SALT LAKE CITY — An actor who you may know for his work as "Gimli" in Lord of the Rings and "Sallah" from Indiana Jones is thrilled to be in Salt Lake City for FanX.
John Rhys-Davies said he loves meeting fans who have changed his life for the better.
"I love coming to these fan conventions because I get to meet the people who have been paying my bills for the last 50-odd years," he said. "More than that, they have changed me as a person."
Rhys-Davies is best known for his work in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and in the Indiana Jones franchise.
He's also made appearances in other well-known TV shows including “The Justice League,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Once Upon a Time,” and “Star Trek: Voyager”.
The star will be appearing at the large convention hosted in downtown Salt Lake City this weekend, with photo opportunities every day of the event and autographs available for purchase.
"I think the most intelligent audience that I ever face tend to be the Lord of the Rings people," he explained. "They've either read that big thick book or they go to the movie and then turn around and read that big thick book."
Beyond the big screen, Rhys-Davies believes in the importance of his work to encourage youth to pursue careers in science.
"I meet wonderful young people, and I like to use these occasions because some of the things I have done have been science fiction, to encourage the youngsters who are interested in science. To think about a career in science."
He's seen his efforts to be a champion of science pay off with fans he meets.
"I've had people come back and say, 'thanks to you I studied astronomy at Cambridge,'" he remarked. "And that's very gratifying."
FanX is known for its professional-level costumes where fans and creatives can get together to enjoy a shared space of appreciation for movies, comics, TV shows, books and more.
"Anything that promotes the imagination and inventiveness should be really encouraged," Rhys-Davies believes.
He hopes he gets to see plenty of fans during his appearances in Salt Lake City, and is thrilled he gets to participate for another year at the convention.
"Fan conventions have changed me in this way, more and more I get to admire people, like people, and in the end love people," he reflected. "Which I would have never thought was the trajectory of my life."
