5 things you didn’t know about Lucy Lawless

Actress Lucy Lawless takes part in the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women Red Dress Fall/Winter show during New York Fashion Week in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., February 9, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RC1820A891C0
Actress Lucy Lawless takes part in the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women Red Dress Fall/Winter show during New York Fashion Week in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., February 9, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RC1820A891C0
Since the end of Xena's six-season run, Lawless has mainly acted for American television, including a role as bad girl Lucretia in locally-shot series Spartacus.

Here are a few things you might not have known about Lucy Lawless.

She almost didn’t get her iconic role in Xena: Warrior Princess

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph’s Stellar magazine in Australia, the Kiwi actress revealed the TV show was initially intended to be a three-episode Hercules spinoff rather than its own series.

She also nearly missed out on the role; British actress Vanessa Angel was initially in the running to play the iconic warrior princess.

“I am still staggered that people remember [Xena] and me all these years later,” she said.

She’s an advocate for child health care

Lawless is a member of the board of trustees of the StarShip Foundation, the charity arm of Starship Children’s Health (hospital) in Auckland. It is set up to provide additional equipment, support and help to staff, patients and families.

She’s passionate about the planet

She has been a Greenpeace ambassador since 2009, an advocacy that led to her being arrested in 2012 for trying to stop an oil-drilling ship from taking part in oil exploration — and which she says she would “happily do again. My responsibility is to be a good person for myself and my children. It’s very hard to live up to other people’s expectations,” she told The Daily Telegraph.

She sang a tribute in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings

Lawless took to Twitter to sing a heartfelt tribute for not only those directly affected by the Christchurch terror attack, but a country in shock following the shootings.

Lyrics included lines like: “Our hearts are hurting beyond words / the pain is tearing up my soul / these days have seen my spirit die / a life propelled out of control”.

Her real name is Lucille

Lucy was born Lucille Frances Ryan in Auckland – she is the fifth of six siblings (she has four brothers and one sister).

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