Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Lucy Lawless, 57, studied drama in Canada. In the 1990s she starred on television in Xena: Warrior Princess. She went on to appear in Battlestar Galactica, Spartacus, Parks and Recreation, Agents of SHIELD and Salem. Her films include Spider-Man, EuroTrip, Boogeyman, Bedtime Stories and Minions: The Rise of Gru. In 2024 she made her directorial debut with Never Look Away. She plays Alexa Crowe in the crime series My Life Is Murder; all four series are now available on DVD and digital. She is married for the second time, has three children and lives in New Zealand.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Laziness.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Cruelty.
What is your most treasured possession?
My Antonio Carraro Tigre tractor. At the end of the week, I lovingly wash her down and regrease her. I learned to do everything on YouTube.
Describe yourself in three words
Insular, creative and mechanically minded.
What makes you unhappy?
Politicians justifying blowing other people’s children to bits.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I have bag lady hair. I can’t seem to get it right. I look like I’ve just had sex in a dumpster – no offence to bag ladies. I guess hair is just not high on my list of priorities.
What is your most unappealing habit?
Flossing my teeth in the car.
What scares you about getting older?
I don’t want to get into an early death spiral, when you’re scaling down your life unnecessarily because you’ve already been there or done that. I never want to stop adventuring.
Which book are you ashamed not to have read?
Anything by Dostoevsky. I tried!
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A criminal pathologist. Then I saw a show called Quincy ME and realised I just wanted to play one on TV.
What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you?
They tend to say it behind my back.
What does love feel like?
Freedom.
Which living person do you most despise and why?
I currently have a special enmity for Stockton Rush of the Titan submersible disaster. Whoops. He’s dead.
skip past newsletter promotion
Sign up to Inside Saturday
The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend.
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
after newsletter promotion
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Oh, for fuck’s sake!
What has been your biggest disappointment?
I suspect it hasn’t happened yet.
If not yourself, who would you most like to be?
Maggie Smith. Lady Grantham is my spirit animal.
How often do you have sex?
Withering gaze from Lady Grantham.
What would you like to leave your children?
A great education.
What has been your closest brush with the law?
I got arrested for boarding and occupying a drillship heading to the Arctic. I was with a team from Greenpeace New Zealand. I spent a few hours in a cell – we were out before the end of the day. We managed to have a few laughs, but it was pretty stressful.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
That there is time. I doggedly prioritise and pursue tasks, and the day seems to open out and everything does get done. Chill.
