FOR
HIM MAGAZINE [Aus] -November 1999
Reneé
O'Connor
by
Neil Ridgway
As
Gabrielle on Xena: Warrior Princess, Reneé O'Connor is all
action. But what's she like on her day off? Intrepid!!!
It's your typical Sydney winter's day:
blue sky with a westerly wind cold enough to make your kidneys ache.
And Reneé O'Connor, who plays sexy sidekick Gabrielle on Xena:
Warrior Princess, is facing it in her underwear. Too bad for her.
Looking too damn good means she's going to have to stay bare to the
breeze for quite some time. Agreed, gentlemen?
The Texan-born actress, that's Houston not Dallas, and suburb
not ranch, "Just like any other normal house, the most outrageous
animal I had was probably a goat," has flown in from her current home-base
of Auckland for the exclusive shoot, a week after FHM scouted
her on the set of Xena.
Offered the chance, Reneé was on the plane to Oz quicker than the
Mongrel Mob on dole day where we bunked her down in Kings Cross rock-star
haven, The Sebel Townhouse.
"I think it's great," she said of her surroundings. "A red-light district
is part of the city's culture. You get all walks of life and that's
more interesting than cruising the business district. I like to watch
what the girls are wearing and how they're holding themselves up."
It should be noted that Reneé, obviously a keen student of anthropology,
has been to Sydney before. With Lucy... for Mardi Gras... where the
pair enjoyed the freewheeling flow of the infamously fleshy and somewhat
sordid "After Party" at the Horden Pavilion. "It was wild! I was quite
surprised that there were so many naked bodies, but it was fascinating
to see the crowd undulating to the music. It drew you in and you just
wanted to dance with everyone and have no inhibitions."
Yes, but did she join in?
"Mmm, well, my clothes were still on..."
Network Ten is screening Xena Series Four at present and Gabrielle
is in the midst of a "non-violent" period as she searches for spiritual
enlightenment. Luckily, all that changes in Series Five is when she
gets serious and picks up some new baddie-bashing weapons. There's
the sai (those barbecue-rotisserie forks made famous by Raphael, of
Mutant Ninja Turtle fame); her new short haircut (revealed
here); and an even shorter (yet, well-designed) costume.
Like any self-respecting superhero, Reneé confirms that a piece of
well-placed chamois is a winner in the sexy stakes.
"I don't believe in showing it all to everyone, a bit of mystery,
and that's much more sexy. I was expecting a rack of coloured G-strings
when you turned up, so I was quite relieved to see the clothes. I
would have just rolled around laughing for about half-an-hour if you
had. I was going to place my big toe strategically in front of the
camera to block the view. Now that's sexy! Ha! I think there's
a fine line to creating art and exploiting yourself so we'll see how
far I'll go when the pictures come out."
They nicknamed you "Daisy Duke" at school after Catherine Bach
on The Dukes of Hazzard. Were you into bum-hugging cut-off
jeans too?
My mother was always very sexy as a young woman. Men would walk down
the supermarket aisle and turn around and stare at her, and I think
that just rubbed off onto me. I would wear little shorts and little
tank-tops. I remember getting so angry as a child about men looking
at Mom. Now I can fully understand that it's flattering. You don't
want anyone tackling you, but it makes a woman feel confident when
there's acknowledgement in some way.
Australian audiences are nuts for TVs Funniest Bloopers
programs. What blooper might we see of you from Xena: Warrior
Princess?
I was doing a scene where we were discussing an election and I was
supposed to walk up to the bad guy and say 'Well, it looks like now
you'll have a real election!' But I walked up to him and said 'Well,
it looks like now you'll have a real erection!' I don't know what
I was thinking at the time, it was just shocking.
Are women more fanatical about the way things are done or how
they look in the bedroom?
How things are done! I think women are much more adventurous than
most men believe. Men are a little more hesitant to step over the
comfort zone and into adventurous sex from my perspective.
So your adventurous sex advice would be?
If you're in a comfortable relationship and you want to try new things
then you should open up the lines of communication. The woman is going
to think you're totally bizarre if you just try something suddenly.
Are you more interested in sex as you get older?
I think so. I think you're more in tune with what feels pleasurable
and you want to have more of it.
What will sex be like when you're 50?
I think it will be fantastic. It's one of the great aspects of growing
older I hope! I'm with someone who is quite sensual so I can't imagine
us not having an exciting time up until we're 70.
Lucy Lawless said "Stunt people won't hurt you in fights."
She also said "Reneé will hurt you!"
Cheeky! Obviously stuntmen are much bigger than I am and I use a rubber
weapon on them so I go by the sound of how big their groans are. I
have a trampoline where I do my backflips and twists and stuff too
so I have the safety of bouncing right back with that. You end up
hurting stuntmen in places they don't even want to be touched. But
they're good sports. Lucy and I get our share of bruises as well.
We had a pie fight on the set the other day and I had a bloody lip
from it because the crust was quite hard and we were throwing them
across the room.
Would you still wear lingerie if there were no men left on earth?
Yes. It makes me feel good. It's much more pleasurable for me to wear
something that I feel sensual in than something I put on after I get
out of the shower. I think women like to see the curves and contours
of their bodies.
How about bad grooming in men?
Actually, I like the solidarity of a clean, fresh body. A person's
aroma is their essence. I like that sort of attractive quality. I
like a man who takes care of himself.
Is reliability a big thing in a man?
It's important for men to provide and be the head of the household.
I like a man to be the man.
What is good for sex drive?
Chocolate sauce.
Do you believe in god?
What do you think?
That you can't have a goat for a pet and not believe.
Evolution couldn't mess up that much.
I believe in a spiritual being. I don't believe in organised religion
so much.
Has there ever been a bad kissing scene?
I once had a scene with a man who was new to the whole idea of kissing
on camera and he though in order for it to be sexy there had to be
horrid moans and sounds during the kiss.
A stranger making moaning sounds in your mouth, that's some
occupational hazard?
You lose the sense of intimacy pretty quickly!
Are you aware that there are guys everywhere who go:
Stop everything, Xena's on! Wooo!
We know there's a bit of titillation in what we wear. I encourage
them to put me in sexy outfits, I think it's important for the show.
As long as you feel comfortable in what you're wearing and what you're
doing. We're storytellers and costume helps the story.
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