She was too young to play the queen of the Amazons in the Hercules movie. However, the 26-year-old New Zealand actress got a minor role, which later became her ticket to international fame. Lucy Lawless started with the full-length “Hercules and the Amazons”, then, on the wave of the film’s popularity, she appeared in several episodes of “Hercules” itself. She played there, among others: burning desire for revenge. After the filming ended, she began to be interested in other options for earning money, but this was not how her life was supposed to turn out.
Two refused, Lucy Lawless agreed. This is how she became Xena, the warrior princess
It was the mid-1990s and television was undergoing a major revolution. So far, there have been few series with strong female characters. What’s worse, those that existed were of average popularity. The creator of Hercules and, later, Xena, Robert Tapert, decided to take the risk, contrary to the suggestions of the Universal studio. He was recommended to finish off Xena at the end of her arc in “Hercules”. “Kill her before someone takes over this idea and makes her the heroine of their series, said the guys from Universal,” Tapert recalled in an interview with the website.
Tapert decided otherwise. He decided that Xena should not only survive, but also deserved her own story. Universal agreed, but it was “suggested” that an actress with whom they had already worked on previous successful series be chosen for the role. Vanessa Angel, known as “Computer Girl,” was the first to agree. However, the actress ultimately missed the set due to illness. So Universal suggested Kim Delaney from “Tour of Duty” (a series about the Vietnam War). Delaney agreed, but half an hour later her agent called the production and said no. Other actresses were not willing to travel to New Zealand, where Xena was planned to be filmed. Finally, the “minimum effort” option was chosen:
The producers said, ‘Let’s take this woman who already played Xena in the last Hercules and let’s dye her hair black,'” Tapert recalled in an interview with EW.com.
Lucy Lawless had the advantage of being there and not having to travel anywhere. Additionally, she WAS already Xena, and although her character was rewritten, Lawless didn’t have to get to know her from scratch.
Xena is dead, long live Xena!
Lucy Lawless played Xena for six years. At the very end, it was decided to kill the warrior princess, which ultimately ruined fans’ hopes for any renewal of the series. Although Lawless tried to break out of the “mythical warrior” label several times in the following years, the role of Xena stuck with her for good. She starred in “Spartacus”, several horror films, and appeared in dozens of TV series.
Even now, when writing about her new ventures, such as directing a documentary about a war correspondent journalist, more space is devoted to memories of Xena. Lawless seems to have come to terms with the situation. She willingly and often mentions her role as a princess on her social media, and still supports the LGBT+ community, which found its first such a positive self-image in 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.
