An Eve with Adrienne Wilkinson

Adrienne Wilkinson played the adult Eve in several episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess, starting with season five's Livia. She has been on several other TV shows, including appearances on MTV's Undressed and the short lived series As If. You can find out more at her official website, http://adriennewilkinson.com/.

In July of 2000, I had the privilege of speaking with Adrienne about her life, her career, and the experience of working as a professional actress.

Did you have an artistic family while you were growing up?

Not artistic in the professional sense, but I've always lived relatively close to Branson, Missouri. Right now there's close to seventy live theaters there. Through people we know and so forth I saw more live stage productions than I care to count. My mother was always taking us to touring Broadway shows and things like that. All of my siblings and I were involved in more extracurricular activities than we even had time for. So I can definitely see that an appreciation for the arts was cultivated while I was growing up.

How large is your family?

I have a sister, Tracy, who's twenty. I also have a half-brother and sister. Amy is twelve, and Daniel also just turned twelve.

So with all this exposure to the theater growing up it must have seemed natural to get involved with that when you entered High School.

It did, really. It's one of those things where it was such a large part of my life that I just assumed it was part of everyone's. It was one of those things I didn't know was an advantage until I got a little bit older.

So when was the first moment that you realized you were hooked on this acting thing?

Oh gosh… it was probably the first moment that I had a clue. [Laughs] I jumped into it feet first. I had been on stage a lot, almost exclusively dancing, some interpretive theater-type dancing where we were perhaps doing a story that was narrated. But nothing where I ever had dialogue on stage until I got into High School.

My senior year was when I really got involved in acting classes and theater outside of school -- just various projects. For the first time I was meeting casting directors even though I had absolutely no clue what I was getting into. I was sixteen years old -- about to turn seventeen -- and I was actually looking to get some senior portraits done. I met someone who was helping to cast a project in the local area, and they asked me if I'd be involved in this showcase. I had no idea what I was doing, and they sort of led me to a monologue, a piece they thought would be good for me, and walked me through it. It was absolutely magical. Just getting more reaction than I ever expected to... it was absolutely magic. Whenever you have a good moment you always get that feeling again.

I know exactly what that's like. I've done quite a bit of theater myself, actually. The moment for me was my sophomore year of High School, and we did Big River as the musical. I had a minor part in the chorus, but we did three shows and got standing ovations every night. The first night I just got this rush and thought, "This is all I could ever possibly want."

Yeah, exactly, it doesn't matter. It's knowing you were part of something and knowing that the audience feels you did justice to it. It is so unbelievable to me. I mean, you're playing people -- whether they're fictional characters or not, there's so many facets that make a person a person, that makes somebody believable. To fulfill those -- on the surface it can look pretty easy, but when it comes to actually fulfilling a person -- that's just an amazing thing for me.

So after this showcase where you got snookered in, did you go off to college for more training, or did you jump right into the professional gig?

Actually it was a bit of a whirlwind. That happened probably a week before my senior year actually started, and it was automatic. I jumped in feet first; I joined the theater company that was also involved with a talent manager -- though I didn't really know anything about that. I was taking classes six evenings a week.

My senior year of High School, actually, I had enough credits that I could almost have graduated my junior year. But we had moved that summer so I had to take a couple of classes that were specific to that state -- I had actually moved back to Missouri. I was out of school at about eleven in the morning, so I had a little bit of extra time -- you know, more than a normal student would. I was taking classes constantly. It really amounted to six days a week. I was taking some private classes, and taking three or four group classes at the time.

Within a month the talent manager -- who was friends with some casting directors -- he brought one in to do a sort of training course for us. They had the option of scouting if they wanted to -- if they found someone they thought was amazing. Basically it was a chance for them to get out of the city and teach a bunch of kids who knew nothing about Hollywood. There were actually two people that came in. Robin Mathis, who used to be the head of ABC Television, was the first person that I ever met that had anything to do with Hollywood. I'm sure I made an absolute fool of myself because I didn't have a clue.

She had brought sides from actual sitcoms that she had cast. Of course, she knew them backwards and forwards and everything about them. I didn't know blocking, and I didn't understand exactly how a screenplay was written -- some of the phrasing and exactly what the directions meant. She completely walked me through it and was such a blessing.

Immediately after -- she went home on Friday -- she talked to the person that at the time was head of soaps for ABC. I was sent sides for a soap and I was supposed to tape them and send them back. And I did -- having no idea what I was doing. Anyway, the story goes that they were supposed to take me to New York, and do this big screen-testing thing. But my parent freaked out at that point. "Are you kidding me? We thought this was a hobby. No way, you're barely seventeen, this isn't going to happen."

That right there was the motivation for my whole career. Just knowing that at some level it was possible, that professional people had an interest in me. I loved doing it, and had gotten some sort of response. That pretty much sealed the deal. Two days after I graduated, I moved to California and the day I turned eighteen I started doing auditions.

Wow.

Yeah, the family was completely overwhelmed because I had always been involved in this, but I had always had aspirations of majoring in international business, I had all these scholarships. I had a definite plan that had been set for a while. But once you find something you love it completely changes your perspective. It did that in a heartbeat for me, knowing that if something I loved doing that much could actually have a physical payday -- it was an interesting thing.

I mean I was completely naïve. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. I pretty much expected that the day I turned eighteen I'd walk into an office and they'd say, "Oh there you are. We've been looking for you." Then I'd have a job. [Laughs]

The reality of the situation sank in pretty quickly I imagine.

Oh absolutely. Just the reality of -- just the reality, actually. Knowing that there's fifty thousand girls like me -- that could be put in the exact same category -- that arrive every six months. Just the overwhelming fact of how hard it is. Even now it scares me, if I actually sit down and think of the odds of my being able to do sustain a career for a lifetime. It's terrifying. But I have enough belief, enough confidence, for whatever reason, that I keep going.

I love it. It would be different if the journey was ugly, but it's not. It's so amazing, and every little experience. There are things about L.A. that aren't that interesting, but even living here is just full of magical things because the city offers so much.

It sounds like you're not regretting anything at all about it.

In a sense I wish I could have been better prepared, or had a bit more of a clue. But the truth is if I had really known what to expect I would have been too scared to even try. You're right, I don't regret it. I'm so eager that I want everything sooner than it comes. I'm an absolute believer in what's meant to be will be. Every job I have I'm meant to have for whatever experience it gives me. We'll see. That's the exciting part, thinking, "My gosh, what could be next week or next year."

What was some of the early stuff you did those first couple of years while you were having your illusions shattered about how easy it was going to be?

[Laughs] The first couple of years I tried to do everything at once. I realized it was impossible. I was incredibly fortunate because I had an aunt and uncle that lived in California. I got permission to move to California because they were here. I moved in with them, and I was told by everyone in the family that it was fine to pursue this dream, but I still had to do the college thing. So I was trying to accomplish school -- and I was fortunate enough to have representation as soon as I got here, so the moment I turned eighteen... my birthday's in September, which is also the start of the semester. It was so overwhelming, having a minimum of an hour and a half commute each way whenever I had an audition or a meeting. Trying to fit a school schedule in, and not miss too many days -- not to mention trying to work and make ends meet.

I was fortunate; I did some student films as soon as I got here. It was like an afternoon shoot, some as long as a week. These were of course student films; you're not paid and you're just trying to get a feel for it. Again, I didn't have any clue. I knew what it meant to act, but I didn't know what any of the film terms meant, and trying to figure out what's good for camera -- the little differences that make a big difference when you're learning.

My first professional job was on Sweet Valley High, and that was a huge learning experience. Over the course of about a month I auditioned probably seven times. I ended up getting the job, and the script was pretty hefty. I was feeling pretty confident. When you get that first job it's like, "Okay, I made it!" I get to the job and the script was longer than their time allowed. It was only a half hour show. I don't know if it was stuff they added or what, but by the time came to film my scene, my entire first job had been whittled down to two words. I walked into the room and said, "Hey Todd." They talk about me for the rest of the episode, but I'm not there. That was beyond a learning experience.

It's just little things like that. I was lucky that I had a group of friends and acquaintances that were going through the same thing -- not necessarily as actors, but just trying to break into whatever part of the film business they were into. I was able to visit tons of sets, whether it was because I had an actor friend that was working on it, or a friend that was a PA, or who knows what they were doing. I was absolutely soaking up every piece of information that I could for probably the first year and a half -- almost two years.

It's amazing, getting so close on so many things and not realizing the tiny details that you have no control over can make a difference whether you get cast or not. The first two years I was here was simply learning to let it go -- not to let it get to me. Not necessarily the rejection, because I'm always looking forward to the next project, but the things that you have no control over are incredibly frustrating. That's the part that really gets you down sometimes.

I sort of understand what you mean. I was an extra in the production of The Langoliers (a miniseries based on a Stephen King story) back in 1995, and it was incredible for me -- who had done exclusively stage for years -- to see how a movie was put together.

Every production has its own personality, and how they run. Of course the director completely determines the feel of the set, but the little things you'd have no idea about. Like when you film a scene you have to film dozens of angles and multiple takes -- I had no idea going out there how long the actual process takes.

And other things. If I read a script that I fell in love with, of course I automatically thought that I was just perfect for it. Just the tiny details; literally it comes down to a situation like if the leading man is five foot six, I'm five-five. I'm too tall. Things like that which are just impossible to control. It's so frustrating when people say to you, "We absolutely love what you've done. It couldn't be more perfect than the work you've just shown us, but we want a blonde." [Laughs] Okay. I mean, that's Hollywood, I'm sure I'd feel the same way if I were casting. It's just frustrating when they expect that exact prototype to walk in the door.

So which do you prefer, live stage or film?

I prefer them in different ways. Absolutely, working in front of a live audience there is nothing that compares to that. Period. There is far more... [Searches for the word]

Energy?

Yeah. I personally feel that you can get more direction from an audience than practically any director. You know if the audience is happy, you know if they're with you. There's nothing like that. But there are a ton of things that can be done on film that would be impossible on stage. I mean, all the Xena stuff...

We'll get into that later.

[Laughs] Yeah. Projects like that there is absolutely nothing... as amazing as stage productions are getting, they still cannot logistically accomplish certain things on stage that are easy on film. I don't know. Emotionally, I have to go with the stage. But there's something nice about your work being better than you can make it just through special effects. You can have a fantastic moment, but when you see the finished product and it's better than you imagined just because of the elements they were able to add -- that is a really interesting feeling too.

Let's move on to the real reason I called you. Were you aware of the series? Did they approach you, or was this something your agent put together?

It was kind of a combination. I was definitely aware of the show, though I didn't really know anything about the characters. It was all set up through my representation. The timing was kind of funny, because they called me in late December or early January, and I couldn't attend. So for all practical purposes I thought the chance had passed. But then a couple weeks passed and they still hadn't found anyone, so they called for me again and this time I was able to go.

It was hilarious, because the casting director had said, "They definitely want to see Adrienne, but they're concerned that she might be too old." I remember my agent thinking that they must be thinking of the wrong person, because the role was for twenty-five and I'm twenty-two. I always play younger -- this is the first time I've played older.

My agent's like, "I think you have the wrong person." And the casting director said, "I'm not sure, I remember her, I love her, but I thought she was older." So I showed up and she looked at me and was like, "Oh my god. You're the one." I'm sure it was out of frustration because she had been looking for a while.

That's actually somewhat surprising that they'd think you were too old.

I was totally surprised when they said that.

So you got the part, after extensive trials I'm sure.

[Laughs] There were a few.

And then they sent you the first script. What was your reaction after reading it?

Complete and total shock. The sides that I read -- the excerpts from the script I auditioned with -- it was only two scenes.

This was from the first episode you did?

Yeah, this was for Livia, and on screen the scenes ended up totally different from the audition sides. One of the scenes was with Ares -- it was, in fact one of the very first scenes in the script. Basically it was just me plotting with him. At that point it was incredibly romantic, and he was convincing me how I was going to be the Empress and so on, how I was going to lead everyone back to the gods.

None of the scenes even read with Xena, so I had no idea there was even any relationship between us. I wasn't sure my story would even intersect with hers -- I thought that I was in a "B" storyline that didn't even involve her.

Little did you know...

Absolutely! It's interesting. I was thrilled, but I was also shocked and confused. I didn't know much of the back-story; I didn't understand the lack of age difference. When I learned more about the story, and more of the details I became absolutely ecstatic.

How did you prepare for that? Once you became more aware of the back-story of the character and where she came from, did you grab a hold of some tapes of the show to get some idea of the way things worked?

A couple of things, actually. There's a lot about my character that isn't known. I mean there's twenty-five years where we have no idea what happened. So just for my own sake I did a little back-story on what kind of person she is, what kind of life she's had, what makes her who she is -- trying to justify some of the choices.

The production company sent me three tapes, one with Xena when she was evil, one of the first episodes where Callisto appeared, and then an episode that was only a few episodes before I appeared, when I was a baby. This was so I would know a little bit about the story.

Before I left, I had about four days of rehearsals with a martial arts teacher who does fight choreography for film. I was able to work with him and get a clue about what they might be asking for. He taught me some sequences, and how to work with certain weapons. I got a lot of help out of that.

The honest truth is, I cannot tell you how much of a difference the costume made. That is really what clinched the whole thing. It was regal, and powerful, and slightly intimidating -- or at least, that's how it made me feel. That helped me tremendously.

I was going to ask if you had studied any of Hudson Leick's performances. When you first appeared -- obviously the fans knew exactly what was going on with Eve being Callisto reborn -- several people commented on how your physical performance and mannerisms seemed very similar to things that Hudson did as Callisto. There was a lot of question whether that was intentional; if it was something you and the producers were going for to intentionally draw that connection.

I would say it was a combination. Once I realized that I was the daughter I absolutely watched for details that I might be able to pick up from them. Hudson has the most amazing... I don't even know if I can describe it all that well... but she had this presence that was deliciously evil. It wasn't necessarily overbearing and ugly, it was really satisfying to watch. She was entirely self-satisfied, and I stole a little bit of that. I think Callisto was completely in the right, no one could ever challenge her -- from her own perspective, at least -- and I definitely brought that into my character. Without a doubt, that whatever decision I made was one hundred percent correct and nobody could change my mind.

Physically, I only saw the single fight she did in that episode they sent me. I have to say that was the fight choreographer. I heard a lot of the actual moves during the fights were taken from her and a lot of the choreography was from earlier episodes. I've heard the same comment from other people, and I can't take responsibility for that. It was entirely the choreographer.

It was a group effort.

Yeah, absolutely.

If you didn't have the attitude, it wouldn't have worked.

Exactly. At the same time, it was also the directors that were helping. I don't think they were consciously going for mimicry of Xena or Callisto, but I do think they wanted me right on the brink -- because no matter what the character is like, they aren't interesting unless you like something about them. Even if it's that you like to hate them, that they're fabulously evil. They definitely tried to take it as far as it would go. Hopefully it worked.

The general response was pretty favorable. I do have to confess that my initial review was that you didn't go quite far enough in the actual performance...

[Groans] You know what I hate about that? This is a secret that bothers me so much. The first episode that we shot ran twenty-two minutes over. Twenty-two minutes is an entire half-hour episode. They had to cut a half hour of material out of it, and that bothered me so much because some of my very favorite scenes had to be cut. The story still makes sense without them, but they were a bit evolutionary for my character. They showed some interesting things, so that was unfortunate.

The fans are constantly murmuring about director's cuts being released, because all this film is lying around. The show is obviously a huge hit, and the fans will buy almost anything. Why don't they release DVD versions of these episodes with all the extra footage that was cut for time and explain how it fits together. I'd love to see them myself simply for the storytelling and production aspects. I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels that way.

I don't know how much it would help, but I'd sure appreciate it. [Laughs] It's always interesting to see a director's cut, because everything the director thought was important is there. After that it's simply a matter of fitting it to the time frame. You take out what you can take out, but hate to, and will still allow the story to be told.

The one advantage to feature film over television.

Exactly.

Was the amount of preparation you did for this character unusual for you, or do you usually do a good amount of development work on your own before playing a part.

I'd say that at least ninety percent of the time I do as much work as I can. If for no other reason than to make it more interesting for me. It makes it more fun for me to play if I have a little bit more back-story going on, or whatever it takes for me to enjoy the piece.

Physically, Livia and Eve took more out of me than any character I've ever done. But emotionally I can't really say that. The transition has been wonderful, simply being able to play two entirely different characters. But I can't say it was an exceptional amount of time that I dedicated. In fact, I'd say it's about normal.

How beat up did you get filming those fight scenes?

I did get some serious bruises. But it really wasn't horrible; it was exhausting, and it was really a learning experience because it is so precise. You know, of course, that you're not actually trying to hurt that person, and they're not trying to hurt you, but it's a matter of everyone remembering exactly what the sequence is. The biggest difference is in rehearsal you don't go that fast, you're simply trying to memorize what move comes next. On film they want it to be as fast as you can physically do it, it just looks much more fierce. So there were a couple of times I got seriously whacked because either I, or the person I was fighting with lost their place.

[Laughs] Using Motherhood specifically, I certainly looked a lot worse than I ever actually felt. It was stressful, but it wasn't that physically... scary might be a good term. It was exhausting, but not terribly overwhelming.

I've got to ask this. Lucy Lawless is well known for her incredible singing voice with the two musical episodes they've done on the show, and her role on Broadway. Do you sing yourself, or are you more like Renee and beg off that sort of thing?

[Laughs] Renee is so cute. She's adorable, because actually the final episode that I filmed had a scene where the three of us were supposed to be singing together. It wasn't supposed to be some big production number, just the three of us singing as we traveled. It ended up getting cut. It never got filmed because it ended up not working with the rest of the episode. But it was fun because it would have actually been us singing.

I think Lucy is amazing. I would never in a million years say I'm in the same category as Lucy in any aspect because she's just unbelievable. She's just very inspiring to me. But I am a singer.

When this whole thing started back in January, I was part of a group, a sort of female urban pop group. Specifically because of this job I ended up having to make the choice of what I loved more, the singing or the acting. I couldn't deny how much I loved it, so I ended up choosing acting.

The group is doing fabulously. They have a record deal, and they should have an album out... probably late spring but it might not be until summer. It's interesting, because I love performing and that's my favorite thing about the music group, but career wise... I couldn't give up the acting and I actually had to make the choice. Mostly because all of the Xena I was filming was in New Zealand, and I couldn't keep up my part of the bargain being gone so much. It's been an interesting year, one of those times of "when it rains it pours." Having two things that you love so much both work at the same time... it was overwhelming and just having to make the decision was pretty scary.

And now you're going back to do some more.

Yeah, I've filmed three episodes off the sixth season so far, and I'm leaving on Tuesday to film a fourth episode. After that I have absolutely no idea. It's completely up to the producers, and they haven't given me any idea whatsoever of what they're thinking with my character.

They tend to keep their cards close to their vest. Any information that leaks out, fifty million people know about it in half an hour.

That's so true.

Any little tidbits you can drop about the stuff you've done so far?

I have no idea about the other episodes -- the ones I haven't been in -- because I don't exactly know where the storyline is going this year. The episodes I've filmed, though, one of them is about as close to a horror episode as the show can really get. I haven't seen any of the final footage of any of the stuff I've done this year, but I had so much fun doing that episode -- the makeup was so gruesome. The audience is going to freak out when they see Renee, because she looks unbelievable. That was The Haunting of Amphipolis.

I know that they do deal with some of the previous twenty-five years, and what has happened to people that Xena and Gabrielle know. What has happened to their families, things like that.

I don't know -- that's pretty much as far as I can go. I'm a huge believer in not spilling secrets, because I think it's better to be surprised and love it than to know all the spoilers ahead of time.

That feeling of surprise is part of the reason I try to avoid spoilers. In fact, to give you an idea of how much I like that feeling, the show only airs once during the week in my area -- late Sunday night into Monday morning. I stay up to watch the show when it airs, rather than tape it because there's a more... satisfying feeling. Somehow, it's more immediate.

Exactly. I know what you mean. It doesn't matter what it is that I've done, there's something about seeing it the first time as opposed to seeing it on a rerun, even if I haven't seen it before. There's something about knowing it's the first time anyone is seeing it. With Xena, it's such a huge viewing audience that there's a real shared experience, so many people are watching it and it's so important to them.

Out of all the things you've done as an actress, even as far back as live high school theater, what is the single performance you are most proud of?

Oh god... you don't even know how hard that question is.

Actually, I do.

[Laughs] The thing is, I have favorite performances for different reasons. I truly have a hard time just picking one. Livia was more fun than any character I've ever played -- she was so self-absorbed. If you don't care what anybody else thinks, that gives you a sense of freedom that I personally don't have in real life. I'm a person that really cares what everyone thinks. I'm almost a detriment that I worry too much about pleasing everyone else. If you're playing a character that is so self-satisfied, it's really interesting.

I did a little film a couple of years ago that is one of the things I'm most proud of. It's called Walk Away, and it almost had an amazing life, but unfortunately nothing really happened to it. That film, though, is one of my absolute proudest moments because it was myself and a group of friends, and it was made by calling in a ton of favors. Between all of us it was about seven hundred bucks or something that we spent and it ended up being twenty-three minutes or something like that. Just doing it, just being able to get it made was unbelievable. It was the coolest experience of calling in favors, getting free film from all these shows that have leftover reels, borrowing a location -- one scene was shot in a restaurant where we had to beg them to let us use the restaurant at three in the morning. Then there were beach scenes, and none of us happened to know anything about the tide. Silly little things like that.

It was shot over about two and a half weeks. Not consistently, but over that time frame. One of my very best friends in the world directed it, and just the effect that it had. She went to Cannes that year and was able to show it to people -- as a twenty minute film there wasn't much that could be done with it, but it was nice knowing that it was given a small life. It was really interesting.

Every role I've ever had has taught me something. Whether it's something about being part of a production, or about relationships that I've developed. It's such a... I love working so much because it's impossible. Every week you set out to do something that's truly impossible, there's no way you can get all of this footage shot, there's no way you can accomplish all these things that you're supposed to do in a week with all of these locations, and only a hundred different obstacles you have to hurdle. But you do it; it takes a hundred different people working together. It's just so appealing for me to see so many different people brought together on a project. It just happens again and again where it feels like family, because for however long it is -- whether it's just one episode you're on, or whether you're shooting a movie, it's a family that you have because you spend so many hours with them.

I think that's why people do it, because the hours are ridiculous. If it wasn't so fun, I don't think people would be in the film business. I know so many people that work up to seventeen hours a day. For what other job would you do that? But they truly love what they do. Somehow it makes a difference.

Have you gotten more attention -- both from the fans and the industry -- because of your work on Xena?

It's been a bit of a combination. Obviously, of course, from the fans because Xena fans are like no other fans I can even think of. The enthusiasm and interest that they've shown has been beyond overwhelming.

For instance, there's my fan club. Shawna Pedego is the fan club president, and she contacted me almost immediately after I returned from doing the first three episodes. I remember thinking, "How hilarious is it that somebody thinks I need a fan club?" I thought was the funniest thing. It took her almost two and half or three weeks to convince me that it was a worthwhile thing just to try. I mean, I thought there was just no way -- as much as I had heard about the fans, I didn't understand. I still hadn't had the experiences.

Have you made a convention appearance yet?

I have not. My first appearance is in about three weeks.

You're in for a treat.

I know -- everybody tells me that. It's funny because it started out as this huge thing where there was this cabaret -- which I still don't completely get -- but I was supposed to do this big cabaret thing, and I was supposed to be on both days. It's just so overwhelming, the musical director doesn't have time to learn three new songs because everybody else there has done numerous conventions, and he's familiar with their work.

So now it's become I don't have to do the cabaret, and since I'm not doing the cabaret I don't have to do the first day, just the second. The convention people keep calling me back and saying, "You don't understand, you'll thank us for this. It's so overwhelming that it'll be the most wonderful thing you've experienced, but it will be more than you've expected because of the feedback. It's better to start small and grow."

It will be interesting -- I'm so looking forward to it.

Where is that convention?

Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

I don't think I'll be able to make it to that one. I have never actually made it to a con myself yet. I live in central Maine and the nearest cons are usually in New York City, which is an eight or ten hour drive for me. I've got a friend who keeps telling me I've got to go to one.

I've heard that whether you're a fan or whether you're part of the show, you have to attend at least one, simply because the experience is so amazing.

We're supposedly going into the last season, so I'd better make sure that I fit at least one into my schedule here.

[Laughs] Exactly.

So professionally you haven't gotten a lot of feedback yet?

It's funny how the industry works. It's so unpredictable. Professionally it's been sort of an interesting response because the way that I find the industry works, it's not so much what you've done, it's the amount you've done. Instead of people seeming incredibly interested, or at least admitting to being incredibly interested about it being Xena, it's been, "You're on one of the biggest shows." The response actually comes more from the audience than it does from the show itself -- they're very interested that so many people are able to see me in so many different parts of the world.

It increases your marketability?

Yeah, exactly. That's what's changed -- just the amount of people that have been able to see me.

The character is so intense, and is so unlike myself when I walk into a room -- it's actually wonderful. I am having the best time because it's been some really interesting footage to add to my reel. Just to see the reaction that people get when they see me -- it's amazing. Livia is so "in your face"; she's huge and right there. It's great to be able to show a completely different character to people. It's been a very positive thing for me.

Because of the reaction -- and this being really the first major credits on your resume -- are you afraid of being typecast as a science fiction or action actress?

It's funny you should ask that. Generally speaking, no, just because I have surrounded myself with representation that has an idea of where we're going -- Xena has been a fantastic thing to add to my credits. We're certainly not opposed to the genre -- there are fantastic shows out there.

It has been fun for the time that I've done it, but it is a little bit scary to think of spending my entire career in sci-fi, simply because it's not my favorite genre. It isn't what I'm actually attracted to.

I have noticed that because Xena, by being successful, has given permission for other people to try shows like this. Maybe I just have heightened senses right now, but I've noticed a lot of shows this past year are falling into that genre -- not even necessarily sci-fi.

It goes back to that whole thing of just believing that I will be led to wherever I'm meant to be. Either I will find a character I'll fall in love with -- and hopefully be perfect for -- that isn't sci-fi, or maybe it'll be somewhere else.

That's an interesting question to present to me right now, because the last handful of things I've auditioned for have all been sci-fi type shows. I've actually been thinking about that the past few days.

I'm a big fan of science fiction -- long before Xena came along, in fact. It's been my favorite ever since I read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings years and years ago.

Isn't that the best?

It's fantastic - speaking of which, did you run into any of the people down there who are working on the movie?

No. I had a friend that came down to visit while I was there, and she was on the plane with Liv Tyler [who plays Arwen], but I haven't run into anyone. Actually, though, a lot of the people who work on Xena were working on Lord of the Rings during hiatus. Costumes, extras, stunt work, that sort of thing.

Right now, that's probably the only thing that could get me to miss an episode of Xena.

I hear you. I'm excited to see them too, actually. I saw some stills of things that they've done, costuming and so forth. I'm really excited to see the finished product.

So what's in the future for you? I understand you don't have hard and fast plans, but are there a couple of projects you're looking at after this Xena shoot?

Ideally -- knowing of course that I only have so much control over what happens -- a personal goal of mine is to focus on getting a really nice feature credit this year. Even if it were only the smallest of roles, just being able to break into that would be great. I would say that eighty-five percent of my credits have been TV oriented. I really want to break into something new.

It's like everything else in the community. If people enjoyed working with you, or enjoyed the work you did on a show, they recommend you for other shows or anything else they happen to be involved in. It's the same thing with film -- there's tons of crossover between TV and film, but in general most people that work behind the scenes choose one or the other.

There are also a lot of brilliant shows on TV right now that I'd love to go up for. It is an interesting turn the industry is taking this year. It's very positive, because I see the industry doing more mature shows than even a year ago. I'm not sure how that's going to affect me this coming year, or if it will even be noticeable. Last year there were so many teen dramas where I was right on the edge -- it was like, "Am I perfect, or am I too old for this?" I mean, I could be perfect for it right now, but if it gets picked up, I can't really play high school for four years.

A big part of it is figuring out exactly where I need to be, how my image is accepted right now -- what age people see me as.

That's actually something that's been interesting about working on Xena -- technically now I'm twenty-six and change on the show. It's been interesting to be that old, to be that mature and have that much power. But now that I'm Eve, I've accepted my mother and I no longer have that power because I'm giving it all to her. That makes sense, of course, since it's Xena.

But it makes it interesting because I feel my character has always been played as a petulant teenager. But even now that I'm Eve, I feel much younger than the literal age of the character. But knowing that people accept me at a minimum as twenty-six -- it's now figuring out exactly what that means in terms of my image and career.

There's nothing wrong with twenty-six.

Not at all!

I'm almost twenty-six, myself.

[Laughs] Twenty-six is a beautiful age!

There are some mornings I don't feel that way.

[Laughs] It really has been interesting though, especially in Hollywood over the past year or so with the mass production of so many teen dramas. Everyone and their brother are trying to play younger than they really are. The role I have the most notoriety for presents me as being older than I am, so I wonder how that affects how people see me. Do they automatically assume I'm older? Or that I'm not believable younger?

It's impossible to read. Everyone has a different opinion, but it is something I wonder about.

Have you observed a lot of that kind of age discrimination? There's been a lot of buzz in the entertainment news about how you'll have people like Harrison Ford or Michael Douglas -- guys in their forties or fifties and upward -- who are playing romantic leads opposite women in their mid twenties. There's this huge age difference, and it's hard for wonderful actresses who are older -- but still incredible -- to get parts because of this need to have young, beautiful... things.

Have I witnessed it? Absolutely. I have never been up for a role where the age difference has been that drastic. I was up for movies-of-the-week a couple years ago where they were doing the college girl who's dating her best friend's father or something goofy like that.

Personally, I'm not quite old enough to be dealing with that specifically, but I have witnessed it in all sorts of different ways. Age is such a sensitive thing in Hollywood. Even for me with all of the teen dramas in the last couple of years. It used to be that everyone wanted eighteen to play younger, because when you're eighteen they can basically work you any kind of hours they want -- it's regulated before then.

But the big change in Hollywood is that now there are lots of younger actors that are completely emancipated, they don't have to worry about the hours. The big thing now is they want it to be specific; if the role is fifteen, they want a fourteen or fifteen year old person in that role. The breakdown of the character will be very specific; it will say "we will not see anyone over eighteen."

Seeing how the profession is being an actor, that's an interesting thing, because if you are believable in the part it seems silly. It's just something the industry is going through, and I think to a certain extent Hollywood just goes through phases. Right now it is obvious there are tons of older leading men with younger leading women. Sometimes it's almost a little bit ludicrous.

I was actually offended when I saw an ad for that movie with Richard Gere and Winona Rider [Autumn in New York]. I saw that and nearly threw something at the TV I was so enraged. I mean, Winona Rider was the girl in all the movies while I was in high school and everything. Winona Rider should not be in a love story with Richard Gere -- he's my dad's age for crying out loud!

Exactly, it doesn't make any sense on a lot of levels. The sad thing is, most of the women in Hollywood -- of any age -- are fabulous. The fact that they aren't being shown as fabulous -- for whatever reason -- it honestly just doesn't make sense. Looking at people like Goldie Hawn and Seela Ward -- all of these fabulous people that look amazing, and are amazing -- who simply aren't getting the opportunities that are as interesting.

But it works the opposite way as well. There's something -- I hate to say gross, because that just sounds condescending -- but there's something not terribly appealing for women when all the roles show them with these men who are father figures.

Like everything else, though, I think anything you have control over you take control of -- you do something about it. Anything that I was involved in I'd start getting opinionated. But the parts I don't have control over? Like everything else, you realize that Hollywood goes through phases and much as it might be unpleasant, it goes through phases and it will move on to something else. Like in the eighties we had all these crazy action movies, and now we have all these paranormal films coming out. Anything that is successful is imitated.

It's interesting to watch what people react to, and how they react to it.

Which performer -- actor or actress, it doesn't matter -- would you choose as your idol at the moment?

That's a truly hard one. I'm one of those people who fall in love with people on film based on the movie they're doing at the time -- whatever I've just seen them in.

So then most recently, who's impressed you?

Most recently? [Thinks for a moment] Gosh, there are a thousand of them! You're killing me!

I'll give you a great example. My favorite movie of last year was Elizabeth. What would I not give to be able to work with... help me out here.

Cate Blanchett?

Yes. Absolutely. It was a shockingly beautiful performance.

At the same time, the people you want to work with the most are usually the ones that scare you to death. Who doesn't want to work with any of the greats, if not all of them, given the opportunity? That's also a little bit scary, knowing that you have to be on your game. It makes it more fun -- working with people that know what they're doing. It is the most fun you can have because it raises the stakes, but it's also the most challenging.

Did you feel that way working with Lucy and Renee the first time? Was it intimidating, or did they make it easy for you?

The set was incredibly easy, just because of everyone's attitude. Everybody was so incredibly helpful; it wasn't intimidating in that way.

What was intimidating was how good they are at what they do, without having to really try anymore. Not that they aren't putting the effort in, they just know their characters so well that they don't need any rehearsal time. They improvise all the time, and generally improv is the cardinal sin in acting. Normally the writers are right there watching you, and you'd better not mess up at all.

The first day on set people were changing entire scenes, adding scenes, and cutting scenes. I thought, "What have I gotten myself into?" I didn't work with Ted [Raimi] directly until the second episode, but I heard from Greg Lee -- who plays Virgil -- that Ted is a master of improv. In the first episode [Livia], Greg worked almost exclusively with the three of them and almost every scene was with Ted. He said working with Ted was shocking -- the first day Greg didn't even know when his dialogue came in because they kept changing every single thing he was expecting.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Ted. I think he's one of the most underrated actors in the industry today. I defend him whenever I get the chance, because he gets so much grief from fans who don't like Joxer.

I know that because he isn't Xena or Gabrielle, when a show runs over a lot of his scenes traditionally get cut -- that's just the way it goes.

Every time I've worked with Ted -- or been there when Ted has been working -- it's really shocking because he is so good at what he does. He comes up with things off the top of his head that you don't believe he spent any time thinking about. He really just came up with them at a moment's notice. Then if one thing doesn't work, he'd have another, and another. You start to think, "oh my gosh, I don't know if I can keep up with this."

You're right though he is absolutely fantastic. That was, by far, the most intimidating part of the show. Going along with that was a feeling that, even though they gave you permission, it was really hard to change anything during the table reads.

It's really hard to break those lessons once you've learned them.

Absolutely. There's only thing that I changed in my first visit there, and I'm so grateful to this day that I did. Ares and I had this relationship that falls apart. Then, in Motherhood is the first time I've seen him since my redemption. I have some line to him -- basically I yell, "Why should she trust you."

They had absolutely nothing written for me as a reaction when I see him, and that just killed me. I fought for that -- it ended up that there wasn't enough time to add anything but one line, but it made such a difference to me because there was no closure to that. It didn't make sense for me to have absolutely no reaction when I see this guy that I not only had a relationship with, but was also a mentor to me.

And he was the freakin' God of War!

[Laughs] Exactly! It was the weirdest thing to me. What's really funny is that nobody noticed until I brought it up, and then they were like, "Oh my gosh, that's true."

That happens a hundred times on the show per episode, just because the show has so many tiny details they want to stay true to. It's really hard to remember them all, and they want to make sure that it's consistent with previous episodes...

[Laughs] I'm sorry, I have to laugh at that because I know several fans that would dispute that claim tremendously. Consistency is supposedly something that doesn't exist in the show at all.

[Laughs] I'm not the one to actually say that they're not, but I should they do make the attempt. Maybe they've just bitten off more than they can chew sometimes. I know there are so many things whether it's religion, or mythology, or history -- fact or fiction -- there are tons of things they have to blend together.

They certainly do their homework. I recognize that. There's a big question now though, because at the end of Motherhood Ares gives up his divinity to bring you and Gabrielle back to life -- so now he's a regular, mortal guy. There are two or three episodes earlier in the series that have Ares and Xena squaring off in the future -- like The Xena Scrolls from the second season where Ares is released from a tomb in Mesopotamia in 1941.

A lot of fans are wondering what they're going to do, because if they don't resolve this by the end of the series, they'll have this huge continuity gaffe. I'm sure Rob and the rest of them are well aware of that, but it doesn't prevent us from obsessing in the off-season.

There are lots of details and trivia. I had no idea about that -- it does make it interesting. I haven't filmed anything with Kevin [Smith] since then, so I have no idea what's going on with his storyline.

I know he is in a couple of episodes.

Yeah, actually, I've heard he's going to be in the one I'm going down for next week, but I'm not positive.

One more question -- this is actually an easy one to close off with. Having been involved in the series during the end of its run, and not really being too familiar with it before then, what do you think is the secret of the show's success?

One hundred percent pure entertainment. It's just entertaining with all the fighting, and the different relationships and references -- historical or whatever -- it's a great mix. It reaches out to such a wide variety of people. It all comes down to the basic good versus evil, but it's presented in such a fun and entertaining way. All the details, like the costumes and amazing locations in New Zealand, to how easy it is to relate to Gabrielle or to see Xena as the hero.

The casting has been a blessing for the show -- it's perfect as far as I can tell. But all the details... the sense of humor that the show has about itself, but also how seriously it takes the job. Then there's a ton of action that's just really fun. That can't hurt either.

Thanks again for doing this, it was really wonderful talking to you.

No, thank you, you've been the sweetest. You had so many interesting questions.

I tried to cover areas that hadn't been beaten to death, and it was really fascinating talking about your craft, and the industry, and all the rest of it. I hope the fans get some insight into things they don't think about as much.

That's true, out of all of it the best part is getting to do something you love, and giving people an idea of why it is so interesting. Because there's so much publicity on this show -- any show, really -- people think we do it for the publicity. The reality is the ones that really love it are the ones trying to make something that is worth watching. Sometimes that gets forgotten, and there are so many people that love what they're doing that even if there weren't all the accolades to go along with it, they'd do it purely for the love of their craft.

Well thanks again for sharing some of that love with us, and I hope to see you at a convention sometime in the near future.

That would be great, I'd love to!

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