Lawless is about to launch into another galaxy

April 26, 2006

The Hollywood career of Lucy Lawless is about to launch into another galaxy, but she's determined to keep her feet firmly on New Zealand ground.

In a rare interview given while at home in Auckland, the unpretentious Hollywood star explains why New Zealand is still home to her and her family, and how she's managed to keep her Kiwi accent in a new role on a hit US sci-fi television show.

She tells The Australian Women's Weekly how important it is to her and husband movie producer Rob Tapert, to bring up their children in the real world, and how her daughter Daisy has chosen her own road.

Lawless also talks exclusively about being drawn home to her parents and her large and close family; in particular her relationship with her father, former mayor Frank Ryan, and the private struggles they have endured which have made their bond stronger.

After a period on the edge of the limelight following the birth of her two sons, Lawless' career is set to take another turn, in a year packed with new projects - a television show, a New Zealand movie and a few musical interludes.

And, 38-year-old Lawless admits, she's not quite ready to retire as Xena yet.

Despite the allure of living in Hollywood Hills, Lawless is determined to stay grounded. She has become adept at spotting, and avoiding, the "phoney-baloneys" of Hollywood, and doesn't consider herself a celluloid celebrity.

"I have no intention of ever becoming an A-list celebrity. I want to be an A-grade human being first," she tells The Australian Women's Weekly.

"I know I still exist even if I'm not in the magazine pages, and that's why I'm not jealous of anyone in Hollywood. I went away for years after Xena, and I know I'm a way better person for it."

The interview with Lucy Lawless appears in the May issue of The Australian Women's Weekly which goes on sale on Thursday April 27.

ENDS

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