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HUDSON [73]
THE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS [74-113]
A NOTE ON MY GUEST SUMMARIES: This is as complete a summary of the Q&A periods as I can manage. I will not attempt to transcribe, but I will quote especially funny things the guests said occasionally. It's hard to convey this without voice inflection or facial expression, so keep in mind that about 90% of some guests' (Hudson and Danielle especially) answers were meant to be flippant or sarcastic -- they've great senses of humor! Anything that's in quotation marks is a direct quote.
Hudson
Photo courtesy of Kimberly Dull
[73] As I have already mentioned, Hudson came on-stage dressed to kill in a long, black silk gown to thunderous applause. She really camped it up and seemed to be having a good time. The first thing she did was the Callisto scream (without the microphone, thankfully!). She didn't say much for a few minutes, and when the audience started getting restless, she asked, "What, you want me to entertain you? I thought that's what you were gonna do for me!" An audience member called out, "How's it feel to be dead?" and Hudson answered, "Relaxing." A few more questions were shouted out, until she said in a schoolteacher-ish voice, "All right -- enough! Get in line! If you have a question you want to ask me, we'll give you a microphone and you can ask me *properly*."
Photo courtesy of Debbie Cassetta
The Questions & Answers
[74] A guy asked if she was aware that they're doing a CHARLIE'S ANGELS movie and wanted to know whether she would consider trying out for one of the parts, because he thinks she'd be awesome. She answered, "Thank you. That's very generous of you. No." (very emphatically)
[75] The next question was one all of us Hudson fans wanted to know -- is there any way they can write Callisto back into the show, since she's a goddess and all and isn't supposed to die. Or does Hudson just not want to do it anymore? Hudson said that she really doesn't want to do the part anymore because there isn't much more she can do with it. She appreciates the character, especially since it put her on the map, but "there's only so much you can do of 'I'm going to get you' and *not* get you. It becomes a little boring."
[76] A young fan asked, "As Callisto, what do you think of Xena?" Hudson said, in a wicked voice, "I think she's really pretty."
Photo courtesy of Kimberly Dull
[77] Is there a downside to the recognition she's gotten as a result of playing Callisto? She told a story of walking her dog and meeting a very enthusiastic fan who introduced his dogs, Xena and Callisto. Then the guy proceeded to follow her home and tell people on the Internet he knows where she lives. The fan who asked the question apologized for him and said that not all fans are like that (I'd hope not!).
[78] The next fan described "the haze" -- the starstruck-fan syndrome -- and asked who inspires that in Hudson. Her favorite actor is Robert Duvall and her favorite actress is Jennifer Jason Leigh.
[79] The next person at the mike apparently wasn't aware of the difference between Hudson and Callisto. She asked why, in ARMAGEDDON NOW II [H73/414] (the flashback to the burning of Cirra), Callisto's dad was there when she had said she had only a sister and a mother (in A NECESSARY EVIL [38/214]). Hudson said, "Where do you think I came from?" The fan asked, "Didn't you have a sister?" Hudson: "Yeah, I have a sister." Fan: "Well, why wasn't she in ARMAGEDDON NOW?" Hudson: "She was busy that day -- she had an audition." Fan: "She did die in the village that day, right?" Hudson: "No, she didn't die. If you didn't see her, she didn't die."
[80] The same fan, still speaking as if she's talking to Callisto and not Hudson, asked about Callisto's reaction when Gabrielle died (SACRIFICE II [68/322]) -- was she really laughing, or was she just trying to get Xena to kill her? Hudson (after asking, "Will you sleep if I don't answer this question?") said that she didn't like the writing of that ending; the writers had envisioned Callisto actually wanting to live, but she thought Callisto really wanted to die. She did her best to play it as if she were really joyful, although she didn't think this is how Callisto would really feel.
Photo courtesy of Debbie Cassetta
[81] The next guy up at the mike, after complaining that someone else had stolen his question, asked who Callisto admires and respects most. (Thankfully, he seemed to know the difference between actress and character!) Hudson replied with no hesitation at all: "Xena." Then, asked who her hero was when she was a little kid, she said, "Cher."
[82] Is she coming back to XENA at all? She said you never know; she's done an episode for the next season of HERCULES where she plays Liz Friedman (FOR THOSE OF YOU JUST JOINING US).
[83] The next questioner was a guy dressed as Xena; I remember seeing him on the Dick Clark blooper show a while back (which they also showed at the con). He mentioned that he's been asked to do commercials and such since then, and Hudson congratulated him. He asked how much of the gymnastics she does on XENA. She said she doesn't do the tumbling or flipping, though she does most of her own fighting. (During this question, she removed the filmy black scarf she was wearing like a veil to reveal her now-very-short hair, saying as an aside, "Yes, I cut my hair.") Then she did the Callisto line, "Let's play a little game, shall we?"
Photo courtesy of Kimberly Dull
[84] At this point, Hudson mentioned that her parents were in the audience and asked if we wouldn't like them to come up so everyone can see what they look like and maybe ask them a question about how horrible she was growing up, so they could embarrass her entirely in front of a huge group of people? Naturally, everyone was pretty enthusiastic about this idea, so her parents came up on stage. She remarked that they hadn't seen her newly-cut hair yet. Her mom got a mike, then asked the audience if they wanted to know what Hudson was like when she was younger. (Lots of cheers, of course.) So what *was* she like? "Short!" Hudson said people could just call out questions, and a guy asked if she ever set anything on fire at home. Her dad said no, but "she did some *other* things that were quite entertaining!" He told a story about how they had just had their roof repaired, and Hudson was doing some modeling at the time, and she was modeling on the roof in high heels (!), and! she punctured the new roof with her heel and flooded the room. "No problem whatsoever!" Hudson responded, "That was my creativity, Dad!"
[85] Was Hudson hard to live with? Hudson: "Puh-leeze! You could've figured that out on your own!" And her mom put in, "What do you mean, 'was'?" Hudson asked the audience, "Where do you ever think I got it from?" Was she good in school? Her behavior was good, but, according to Dad, grades were another matter. Hudson said she was a D student... if she was lucky. An audience member shouted out, "D is for dedicated!" Hudson said she was dedicated to "go on a hill with my best friend, and wear our bikinis during school." Did she have a lot of dates. Mom: "She had so many dates, we never bothered to learn their last names. They were lovely people, but" Hudson didn't keep them around for long. Dad: "If I ever liked them, they were history." Hudson and her parents posed for some pictures and then they left the stage after Mom put in one last comment: "I just wanted you to know she got my old body and I want it back." Hudson addressed the audience after they'd sat down! again: "And those two people are the reason I'm in therapy."
Photo courtesy of Debbie Cassetta
[86] Then, back to the questions. A fan from Hudson's hometown (though much younger) came up. She wanted to know what Hudson would give Callisto if she could give or teach her something. "A big hug -- she needs it -- and some Prozac." The next fan asked if Callisto's obsession with Xena was "subtextual". Hudson, not one to mince words, said, "Is she hot for Xena? Is that what you're asking? Of *course* she was." And what would she have changed about the writing of Callisto's character? Her death. Hudson would have given her redemption.
[87] The next fan complimented Hudson's dress and she said she tried to iron it that morning. "It's silk. You know what happens when you try to iron silk? It melts!" Did she enjoy playing Liz Friedman, or was it hard to play her? It wasn't more fun than Callisto, but she did enjoy it. In her second episode as Liz Friedman (not aired yet), she said she ate some bugs... that was fun. Did they taste better than the raw egg she drank in YES VIRGINIA, THERE IS A HERCULES [H74/415]? Yes, they did.
[88] Someone asked what is her favorite episode (that she actually appeared in). She said the one where she became a god (A NECESSARY EVIL). Does she answer all her fan mail herself? She started out doing that, but it took her a full day to answer even half of it, so she now has someone to handle that for her.
[89] Is she afraid she might be typecast as a camp actress or a sociopath? She wouldn't be offended if that happens, though she doesn't know if that's what she'll want to do for the rest of her life. She said it's really out of her hands anyway.
[90] The next (young) fan pointed out her dad, and told Hudson that he really likes her, but that she's not his favorite actress. After deliberating on how to respond, Hudson looked toward where the girl had pointed and said, "I pardon you." The same fan complimented her on her chanting in THE BITTER SUITE. She didn't have an actual question, though.
[91] And then we got the dreaded "What advice would you give aspiring actors?" question. This seems to be asked of every star at these things... it gets tiresome after a while, especially since Danielle Cormack had already gotten it twice (I think one of them was the same fan who was asking Hudson this now). She went to acting school ("my mother forced me to"); a really good school ("the teachers are psychotic"). She suggested learning about the business side of acting, which the schools don't really teach, and how to sell yourself. Then you need to get an agent. Did her agent get her the job on XENA? No, agents get you the audition; you get the part yourself.
[92] The next person up asked why Callisto killed her mother after killing her father (ARMAGEDDON NOW II). She said, "Well, I think it went something like this." She screamed and rushed forward, pretending to be the mother whose husband was just killed and who is now attacking the killer. She remarked that she loved the woman who played her mom in this episode -- she's a good actress.
Photo courtesy of Debbie Cassetta
[93] Is it hard to play an evil person? A definite no. The same (very young) fan asked if she had worn a wig to play Callisto, since her hair was short now. No; she just recently cut it.
[94] Did she do her own singing in BITTER SUITE? No, though she did the chanting. Someone shouted out a question about whether she really kissed Lucy. "No -- I had someone else kiss her seven times."
[95] The next person asked what Callisto felt about Gabrielle. "She doesn't care a pip about Gabrielle. Gabrielle's a weak little whiny creature to Callisto." Some shocked looks from the audience members prompt her to add, "Well, what do you want -- she's the bad guy!"
[96] An unrelated-to-XENA question: what did she think of "BLADE"? Really good makeup, beautifully shot, but pretty violent.
[97] In response to the next fan's request, she did a line from A NECESSARY EVIL (where she's talking to the rat): "Run away, little Hercules. Be a good little Hercules and...run away."
[98] Does she find it odd to walk down the street and see her face on someone's T-shirt? "I have never seen that yet. I'm shocked."
Photo courtesy of Kimberly Dull
[99] A little boy came up and said, "I know I'm too young, but will you marry me?" She said, "Absolutely!" Then, to the audience, "My first proposal ever. Can you believe that?"
[100] A guy asked next if she would play other roles on XENA or HERCULES now that Callisto's dead, or would she like to go into films or something else? She said she'd really like to do "odd indy films". As for HERCULES and XENA, "I'm finished," much to the dismay of the audience.
[101] A woman mentioned Hudson's appearance on SEVENTH HEAVEN and observed the difference between her yelling and screaming Callisto character and the caring schoolteacher she played on that show. "It's acting, sweetheart!" The fan complimented Hudson on her beautiful voice and asked if she'd had vocal training -- yes, she did. Then why didn't she do the singing on BITTER SUITE? "*Very* bad idea." The fan observed how much the singer's voice sounded like Hudson's. Hudson said that the singer -- whose name she couldn't remember (it was Michelle Neresian) -- was a Broadway singer. Hudson described how sweet the woman was, and how she was trying to give her some pointers on Callisto because she was too sweet and needed to sound "badder -- evil! Killing people!"
[102] A fan came up and presented Hudson with a T-shirt that Hudson seemed ecstatic over. It said, Hudson's best friend, Griffin" -- Hudson's dog. Awww, how cute!
[103] In response to a question of whom she liked playing better -- Callisto or Xena -- she of course answered, "Callisto!" (She's said in numerous interviews how much she hated playing Xena because that was someone else's character.)
[104] At this point, she did the Callisto scream again when asked by a fan. What lungs!
Photo courtesy of Kimberly Dull
[105] A guy came to the mike and apparently decided not to ask his question, and just thanked Hudson for being there. She called him back and pressed him to tell her what he wanted to ask. He showed her some artwork he'd done of Xena and Gabrielle and asked if he could do one of her. She said it was beautiful and she'd pose for a picture and he could use that to work from.
[106] Asked what outfit -- Callisto's or the Fool's (BITTER SUITE) -- is more comfortable, Hudson said the Fool's was much more fun to wear. She implied pretty strongly that Callisto's is really not that comfortable. The same fan asked her to pose for a picture, which she gladly did. She said to the audience, "This is my job. Are you guys getting this? I get *paid* for this. This *feeds* me."
[107] How much training did she have for the role of Callisto? Three days of martial arts training. She's pretty ambidextrous and has good coordination, so she picks it up quickly.
[108] What does she dislike about her profession? She mentioned the guy she'd talked about before who followed her home with his dogs and posted about it on the 'net. She also dislikes getting up at four in the morning, putting on the skimpy costume and filming in the dead of winter -- "Very bad." But she really enjoys being an actress.
[109] A young fan asked if she does her own stunts and what her favorite color is. She said she doesn't do the stunts, but she does most of the fighting. Her favorite color is purple.
Photo courtesy of Debbie Cassetta
[110] Another young fan asked if she'd ever expected to play a character like Callisto. "A bad guy?" Hudson clarified. Then, in an evil voice, "Yes."
[111] A third young fan asked what Callisto calls her horse. She playfully replied, "Hush!" She tried to think of a name, and finally came up with, "I think she'd call him... Meat Gone Bad. Dinner For Next Week."
[112] What's the funniest thing that's ever happened on the XENA set? "I stopped working." But nothing was coming to mind. The fan said she thinks they should bring her back as Sappho. Hudson asked who Sappho was, and some members of the audience tried to explain delicately, "A poet. A *woman's* poet. The subtext thing." Hudson, as usual not mincing words, supplied the one-word (lesbian, of course). She had some more banter on the subject, but I couldn't quite catch it over the audience. And that was the end.
[113] I must say that seeing Hudson in person was a wonderful experience. She is brash, funny, and doesn't pull punches or try to stay on the diplomatic side. She tells it like it is, and this is the best thing about her. I imagine that Danielle, though she was warmly received, knew that Hudson was the big draw for the day -- Danielle even said almost exactly that when she was on-stage. Hudson will be missed on XENA, and it should be interesting to see where her career goes from here.
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