Whoosh Interview with Simon Ambridge (Co-Producer)
Issue 54, March 2001

[23] RUDNICK:
Any memorable experiences from over the years that stand out?

[24] AMBRIDGE:
It would have to be when we went on location to shoot the SIN
TRADE episodes. We got down to the center of the North Island
to shoot some of the mountain scenes. We had a week. The first
night we were there, T.J. (Scott, Director) did the campfire
scene and worked out really well. There was a lovely sunset.
We came down with no foul weather gear, and that night it
started to rain. It rained all the next day and the next. Lucy
was miserable, but she worked right through it. And we as the
crew felt that if she can endure all that, without even a coat,
she's wet and cold and toughing it out, that inspired us too.

http://whoosh.org/issue54/iambridge1.html


Here's my favorite Jacqueline Kim quote about Lucy:

[25] …We had only ten minutes left in the full day. Everyone
was stressing out because we were going into overtime. Lucy
had been in this disgusting water all day -- the water was full
of chemicals for a fog effect. She was such a sport. She hadn't
complained. I had stayed dry all day, of course, because we
hadn't shot the scene yet.

[26] I'm not pointing any fingers at anyone, and I'm not
saying anyone was whining or complaining -- they were just
worried about whether we could do it in such short time, but I
remember all these men standing around and saying things like
"We don't have time", "It's too important, it's too hard,
there's no way". They didn't think we'd be able to find each
other under water.

[27] Lucy looked at me and I looked at her. We were both very
businesslike about it. She said "Go under water with your eyes
closed. I'll find your mouth, I'll keep my eyes open. Let's
try it." Everyone was very quiet. And we did it! We just did
it! We did it very quickly, we did two takes of it.

[28] I remember thinking that often when you work with people
on movies they can have a very precious attitude about
themselves. If the director stresses out everyone stresses out.
But we were just like two tomboy-ish girls diving underwater. I
remember that. I remember it was just fun.

[29] Lucy definitely sets the work ethic. She's a hard worker.
She's fun -- she and I goofed around a lot. But when the moment
came, we worked very hard. The directors are always changing,
and the tone on the set is up to the lead person. And she sets
a fun, hard-working tone."

http://www.whoosh.org/issue17/ikim1.html

Takle is also eager to talk about her professional friendships among the Xena actors, many of which were formed years before Xena. To hear her talk about her many friends is to begin to appreciate how intiniate and close knit the New Zealand acting community is. "It`s really just lovely going on the set," she enthuses. "I find it`s like being in love. I know that sounds odd, but there are all these people who`ve worked together over this time and there`s just a wonderful bond." Takle first worked with Lucy Lawless in the New Zealand television series Typhon`s People, and during her years on Xena has developed what she considers a special relationship with her screen daughter. "I feel quite grandmotherly and motherly towards Lucy, even though she`s much taller than me," she laughs. "I still think of her as my little girl! After six years [on Xena] I really feel quite protective of her, especially when she was pregnant.

"She always finds time to come and have a chat over to the side," Takle continues, "which is great, because when we go onto the set we`re kind of caught up with each other. So we kind of renew that bond. We`ve got a special link now, because our roles as mother and daughter have changed radically since the beginning."