She's baaack! For those of you suffering from "Xena" withdrawal -- and we know you're out there -- help is here. In addition to catching Lucy Lawless every week on the new WB series "Tarzan," you can see her in the second season of cult fave "Xena: Warrior Princess" -- now out on DVD.

Diehard fans may recall that things really heated up between Xena and her trusted companion Gabrielle in season two. Now viewers can enjoy (or enjoy again) the over-the-top dyke innuendo in "A Comedy of Eros" or the not-so-subtle subtext of the two gals bathing together in the classic episode, "A Day in the Life." It's a 20-hour lesbian dream come true.

Lucy recently talked to PlanetOut about her lesbian crush on a certain young movie starlet, her love of Cosmos and appearing nude on-screen.

When did you first become aware of gay issues?

I think as a kid. My parents are very Catholic, and my mother had a friend who used to come to our house who was a gay man. I knew that technically it wasn't supposed to be OK, and yet my very Catholic parents were fine with it, or at least were supportive of him as an individual. So I think that was my first awareness.

If you were going to be gay/lesbian for just one weekend, who would you want to go out on a date with?

If I was gay I'd want to go out with Mary Ann from "Gilligan's Island." Cause I reckon Mary Ann was secretly a very bad girl.

What's your current favorite CD, book, writer, movie?

My current favorite actress is Scarlett Johansson from "Lost in Translation." I thought she was, you know, the new Renée Zellweger. Not that we're done with Renée Zellweger yet, but I just thought this girl was just phenomenally gorgeous and relatable and understated and divine.

Do you have a favorite drink?

What ... yeah, I still like a Cosmo -- as served by the guys at the Trump International in New York. Those are the best I've ever had.

Does your favorite drink reflect your personality?

Ahh. Sweet and tangy ... lethal. Yeah, that's me.

Who's your favorite Village Person? Angel? Brady? Backstreet Boy?

Cowboy. Cowboys are my weakness. That would be my favorite book, "Cowboys Are My Weakness," by Pam Houston. Lyle Lovett is my favorite guy. BoDeans are my favorite band.

Fill in the blank: I always have _____ in my refrigerator.

Hard lemonade

Who inspires you the most?

Bill Murray. Aretha Franklin. Nina Simone. E. Annie Proulx, the writer. And James Baldwin -- he's phenomenal.

Tell us something nobody knows about you.

I'm a redhead. Nobody knows that ... except my colorist.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

My first celebrity crush was on Choo Choo the pink cat in Topcat. I just had this incredible ... you know, funnily enough, now this is an interesting thing about me, he sounded kind of gay. Then the Bee Gee that I really liked was Robin, who seemed kind of gay. So what is it about me and gays? Truly four out of five of my friends in L.A. are gay. Why do I pursue them?

What pushes your buttons/makes you angry?

Oh, just about anything. I can get angry quite easily, but it's over in a heartbeat.

Squelch a rumor about yourself.

I already have.

Fill in the blank: The last movie I cried at was ______.

"Lost in Translation." "Whale Rider," that made me cry and laugh out loud, partly because I really related to the young people that were out the back laughing and getting together. I just know those kids, you know. ... I grew up with them.

Describe your ideal mate.

The one I've got -- he's smart, has many passionate interests and finds me fascinating.

What's your biggest guilty pleasure?

Oh, I love Court TV. I love "Medical Detectives" on Discovery, and that's why I don't know any of my competition on TV because of all that bull I like to watch.

Would you appear nude in a movie?

The right role, and the right context, yes.

Who is your favorite designer?

Karen Walker, Helen Cherry and Ben Beasley, who are Down Under labels. Up here I like a lot of people, but I really support Down Under talent cause I just think it's edgier than a lot of the things that I see around London or ... maybe not London, but anyway I'm excited by what they do.

Fill in the blank: In high school, I was _________________

In high school I was awkward, gosh, and (these aren't my words) rebellious.

What's your favorite getaway?

My favorite getaway? Oh, I just like to get away to Court TV. I hate beaches. I hate all that relaxation.

Back to the Lucy Lawless Library

Back to the Xena Picture Library