From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
                                   X Stands for Xena September 11, 2001   
      
        "Xena: Warrior Princess" star LUCY LAWLESS joins the cast of "The   
   X-Files" for the first two episodes of its ninth season -- and possibly more   
   as it turns out her character has a history with Agent Doggett -- and we   
   aren't talking ancient!   
      
       ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT: Lucy, now you're on "The X..."   
      
     LUCY LAWLESS: On "The Xena Files." You didn't know what it stood for all   
   those years, did you? But, Chris Carter's just been leading up to this   
   moment where he could finally get the eponymous character in, and here in   
   the ninth season, they've managed to carve away half of their budget to   
   actually secure me for their opening couple of shows, so here I am.   
      
       ET: So, it's been "The Xena Files" all this time?   
      
       LUCY: Don't tell anybody. Yeah, it's a conspiracy, a big cover up, you   
   see. But, now it's out in the open.   
      
       ET: Tell me what happens on this episode?   
      
        LUCY: I'm playing a character called Shannon McMahon -- Ed's daughter.   
   She's very funny. We're taking "The X-Files" in a whole new direction this   
   season. We thought we'd liven it up, sex it up a bit, and she's come out of   
   Doggett's past, she has history with Doggett, if you know what I mean   
   (laughs) -- and she comes back to haunt him in the worst possible way. She   
   also has information about the heritage of Scully's baby, and she's about to   
   blow the world wide open. She's a loose canon. And you don't know if she's   
   good or bad. Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?   
      
       ET: Tell us about the storyline and how you ended up on the show.   
      
       LUCY: You know what really happened is that some years ago Chris Carter   
   was so very nice to me when he didn't need to be -- this was purely in a   
   social setting -- that when he rang me up and asked me to be in their season   
   opener this year, I said, "I would love to be on your show." It was really   
   just a personal thank you to him, because he had been very gracious to me   
   and to my co-star RENEÉ (O'CONNOR) on "Xena" that I was very pleased to come   
   and be part of "The X-Files."   Actually, I was on holiday in Hawaii and   
   Chris phones me up and says, "Would you come and do our opening couple of   
   episodes," and I said, "I'd love to do that for you, Chris." And he said,   
   "Well, there is one thing -- you've got to spend half your time buck-naked."   
   I keep thinking it's butt naked, but it's not, is it? It's buck-naked. My   
   character swans around in water -- it's always water scenes. Naked water   
   sports with strategically placed bubbles and a really awesome stunt butt.   
   Not that there's anything wrong with mine! But, you know, you just want one   
   of those women with those kick ass bodies who spend hours at the gym   
   everyday. And, I ain't one of those. But, I love the women that are. So, I   
   got this wonderful women to double for me -- but, don't tell anybody. It's   
   the "X-Rated Files." (smiles) I told you we had to spice it up this year.   
      
       ET: Was Chris a fan of "Xena"?   
      
       LUCY: I don't know. I never thought to ask. You know, every producer is   
   a fan, on some level, of a successful show. On some level, they respect a   
   successful show. And I guess he must have liked it enough to ask me to come   
   on his. Everybody loved "Xena," are you kidding? (laughs)   
      
       ET: Have you been a fan of "The X- Files"?   
      
       LUCY: Yes. "The X-Files" is a must-see at my house. It's on Friday night   
   in New Zealand. My daughter was the one who really brought "The X-Files"   
   into our home, and she's seen every single episode she possibly could, and   
   is bitterly disappointed not to be able to be here because she's in New   
   Zealand at school, so yes.   
      
       ET: What did she think when she heard you were going to be on it?   
      
       LUCY: I was finally cool when I got on "X- Files." (laughs)   
      
       ET: On the set, any Xena yelps that you can do?   
      
        LUCY: You know, the show is so funny that the first day I was totally   
   confused because they would say to me, "Now, can you walk 30-feet in those   
   high heels and then the shot is over?" I'm going, "Don't you want me to slug   
   someone or kick them in the head?" "No, no, no. Thirty paces are fine, then   
   come on back." And, to me, it was so ludicrously easy physically to do that   
   I felt really under utilized. But, the acting is hard. The acting is a   
   challenge because it's a whole different style, and I've really had to just   
   dive into this ultra naturalistic buttoned-up style of acting, and I'm   
   really enjoying that. That's been the big surprise.   
      
       ET: What is it like working with ROBERT PATRICK?   
      
       LUCY: I love working with Robert Patrick. He's hilarious. He's very   
   naughty, so we've had a lot of bad jokes going around the set when he's on.   
   Of course, I don't help.   
      
       ET: So you guys are having fun working together?   
      
       LUCY: A lot of fun. And this is my first day working with GILLIAN   
   ANDERSON and ANNABETH GISH. It's really nice getting in a scene with more   
   than one experienced actor, and they're very experienced, so it's exciting.   
      
       ET: Is there a mood on the set? The show is so dark and mysterious. Is   
   it like that on the set?   
      
       LUCY: At first I found it very serious. I found it really serious and I   
   would get the giggles, because I come from a set where no one took anything   
   serious, ever. It was a rule. And, at first, when I came here, I would go to   
   the read-throughs, and they're very reverent. And, it's not that I'm not   
   reverential about the material or the people I'm working with, but I just   
   can't stand the pressure, so I'm (trying to hold back laughter) -- and I   
   just look like this naughty kid, guffawing away in the corner to myself.   
      
       ET: You mean, they're not wearing black all the time and deep and dark?   
      
       LUCY: No, they're really funny. I thought after "Xena" that I would   
   never love another crew as well, but I can see that crews around the world   
   are good, hard-working, fun people who know how to value the people they're   
   with -- because they have to. They're together so much that they can't   
   afford to have tension. I just love the people here. I can't believe I'm   
   leaving.   
      
       ET: Would you come back or be interested in doing another stint with   
   "The X-Files," or another drama, perhaps?   
      
       LUCY: Well, this has been such a nice experience that I certainly   
   wouldn't discount it. I don't know that there are any others that I would be   
   looking for because single camera television series are a tremendous amount   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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