She Fights Off Bad Guys and the Pounds

Monday, April 20, 1998 Los Angeles Times

By CANDACE A. WEDLAN, Times Staff Writer

Of course, those great fight scenes in TV's "Xena: Warrior Princess" are staged--when Xena and Gabrielle knock the bejabbers out of the bad guys. The camaraderie, though, between the two actresses--Lucy Lawless as Xena and Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle--that just can't be playacting.

That's what O'Connor said when she joined us for lunch at The Times during a trip stateside (the syndicated show is shot in New Zealand). "I wouldn't be there if we didn't have a close relationship because how can you work with someone 12 hours a day--and it's like a marriage--if you don't get along and actually appreciate the person? Thank God it worked out that way, you know?"

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Question: It certainly makes the show that much more fun to watch.

Answer: Yeah, I think it comes across. We've been together for so long. Sometimes we're quiet one day and you don't want to talk to the other, and I always know a day like that. We both do. We know each other so well. Other days, we're just gossiping like schoolgirls.

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Q: When do you find time to exercise?

A: It's just difficult with a 12-hour day to find the time to work out, so I do it in the evening now. The first season I used to get up at 3:30 in the morning, run for an hour, go to work for 12 hours and then just die by 7 or 8 o'clock at night. Lucy said, "Renee, take it easy, you know. We're here for the long haul."

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Q: So what are you doing after work now?

A: I exercise six days out of the week. Four times are cardio: either half-hour running or a two-hour walk or an aerobics class, high impact, for an hour at a gym in Auckland. And then a couple nights I go to an indoor rock-climbing gym. It's exciting because you feel like you've accomplished something and you've overcome your fear of heights, which is true for me. And my boyfriend actually enjoys roller-blading, going to the gym, rock climbing, so we've been doing a lot of it together and he's the only person I want to see after 12 hours with the crew, you know.

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Q: How tall are you?

A: I'm 5-4. It's actually harder for me to rock climb because I have a problem reaching everything because I'm vertically challenged. I'm always finding these bizarre maneuvers--another way up--where somebody 6 feet tall can just grab it.

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Q: Everybody on the set probably towers over you.

A: Right. The crew, the actors--everybody's tall. Ren and Stimpy--oh, they've given me the worst nicknames. They're very humbling over there, so it's quite good. Lucy calls me Ren.

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Q: Before we talk about food, how much do you weigh?

A: 120. I might as well be honest. I mean, I know that my body shape is not the same as a lot of actresses on television who are very thin and model-like, but I'm grateful that I am playing a character who's athletic, who runs around with a warrior princess, so I can do things where I might look bulkier, but I feel strong and healthy.

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Q: What are you eating?

A: Breakfast, I usually have fruit and granola--we call it muesli over there--with skim milk and fruit. Then chicken and steamed spinach and vegetables for Lucy and me for the lunch break. Then everyone takes a break around 3 or 4 o'clock and has tea and sandwiches or cake. I love sweet things, but I get it from fruit. Lucy'll tease me. She'll say, "Oh, Renee, it's so moist, this gorgeous chocolate cake."

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Q: I love the idea of a tea break, but I bet the directors don't.

A: Oh, it drives the American directors crazy because they want to keep going. And dinner, if I've had a busy day and I'm hungry, chicken stir fry, maybe leftover chicken enchiladas. I try to have fruit and I love canned peas for some reason. I guess it's quick, peas out of the can and in the microwave.

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Q: Do you ever feed that sweet tooth?

A: I love sweets, so maybe on the weekend if I'm going to dinner with my boyfriend. Desserts are very good because they use full creams, so everything is very rich.

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Q: One last thing. What do you normally drink?

A: Mostly coffee to stay awake and tea. They think I'm bizarre because I don't drink the tap water there because apparently it's one of the freshest in the world coming from the mountains. I've been on this kick, I guess from living in Los Angeles, of drinking water out of the bottle. I just carry it around with me because I'm always chugging.

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Q: No beer or wine?

A: I like the wine. The wine's beautiful. I don't usually drink during the week. I would be out in 15 minutes if I had a glass of wine.

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Guest Workout runs Mondays in Health.


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