Xena: Warrior Nutballs

This week Lou and Shell talk with Rob Gillies, the Kiwi Production Designer on Xena: Warrior Princess⚒️🛡️🏛️⚔️ From the depths of Tartarus to the Elysian Fields, and everything in between, if you could see it in the Hercules and Xena universe, chances are Rob Gillies and his team built it. 📐⚒️🎨🖋️💪

 

As Production Designer across Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, and Young Hercules, Rob transformed parts of West Auckland into the ancient world - creating everything from taverns, castles, Amazon villages, temples, palaces, and  that big ol' boat! 🍻⛵🏰🏹👑 These sets made the Xenaverse unforgettable! His team also crafted some of the franchise's most iconic props, including Xena's sword and chakram, along with Gabrielle's staff and sais. ⚔️

 

🎙️ Join us as Rob takes us behind the scenes of one of television's most ambitious fantasy worlds, sharing the craftsmanship, unforgettable behind-the-scenes stories, and Kiwi creativity that brought the Xenaverse to life. We also chat about his love for the gloriously nutty sets like in Prometheus, which he affectionately dubs "The Super Egg Men."🦅⛓️🥚😂

 

This interview is a true celebration of the early 90’s hard yakka in Aotearoa and what it took behind-the-scenes to create the cult classic hero of Xena!

 

💙 Follow Xena: Warrior Nutballs for more interviews with the Kiwi and Aussie cast and crew who brought the Xenaverse to life!

 

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This week, Lou and Shell climb the steps to Mount Olympus and enter the throne room with Paris Jefferson AKA Athena! 🦉⚔️👑

Paris joins us to look back on her unforgettable turn as Athena, the Goddess of Warfare, Wisdom, and don't forget Weaving! ⚔️🦉🧵 She shares what it was like arriving in Aotearoa New Zealand to join Xena: Warrior Princess for Season 5, stepping into one of Greek mythology's most iconic roles at the height of the series.

We also dive into Athena as a canonically queer character in '90s television 🌈💜. Paris talks about how clear it was to her that Athena loved Ilainus, and why embracing that relationship felt completely natural in her performance.⚡

Paris shares what it was like wearing the breathtaking costumes created by the brilliant Jane Holland ✨💛, bringing Athena's regal presence to life with every shimmering detail.

Plus, she reflects on working alongside the late Kevin Smith ❤️, Lucy Lawless ⚔️, and Renée O'Connor 🥰, sharing behind-the-scenes stories about the warmth, talent, and camaraderie that made Xena the phenomenon we Xenites know and love.

Whether you've loved Xena for decades or are discovering it for the first time, this episode is packed with nostalgia, laughter, behind-the-scenes stories, as well as, the usual plots lost Nutball foolishness from Lou and Shell as they fangirl out over one of the greats, ATHENA! 🏛️✨⚡

 
💛 Follow Paris Jefferson
🌐 Website: https://www.parisjefferson.co.uk/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisjeffersonofficial/

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This week we're extending our whānau again! 💜🌿Shell and Lou are donning our fedoras 🤠, dusting off our typewriters 📝, and heading into the Xena: Warrior Princess writers' room with one of the most influential creative forces behind the show ✨ Steven L. Sears ✨

 

As a writer and producer on Xena, Steven helped shape some of the series' most iconic stories, shaping Gabrielle’s hero's journey, and contributing to 100 episodes! ⚔️📜❤️

 

Join us as we talk all things Xena ⚔️🏹 from the non-negotiables the writers had to navigate for her character ✍️✨, to the risks he was willing to take in the scripts, knowing he had a world-class crew of Kiwis and Aussies down in Aotearoa New Zealand ready to bring it all to life 🎬🌟

 

Steven has long been a friend and ally to the LGBTQIA+ community, and it was an absolute privilege to welcome him into the Xena: Warrior Nutballs whānau. 💜⚔️

 

Penny from Xenite Retreat also cameos - giving us the low down on what Steven is REALLY like…AKA he is a bloody legend!

 

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts!

 

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✨ Follow Steven L. Sears
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steven.l.sears
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fsuwriter/
🌐 www.stevenlsears.com

Follow Xenite Retreat:

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📸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xeniteretreat/ 

🌐 https://www.xeniteretreat.com/

This week Lou and Shell are joined by the amazing Kiwi, Sandi Rayner 🐎🌟 We talk about her time as riding double for Lucy Lawless and Horse Wrangler on Xena: Warrior Princess.

 

Before CGI, before green screens, and before technology could solve every problem, there were talented people like Sandi behind the scenes working with incredible horses, and a whole lot of Kiwi ingenuity to bring us Xena! 🐴⚔️💪✨

 

In fact, Sandi is the very first Xena we see in the series 👀⚔️, riding Argo across our screens in full leathers before we ever lay eyes on Lucy Lawless!🖤 

 

She talks about the enormous generosity of Lucy Lawless who personally paid for Tilly, her main riding horse in the show, and gave her to Sandi, to ensure Tilly had the best life, living out her days after the show with Sandi. 💖  

 

This kōrero is a celebration of Kiwi hard yakka, creativity, and the can-do attitude that made the impossible possible 🛠️✨💪. Expect horses 🐴🐴🐴, stunts 🤯⚔️, laughs 😆, and plenty of appreciation for the incredible whānau who helped create the Xena-verse 🌍⚔️❤️.

 

➡️ Follow and support Sandi’s work caring for animals in Aotearoa New Zealand: https://www.facebook.com/LittleVillageSanctuary/ 

 

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This week Lou and Shell are joined by the wildly talented Joel Tobeck, yes whānau, that chaos gremlin you love to hate (but MAINLY love) 😈🔥🤪👺

 

You’ll know him as Deimos and Lucifer in Xena: Warrior Princess, but he’s known in the wider Xena-verse as Strife from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Young Hercules, serving pure foolishness with a smirk 😏😉

 

Xenites might even recognise him from the Aotearoa short film 1996 “Peach” where he starred alongside Lucy Lawless - OG’s we’re looooooking at you here! 🍑 Link below ⬇️

 

But at the heart of this episode is something really special, Joel kōrero’s (talks) about his close friendship with the late, great Kevin Smith, AKA Ares🖤⚔️ sharing personal stories, behind-the-scenes memories, and the kind of moments that remind you just how much love and camaraderie lived within the Xenaverse whānau 🫶

 

AND! Lou fizzes over as she gets to talk about his time acting in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King turn as Guritz, that deeply unsettling orc 👀🗡️💍🧝🧙⛰️

 

It’s wholesome and heartfelt 🥹 but of course with our usual unapologetic fan girl glee!!

 

Enjoy Nutballs, this is a goodie.  

 

Show notes:

 

📸 Follow Joel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joeltobeck/ 

 

📺Watch “Peach” on NZ on Screen: https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/peach-1995 

 

🎙️Editing of interview by Michael Allan

 

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