Renee O’Connor was cast as the blonde Gabrielle, the princess’s friend, on a whim. The producers of the series had already seen her alongside Hercules in the 1994 film and liked her so much that they immediately cast her as Gabrielle – she didn’t even have to audition. She was called with an offer and Renee accepted it. Four days later she was in New Zealand, where the photos were being taken. A true friendship developed between her and Lucy Lawless.
O’Connor met her future husband while working on “Xena Warrior Princess”. After the series finale, her life changed completely – initially not for the better.
She played Gabrielle alongside Princess Xena. What happened to her after the series?
“Xena Warrior Princess” ended in 2001. Renee O’Connor had already established herself as a director (she was responsible for some episodes of the series), and she also founded a production company. She was also married for a year – she had been dating Steve Muir since 1998. In 2001, she managed to play one more role, but when she gave birth to her first child, her career stopped.
I was busy for so many years, I worked 80-90 hours a week for six years and suddenly it all disappeared. It was just me and the baby, I didn’t know what to do with myself at all – she said a few years ago on the Camera Conversations podcast.
Shortly later, O’Connor divorced her husband and married Jed Sura, with whom she had her second child. This time she was prepared for both pregnancy and parenthood. She managed to combine her career on set with raising two children.
She appeared mainly in niche productions or in cinema outside the classifications. At the same time, she acted in theaters, directed and produced films and short productions – sometimes she played roles in them herself, sometimes she also involved her children. Everything indicates that she has taken a break from cinema and television for now and focused on the theater, where she directs Shakespeare’s plays. On social media, she posts fragments of conversations she has with actors and people involved in the theater “The House of Bards”, which she runs in San Pedro, California.
Renee O’Connor fondly remembers her role as Gabrielle in Xena Warrior Princess. She and Lucy Lawless often attended fan conventions, where – not necessarily in costumes from the series – they patiently posed for photos and talked to fans of Xena and Gabrielle. .
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
