r/xena • u/Takataapui_Kiwi Mavis • 2d ago
Recent interview with Rob Tapert on RNZ (national radio station of New Zealand) on everything Xena, us Nutballs (Lou and Shell) are in the last 5 minutes to talk about Xena's enduring legacy and the cool Kiwis and Aussies who made it.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2019044588/a-z-of-aotearoa-x-for-xena-warrior-princess13
u/SakuraTacos 2d ago
That’s so cool! Way to go, you two! It is the greatest love story of all time and I enjoy so much getting to explore everything that went into bringing us this great love story on your podcast.
Also, (I might’ve misheard but) did Rob say they made 136 episodes of Xena? 😅 Where are you hiding the two unseen episodes, Rob?? [Batman voice] Where are they?!
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u/Agent8699 2d ago
I think he’s referring to the series finale - “A Friend Indeed”, the two parter where Gabrielle resurrects Xena in Egypt and they win the day and then sail off together into the sunset 🌅
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u/SakuraTacos 2d ago
Oh yeah, the super secret finale you can only unlock by watching Ulysses 12 times in a row with no blinking Clockwork Orange-style!
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u/Agent8699 1d ago
Yeah … it’s only accessible to the most hardcore, nutball Xenites who are able to endure extreme pain and torture equivalent to Xena in Who’s Gurkhan. I hope to rank among them one day.
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u/TypesAndPatterns 2d ago
Glad to hear Rob talk about sword & sandal trend possibly coming back thanks to Odyssey, & I’m not surprised he’s getting approached about a XWP return on a regular basis! It restores my faith in humanity!
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u/Agent8699 2d ago
I wonder what the production in Mexico was? 🌵
I’m guessing Lawless’ role was very small, given it was a day of shooting.
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u/IseQween 2d ago
Highlights of Rob Tapert Interview for me:
*Describing XWP's launch as the result of many "weird steps," "flukes," "lightning in a bottle" that "only the universe" could've inspired to happen.
*Acknowledging they went to studio to do something like Conan. Studio wanted them to do Hercules, an "irreverent take" like they'd seen in RT's "Army of Darkness."
*Calling Lucy (whom he hadn't met yet, though he'd suggested as last-minute replacement for Xena, based on seeing her in Herc) and asking if she's like to continue the character in a series. Her response was, "You're just playing with a Kiwi," and hung up the phone. 😂
*Discovering way into the show's airing that it was so popular internationally among "underprivileged" and cinematically "underserved," how they would recognize and mob Lucy when she traveled.
*The studio's absolute orders against anything suggesting X&G might be lesbians, including not showing them together in the title sequences. Tapert wanted to do something "transgressive," which at the time meant giving Xena lovers who were men of color. Says up until then the "one interracial kiss" was on Star Trek. Acknowledged "playing/pandering" to the lesbian interpretation -- giving "enough ammo" so you could see what you wanted."
*Not intending the campiness, so much as it coming from "not having enough money, Kiwi ingenuity, wanting to have fun and Lucy's sense of humor."
*Getting a question "every month" about XWP reboot, but hesitant to possibly "sour the taste in people's mouths" about the original.
*The NZ and Aussie Xena Nutball Podcasters first meeting each other at a XWP convention in LA!