Monday, April 20, 1998 Los Angeles Times

  Guest Workout
  She Fights Off Bad Guys and the Pounds
  By CANDACE A. WEDLAN, Times Staff Writer
   


	    Of course, those great fight scenes in TV's "Xena: Warrior
      Princess" are staged--when Xena and Gabrielle knock the
      bejabbers out of the bad guys. The camaraderie, though, between
      the two actresses--Lucy Lawless as Xena and Renee O'Connor as
      Gabrielle--that just can't be playacting.
           That's what O'Connor said when she joined us for lunch at The
      Times during a trip stateside (the syndicated show is shot in New
      Zealand). "I wouldn't be there if we didn't have a close
      relationship because how can you work with someone 12 hours a
      day--and it's like a marriage--if you don't get along and actually
      appreciate the person? Thank God it worked out that way, you
      know?"
                                     * * *
           
           Question: It certainly makes the show that much more fun to
      watch.
           Answer: Yeah, I think it comes across. We've been together
      for so long. Sometimes we're quiet one day and you don't want to
      talk to the other, and I always know a day like that. We both do.
      We know each other so well. Other days, we're just gossiping like
      schoolgirls.
                                     * * *
           Q: When do you find time to exercise?
           A: It's just difficult with a 12-hour day to find the time to
      work out, so I do it in the evening now. The first season I used
      to get up at 3:30 in the morning, run for an hour, go to work for
      12 hours and then just die by 7 or 8 o'clock at night. Lucy said,
      "Renee, take it easy, you know. We're here for the long haul."
                                     * * *
           Q: So what are you doing after work now?
           A: I exercise six days out of the week. Four times are
      cardio: either half-hour running or a two-hour walk or an aerobics
      class, high impact, for an hour at a gym in Auckland. And then a
      couple nights I go to an indoor rock-climbing gym. It's exciting
      because you feel like you've accomplished something and you've
      overcome your fear of heights, which is true for me. And my
      boyfriend actually enjoys roller-blading, going to the gym, rock
      climbing, so we've been doing a lot of it together and he's the
      only person I want to see after 12 hours with the crew, you know.
                                     * * *
           Q: How tall are you?
           A: I'm 5-4. It's actually harder for me to rock climb because
      I have a problem reaching everything because I'm vertically
      challenged. I'm always finding these bizarre maneuvers--another
      way up--where somebody 6 feet tall can just grab it.
                                     * * *
           Q: Everybody on the set probably towers over you.
           A: Right. The crew, the actors--everybody's tall. Ren and
      Stimpy--oh, they've given me the worst nicknames. They're very
      humbling over there, so it's quite good. Lucy calls me Ren.
                                     * * *
           Q: Before we talk about food, how much do you weigh?
           A: 120. I might as well be honest. I mean, I know that my
      body shape is not the same as a lot of actresses on television who
      are very thin and model-like, but I'm grateful that I am playing a
      character who's athletic, who runs around with a warrior princess,
      so I can do things where I might look bulkier, but I feel strong
      and healthy.
                                     * * *
           Q: What are you eating?
           A: Breakfast, I usually have fruit and granola--we call it
      muesli over there--with skim milk and fruit. Then chicken and
      steamed spinach and vegetables for Lucy and me for the lunch
      break. Then everyone takes a break around 3 or 4 o'clock and has
      tea and sandwiches or cake. I love sweet things, but I get it from
      fruit. Lucy'll tease me. She'll say, "Oh, Renee, it's so moist,
      this gorgeous chocolate cake."
                                     * * *
           Q: I love the idea of a tea break, but I bet the directors
      don't.
           A: Oh, it drives the American directors crazy because they
      want to keep going. And dinner, if I've had a busy day and I'm
      hungry, chicken stir fry, maybe leftover chicken enchiladas. I try
      to have fruit and I love canned peas for some reason. I guess it's
      quick, peas out of the can and in the microwave.
                                     * * *
           Q: Do you ever feed that sweet tooth?
           A: I love sweets, so maybe on the weekend if I'm going to
      dinner with my boyfriend. Desserts are very good because they use
      full creams, so everything is very rich.
                                     * * *
           Q: One last thing. What do you normally drink?
           A: Mostly coffee to stay awake and tea. They think I'm
      bizarre because I don't drink the tap water there because
      apparently it's one of the freshest in the world coming from the
      mountains. I've been on this kick, I guess from living in Los
      Angeles, of drinking water out of the bottle. I just carry it
      around with me because I'm always chugging.
                                     * * *
           Q: No beer or wine?
           A: I like the wine. The wine's beautiful. I don't usually
      drink during the week. I would be out in 15 minutes if I had a
      glass of wine.
                                     * * *
           Guest Workout runs Mondays in Health.


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