5:00 Hudson Leick

5:00
Hudson Leick

AN EXPERIENCE TO REMEMBER (CF) [92-97]

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE (CC) [98-109]

HUDSON LEICK (LS) [110-112]


Photos courtesy of Chris Clogston

AN EXPERIENCE TO REMEMBER (CF)

[92] Hudson Leick strolled out on stage, gave us all one little coy glance, quietly murmured, "hello", and possessed us. Strolling back and forth like a cat on the prowl, she purred, "Are you good?" and giggled. We roared in answer. Then, "Ok, so I'm here. Aren't you going to entertain me?" Someone yelled out for her to do some of her flips. She kicked up her foot and glibly responded, "In these heels? You're kidding." Someone else asked her to scream. She looked at us, absently running her fingers over her abs. "You know, I've been to two of these things, and they always want me to scream. I think I want to hear *you* scream. If you scream, I'll scream afterwards." So we screamed and yelled and raised the roof. She smiled, hunkered down on the stage and flashed her pearly whites and said, "Ok, you can join my army." Then, she screeched. Wow. Lungs. When I could hear again, she was saying "You know, you're all so very sick watching some woman who looks like a barbie in stilettos scream her head off while you cheer."

Photo courtesy of Chris Clogston

[93] From the audience came the question "What's your favorite line as Callisto ?" To which she replied, "Here comes trouble." She mentioned that she hated playing Xena because it was so boring, that it was Lucy Lawless' interpretation, and she was different than Lucy Lawless. Lots of crowd noise. I picked up a comment "Are you looking up my dress?" that she directed to someone, then "Where's my sword?" Another question, "Do you like playing Callisto , and why?" Her answer: "I love it. I get to scream and spit and yell and throw fits and I get paid for it..I can't do anything wrong."

Photo courtesy of Chris Clogston

[94] Then people lined up for the question and answer period.
Q: Why do you have such a bad attitude? (as Callisto )
A: I don't. I'm joyous. I think Callisto is happy, full of joy. Just look at her face when Xena hits her.
Q: Have you ever been to a superstar's house? Like Tommy Lee Jones?
A: (sarcastically) Yeah, Madonna and I hang out.
Q: What exercises do you do to look so good?
A: Yoga
Q: Is that why you have such great abs?
A: Yes.

Photo courtesy of Chris Clogston

Q: Are you going to be in any other shows like TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL?
A: No.
Q: Do you do all your stunts?
A: No. I do the fight scenes, but not the flipping. We have gymnasts for the flipping.
Q: How'd you learn to like pain?
A: (I missed seeing her reply, but I *heard* it) Callisto ------Hudson. I don't like pain.
Q: Do you have a boy friend?
A: Uh-huh.
Q: Have you been invited back to Xena?
A: I'm going back the 14th . (I'm assuming June)
Q: Does your character's ( Callisto 's) personality reflect your own?
A: Guess.

Photos courtesy of Chris Clogston

Q: Have you accidentally hit anyone?
A: Yes. Kevin Sorbo. And he just stood there. I was like, say "ow" or something. Lucy hit me with her sword once. I took it well. (she gets a look like "she hurt me" *pout*)
Q: Are you really demented?
A: I'm really demented.
Q: How old were you when you started in show business and what was your first part?
A: 23 and it was an ABC Afterschool Special called "Sexual Consideration".
Q: If you could play any part, what would you pick?
A: I like Blanche DuBois .
Q: How much do you get paid?
A: It keeps getting better and better.
[95] Things got a bit hectic after that, Hudson seemed to be getting tired. I caught a comment "I have mental problems." Then she had the Young Callisto come on stage. The young woman had gifts for Hudson, so she (Hudson) sat down on the stage like a kid at Christmas and ripped open her packages and gestured for the girl to "become" her. The girl did a good job. Answering questions when she could, and when she could not, she whispered them to Hudson and Hudson whispered the answers and "Young Callisto" relayed them. The gifts were a beautiful white blouse which Hudson tried on and two framed photos of Hudson from another convention.

Photos courtesy of Chris Clogston

[96] She continued:

Q: Now that you're a goddess, what goddess would you be?
A: What was that we thought of? Oh, yeah. The Goddess of Obsession.
(somewhere in all the confusion between switching from Young Callisto to Hudson, someone asked this question)
Q: Why did you kill Perdicus?
A: Because he deserved it.
Q: Do you get cold?
A: Yes. I wrap up in blankets and hot water bottles. I look funny, but I'm warm.
Q: Are you interested in directing?
A: No.
Q: Did you approach Hercules differently than Xena?
A: Yes. Hercules is...macho..and Xena.. is not? (I missed most of this one)
[97] At this point Hudson stretched, answered a few more brief questions and said "Thank you for having me." and walked off the stage.

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE (CC)

[98] After showing a clip from A NECESSARY EVIL (#38) (the scene where Xena and Callisto meet up in the labyrinth chamber), Hudson walked on stage in a very pretty short knit dress (light aqua color) which included a matching jacket that she promptly took off. She opened with, "Are you good?" and the Callisto evil giggle. She sounded slightly bored, "OK, so I'm here. Aren't you going to entertain me?" Asking the audience if we liked her dress, she then said, "Someone told me you can see through it. I don't care."
[99] Several suggestions were called out from the audience for her to dance, to show us some Callisto moves. She replied, "A dance? A couple of moves in this?" she indicated the dress, "I don't THINK so." Of course someone immediately asked her to perform the Callisto scream. However, Hudson wanted to turn this around. "I would like to hear you scream (to the audience). I'm serious. I WOULD." And in a voice that sounded very much like Callisto, she added, "Don't you want to try it? Don't you?" She then told the audience to think of someone that really enraged them and on the count of three, to let loose. She counted one, two, three, and the room exploded with screams -- a piercing wave of sound. Hudson loved it (now she has the audience doing her bidding, just as Lucy did at the Burbank Con). She then concentrated for a few seconds, draw a deep breath and screamed into the microphone. I was pretty sure I had lost some of my hearing during her appearance in Burbank, I'm sure I just lost a few more percentage points at this Con as well.

Photos courtesy of Chris Clogston

[100] She then wanted the audience to tell her why they liked Callisto. Many people lined up at the microphone and basically told her different versions of the same thing: Callisto is not passive, something enrages her, she acts on it. She then took questions from the audience.
[101] Hudson was in tease mode. She walked (actually she slinked) to the edge of the stage where people were crouched taking pictures. "Are you looking up my dress?" She curled up on stage (the image of a cat came to mind) to answer a few questions, but then realized that people in the back couldn't see her and she stood back up.
[102] Someone asked if she thought Callisto would ever have children. Hudson replied to the audience, "Callisto with kids, what do you think?"
[103] There were several questions by people, usually children, who were not familiar with the concept that actors and the characters they play are separate and that one is real, one is fictional. At one point, Hudson said, "I'm only going to say this once," sweeping one arm up and away from her body, "Callisto....." and then pointing to herself, "Hudson."
[104] She was asked what Goddess would she return as? She said she didn't know although someone had come up with Goddess of Obsession. In response to the question of how much of Callisto was her, she replied, "We all created her together." She said she was leaving on June 14 to go to New Zealand to start filming a new XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS episode.
[105] The winner of the costume contest, Amanda, dressed as Callisto brought Hudson birthday presents. Hudson invited her up on stage, accepted the gifts, and then handed the mike to Amanda, "She's going to scream for you and then answer a few questions, " she tells the audience. Amanda/Callisto then took a few questions with Hudson whispering the answers to her as she opened the gifts. The gifts were two framed pictures, and a white blouse embroidered with flowers, which Hudson promptly put on and then knotted the shirt tails around her midriff. A young man who asked Hudson about her acting technique was asked by Hudson to come on stage and dance with Amanda (who was not willing). Hudson retrieved the mike and said, "Both of you, take a deep bow, and get off my stage."
[106] Asked if she could play any part, any where, what would it be, her answer was "Blanche DuBois". She is not interested in directing. However, starring in her own move was a great idea, "and it would be all about me!"
[107] Asked about her stint on HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS (the episode SURPRISE, #H49), she said she approached the character of Callisto differently than she did when doing XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS because of the differences in playing opposite a man versus a woman. She also said she accidentally hit Kevin Sorbo a lot while filming that episode, and it was like "hitting a brick wall, nothing hurt him." She also said she was swiped once by a sword wielded by Lucy Lawless.
[108] Towards the end, Hudson said she wanted someone else to this -- to come up here and answer these questions. She was clearly becoming weary of the questioning. She decided to take one more question and then depart.
[109] The last question she took asked her why Callisto killed Perdicus. With a grin she said, "Because he deserved it!" This was greatly appreciated by the audience based on the wildly enthusiastic response. "And with that, I will leave you," she waved and walked off the stage.

Photo courtesy of Chris Clogston

HUDSON LEICK (LS)

[110] Evil holds us captive. The greatest evil has always been the most seductive. Those who embody our darkest side do so at the risk of never being able to extricate themselves. So it is for Callisto. Children are the real barometers. Watch their faces as Hudson Leick paces the stage. "Is that really her?" they seem to ask. They gaze up and she returns the gaze-- golden-haired, statuesque, coyly evil. She _is_ Callisto for them. They should never be told that Santa Claus does not exist. If absolutely necessary, let them find out on their own. Please do not break the spell. Oddly, she understands. She stays entirely in character. She is much taller than you might expect, with phenomenally long legs. The 3-4 inch heels complete the illusion. She is great with kids, indulging them, understanding their innocence and the spontaneity of their questions. Callisto is the living embodiment of evil. She is everything children have been taught is wrong and yet here she is so approachable. It is okay to ask why Callisto always has such a bad attitude. She gently explains that if you were Callisto, you would have a bad attitude too.
[111] Then, for a moment, the cloak of Callisto falls away. It is Hudson who accepts gifts from a beautiful novitiate dressed as Callisto. She lets the girl take over the service while she opens them. The woman kneeling on the stage ripping off the Snoopy wrapping paper is not at all the quantified embodiment of evil but instead a soul who understands the fragility of ego more than we will ever know and her generosity endears her to us even more.
[112] It is the adults she seems to have problems with, or rather, their lack of acceptance that there is a DIFFERENCE between as she said, "Callisto" (pointing at the screen) "Hudson" (pointing to herself).

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