LUCY LAWLESS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Lucy was born on March 29, 1968.
Lucy comes from an Irish Catholic family. She
was born in Auckland, New Zealand the fifth of seven children (she was the first daughter)
of Frank and Julie Ryan. Lucy has 5 brothers (four of them older) and one sister.
Is "Lawless" Lucy's real name?
Lucy was born Lucille Frances Ryan. She was married to Garth Lawless
in 1988 and adopted his surname. They have since divorced, but Lucy kept the name. In a interview, Lucy
joked that she toyed with the name Rita Reckless. She was initially nervous that no one
would take her seriously with that name, but as she puts it, "I got over it."
Now she feels she couldn't have come up with a better name for someone who plays a warrior
princess.
What is Lucy's middle name?
Lucy's middle name is Frances.
Where did Lucy go to school?
Lucy received most of her education in Catholic schools in New Zealand.She attended Wesley Intermediate and Marist Sisters College. Briefly in 1986, she attended Auckland University where she majored in languages. She speaks German, French, some Italian, and of course English, but has stated that she doesn't get the opportunity to speak much and is losing her language skills.
What are Lucy's favorite foods?
Lucy has stated that she likes
lamb shanks, frozen yogurt (although she has recently stated that she tries to stay away
from dairy products), baked beans and chili (they're always in the fridge) She likes to
drink wine and gin.
Does Lucy do her own stunts?
Lucy does many of her own stunts (as
does Renee O'Connor). How do you know which ones she's done and which ones are a stunt
double? As Lucy points out , if you can't see her face, it's not her. She is
not a martial arts expert, but she did work briefly with martial arts master Douglas Wong
who trained her in the basics of kung fu, as well as in fighting techniques with a sword
and a staff. In several interviews, Lucy has admitted to keeping a sword in the trunk of
her car so that she can practice frequently.
Lucy does do much of her own riding. She started riding when she was about 8 years old,
and continued until she was about 13. She didn't ride for a number of years, and only
began riding again when she assumed the role of Xena.
How did Lucy come up with the Xena battle cry?
The producers wanted Lucy to do an Arabic
ululation. When she was unable to master the sound, she adopted this bastardized version
of the warble, which she is able to do loudly and without hurting her throat.
Lucy was injured while filming a clip for the Jay Leno Show. Is she fully recovered?
Lucy was seriously injured in a fall from a horse on October 8, 1996. While filming a
stunt for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Lucy's horse slipped on the concrete. The horse
fell, and Lucy hit the pavement. She suffered four fractures of her pelvis. Now completely
healed, she indicates that while it was a horrible experience, it was one which woke her
up to what was important in her life. So, she says, it was not all bad.
Are Lucy and Renee O'Connor friends off camera as well as on?
Lucy and Renee are great friends on and off camera.
Both Lucy and Renee have said that they are best friends on the set, and while they both
lead very separate lives off camera, they are by all accounts close friends, or as Lucy
put it in Burbank, "Great, great friends."
Is Lucy married? Does she have any children?
Lucy married Xena: Warrior Princess Executive Producer Robert Tapert
on March 28, 1998 in Santa Monica, California. This is Lucy's second marriage, and Rob's
first.
Lucy has one daughter, Daisy, from her first marriage to Garth Lawless. They share custody
of Daisy who spends weekdays with her father and weekends with Lucy.
How tall is Lucy?
Lucy is 5'11" tall. When playing Xena, Lucy tends to
appear quite tall and imposing. In person, however, she is not at all the imposing figure
that Xena appears to be.
Where was Lucy born?
Lucy was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand. She has five
brothers and one sister. Lucy still makes her home in Auckland, living not far from her
parents' home.
How did Lucy get to play the part of Xena?
Lucy got the part of Xena when
actress Vanessa Angel, who was originally cast for the role, got sick and was forced to
back out. The role was offered to four other actresses (all of whom turned it down) before
it was offered to Lucy. The show was going to be filmed in New Zealand and the other
actresses didn't want to travel that far during "pilot season." Lucy was offered
the part because she was close (living in New Zealand where the show would be filmed), and
she was known to the producers who had already cast her in several Hercules:The Legendary
Journeys episodes.
If you are interested in further reading on this subject, in his book, Xena:Warrior
Princess : The Official Guide To The Xenaverse, Robert Weisbrot gives a detailed
explanation of how Lucy got the part as Xena.
What size shoe does Lucy wear?
Lucy wears a size 10 shoe.
Does Lucy have any nicknames?
Lucy admits to being called "Unco" (short for
uncoordinated), a name she picked up when she was in school.
She is also called "Flawless" by her fans. That name is a combination of the *F*
from her middle name (Frances) and her last name.
What kind of music does Lucy listen to?
Lucy's taste in music seems to be quite varied. She admits that jazz is a passion, and she
sang a jazz ballad (Is You Is, or Is You Ain't My Baby?) on Live with Regis and Kathie
Lee. She studied opera as a teenager, but gave it up when she realized she didn't have the
passion for it that serious training required. While making a guest appearance on the Jay
Leno show, she stated that she is a huge Lyle Lovett fan. She has also indicated that she
often listens to music by Nina Simone, Lenny Kravitz, Diana Krall, Yallo, Annie Lennox,
Etta James, Nenah Cherry, Freakpower, and Tuck and Patti.
Who are Lucy's favorite actors?
Lucy invariably names Susan
Sarandon as her favorite actress. At the 1998 Creation Convention in Burbank she
also mentioned that she admires the work of Helen Mirren, John Cusack, and John Torturro.
What awards has Lucy won?
In 1998, Lucy was awarded the New
Zealand Entertainer of the Year Award as well as the Award for International Achievement.
Does Lucy enjoy Sci Fi movies?
At Burbank, Lucy indicated that she
did indeed watch and enjoy science fiction films. She named Prophecy as one she
especially like. In addition, she said she enjoyed Predator.
Does Lucy have any hobbies?
Lucy is a voracious reader and she
loves music, particularly jazz. Lucy enjoys being out in nature, and confesses that she'd
love to rollerblade, although she says she's not very good at it. Lucy also loves to go
fishing, a passion she shares with her husband.
Does Lucy lurk around Xena sites on the internet?
On occasion, Lucy has admitted
that she has lurked around on the internet, but apparently it is not something she
does regularly, "cause everything's too much like work. I need to stay fresh. I need
to stay away from that." She has read some fan fiction, and has enjoyed some of the
parodies she's read. She doesn't read much fan fiction, noting that while she understands
it, she sees that as part of the fans' world and they are entitled to do whatever they
like. She equates the fan fiction to giving a performance, and that, she says, can only be
a good thing.
Does Lucy like sports?
Lucy has become a die-hard ice
hockey fan and a staunch supporter of the Detroit Red Wings. She also loves to go fishing
and being out in nature.
Does Lucy have any pets?
Daisy has a dog named Lucky which Lucy describes as a mixed breed they got from an animal shelter. "He was a scrawny little dog, and he's grown up to be this most fearsome looking creature. He's a little terrifying. But he's good! He hasn't bitten anybody here." Lucky, Lucy reports, was sent off to good behavior school this past year.
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