ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT: Why did you decide this would be the last season of "Xena: Warrior Princess"?
LUCY LAWLESS: The fact that this is the last season of "Xena" has nothing to do with me. (laughs) It's a surprise. I didn't know until just now. But after six years, it feels like the right time. We're still in love with one another. The honeymoon is drawing to a happy conclusion and we've done so many stories -- who wants to run out of ideas on-screen? We wouldn't want it to have a tragic ending to the show, so we on the crew feel like we're going out with aplomb -- a lot of love and commitment and drive is still there.
ET: How is it going to be for you to say goodbye?
LUCY: I think I'll still be getting up at 5:00 a.m. and putting on my leather corset and sitting in my car. I'll sit there for an hour or two and realize that there is nowhere to go. Or I'll drive out to one of the old movie ranches and sit at the gate until the farmer sends me away. I think I'll have to be rehabilitated back into normal society. But that's understandable, (laughs) it's been a wonderful role.
ET: How are you feeling emotionally?
LUCY: Valiant. I feel absolutely thrilled to be with these people. And like I said, we still love being together. Nobody got sour, nobody got tired, and that's the thing with the Kiwi crews, we all move on instead of staying unhappy in a job. So, it's been just a wonderful environment to work in.
ET: Are you sad?
LUCY: It hasn't sunk in that the show is over yet, so none of us are sad yet. When they call wrap, then we'll all scratch our heads and say, "Oh, I guess that's it, then. Better go home to our other families." It sure has been an amazing ride, and we've all been through a lot. There have been births, marriages, people have bought homes and they've moved up the ranks in their respective fields. It's just an incredible education for all of us.
ET: Is there any chance you will come back and play Xena again sometime?
LUCY: Oh, do you think they'll have me? I'm sure if they do a "Xena" movie or something, they'll recast. They'll be like, we want someone like that Lucy what's her name, but younger. And good luck to her is what I say.
ET: I have to ask you about the rumors that Xena will die?
LUCY: Oh, Xena dies all the time. It's a bit of a party trick for Xena. All I can tell you -- you'll have to watch to find out the whole truth and nothing but the truth -- all I can tell you is that the friendship between Xena and Gabrielle endures.
ET: What else can you tell us about the last episode?
LUCY: We're shooting these final episodes on a real feature film basis. And my husband was heard to yell, as he came up against a battery of people, "You can't have that. We don't have time. We don't have money" and "These people are trying to turn my feature film into a TV show." So as much as is possible, this a really big budget feature film on something a little more expansive than a TV schedule. And we're really lucky. I'm thrilled with it. We've got more extras than ever before and Xena goes up against 1,000 Samurai warriors. I can't tell you how that ends, but it's very exciting. You're just going to have to watch.
ET: What are you going to miss the most?
LUCY: I think working with RENÉE O'CONNOR. Renée and I have been through so many things together we're more like sisters or cousins than colleagues. And there are plenty of things that just don't need explaining. It can be an eyebrow, and it speaks volumes between us. But she's just been a great anchor for me on the show. She's a woman of real grace and strength with a real sense of humor, and an incredible ability. I thought it really hard not to look cheesy next to her. And she's so darn good at the fights that she really puts me to shame. But everybody's used to that now: "You know, Lucy does what she can, but Renée's a true natural." And if it were based on physical prowess, then she'd be Xena and I'd be the sidekick. But, luckily for me, there are stuntwomen, and jolly good ones, too.
ET: What are you going to do with the famous costume?
LUCY: It will probably hang in my wardrobe until the moths eat it to bits. I'll bring it out for special parties. I'll be trucking it out when I'm old, when I'm 80 years old. "Oh, mom, don't let grandma wear the Xena costume again. She's so embarrassing."
ET: Are you going to move to the U.S. to pursue other roles?
LUCY: We'll be spending more time in the U.S. because my husband is American. Obviously, we'll be living betwixt and between. I could go anywhere. That's what's blowing my mind at the moment -- I could travel the world. I'm looking for that place where I get to spend the rest of my days, and I don't know where that is at the moment. Perhaps I'm just not at a time in my life where I can decide. So, I'm not fretting about it, but I know that one day, I will arrive somewhere and say, "This is where I want to be for the rest of my life."
ET: Would you consider doing another series?
LUCY: I've had some very flattering offers from the States. I'm just not ready to commit to another six years of any character. I need a year off. "Xena"'s been really rewarding but the schedule is grueling, and what other character could I love as well? So, I'm reluctant to sign up for the next six years of my life, when I've got such a young son, and a daughter who needs to see her mom. She's looking forward to me picking her up from school, and just being around in the evenings for her, helping her do her homework, because I haven't done that for six years. It's time for a change.
ET: What about a situation comedy, or do you see yourself being a Bond girl or something like that? You were very popular in "Just Shoot Me."
LUCY: Oh, well, good. I actually haven't seen that, someone sent me a tape, and just as I was sitting down to watch it, some visitors came and there's always that little bit of actor's vanity where they're a little afraid to see their own work. But it sure was fun doing it. Would I do a sitcom? Not at the moment. The schedule is a great thing if you want to work and maintain a family life, whereas on a show like "Xena," you can never plan anything.
I don't want to be a Bond girl. I would want to be Bond. You know, who wants to be Alotta Fagina, when you can be Xena? After you've played Xena, there's no going back. I like "Nikita." I think that was a great film, and if they were to redo it, I would really want that role. I don't see myself doing a sitcom at this point.
ET: Do you think it could be tough for audiences to accept you in another role?
LUCY: We'll just have to see. I don't think you can make career choices based on that. You just have to take every project on its merits and be excited by the script, the character and by the people that you're working with. The best possible project with the best possible people. I don't know that you should ever think about the impression you're making. Just do what you believe in.
ET: Are you going to change your hair or your look?
LUCY: I'm quite excited about the possibility of having my hair cut, or letting it go back to its natural color. It's never been an option, so I never thought about it. I wouldn't allow myself to want to have a change of image. So, though I don't feel a need to rush out and change to symbolize my new existence, I'm quite looking forward to seeing what evolves.
ET: What do you think is the legacy of the series?
LUCY: I think "Xena" has spawned a thousand, if not imitators, then female action heroes. I think it's a wonderful thing. Why not? It was very courageous for the first people to endorse a female-action hero in the form of Xena, and I was the lucky kid, the Johnny on the Spot.
Check out the "Xena" wrap party tonight on ET!
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