======================================= LUCY LAWLESS: THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WARRIOR IAXS Project #499 By Julie Ruffell (a1a01138@bc.sympatico.ca) Copyright 1997 held by author 803 words ======================================= [01] "In a time of ancient Gods, warlords, and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was, Xena...", played by twenty-nine-year-old, Kiwi actress, Lucy Lawless. The woman behind the warrior is the woman I aspire to be. [02] The five foot, ten inch actor with black hair and stunning blue eyes is a woman full of adventure, who teaches others to shoot for their dreams. After high school, Lawless set out to see the world. She traveled through Germany and Switzerland, went grape-picking in the Rhineland and mined gold in the Australian outback. [03] Lawless had a dream. She wanted to act, but her career was slow in New Zealand. She did a few guest shots and commercials, before landing a job on the comedy skit show, "Funny Business". After that, she found herself the co-host of the travel show, "Air New Zealand Holiday". However, Lawless "didn't want to be a big fish in a small pond", so she did not give up. [04] Her break into U.S. television came when the syndicated show, HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS, came to film in New Zealand. She had had two small guest roles on HERCULES, before landing the role of Xena, the Warrior Princess, on a three episode arc for the show. The job fell to her when the original actress cast, Vanessa Angel, fell sick and several actors turned the role down. Lawless had been camping with her family (including nine-year-old daughter, Daisy), and reading horoscopes. Hers had said that fame and fortune would come to her overseas. She got the part of Xena that night. [05] In addition to being full of adventure and hope, she is a woman of great courage. In October 1996, Lawless took a terrible spill from a horse while doing a comedy skit for THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO. She fractured her pelvis in several places, and although she was afraid, once Lawless fully recovered, she got back on that horse. She said, "It's important for me to give myself that challenge. Otherwise, I'm forever going to be frightened." Her courage is inspiring. [06] Lawless also cares about her fans, and says, "Thank you for helping make a dream come true. Your support is very much appreciated. God bless you all. I'm so thankful to have such great fans, who care so much for others." However, Lawless should realize that her fans care so much for others because of her example as Xena. Her character has helped people worldwide, even helping some women to find the strength to leave abusive relationships. She took her own desire to help, and she made a television commercial (1997) to make a stand against domestic violence: On Xena, our battles are make-believe and no one gets hurt. At the end of the day, we take off our costumes and we go home. In real life, domestic violence injures and kills. But you can get help - and you don't need Xena's super-human powers. You have a weapon she doesn't - the telephone. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Domestic Hotline, 1-800-799-SAFE. Your call will be answered day or night, in English or Spanish. Xena would want you to call, and so do I. [07] Adventure, hope, courage and social concern: these are the characteristics of Lucy Lawless. She passes on all of these attributes to others, making her a powerful role model for all. This land in turmoil has its hero, Lucy Lawless, the woman behind the warrior. The woman I aspire to be. Battle on. Biography Julie Ruffell (a1a01138@bc.sympatico.ca) http://www.thirdstory.com/whoosh/pictures/nopic.jpg My name is Julie Ruffell (or Xena Torres: Warrior Writer). I have been a fan of Xena since she first stepped on Hercules (which I saw COMPLETELY by accident!) And the second she walked on screen, I had a new favorite female role. I had never thought that any show would top THE X-FILES, but when Xena got her own show in 1995, THE X-FILES had to fall to number two. I have been writing for some time now, but it only became a career goal this year. As well as writing for WHOOSH, I do articles for, "Warrior Princess Press," and have some work posted on Tom's Xena Page. I was also a large help in the new Xena book (due out in Spring '98), LUCY LAWLESS AND RENEE O'CONNOR: WARRIOR WOMEN OF XENA. Favorite XWP episode: THE DEBT (52/306) Favorite XWP lines: Gabrielle: "Son of a bacchae!" BEEN THERE DONE THAT (48/302) First episode seen: THE WARRIOR PRINCESS (H09/109) Least favorite episode: THE TITANS (07/107)