Télé Star magazine
April 2000
Translated from French by Patty Pat
In her family, women have never been
weaklings
Many thanks to P+I Gent for the initial article scan
Lucy Lawless "I am (almost) as strong as Xena!"
The actress impersonating "Xena Warrior Princess" put her weapons down for a few months time to welcome little Julius, her second child, born last Fall. Encounter with a moved mother.
TELE STAR : Five months after the birth of
your little Julius, how are you feeling?
LUCY LAWLESS : In great shape. The first three months, I relaxed. But
as my husband is an excellent cook, I couldn't resist the nice meals he prepared for me...
So I took advantage of one of his trip to the US to do some gym and get back in shape!
Since he came back home in New Zealand, we are a bit more strict calorie-wise.
Julius is born eleven years after your daughter Daisy. This
gap doesn't create any problem?
For me, no. At 31 years old, I feel more available, more mature too, than when I was 20.
I'm more able to appreciate each moment spent with my baby. And then, Daisy is the most
adorable sister. I'm very proud of her.
You had wanted giving birth at home. Why?
I absolutely wanted it. Here, it's relatively common. Of course, my friends told me it was
crazy! However, there is nothing more beautiful than seeing your child born in your own
home. Because of this, I had the impression that Julius immediately felt trustful in our
home, like if he had reacted to the positive waves the house radiated. After all, the
birth of a child, there nothing more natural. Unfortunately, we live in an era where
people are scared of their own bodies.
Rob, your husband since 28 March 1998, has first been your
producer. Did the paternity change him?
He says he's surprised by all the love he feels. At first, he didn't think that a small
boy could move him so much. He's a very good father.
Xena, the character you've been playing for five years, has
become some sort of icon for certain american feminists. Does that have an impact on your
private life?
This infatuation and this perception of the character is flattering. But Xena hasn't
changed anything in my daily life. I come from a family where women have never been weak.
As I grew up in this atmosphere before Xena, I didn't have conscience that there was a
need to admire strong women in reality or on a screen. For me, it's obvious that a woman
can be successful. The most amusing is that men also tends to admire these figures that
have character.
Did life always been so kind to you as today?
At 18 years old, I left my home and went to Europe. At home, I was becoming
claustrophobic. I was thinking that my family was the source of my problems. But wherever
you go, you take your problems with you. I didn't know that. I recall one day when I found
myself in a church in Munich, shivering cold, without a penny, and sobbing desperately.
Since then, I never feared anything.
What are your dreams for the future?
To have more children, to keep filming "Xena" as long as the viewers want it,
and to know when to stop, while successful. And then, why not, to do some big screen
movie, or some theatre.
Interview by Franck Ragane