyssa was chosen out of 1500 other contestants, when she was offered the role of July (one of the orphans). As her parents didn't know that the babysitter took her to the audition, they had to give permission and were wary to do so. But little Alyssa wasn't one to give up on her dream and she did not give in that easy. As a result she and her mother were on the road for 18 months and from that moment on Alyssa knew she wanted to be a star...

In the late 80s, she appeared in teen movies, like: "Crash Course" (1988, as Vanessa Crawford) and "Dance 'till Dawn" (1988, as Shelley Sheridan). Alyssa also produced a workout video, called "Teen Steam". In 1992, "Who's the Boss" came to an end and Alyssa achieved critical acclaim for her role in the independent movie "Where the Day Takes You". In this film, which focuses on a group of homeless teenagers, Alyssa plays the role of teenage prostitute Kimmy. In the years following Alyssa tried her best to shed the image of teen idol, fearing forever being typecast. In 1997 and 1998, Alyssa returned to television with her role of Jennifer Mancini in "Melrose Place". Not long after that she made a comeback to the spotlights with her role as Phoebe Halliwell in the very popular TV show "Charmed". She played this role for 8 seasons from 1998 until 2006.

 In the early 2000s Alyssa spent a couple of months in South Africa and that made her change her look on life. She was deeply moved by the poverty she saw there and decided to take up an offer to become a national ambassador for UNICEF and in 2004 she made her first official UNICEF trip to Angola. Over the last decades Alyssa has proved to be a jack of all trades, combining her acting career with her ambassadorship, a writing career and a very active social media life. Over the years she kept on acting and appeared in mostly TV series, like: "My Name is Earl" (2007-2008, as Billie Cunningham), "Romantically Challenged" (2010-2011, as Rebecca Thomas), Mistresses (2013-2014, as Savannah Davis), "Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later" (2017, as Renata) and "Insatiable"(2017-2018, as Coralee Armstrong). Most recently she played the role of Grace in the movie "Brazen" (2022). In June 2022 it was announced that Alyssa Milano will reprise her role as Samantha in the upcoming reboot of "Who is the Boss". We can't wait!

Prices:

 

Photo op: €70 

Selfies: €70

Autograph: €60

Combo autograph & selfie: €120

Q&A: free 

 

Times:

 

Photo op: 

Saturday: 11:00-11:45 (location not yet available)

Saturday: 14:00-14:45 (Photo-booth 1) (SOLD OUT)

Sunday: 12:00-12:45 (Photo-booth 2)

Sunday: 16:45-17:30 (location not yet available)

 

Autographs: 

Saturday: all day (except during photo ops, meet&greets and lunch breaks)

Sunday: all day (except during photo ops, meet&greets and lunch breaks)

 

Q&A:

Saturday: 16:00-16:30 (Q&A stage)

Sunday: 15:00-15:30 (Q&A stage)

Andrew Clement Serkis was born on 20 April 1964 in Ruislip, London (United Kingdom) as the son of Clement Serkis and Lylie Weech. His father was an Iraqi-Armenian gynaecologist and his mother (half Iraqi and half English) was a teacher for disabled children. As his father had to go abroad for work in the Middle East a lot, Andy (and his four siblings) were raised in Britain and went on holidays in Bagdad (Iraq) and other cities in the Middle East. 

 

Serkis attended St. Benedict's School in Ealingin London and went on to study visual arts and theatre as part of his degree at Lancaster University. During his time at the University, Andy made his acting debut in "Gotcha" ( a play by Barrie Keeffe) and discovered his passion for acting. In his last year at the university, he starred in a one-man-show of his adaptation of the graphic novel "The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman" by Raymond Briggs. This to great acclaim. During this time he also joined the backstage team at Duke's Playhouse (a theatre in Lancashire) to earn his Equity card (trade union for the British entertainment industry). Serkis graduated in 1985 and joined the Playhouse as an actor. Under the director Jonathan Petherbridge he spent approximately 18 months acting in a wide range of productions. He gained his Equity card and  started doing touring productions. He got his first major theatre role in 1989 in "Macbeth", before settling in London in the early 90s. In 1990 Serkis delivered a breathtaking performance, playing the Fool, in Shakespeare's "King Lear". During this decade Andy started to combine his work on stage with work for television and movies. 

Andy's big worldwide break came when he took on the role of Sméagol/Gollum in the movie adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy (2001-2003). He provided the voice and motion capture for the CGI character and did such a good job that a lot of critics stated that Serkis should have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 2005, he played the role of Kong in Peter Jackson's "King Kong" and he also played the real life role of the ship's cook Lumpy in the movie. In 2006, he voiced the character of Spike in "Flushed Away" and he also played the role of Alley in "The Prestige". Also in 2006, Andy takes on the role of serial killer Ian Brady in the BAFTA nominated British crime movie "Longford". In 2008, he played the role of Rigaud in the BBC series "Little Dorrit".  In 2010, he played the role of new wave singer Ian Dury in "Sex & Drugs & Rock&Roll".

In 2011, Serkis reunited with Peter Jackson for a third time, when he takes on the voice role of Captain Haddock in Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn" (produced by Jackson). It was also in 2011, that Andy first gave shape to Ceasar (the leader of the apes) in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". This was the first of a trilogy and Andy reprosed this role in the two sequels: "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" (2014) and "War for the Planet of the Apes" (2017). In 2012, Andy returned to his most iconic character when he reprised his role as Gollem/Sméagol in the Peter Jackson movie "The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey". In 2015, Serkis entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the role of underground criminal Ulysses Klaue

From the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Andy went to a galaxy far, far away in 2015. He takes on the role of Supreme Leader Snoke in the new Star Wars trilogy: "Star Wars - Episode VII: The Force Awakens" (2015), "Star Wars - Episode VIII: The Last Jedi" (2017) and "Star Wars - Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker" (2019). From 2020 to 2022 Andy keeps on playing roles in popular movies and series, like: "Letter to the King" (2020, as Mayor of Mistrinaut) and "The Batman" (2022, as Alfred Pennyworth). Besides his work in acting, Andy is also a writer, producer and director (he directed "Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage"). The overview above is a sumup of his most famous work, but it is far from everything. Just check out Andy's IMDb page for an overview of all of his work....you'll be amazed.

In 2016, a series about a bunch of kids in the fictional town of Hawkins, Illinois took the world by storm. And now 6 years later the show is still running and even gains in popularity. I am talking about "Stranger Things and one of the 'kids' is making his way to Brussels for Heroes Comic Con Belgium. Yes, that's right none other than Caleb McLaughlin (who plays the role of Lucas Sinclair) is coming to Brussels and we are so excited about that!

He also developed an interest in acting and joined the Harlem School of Arts to get training in the Performing Arts, where he was trained under Aubrey Lynch. Caleb got his first starring role as Young Simba in the Broadway production of "The Lion King" (2010-2012). Because he wanted to take both his studies and his acting serious, Caleb started to study online and he concluded his studies in 2016. From 2012 until 2016, Caleb had some small roles in TV shows and (short) films, but in 2016 he gets the role of a lifetime, when he is cast as Lucas Sinclair in a new Netflix show called "Stranger Things". The show is an immediate and overwhelming success and Caleb is instantly famous. At the moment the whole world is waiting for a release date for the 5th (and probably last) season of the show. Over the last couple of years, Caleb played main roles in two feature films. In "High Flying Bird", a 2019 sports drama directed by Steven Soderbergh, he plays the role of Darius. In the 2020 drama "Concrete Cowboy" he plays the role of Cole opposite Idris Elba. In 2021 Caleb plays the role of Trevor Johnson in "Ultra City Smiths" and there is even more to come...

The next guest on the list, is a guest we already met some years ago and it's so cool to get the chance to see him again this weekend.

You might know him from fighting zombies or maybe you know him as Newt Scamander's side -kick....Wherever you know him from..this guy has played in some amazing movies and series. We are of course talking about none other than Dan Fogler!!!

Daniel Kevin Fogler was born on the 20th of October 1976 in Brooklyn, New York (United States). He was the second child of Shari Fogler (an English teacher) and Richard Fogler ( a surgeon). Dan has one older brother named Jason. He went to elementary school at the Windmill Montessori School in Brooklyn, New York and continued his education at Poly Prep Country Day School also in Brooklyn. He graduated in 1994 and moved to Boston, New England to attend the School of Theater at Boston University. 

2016 is the year of Dan's big break, when he steps into J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World and takes on the role of Jacob Kowalski in "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them". In the following years he will step into Jacob's shoes for two sequels, being: "Fantastic Beasts and The Crimes of Grindelwald" (2018) and "Fantastic Beasts and The Secrets of Dumbledore" (2022). The movies serve as a prequel to the "Harry Potter" movies. In 2018, Dan joins the cast of "The Walking Dead" for the recurring role of Luke. Most recently, he took on the role of Francis Ford Coppola in the TV show "The Offer".

Besides the wonderful actor that he is, Dan is also a comic book artist. He has a comic book business called Fogler's Fictions, where you can buy all of his comics. Oh and by the way: did we already tell you that Dan is also a gifted sculptor and singer?

This next guest is an actress we already saw at Manchester Comic Con earlier this year. She appeared in a lot of TV shows and I'm almost sure you at least saw her once in a show you watched. I am talking about Emily Swallow  and she will be making her way to Brussels!

Emily Swallow was born on December 18, 1979 In Washington D.C. (U.S.). Although she was born in Washington, she grew up in Sterling (Virginia) and Jacksonville (Florida). Her parents (Jo and Gary) were both amateur musicians and they raised Emily with a love for all sorts of arts.

Emily recalls she started performing at a young age. She sang in the church choir and made music videos with her cousins and friends. Singing, however was not her true passion, although she loved performing. Emily went to Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville and during her time there she started acting in various college and amateur productions. 

Subsequently Emily went the University of Virginia, which had a very good drama department. Even though she did not major in drama  (she majored in Middle Eastern studies and foreign affairs), she was heavily involved in the drama department, by doing plays and taking acting classes. At one point during her time at university, Emily decided that she did not want to work in the field she was majoring in, she wanted to become an actress. So while studying about the middle east and foreign affairs, she would spent a lot of time acting and at one point in her last year, one of her acting teachers advised her to pursue acting as a career and he encouraged her to look for some graduate acting programs. So after she graduated with a BA in Middle Eastern Studies and Foreign Affairs in 2001, Emily decided to audition at a bunch of different schools. Eventually she studied for an MFA from Tisch School of Arts at New York University. Emily started her career on Broadway, where she acted in plays like: "King Lear". "The Taming of the Shrew", "High Fidelity" and many more. After some small roles in TV shows, Emily made her film debut in the drama film "The Lucky Ones" (as Brandi). In 2009 and 2010 she plays the recurring role of Dina Clarke in the crime drama show "Southland" and in 2013 she plays the role of Dr. Michelle Robidaux in 10 episodes of the medical drama "Monday Mornings". In 2013 and 2014, Emily takes on the role of Kim Fischer in season 6 of "The Mentalist".

In 2015, she joined the cast of "Supernatural" for the eleventh season. Emily plays the role of Amara from 2015 until 2020. In 2016, she makes an appearance in "How To Get Away With Murder" (as Lisa Cameron) and "Adoptable" (as Lisa Crane). Emily also does some voice work and does the voice of Lisa Tepes in the animation series "Castlevania". 2019 is a big year for Emily, when she enters the "Star Wars" universe, with the role of The Armorer in "The Mandalorian" and later in "The Book of Boba Fett". Emily has been a fan of "Star Wars" for most of her life. In interviews, she talks about Leia being her favorite and having Ewok adventures in the backyard. So her role as The Armorer is a real dream come true! Besides this, Emily also played the role of Natalie Pierce in 15 episodes of "SEAL Team" from 2019 to 2021.

Get on your feet, because this Saturday Brussels Expo will be the place to be for a "royal visit". You may know him as Prince Philip in "The Crown", as Prince Daemon in "House of the Dragon" or as the eleventh doctor in "Doctor Who", a role that instantly made him British acting royalty. Yes that's right Mr. Matt Smith is coming to Heroes Comic Con Belgium this Saturday.

Matthew Robert Smith was born on October 28, 1982 in Northampton, England (U.K.). Matt has an older sister named Laura Jayne Smith, who is also an actress. When Matt was young he didn't

 thought that Matt was a great actor.. In later interviews Smith stated that he found acting 'a bit girly' at that time. A drama teacher signed him in the play "Twelve Angry Men". Although Smith did not know anything about it, he reluctantly agreed to play the role. He still had difficulty letting go his dream to be a football player at this time, but was persuaded to join the National Youth Theater in London. After leaving school, Smith studied Drama and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia in Norwich and he graduated in 2005. His work at the Youth Theater led to Smith earning an agent and his first professional jobs during his last year at the University. Matt's first major TV role came a year or two after his graduation, when he landed a main role in the drama  "Party Animals" as Danny Foster. Smith's big breakthrough came  when he was announced as the Eleventh Doctor in "Doctor Who" in 2009. Smith auditioned on the first day of a three week long audition period. After these three weeks, the makers decided "it had always been Matt" and approached him for the role. Smith was relatively unknown to the big public when he was announced to be the next 'Doctor' at age 26. He made his debut on the show in April 2010. In 2014, Peter Capaldi succeeded Matt as the Twelfth Doctor. But Matt keeps on appearing within the "Doctor Who" franchise in the years that follow. 

 In 2015, Matt lands the role of Alex in "Terminator Genisys" (which serves as a reboot for the "Terminator" franchise). 2016 brings another huge role for Matt, when he lands the role of Prince Philip in "The Crown". He plays the role for two seasons in which grows out to be one of the most popular shows on Netflix. He gets a lot of critical acclaim and even lands an Emmy nomination for his role as the Duke of Edinburgh. In the years that follow Matt keeps on making an even bigger name for himself and in 2021 he plays the role of Jack in the critically acclaimed horror movie "Last Night in Soho". In 2022, he plays the role of Milo opposite Jared Leto in "Morbius". At the moment Matt plays the role of Daemon Targaryan in "House of the Dragon" (which serves as a prequel to "Game of Thrones") and he does an amazing job. We are so happy that Matt persevered in acting, because he already had some amazing roles and we are sure that there are many more to come!

Last year at FACTS we met the amazing Rick Hoffman, who is mostly known for his role as Louis Litt in legal drama "Suits". When thinking about "Suits" most people say Harvey&Mike, but for for us there is only one power coupe in that show and that is "Louis&Donna". You can imagine our happiness, when Sarah Rafferty (who plays the role of Donna) was announced for Heroes Comic Con Belgium!

Sarah Gray Rafferty was born on December 6th 1972 in New Canaan, Connecticut (US) as the fourth and youngest daughter of Michael Griffin Rafferty Jr and Mary Lee Rafferty. She spent her childhood in New Canaan and knew she wanted to become an actress from a very young age. She credits her parents for stimulating her love for the arts during her childhood and beyond. There was a creative atmosphere in the Rafferty house, with her father being an avid painter (next to his job as a financer). Sarah's mother was an English teacher at a private school. 

Her professional acting career came of the ground with the role of Sarah in the movie "Trinity" (1998). In the following years, Sarah made a lot of appearances on TV shows and in movies, like: "Walker Texas Ranger", "Six Feet Under", "Law&Order", "The Practice" and "CSI: Miami". She also played the role of Dr. Casey Matthews  in 3 episodes of the TV show "Tremors". Furthermore she appeared in shows, like: "Charmed", "CSI", "8 Simple Rules", "Samantha Who?", "Numb3rs", "Bones" and a lot more, but they were all secondary and episodic roles. In 2011, Sarah finally got her big break, when she landed the role of the all knowing secretary Donna Paulsen in the legal drama "Suits", which grew out to be a huge hit. Sarah played the role of Donna over 134 episodes from 2011 until 2019. She also played the role in 7 webisodes of "Suits". After her time on "Suits", Sarah lands a 3-episode role in "Grey's Anatomy" as Suzanne Britland (2020). In 2021-2022 she joined the cast of the popular "Chicago Med" with her role as Dr. Pamela Blake...