Whoosh! Online Edition Whoosh! On The Road



Q & A WITH HUDSON
By Beverly Gores [91-126]
(1572 Words)




Hudson
Photo courtesy of Heather McGinnis





[91] First, let's just say I loved it and her and I became a new fan. For the first time I went home to check out the Hudson Leick Official Fan Club. She was witty, charming, sexy, and smart. She connected with the audience. Her personality is, in many ways, Callisto, except she isn't evil.

[92] Following is a semi-transcript of the Questions and Answers from Hudson Leick's appearance at the Xena Con in Minneapolis on August 9, 1998. You will miss a lot not being there, her tone of voice, her body and posturing, her outfit, her adorable new hair cut. There was a lot of laughter and humor in her presentation.

[93] I was disappointed with some of her answers. She was probably instructed by Creation to answer only what was asked ("don't elaborate") and to keep it moving. And since, after the 45 minutes of Q&A there were still a dozen people in line, that would make sense. On the other hand, some questions begged for a longer response and the non-responses were conspicuous by their absence.

[94] Setup: The auditorium was filled with a few thousand people. The questions came from one microphone near the stage on the right-hand side, and since Xenaversity members were sitting on the left, I was very concerned she would only stand on the right, near those asking the questions. Fortunately, she's a pro and she moved around the stage a lot, even standing on the far-left side. This, at times, confused the person asking the question, until she would say, "Go ahead, I'm just wa-a-a-aay over here."

[95] Hudson's opening: "Like my dress? Subtle, huh?" She was wearing a slinky, tight, soft blue number.

[96] Q: One of the first requests was from a wife asking if her husband could come up and have a picture taken with her because he loves her.
H: "Absolutely." He was an older gentleman who, incidentally, is an excellent artist and was giving away many drawings of Callisto. When a Xenaversity member showed Hudson the picture for her autograph, she was clearly moved.

[97] Q: Were you satisfied with the way they ended Callisto? (SACRIFICE I & II [67 & 68/321 &322])
H: "NO. It should have been all about me!" laugher and clapping.

[98] Q: How do you stay in shape?
H: (Without missing a beat) "I have a lot of sex. No, I'm kidding. Yoga."

[99] Q: Do you surf the Internet?
H: "No. I like my ignorance. It's blissful."

[10] Q: Is your costume comfortable?
H: It is freezing in the winter time. When we watch the show, we can tell when it is winter because between takes she places a hot water bottle on her stomach and when the camera's roll you can see a red outline of the water bottle on her stomach.

[101] Q: "Why did you cut your hair?"
H: She no longer wanted to look like a Barbie in this society. (much applause)

[102] Q: Future possibilities?
H: "I might be doing some mortal combat." There is another show in the works but since it is not signed yet, I don't want to jinx it by mentioning it.

[103] Q: What's it like to be Callisto?
H: "Glorious." I get to scream, yell, spit and get paid for it

[104] Q: Will Hudson be back?
H: Not as Callisto. She loved the role, was grateful for it, but she needs to move on. "It's played out."

[105] Q: One fan was very nervous so Hudson offered her a hug and she said "no." She was either really nuts or really nervous.

[106] Q: What gets you to act so angry.
H: "A bad childhood. I channel it."

[107] She was asked half a dozen times to say something like Callisto. She always obliged. The scream, as she has done before, was priceless. First she asked us to scream, which was obviously great therapy for some people. Then it was her turn, first without the microphone, one has to scream like Hudson/Callisto. Then with the microphone. Personal opinion, I liked it better without. At this point she called what she does for a living "A joke." When a fan questioned her on that, Hudson explained that she meant that in the most positive way. To play such a delicious character and standing on stage screaming is a great way to make a living. Other requested quotes "Here Comes Trouble." (From A NECESSARY EVIL [38/214] when she became a God.) "And everybody died that day." (From a Hercules episode. Interestingly, she didn't remember this line or where it came from. The audience tried to help her, but she was stymied. She did notice the irony – "I played the part, and you're telling me about it.") "You want it. Come and get it." (From CALLISTO [22/122]: The first time she appeared with Xena and took her Chakram.) "We were playing a game of truth or dare, and she's not very good at it." ( From A NECESSARY EVIL speaking about Gabrielle.); Callisto's laugh (of course).

[108] Q: Are you friends with Velasca? (Audience members constantly confused actors with characters, which at first confused Hudson, but she got into the swing of things eventually, like with this answer.)
H: "Melinda Clark? Yes, I went to her wedding. We hang out in the firepit together."

[109] Q: Where are you from?
H: Cincinnati Ohio.

[110] Q: Was THE BITTER SUITE [58/312] fun?
H: Yes. (This was one question that needed more. I was very disappointed in the clipped response.)

[111] Q: What will you miss the most about Callisto?
H: "The money. Actually, It was an amazing character. I learned a lot about myself."


Hudson
Photo courtesy of Heather McGinnis




[112] Q: Are you friends with Lucy?
H: "We live too far apart to be friends off the show, but on the show when we work we are very social."

[113] Q: What's it like to work with Renee?
H: She works very hard and is very focused. I didn't have too many scenes with Renee – I worked mainly with Lucy – but when I did, I tortured her." (Realizing what she just said), "Well, not Renee, Gabrielle. Although I'm sure I tortured Renee a few times, too."

[114] Q: What were you like as a child?
H: "I was a dirty little rugrat. I was a tomboy who loved wearing dresses. In high school I was the girl who never took her coat off and walked like this." (She walks across the stage with head hanging down.)

[115] Q: How did you like filming the rat scene (from A NECESSARY EVIL)
H: "Rats are our friends. Pet them, love them, and call them George." (Lots of laughter)

[116] Q: I love the show because it has half-dressed women in it (from a man).
H: "The show is for those who like the intellectual humor of it." (Lots of applause)

[117] Q: Was there every a moment when your clothes came off accidentally while filming? (This was a question that came about after seeing the Hercules blooper reel in which Kevin Sorbo's derriere was accidentally exposed.)
H: When filming CALLISTO she was new to the character, so she was wearing a G-string under her very short skirt. One person on the set, after seeing her climb up the ladder, quickly told her that wasn't such a good idea. She never wore it again.

[118] Q: Would you ever model again?
H: "Never."
Q: Why not?
H: "It melts my mind."

[119] Q: Do you have any pets?
H: "Yes, a Chihuahua named Griffin."

[120] Q: "You went to school with my math teacher."
H: "Who's your math teacher?"
Q: "Susan (blank)."
H: "Oh my God." (Xenaversity members believe this was the only time Hudson was caught off-guard. And she was thrilled about it.) "We were cheerleaders together."
Q: "Yes, she told us."
H: "Then you know what I was like in high school."

[121] Q: If you could play another character on HERC or XENA, who would it be?
H: (After some thought) "Strife. Kinda weird guy." Someone asked, "Not Gabrielle?" to which she laughed, "Can you imagine me as Gabrielle???!!!" and she did a delicious prance across the stage like a prissy Gabrielle. (Now, we all know there is more to Gabrielle than that, but it was delightful nonetheless.)

[122] Q: What did you feel when you were dying? (Callisto's death scene in SACRIFICE II).
H: "I thought it was pretty sensuous. It was Callisto's plan all along. Xena, who in my opinion Callisto is totally in love with, was the perfect one to kill her. It was an act of love."

[123] Q: How does Liz Friedman feel about your portrayal of her (Hercules episode YES, VIRGINIA THERE IS A HERCULES [H74/415])
H: "She hates the way I play her. I enjoy it. There is another episode where I portray her, it hasn't aired yet, and I'm even worse.)

[124] Q: What would Callisto be like in the parallel universe (Hercules episode STRANGER IN A STRANGE WORLD [H64/405])
H: "Sugar and spice and everything nice."

[125] Q: Why are you an actress?
H: Humorous answer: The money. Serious answer: "Attention. Getting attention. It is an amazing act of intimacy with another. Not sexual intimacy. But to jump into a scene and have no other barriers but just intimacy with a complete stranger."

[126] Then, just like that, time was up. She then proceeded to sign everyone's autograph. And for those that stayed after the signing, she posed for pictures, allowed herself to be taped on video cameras and answered questions, called people "sweetie" and basically charmed everyone. What a gal!!!

Hudson
Photo courtesy of Heather McGinnis




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