By BetteAndTinaForever
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This interview started out with Renee interviewing me when
I told her how much I loved her character. It was quite amusing.
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B&TF: Gabrielle is actually my
favorite character on the show, even more than Xena, maybe
I’m partial to blondes.
Renee O’Connor (laughing): You’re either one
or the other. You either like the blonde or you like the tall,
dark, mysterious.
B&TF: I found myself drawn to Gabrielle because
I like to talk, I like stories and I like to write. I do talk
a lot and I like to joke around so...
RO’C: It just seems to me that if you’re more
like Gabrielle, you’d be attracted to someone like Gabrielle.
Is that true or do you actually like the opposite?
B&TF: It depends. If I find someone who’s
close to me in character, I like them more because it just
helps me to see myself more, you know?
RO’C: I see, it’s like you’re from the
same tribe! (laughing)
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B&TF: I started watching Xena because in The L Word,
my favorite couple is Bette and Tina and one of them is brunette
and another is blonde. They have different personalities and it
seems to be ‘opposites attract’. Someone said to me
that Gabrielle and Xena have the same chemistry and so I decided
to watch. I wanted to watch to see who had more chemistry.
RO’C: Well, so which couple does have more chemistry? I’ll
remind you that I might kick your ass (laughing).
B&TF: Well, I do like the interaction between Gabrielle
and Xena. I watched all seasons about 5 or 6 times now. Remember
the episode that was kind of a comedy where a reporter from the
future came and he asked the question – “Are Xena and
Gabrielle actually involved?” It was never answered. Can you
answer it for me right now?
RO’C: Yes, we definitely came out of the closet, in that
last episode of the 6th season. But all along we were pushing the
envelope as much as possible and we were really dancing between
the main text and the subtext, trying to satisfy everybody. It was
very clear that we were traveling together and were lovers and friends;
the friendship was so deep that it went beyond everything. It was
such a universal truth.
B&TF: Do you think the show didn’t delve totally
into the lesbian relationship side because they didn’t want
to take the show in that direction out of fear of losing fans and
that’s why it was more in the subtext?
RO’C: You know, I think that it was groundbreaking at that
time and it on mainstream television and that this was a couple
who were obviously ‘a couple’ and it’s two women.
I think at the same time that there are so many straight people
in America who don’t get it at all, there’s judgment,
there’s prejudice, there’s hatred and, yes, I think
we would have lost some viewers if we had said these are two lesbian
lovers traveling together. But I think what has happened is this
is almost like an underground movement, it became so strong and
the lesbian community embraced us before anybody did. And because
they embraced us, we sort of evolved our characters in that direction
and appeased what they were wanting. The writing definitely changed
because of the attraction from the lesbian community.
B&TF: Well, what do you think about the ending of the
show? A lot of the fans were disappointed because Xena kind of died
and appeared as a ghost. That ending didn’t quite work for
me; so what do you think of the ending?
RO’C: I personally loved the end of the show because I love
anything that’s going to make people question or be more controversial
and I think that was the ultimate redemption for Xena. She needed
to let everything go and pay for all of her sins. I’m one
of the few people who was a fan of the ending.
B&TF: I heard that you were in a lot of fan organized
conventions for Xena. Are you planning on attending any of them?
RO’C: I do at least one a year. There’s one in LA and
I always go. The fans have been so loyal to me and to Lucy and they
are so devoted. I produced one feature film and I did it by selling
things, artwork online and people would step up and buy this stuff
and it was just amazing. They’ve been so incredibly devoted
that I would always be there, every year.
B&TF: What’s the next convention? When is it
happening?
RO’C: You can find all the information on Creation Entertainment
on www.creationent.com
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