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Hi Maxwell: I have a question about something from your messages yesterday: you said you first heard about George because "I am a Harry Potter fan and learnt about him through there. He is a popular fancast for one of the fan-made characters." I'm not sure what is meant by the last sentence. Does George voice fancasts related to Harry Potter? Or have fans somehow made him a fantasy character in Harry Potter? (George at Hogwarts? ... now that would be fascinating.)

Also, since I think you are the only Kiwi I have ever "met," I have a question about NZ culture that I'd like to ask you, but it's not related to Wikipedia. I don't know if you'd be comfortable with a DM somehow. I'm not asking for your real identity, but if you have a throw-away google mail account or something like that without your name being included, perhaps we could use that. If you want, you can contact me for that on fjmh@pm.me and I'll send my question. But if not, that's really fine too, and I won't mind; thanks. Ballinacurra Weston ( talk) 13:51, 18 August 2021 (UTC)

... and I hope you don't mind my addressing you as a "Kiwi;" my Brit friends call me a Yank, and I don't mind, but if you'd rather that I drop the Kiwi, I will Ballinacurra Weston ( talk) 17:28, 18 August 2021 (UTC)

@ Ballinacurra Weston You are correct in saying the fans have made him a fantasy character. And you can ask the question here I do not mind. And I am happy being a Kiwi so no worries. Kind Regards Maxwell King ¹²³³²¹ 23:12, 18 August 2021 (UTC)

OK, my cultural question is about the Haka. In short, does the Māori community consider it to be cultural appropriation when non-Māori guys perform it? I've seen the Haka performed by your All Blacks, and I think it's a remarkable thing. I'm sensitive to cultural appropriation; I'm of 100% Northern European ancestry, but have two adopted kids who are ethnic Chinese, and who when growing up sometimes bluntly (and appropriately) reminded me of my white privilege. My question is not meant to reflect negatively on your country, which is a nation I greatly admire. But I've long wondered about the Haka and the native community. Native American people here would be greatly offended if non-natives performed their ceremonial dances, but I suspect the Haka has been adopted as a national symbol for NZ. Thanks for your thoughts on this. Ballinacurra Weston ( talk) 00:20, 19 August 2021 (UTC)

@ Ballinacurra Weston Hi, thanks for the question. It 100% would not be cultural appropriation because the Māori people have been through so much in our New Zealand history (not all good) that a white person participating in the Haka is rather a sign of respect and sincerity towards the Māori culture! America and New Zealand tend to have very different views on these sorts of things but I know here in New Zealand we treat white and Māori people the same and especially treat Māori culture with the greatest respect while also giving it the notoriety it never got when the Brits invaded in the 1800's! Have a great day! Maxwell King ¹²³³²¹ 06:10, 19 August 2021 (UTC)

Thanks. You are right, up here the Native cultures are not much treated with respect. I'm glad to hear that the view is different in NZ. Ballinacurra Weston ( talk) 08:37, 19 August 2021 (UTC)

as to redlinks in the MacKay article, please read the following from the gods at Wikipedia:

Removing link to non-existent article

Hi: some articles contain names or subjects that are red in color, because in the editing section they are surrounded by double brackets but in fact "link" to non-existent articles. When I find these, I remove the brackets but leave the rest of the sentence untouched. On occasion, the removal of these double brackets is reverted by others, despite there being no article to which to link. Is there a policy that these "ghost links" should remain in place even though they do not take the reader anywhere? Or, is it proper to remove the brackets when there is no article to which to link? Thanks. Ballinacurra Weston (talk) 21:29, 16 August 2021 (UTC)

   These are called "red links", and are covered in Wikipedia:Red link. Generally, if there is any plausible possibility of an article being developed, a red link should be retained.

   For example, in John Marshall Harlan II, there is a redlink to Ella Wendel. Wendel and her family were prominent real estate investors, akin to Donald Trump and his family. She merited an obituary in the New York Times, and her intestate death is covered in books, including textbooks. She likely is sufficiently notable to merit an article (the possibility is certainly plausible, to use the words of the guideline). A redlink like that should be maintained. TJRC (talk) 21:36, 16 August 2021 (UTC)

       As a practical matter, should an article names Ella Wendel be created, it would be very easy to search/find all matches of a person with that name even without a red link. For more ambiguously named topics, it's harder to say. Before removing a red link, I try to see if alternate topics/names can be found instead, for example the Spanish Federación Regional Española de la Internacional is a red link, whereas its translated name Spanish Regional Federation of the IWA is a blue link. ~ Shushugah (he/him • talk) 21:47, 16 August 2021 (UTC)

   @Ballinacurra Weston, redlinks are helpful to Wikipedia because they tell other editors, "This might be an article worth writing." Don't remove them unless you're convinced the subject isn't notable. —valereee (talk) 01:16, 17 August 2021 (UTC)

thanks all, I've learned my lesson Ballinacurra Weston (talk) 01:25, 17 August 2021 (UTC)

Maxwell: until the other day my attitude toward redlinks was just like yours ... I thought they were distracting and shouldn't be there. But, as you see from above, the sages overruled me (and now you) ... I think George is quite a good actor, but whether even his most rabid fans want to create articles about all his projects, who knows? Ballinacurra Weston ( talk) 01:58, 18 August 2021 (UTC)

@ Ballinacurra Weston I agree with you I think they are very distracting. If you think about it nobody really edits the page except us so no one would revert it. But it is completely up to you. Regards Maxwell King ¹²³³²¹ 02:03, 18 August 2021 (UTC)

Maxwell: Well, perhaps we should leave the redlinks there for a few months and see if anyone makes the effort to create new articles, and if not then roll them back. In contrast to American actors, whose filmography pages seem to have a pretty full set of links (for two random examples, see DiCaprio and Michael Keaton) I wonder if Brit actors care much about their Wiki bios. I'm not in the entertainment world, but through chance I once exchanged some pleasant emails with Tom Holland's father, Dominic, and in passing mentioned to him a few things that might be good to add to his son's Wiki page. He was polite about it, but I was surprised there didn't seem much interest in the Holland family about Tom's Wiki presence. Perhaps it depends on how far up the food chain an actor is ... Brits like Pattinson and Redmayne, e.g., have a pretty full set of links to their projects. GMac isn't yet at their level of notoriety. (My apologies if you are his agent or cousin or some such.) Ballinacurra Weston ( talk) 03:08, 18 August 2021 (UTC)

Ah, I just saw that you are a Kiwi, so probably not George's agent anyway. I live in America, but also have passports from the UK and Ireland, so I take an interest in British and Irish films. I'm not one to pay much attention to celebrities, but I do pay attention to GMac's page because I think he is a creative and imaginative actor with a bright future, and in interviews at least he comes across as quite articulate, thoughtful, and introspective ... more so than the typical actor ... and I suppose I admire him for staying in London and not moving to LA to make big bucks as a Marvel superhero or similar. So, I thinks he deserves a full and accurate page. And "1917" is one of my favorite films, in large part due to George's having nailed his role. (Like you, I'm addicted to Wiki-editing, although the vast majority of my stuff has to do with dry law-related pages since I'm a lawyer.) Cheers. Ballinacurra Weston ( talk) 03:27, 18 August 2021 (UTC)

@ Ballinacurra Weston Interesting, yea no I am a Harry Potter fan and learnt about him through there. He is a popular fancast for one of the fan-made characters. I thoroughly enjoyed "1917" and "How I Live Now". He is a great actor; and yea no I believe it is against Wikipedia policies to edit about things you are personally close to. Nice to meet you. :) Maxwell King ¹²³³²¹ 03:49, 18 August 2021 (UTC)

@ Ballinacurra Weston and Yes i agree we can keep it there for a few months and see what happens. I think he is famous but in terms of Wikipedia he does not have an "army" of fans editing his page as you may see on Tom Holland or Nicki Minaj. Hopefully he does do a Marvel movie as he deserves more notoriety. Food for thought! Maxwell King ¹²³³²¹ 03:53, 18 August 2021 (UTC)

An automated process has detected that when you recently edited How I Live Now (film), you added a link pointing to the disambiguation page Apocalyptic.

( Opt-out instructions.) -- DPL bot ( talk) 06:02, 18 August 2021 (UTC)

FYI, I've edited both George's page and the Wolf page to note that the film will premiere 17 Sept 2021 at the Toronto International Film Festival, thanks ... https://tiff.net/events/wolf I'm eager to read the reviews to see if it is really as brutal as the description seems to indicate. At least it appears that George won't be running around in a wolfman kit. Ballinacurra Weston ( talk) 15:46, 24 August 2021 (UTC)

And this was published yesterday: https://flaunt.com/content/george-mackay-the-future-experience. It's one of those interview-clothes-modelling things he sometimes does. There isn't lots of new information, but he does talk a bit more about his prep for the role in Wolf. Ballinacurra Weston ( talk) 17:55, 24 August 2021 (UTC)

@ Ballinacurra Weston I agree! These sources are very reliable as well so it might be useful to replace any other sources we have about the film. I was also thinking, (which I would have to do a bit of research on first) but some information in that Flaunt article seems to be a good standing point for a "Media reception" or "Acting style" section. I would have to find some more sources but I have experience in writing these types of sections. I wrote ones for Hailee Steinfeld, Foxy Brown and I have contributed to some others. Not saying we will make a legacy section but there has been a lot of articles pointing to him being a very "method" type actor. E.g.,

"Every film for MacKay is about a learning experience—for him and the audience"

It might be well to mention about him virtually being unknown and cast into the 1917 role in this section. Anyway just some food for thought. What do you think? Perhaps we could work on this together! Regards Maxwell King ¹²³³²¹ 22:51, 24 August 2021 (UTC)

Max [for want of another name!]: I think that's an excellent idea, and would be happy to work with you on it if you wish. Your proposed section about "Media reception" or "Acting style" might be a good way to approach building more information about George, especially if there are parallel sections in the bios of other actors such as those you have written.

As to George's method acting, I haven't read very much about his approach. I haven't read that he's a method actor in the way that Daniel Day-Lewis was (i.e., occupying his character every waking minute), but perhaps you've found more info about it. I know very little about acting technique, so I suppose there are multiple types of method acting.

In any case, I'm happy to help any way you wish. Thanks for your note. Ballinacurra Weston ( talk) 23:14, 24 August 2021 (UTC)

@ Ballinacurra Weston P.S. I LOVE the name Max! I think you said you read my talk page already but I based my username off the late 60's show Get Smart! Maxwell Smart was the main character! But yes, I will hopefully find some more sources and get to work on the section. I am at university however and so I have some work and assignments to finish first but once I am done hopefully I can get to work on it. Maxwell King ¹²³³²¹ 23:31, 24 August 2021 (UTC)

OK, Max it is! "Get Smart" was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid. Sometime, if you don't mind, let me know what subject you are reading at uni. History perhaps, since I notice your quotation from Santayana? I read history before going to law school, and still love diving into it. That's one reason I so liked "1917" I think, and I'm sure I will like George's upcoming film "Munich" as well. Keep in touch Max. Wes Ballinacurra Weston ( talk) 23:51, 24 August 2021 (UTC)

@ Ballinacurra Weston Funny story actually! I did first year law school but I decided that it wasn't for me. Like don't get me wrong I loved learning about the statutes and all the rules etc, but it was a lot to handle and a lot of people were cheating due to COVID protocols and online exams; and I didn't really want to be apart of that. So instead I am doing a double degree (Commerce and Arts) and a triple major under that with: Journalism, Marketing and Statistics. Interestingly, I did LOVE Classical Studies (the study of Ancient Greece / Rome) and English in high school but I never took History. Also I have yet to watch 1917 actually. I have been busy watching a TV show called Manifest recently so hopefully after that I will give it a watch. Have a great day/evening! Maxwell King ¹²³³²¹ 00:22, 25 August 2021 (UTC)

Max: I know you are busy at uni, and I hate to take up your time, but would you be willing to review a brief proposal I am writing to deliver a paper next year at the British Legal History Conference to be held in Belfast? Your comments would be valuable to me as an educated non-lawyer who has studied some law. I think it would take very little of your time. If you are willing, then I'll send it along to you in the couple of days (I need to submit it by the end of August). I'm not an academic, so I don't know how seriously they will take my submission, but I thought I'd try (and if successful will have an excuse to travel to Ireland next summer). If you don't have time or otherwise wish to decline, I will perfectly understand and will have no hard feelings at all! I remember what a drain uni can be and understand if you don't wish to tax your brain further just at the moment! Anyway, thanks for considering it. Best, Wes Ballinacurra Weston ( talk) 14:35, 26 August 2021 (UTC)

@ Ballinacurra Weston Hi Wes, as much as I would love to, I have a lot of assignments due in the next few days and it has my head spinning. I haven't even had time to start on George's acting style section. Terribly sorry about that :( hope it goes well you sound like a smart person I'm sure it'll be perfect! Maxwell King ¹²³³²¹ 00:13, 27 August 2021 (UTC)

Not at all Max, I do understand. Best of luck with your assignments! Wes Ballinacurra Weston ( talk) 00:30, 27 August 2021 (UTC)

It seems George is under some consideration along with other blokes: https://pagesix.com/2021/08/26/bridgerton-star-rege-jean-page-still-the-favorite-for-next-james-bond/. He'd be perfect for the role, and it would sure boost his career! Ballinacurra Weston ( talk) 19:20, 27 August 2021 (UTC)

WOW! That would be amazing! Can't wait to see how far his career goes!!! Maxwell King ¹²³³²¹ 00:40, 28 August 2021 (UTC)

Max: A couple of other things when you have a minute: I note that you are a fellow Christian ... I am an Anglican Christian (i.e., Episcopal Church in the USA, and tend toward the type of church music you would find at the King's College Chapel, Cambridge), but I very much admire the spirit and enthusiasm that Pentecostals like yourself bring to worship. If you don't mind my asking, what is the significance of the "123321" in your Wiki name? My Wiki name is a neighborhood in Limerick, that was the home of my great-great grandfather before he emigrated to the US in 1849 due to the Great Famine. If I'm being too inquisitive (I'm an American after all !), then I won't be offended in any way if you tell me to back off, but you are an interesting guy for trading messages and, as I said before, the only Kiwi with whom I've had the chance to communicate. (I've communicated with plenty of Aussies, but found that they tend to be a bit rough around the edges.) Thanks Max. Best, Wes. Ballinacurra Weston ( talk) 16:39, 29 August 2021 (UTC)

Hi Wes, wow thats so cool to meet another fellow Christian! And honestly the 123321 has no relevance Lol I just put random numbers. I made this account back in 2017 so it wasn't anything special I was just bored I guess haha. That sounds very interesting and no its alright I don't mind answering questions! Have a great day! :) Maxwell King ¹²³³²¹ 00:04, 30 August 2021 (UTC)