Many thanks to Petra de Jong for the scan & translation
Televizier TV Guide
(Netherlands)
1 - 7 December 2001
On the cover: Stars: What makes Lucy Lawless (Xena) happy?
In the index the old pic from the Hercules eps. Caption: Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess): 'Because I grew up in a big family I've become a fighter'
From here to Hollywood, star of the week. Lucy Lawless Xena: Warrior Princess "In a big family you automatically become a fighter"
For six years Lucy Lawless played the role of Xena. But with the death of the character (note: huge spoiler, I don't think most Dutch fans knew about the end) the show got to an end last Summer. "When I'm 80 I'll get the leather costume out of the closet every now and then." She doesn't have time for it now because Lucy signed on for among other things a guest role on The X-Files.
Name: Lucy Lawless
Born: 29 March 1968 in Auckland, New Zealand
Family: Lucy is the fifth of seven children. A perfect training to become an actress she thinks. 'Because I grew up in a big family I became a fighter."
Relationship: from 1988 to 1995 Lucy was married to Garth Lawless. In 1989 they got a daughter, Daisy. In 1998 she married Xena producer Rob Tapert. One year later their son Julius Robert Bay was born.
Education: She studied German, Italian and French at Auckland University and traveled around in Europe.
Career: Her first acting job was a role in the comedy series Funny Business in New Zealand. In 1994 she had her break through as Lysia in Hercules and the Amazon Women. Nowadays everybody knows her as the lesbian lead character in Xena: Warrior Princess. But last Summer the death of Xena ended the series that ran for 6 years on American tv. Resulting in Lawless exchanging her Xena costume for an outfit from the X-Files. She signed on for 4 episodes with the possibility for more episodes. It will take a while before we can see those episodes in the Netherlands.
About being famous: "People are very nice. They approach you with lights in their eyes and ask for an autograph or they want to shake your hand. What I do then is smile, shake hands, give a photo and go on to the next fan. No problem. Except for that one time when I took my daughter to an amusement park. I wore a hat and everything but I got recognized anyway. On moments like these I really have to take a deep breath."
About happiness: "What I've learnt is that you have to surrender to everything that you can't change in life. If you can't be together with the ones you love you have to learn to love the ones you're with. Appreciate the input of other people. Otherwise you will become really unhappy."
About Xena's goodbye: "I didn't decide myself to stop with the show but after six years it became time to do so. I think it will happen occassionally that I rise around 5am, put on my leather costume and sit in my car. After two hours I will realize that I don't have to go anywhere. I don't think that I will return in a possible Xena movie. They will say: 'we would like somebody like Lucy - what's her last name again? - but younger.' When I'm 80 I'll pull the leather costume out of the closet again. 'Ow mother, don't let grandma wear the Xena costume again, that is so embarrassing', will my grandchild then say.