LegendSeeker.Net » Interviews

INTERVIEW: Seeking Out Craig Horner

Michael — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:48:39 +0000

A recent interview with Craig Horner was conducted by Dale Conour from TV.COM and the original article can be located by clicking HERE. It sounds as if Craig is a little tired of the grueling schedule for shooting Legend of the Seeker. Take a read and see what we mean.

Legend of the Seeker fans sounded a collective ‘nay’ last week when a representative from the Tribune Company (which owns most of the stations that air the syndicated show) revealed it would not be interested in a third season. There’s been no official announcement from ABC Studios, of course, but having recently chatted by phone with Aussie star Craig Horner (Seeker’s Richard Rahl) as he relaxed in an Auckland Starbucks, it sounds like the poor guy might be ready for a break.

For those who haven’t checked out the show, Seeker is based (more or less) on author Terry Goodkind’s bestselling “Sword of Truth” fantasy series, and serves up a buffet of familiar swords-and-sorcery treats. Look, it ain’t great, but it’s often fun. It has an appealing cast—with hotties Bridget Regan (Kahlan Amnell) and Tabrett Bethell (Cara), plus the legendary Bruce Spense (Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander)—all tramping about in gorgeous New Zealand locations (a la Lord of the Rings). And best of all, it has no TV-typical cops, doctors, or lawyers.

TV.com: New Zealand’s not that big a country—have you seen every square inch by now?
Craig Horner: I’m kind of confined to Auckland, actually. There’s still so much I haven’t seen. Come the weekends, I just need to watch a movie, play the guitar, go swimming at the local swimming hole; you don’t have the urge to drive an hour to go see something. But I have a friend visiting for a couple of weeks, so that will probably get me out there.

So you haven’t even gone bungee jumping?
I did recently do the Sky Jump at the Sky Tower, it’s this massive needle in the city. I did it with Tabrett, who plays Cara. She took me there for my birthday. You’re kind of dangling at first. I didn’t look down much. And they let you go and drop you, first just 10 meters, and they take a photo, and then they let you go. But you have this tension, from the wires, on you the whole time, you feel that safety, so I kind of felt like a bird flying down. It was great.

Legend of the Seeker is a physically grueling series. You must be a helluva swordsman by now. I like that backhanded grip you whip out sometimes.
Well, I keep getting better and better, I hope. I have a great stunt double who’s always challenging me to keep it up. We don’t want to just have Richard doing the same old slice and dice. He started off with the heavy axe swing kind of moves—he was a woodsman, not a swordsman. He was cutting down trees, but now he’s cutting down D’Harans, right?

Let’s play the game where I say a name and you give me the first word that pops into your head. Bridget Regan.
Oh, cute.

Bruce Spense.
Warm.

Tabrett Bethell.
Ooohhh, uhhhh, slithery. That’s not a very nice word. [laughs] Let’s say smooth—it’s just that snake-like suit she wears.

You’re a pretty small cast. It is fun or challenging to work each other so much?
We get guest actors in every episode, and that really helps to keep us from getting bored, and, you know, getting bored of each other. It can give us new energy, especially when it’s a young, great, interesting actor. It kind of revitalizes us and reminds us of what we’re about.

Is there a lot of humor on the set?
It’s a lot of going, going, going. You want to do bloopers, purposely goof up scenes, but there’s just not the time, and it’s expensive. And there’s so much in these episodes, so much that’s happening all the time, it’s crazy.

So of course fans are all about the unresolved sexual tension between Richard and Kahlan. Can you actually see the show not having it and still being successful?
It’s still critical to the show: You want to see how these two are feeling that while it’s just getting worse and worse around them; I mean, you’ve got this evil dude to deal with, it’s the Keeper who’s basically the Devil, right, so that kind of takes priority over your relationship. So you keep following your destinies, fulfilling your prophecies and then see how you end up.

Looking back over the evolution of the show, it seems it took a real emotional turn with Season 1 episode 8, the debut of Denna and the Mord’Siths.
That was one of my favorite episodes, that and episodes one and two. They had a real journey for Richard; meaty yeah? We really went there, you were just in a dungeon, just two characters playing out scenes—it was powerful wasn’t it? But that’s kind of the question: Do you make a show that’s just a frenzy of fast-moving images…or do you just make solid acts, keep them self contained, sort of. I wish we could do that more.

At the end of Season 1, Kahlan says to Richard, “No one can blame you if you want to go home.” And Richard says, “I am home.” How long do you see Legend of the Seeker being your home? Do you want a third season? A sixth season?
There are so many pros about this job, and a couple of cons—being away from friends and family in Australia to shoot for nine months of the year, and the shooting is grueling. I want to live all aspects of my life, not just acting.

But this is a project that could go on for years. I mean, we’re not just sitting around in a medical room, talking about this or that disease. I get to ride horses, fight with swords, fulfill my Indiana Jones dreams, my Conan and Star Wars fantasies. And it’s always, you know, the end of the world, losing your father, your son, your mother (laughs). So if there’s a character I could keep playing, it’s Richard.

What else would you like to do?
Well, not really acting projects as such. I mean that stuff just kind of happens, doesn’t it? It’s not like I can say, ‘Okay now I want to do my thriller with Scorsese, where is it?’

What I need to do is listen to my body: It needs rest, it needs better food, a bit more meditation, some massages, yeah? Playing music and dancing and hanging out with friends. I’ll get all that back in me, and then we’ll see what the next thing is.

INTERVIEW: Tabrett Bethell Speaks…

Michael — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:27:04 +0000

Gentlemen, finally someone gets an interview with the lovely, talented and extremely sexy Tabrett Bethell. Brent Hartinger, over at TheTorchOnline, recently interviewed Ms. Bethell and asked a number of great questions. If you remember Brent was the guy who interviewed another Legend of the Seeker cast member. We’ll post some of the highlights of that interview here.

In order to read the entire thing scroll to the bottom and click the link located there.

Looks like Tabrett conducted this interview from New Zealand where Legend of the Seeker is in the middle of finishing up the final episodes of the season (fingers crossed people, keep those fingers crossed)! From the interview it seems that Ms. Bethell, who was a former professional cheerleader (you don’t say?) was pleasant and quite easy to deal with. Being Australian was probably just an added bonus.

After having read the interview once over I can tell you that this is a woman worthy of playing a Mord-Sith or perhaps that is the other way around, the Mord-Sith are lucky to be played by this woman. Brent describes Ms. Bethell as being “very private and self protective” (understandably so with the large number of male freak fans out there), and that she is “very blunt”. She was actually annoyed by Bridget Regan and Craig Horners on-set antics.

Now we will get on with the interview… remember folks, TTO is TheTorchOnline and Brent is the person conducting the interview but we’re re-posting some of it here for you to read over.

TTO: I know everyone must ask you this, but you have such a beautiful name that I wanted to ask you about it. Is there a story?

Tabrett Bethel: Well, I was born in Syndey, and my mother wanted to name me Siobhan, and my father wanted to name me Murray. They couldn’t agree. So my father left the hospital and went for a drive, and saw a sign that said, “Tabrett Street.” He went back to my mother, and said, “How about Tabrett?” And she said, “Yes, that’s it!”

Now that is an interesting question and answer. I would never have named my son after a street name but I’ve been unlucky in the street names with ones like “Holm” and “Glendale” and “Riverview”. Siobhan is an Irish given name derived from Hebrew words meaning “God is Gracious”. The name Tabrett means… a street in Sydney like she said, weren’t you paying attention?!?!?

TTO: Which is the perfect lead-in to my next question! How much like Cara are you?

TB: I really bounce back and forth with this. I was having a conversation with one of the producers last week, saying, “This character is so different from me!”

But one thing this particular producer had said to me right from the beginning is, “She’s closer to you than you think.” I do find that when I connect to the truth of her, we are very similar.

Cara is incredibly honest — she speaks her mind. It’s often to her detriment, and it’s often something great. And that’s something that I can definitely relate to. I’m constantly being told that I’m way too honest. Often it gets me into lots of trouble.

She’s a very complex character, very troubled. She has so many elements that so many people can relate to. She has this shield around her heart. She’s constantly trying to protect herself, because that’s all she knows. And I think a lot of people can relate to that: don’t get too close to her, or you might get burnt — that kind of thing.

Many women (and men for that matter) would find it incredibly difficult to play this type of character. I think Tabrett does it just justice as she is probably one of the characters who is closest to Terry Goodkinds vision in the books. Not to mention she just has a natural authority about her; Tabrett Bethell commands your attention when she is on the screen dressed in the leather and not just because she is extremely easy on the eyes but because when she moves, or even speaks, things happen and they happen fast!

TTO: Cara has been really well-received among the fans — there’s very strong buzz around her. Are you aware of how popular she’s become?

TB: No! I’m not aware of it!

It’s kind of funny, shooting here in New Zealand. It’s a little bit of a cocoon. You get up, you go to the work, you give your best, and you go home. It’s quite insulated here. And the schedule is so heavy, and for me, the focus is on the day-to-day, filming and shooting. So that’s really great to hear.

Well Tabrett, for the longest time your photo was the one that adorned the title banner of this site as well as a few others that I know of and, for a little bit there, you were the reason this webmaster watched the show. Like revealed in the interview; Cara is a character who has had to evolve the most, adapt and change to her surroundings and going along with her on that journey has been a pleasure. You get this webmasters vote, hands down (it’s not just the accent, I swear!).

TTO: A couple of people contacted me asking me to ask if you’re ever going to go on Twitter, and also if you’re willing to share your birthday, which is apparently unknown. But you don’t have to give it out if that’s too personal!

TB: [Laughs] Uh, you wanna know my age? Well, my birthday is in May, which means I’m a Taurus.

As for Twitter, well, I’m not even on Facebook. I’m such a private person, and I barely have time to check my email. If I had Twitter, I’m sure I would be hooked and not able to tear myself away.

But it is something that I’m thinking of doing! I don’t have a computer-technology bone in my body.

I know several of you have emailed us asking us if the Tabrett Bethell on Facebook was the real woman. Now you have your answer. Tabrett (according to the Wikipedia) was born in 1982 and we now know she was born in May. So May, 1982. I’m sure you can all do the math from there

EDITORS NOTE: If you want to read more of this interview then please click here and visit TheTorchOnline where you can read up on the antics Craig and Bridget would pull on set and how it would drive Tabrett bonkers. You can also read about her leather outfit and how it really feels to have that thing painted on her body in the hot New Zealand weather. She even gives a little bit of info on the upcoming “Princess” episode!

INTERVIEW: Bridget Regan Tears It Up on Legend of the Seeker

Michael — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:15:33 +0000

E Online conducted another interview with Bridget Regan over the past week and although the questions are pretty much cookie cutter of what everyone else has been asking, we’ve posted them here (with credit to the author and a link to their post). Bridget has been doing some major PR over the last couple of weeks for Legend of the Seeker. That woman is a machine!

MEEP MEEP WARNING MEEP MEEP: If you have not seen “Torn” yet then be warned… There are spoilers in here big time!

Author: Jennifer Godwin
Article: E! Online Article

If you’re a fan of the syndicated fantasy series Legend of the Seeker, you must not miss this weekend’s all-new “Torn.” It features some ultrasexy Richard-and-Kahlan scenes, and we just chatted with Bridget Regan exclusively to find out why the Confessor and the Seeker are making out, plus we got scoop on how come the show shook up season two with a new castmember and a new look for Kahlan…

OK, so we hear this weekend’s episode is a big one for Kahlan—tell us what’s she in for.
The episode is called “Torn” and Kahlan is summoned to Aydindril, which is her home normally, and where the Mother Confessor would preside and live. She goes, and something really horrible happens, and Kahlan gets literally split into two. So, I have the absolute pleasure of playing nearly two different roles. And one side or the other can completely go out of control, especially when one side has this magical power that can really take over when it’s not balanced with emotion and compassion and so forth.

So one side has the Confessor’s power and the other side has the Confessor’s grace and wisdom?
The way I like to think of it is that one woman is all just duty and responsibility, and the other woman is all love, heart and emotion.

Do Richard, Cara and Zedd know what’s happened to Kahlan, or does it take them a while to catch on?
That answer to that question plays out throughout the episode, they obviously get to the bottom of it. Somebody has to figure it out, right, so we can save the world again? Because that’s what we do! Kahlan is slowly figuring it out herself, but these two separate women are like a yin and yang sort of thing, and they are both quite happy to stay the way they are.

Can’t wait to see it. This whole season has been great because Richard and Kahlan have been able to see much more affectionate.
I fight for that so much, and not just because Craig’s dreamy. I think, like, how could you go that long, you know? You’d have to break sometimes! They have to stay human. Every time we’re around a campfire, I’m ask, “Should we be spooning? Can we spooning please? Or like wake up holding hands?” And everybody’s like, c’mon, you’d be dead. It’s true, and in front of Zedd and Cara, you really do have to keep that [façade] up.

And Craig’s character Richard Cypher turns out to be so important! He’s the Seeker, he’s Lord Rahl, he’s a wizard—he’s got everything.
Sometimes I’ll look at Craig and I’m like, you’re pretty important, right? They diverged from the books so much in the first season that I didn’t know if they were going to stay true to that and have him become this wizard, and that was such a really cool journey. Plus then there’s the prophecy that, “As long the Mother Confessor’s pure heart beats, the keeper will fail,” which has been really cool, because it’s given Kahlan this duty to stay alive. She’s always been like, “Hey, I’ll lie down in traffic for you, Richard, I’m here for you.” The prophecy has tipped the scale the other way, and now she has to stay alive, because Kahlan believes in prophecies, she always has. But that’s been challenged as well because of the [Shota] prophecy about Richard failing, but Kahlan believes Richard.

What’s it been like to have Tabrett Bethell’s character Cara join the cast?
Tab was the missing piece of the puzzle. I think that’s what made this season take off. She just came in and challenged all of us and our characters challenged her. Kahlan, at first, if she had a chance, she would kill her or confess Cara, and to have it change so that Cara is someone she actually has this affection for and trust and believes in? Really cool. And also just having a woman on the set…oh my god, it was such a boy’s club last year. Tab and I are a bit of a little team because our fighting styles are also quite similar, so we work together on that. And we’re both in the make-up chair pretty damn early. I have someone I can say to, “Oh my god, it’s not even light out yet!” We’re in it together, which is great.

Speaking of makeup and Kahlan’s look, let’s talk her new costume. Where did that come from?
I wanted it to be more warrior-like. Kahlan needs to stay alive, she needs to fight, and I think it’s a more fighting-friendly costume. She always had the long skirt, and I think maybe she just slit it up the front so she can kick and run quicker and all that. We like to think she ripped out the lining of her coat and cut it off and made it all herself. It’s fun to do that stuff. I love it. Everyone wanted Kahlan to change a bit. And I like the idea that Cara’s influence has affected her. Don’t worry, the white dress is still in her backpack, rolled up. It comes back out now and again. When she needs to be a Confessor, she put thats on—I like to think that it means something. It says something like, I’m a person of the highest authority in the Midlands, so when I put this on, ya’ll better listen. I like that it’s a choice to put it on. And that’s really similar to the books.

INTERVIEW: The Two Sides of Bridget Regan

Michael — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:54:50 +0000

Last night The Torch Online’s Brent Hartinger was one of three different individuals to conduct a phone interview with Bridget Regan about herself, her career and what it’s like to play Kahlan Amnell. They even asked her what her plans for Valentines Day were.

EDITORS NOTE: Unfortunately this has some show specific questions which aren’t going to make much sense or be understood by anyone who hasn’t yet seen the episode so if it seems that my article is going off on a tangent about nothing at all it honestly has nothing to do with me!

WARNING: If you do not want to know anything about this weekend’s episode “Torn” then you should stop reading here because there are many items discussed which deal directly with the plot.

When Bridget was asked about whether she reads the stuff written about her (online) she responded with stating that…

I don’t always hop on and read everything because of time, but I grew up in the theater, and I really miss that audience response that you get in a house that’s full of people. That’s been the hardest thing for me in doing television and film.”

Brent opened with questions about her new outfit this season, which it seems, everyone finds a little more visually appealing *cough* and perhaps even a little more practical.

Yeah, it’s funny, because it looks so different from how Kahlan looked before, but the funny part about it is a lot of it I’ve always worn. I’ve always worn this corset under my white dress. The belt I’ve always worn, I’ve always worn black boots — they did extend them up for me, because I was really into the thigh-high boot look.

Apparently she and the costume designer, Jane Holland, collaborate when developing the costume changes for Kahlan. Bridget, apparently, has a great relationship with those behind the camera as well as those on camera which is great to see from a leading actress. Many are simply not involved with the “hired help”.

It was also hinted at that Bridget has much more creative control over her character than one would think; she doesn’t just read a script and go through the motions! In another reference to the dress, worn by Kahlan, Ms. Regan stated;

“I wanted to make her more of a warrior, making it more practical. Some days I’m out in the woods in my white dress, and I [was] thinking, “Could there be anything more ridiculous?” Everybody always asks, “How do you keep that white dress so white?”

Honestly, I have asked that same question myself a few times and so have some of the guys at the firehall (who have watched the show). The women wonder how she keeps her whites so white while the men are like “Umm totally impractical. She’d snag those sleeves on the daggers or on the swords or even running through the brush. Not an outfit for the woods at all”.

She finishes off this section of the interview with stating that she wanted something a little more “fighter friendly” and how “Cara has worn off on her” a little bit. Honestly, I think that this has more to do with the male audience’s reaction towards Cara and a decision to amp up Kahlan’s sex appeal a little bit, in order to keep pace, more than it does with practicality.

Still, it IS more practical if not more sexy and a darker look suits Ms. Regan, who just celebrated her 28th birthday on February 3rd. Four days before my own!

The next section of the interview deals more with the episode “Torn”.

In a question that comes out of the blue, and has no real lead in, Bridget was asked what it was like to play two completely different characters. Mr. Hartinger has seen an advanced copy of “Torn” so knows the plot much better than we do however maybe this alludes to Kahlan being split personality this weekend or maybe there are two Kahlan’s?

Something like the episode called “Mirror” in which there were two Kahlan’s (sort of)? I have no idea but I got the distinct impression that there are two very different Kahlan’s in this episode and Bridget was asked what it was like to play each of them.

Man, I haven’t had this much fun on the show to date, and it’s going to be hard to beat this one. It was an opportunity to go so far to the left and so far to the right. And the best part about it is that they’re both really true to who Kahlan is inside. It’s about the balance, the ying and yang, whatever you want to call it.

It sounds like Bridget was able to let out her inner bad girl with this one!!

The interview goes on to talk about switching back and forth from the Mother Confessor to her switching to “just the loving kahlan” and how each affects the show in different ways.

(EDITORS NOTE: See what I mean about not really understanding some of the questions or the answers? After we’ve seen “Torn” this episode will make a lot more sense I am sure)

Bridget talks a little bit about what it’s like to shoot scenes on Legend of the Seeker and how quickly things move along. She describes a typical scene shoot as:

… we shoot really fast. It’s rehearse, block, build the shot, and in that time you’re getting prepped, everyone’s coming at you with make-up and hair and tightening your corset, and then you go on and shoot it, and you hope that you [do it well]. You usually get two takes, and you hope and pray that you get a third, and then you move on.

That is a fair bit of pressure to work under considering the amount of time that one might have to practice. The folks are professionals that is for sure.

MAJOR SPOILER:

When the topic of Kahlan and Richard comes to getting a little action it was revealed that they do indeed get to have a little lovin for the Valentine’s day episode.

Yeah! But of course she doesn’t remember it, right? It’s so tragic! Richard gets to remember! And I love how she tries to get him to tell her about it: “So how was it?”

Sounds like Richard is, once again, getting the best of both worlds. He get’s the girl and she doesn’t even remember so he could, technically, make up anything he wanted to. Still, being the Seeker of Truth and being a boy scout at heart he will most likely let this opportunity for fun and high-jinx slide past him.

Later in the interview they touch on Tabrett Bethell’s addition to the show and how Cara has really helped give a much needed injection of Yang into the show’s Ying (that’s my line, not a direct quote). Bridget has nothing but good to say about her co-star with….

I absolutely agree. Mostly because she’s changing and evolving … but it’s a two-way street. It’s one of those things, we have this black and white world. [Kahlan] has been taught to hate the Mord-Sith, never trust them, to just kill them, confess them and be done with them, because they’re not human anymore.

And [Cara's] making us doubt everything we’ve learned. And the friendship that’s forming is so thrilling. There’s an episode coming up, “Desecrated,” where Tab and I are locked in a tomb together. She’s a terrific actor, lovely to work with. She’s a joy to have on the show, just a show.

She’s our missing link!

Bridget has even expanded her palette while in New Zealand by trying some of the local Maori Cuisine

Oh, yeah! Hangi. It’s where they bury food in the earth and it cooks on hot rocks. Delicious!

Ummmm… interesting (blanches) but I suppose it’s like Hagis… one gets used to it

When asked what her plans were for this Valentines Day (I can almost see all the men’s ears perking up)

My parents landed in New Zealand today. They just celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary, so I’m going to take them to the Coromandel, which is such a beautiful place. Look up Cathedral Cove, and you’ll know what I mean. I’m going to show them New Zealand.

So modest, so simple, so real. Bridget Regan is definitely an actress who hasn’t let her fame and fortune, nor the lust of of a few hundred thousand men and women, go to her head!

One of the major important questions was about whether or not there would be a season 3 and Bridget’s reaction was hopeful but guarded..

Right now, everybody is hopeful. It’s such a great crew, and everybody wants it to keep going, and I know the fans do too.

She did state that last Season, when it came to finding out about Season 2, that it happened a few episodes from now in terms of time frame. The next few weeks could make things very interesting however coming off a fairly steady ratings increase the studio would be silly not to make a third season!

LegendSeeker.net hopes one day to interview Bridget Regan (assuming we can find a studio contact) as well! We promise that, if we do, our questions will be ENTIRELY comprised of fan based material so that we get the real good and juicy stuff, what the fans REALLY want to know, and not just the marketing questions!

THE FULL INTERVIEW CAN BE LOCATED BY CLICKING HERE

INTERVIEW: Craig Horner – Life, The Universe and Everything

Michael — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:05:52 +0000

In a recent interview (February, 2010), with Craig Horner, Michael Martinez (from the Legend of the Seeker fan site called Xenite) asks a lot of great questions. Although we are not allowed to reprint the entire article without express consent of the author (whom we could find no way of contacting) we have taken excerpts and posted them here for you to read and enjoy. The original is a very lengthy 3 page interview and can be accessed by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.

Michael asked Craig about how his overall schedule, strains and stresses were going this year as compared to last year. When Craig was done shooting last year he went to the United States on a whirlwind publicity tour to promote the show. It doesn’t appear (so far) that this will happen again this year but there are hints in the article about Craig possibly coming to a major convention in the US (DragonCon anyone?)

How does it feel compared to this point in your schedule last year?
Pretty grueling. When it’s all done I can rest and recoup and I can really enjoy that. I guess last year I knew the day I wrapped I would go to the United States.”

Later in the article Michael asked Craig Horner about his intentions, since he is always in New Zealand right now, to audition for the upcoming movie from J.R.R Tolken’s universe called The Hobbit. Personally, I think Craig is a little too tall to be running around with huge feet and hair on them but I suppose with abs like that he could get away with it (yes, I can hear you ladies drooling even from up here in Canada).

Any chance you might have a role in ‘The Hobbit‘?
I’m going to look into that.

During the course of the article/interview Michael gives his insight into a great deal of back-story into things like the actors that Craig has worked with, some of the previous shows he has been involved in (like Cybergirl). He gets back on the topic of Legend of the Seeker with….

Did you feel you were ready for the lead role?
Being in the industry for 10 years … I knew I was ready for it. And then, yeah, it happened.

Michael talks about the great film and television industry in New Zealand and how it’s very professional and talented however it is rather small, how everyone knows everyone else and about the undeniable connections between Xena, Hercules and Legend of the Seeker. On thing he did touch on, which I totally agree with, was the unfortunate death of Kevin Smith (who played Ares in Hercules and Xena television series). I agree Michael (if you are reading), Mr. Smith would have made an awesome addition to the Legend of the Seeker cast.

They even managed to sneak in one of the typical “fan questions” from the SF-Fandom staff.

As an actor, obviously you incorporate Richard’s feeling for Kahlan into just about every scene you do. This season, though, the notion of Richard as being a legitimate heir to Darken Rahl has been introduced, and therefore the temptation to take over and be a real ruler. How much of that do you incorporate into Richard’s reactions to various challenges and missions? Are we going to see a darker side to Richard?
Yeah…it’s interesting. It’s almost like every turn there’s a whole new challenge for Richard in leadership this year. … After [defeating Darken Rahl] my mission … just gets harder. … Now apparently the Keeper of the Underworld is trying to take over. Richard just does what he does best, which is face the challenge that confronts him.

Later in the article we finally get to the good stuff, the stuff all you ladies want to know!!!

Whats it like working with Bridget Regan (his extremely beautiful co-star) on set (specifically a certain love scene in the woods)?
Oh yeah, It took me and Bridget rolling around in the flowers and the leaves. I think I was confessed by another Confessor. We’re comfortable with that kind of stuff …. You’re kind in the mind of the character. It’s kind of like, ‘I’m Richard and I love Kahlan a lot.

Later, a few more fan questions sneak in there and this one was sent in from a female fan of the show…

What’s it like to work with all the girls?
It’s great. It’s fun. It’s a lot of fun.

Oh, so modest Craig. With a chin that was chiseled by the Greeks and abs your grandmother could wash clothing on you are simply too modest! It’s a HELL OF A LOT OF FUN… I bet?!?!?!? Like Michael says, it’s not quite the legendary status of James Bond but the Seeker is definitely the Commander William Riker or James Tiberius Kirk of modern television.

When Michael asked whether or not Craig was considering any other projects during his down time he (Craig) responded with “I’ll let the universe move through me. There might be some great projects at the time when I get there. … Otherwise I might work on some music for a while. Just relax as well and get my energy back”. It sounds like Craig has done a little bit of surfing with that whole Zen Surfer philosophy about the universe moving through you. Hey, just because I live in Canada doesn’t mean Charlie Don’t Surf (if you get this line, you are as old as I).

Finally, Michael covers a very important thing. He reveals the address that fans should write to in order to get a 3rd season of Legend of the Seeker. We’re not at a crucial stage yet but it never hurts to bomb the studio with mail asking for a third season. They love that kind of thing.

Disney-ABC Domestic Television Publicity
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4299
ATTN: “Legend of the Seeker”

FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW PLEASE CLICK HERE

INTERVIEW: Jolene Blalock About Nicci and Other Things

Michael — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:54:54 +0000

Yet another interview with Jolene Blalock about her upcoming (read: in the middle of) role as Sister Nicci on Legend of the Seeker. The media blitz about her role and about the show is hopefully good for ratings. If you are concerned about spoilers you might not want to read this until after you watch “Dark” and “Perdition”.

Jolene Blalock traded Vulcan ears for hair extensions in “Legend of the Seeker.”

Actually the actress who played T’Pol on “Star Trek: Enterprise” took off her Vulcan ears when the show ended a few years ago (she kept them). It’ll be hard to recognize her with the extra-long hair she wears as Nicci, a mysterious Sister of the Dark who finds a fun plaything in the form of Richard (Craig Horner, Shirtless Man of the Week; Craig Horner interview)

“She finds intrigue with Richard because he has this incredibly powerful magic that he doesn’t know how to use,” she told me this week from L.A. “She feels with Richard she has finally found an equal and that makes it fun for her. Before she had been playing cat-and-mouse with the Sisters of the Light, but when Richard shows up, it’s as if the game is on.”

Her two-episode stint begins with “Dark,” airing at 4 p.m. Saturday on WGN in Chicago. Just as the Sisters of the Light begin training Richard to use his powers, Nicci forces him into a dark alliance and seeks to destroy Kahlan (Bridget Regan).

As nefarious as Nicci sounds, Blalock still likes her, calling Nicci a “special victim” and even something of an innocent.

“I wouldn’t have signed to do a character that was just blatantly sinister and blatantly evil,” she said. “With this character, the way it was written, there is a seed of doubt and that gives me a lot of room to work with.”

Blalock talked about her Vulcan ears, working in New Zealand and with Horner, and more about Nicci. (That part is spoilerriffic. I’m throwing it at the bottom of the QA under photos. Read at your own risk!)

How long were you in New Zealand filming this?
I was there a little over a month.

Was it fun?
It was. It’s an incredible country and incredible countryside. Incredible people I actually have to say. They’re just the kindest people, the freest. Every New Zealander I’ve met is incredibly kind.

When I talked to Craig Horner he said it was a lot of fun having you guest star.
It was. He’s fun, and a hard worker. That boy works some long hours. Oh my God, it is incredible. It is unbelievable. I’ve done this for quite a few years and if I had his schedule I would cry. It’s a rigorous schedule.

Is that your real hair?
No they added. [Laughs.] I had some additions there.

The women on this show and a lot of times on sci-fi and fantasy shows the women are always the more powerful or most powerful. Do you have any theories on why that is since you’ve played some powerful women?
I have. I’ve played some very strong women. I don’t know that powerful is the right word because in this episode Richard is undoubtedly the most powerful. He holds the most power, but I think that his wanting to trust others is his weakness. I think that the women are, and this is going to sound sexist, are more manipulative.

They are strong.
They’re very strong. I’m not saying there is not strength in the ability to choose words and to choose your intention behind the words.

Speaking of other strong women you’ve played. You played T’Pol on “Enterprise.” I saw “10 Items or Less” episode “Star Trok.” Was that fun?
Oh my God, I loved it. I love those people to death. They had actually tried to get Paramount to run this with “Star Trek” so we could use the “Star Trek” words, but because they wouldn’t they had to make it “Star Trok” and it ended up being even more funny. Jon Lehr and Nancy Hower, the creators over there, they’re just great people. It was a lot of fun.

John Lehr I’ve talked to him before. He is hilarious.
Yeah, he is frickin’ hilarious. He was so sick during that episode. He was just, under all that makeup he was just dying.

Was that odd for you doing the improvising?
They do a lot of improvising. It was liberating. It was just very living in the moment, saying what comes to you in the moment. It was just an incredible experience. I would love to do it again. Yeah, unscripted is just it’s something else.

Since you were on a “Star Trek” series, you’re going to be recognized as T’Pol forever. How is that going?
Well because I was in costume I’m barely ever recognized. I’m actually more recognized for my voice than I am for you know just appearance. I think that you know as far as being typecast I don’t think I will be because I look so different than T’Pol. I mean they did everything, the wig to the eyebrows to the ears to changing my skin color. They did a really good, great job at hiding Jolene.

I was reading your 2005 Playboy interview to get ready for this and you talked about how you started to save the ears, but they didn’t preserve very well.
Yeah, that’s right. They don’t.

Do you still have them?
I do … This sounds really weird. I can’t fit them back on my ears. But you can obviously tell that it’s the ear, but yeah, they haven’t preserved very well. They sort of stick to each other. I probably have over a hundred pairs.

Do you just have them like in a jar or something?
In a jar, yeah in formaldehyde. No, I keep them in a box.

I read an interview where you said that you were hoping that there would be a “Starship Troopers 4.”
Sure, what the hell? I had great fun doing that. I loved Captain Lola Beck. She kicks ass. She’s a bad-ass … I’d love to play her again.

SPOILER WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS COVERS HER TWO EPISODES FOR LEGEND OF THE SEEKER

So tell me about your character.
Sister Nikki, yeah, she is a special victim. … Throughout my portrayal of her I truly believed that Sister Nikki wasn’t all evil. Through the plot and all the manipulation of Richard I just feel that she has so sold into her own vision, that she has lost sight of the bigger picture. I just think that sometimes we can lose sight of the bigger picture when we’re blinded by the passions of our intentions. So she is not innately evil. She is innately pure, you know?

And Sister Nikki’s objective was very well plotted and expertly executed and I felt that at times Sister Nikki was satisfied with herself, satisfied with her mastery of the subtle manipulation over Richard. Because these moments between Richard and herself were so well plotted and well thought-out, it’s as if she has had forever to rehearse each word, each line with Richard. So there is this sense of self-appreciation as she is watching these moments actually unfold.

Now are we going to end up liking her or…?
I like her.

You like her, OK.
I like her. Are we going to end up agreeing with her? Probably not, but that you know that story still it remains to be told you know. I think there is a lot of twists and turns for Sister Nikki, so being able to agree with her, her actions or her beliefs I just don’t think that a judgment can be made yet.

So does that mean that the door is sort of left open that she could come back sometime?
Yeah.

Original Article Written By: Kurt Wagner

INTERVIEW: Jolene Blalock Speaks About Sister Nicci

Michael — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:15:23 +0000

On January 19, 2010 several members of the media and the blogging community (Legend of the Seeker specific) were invited to a media call with Ms. Jolene Blalock about her upcoming recurring role as Sister Nicci. Below is a transcript of what was covered in the first half of the call.

** Beware there be spoilers ahead. If you don’t want to know about her upcoming episodes please don’t read any further. **

Just to let folks know, each blogger or media member was allowed to ask a question or two and Ms. Blalock answered them so these questions are from several sources. Also, for those (3 of you so far) who have emailed us asking why we didn’t use swimsuit or seductive poses of Ms. Blalock; really? really? This is a fan site, not Maxim!

Question – I want to know a little bit more about your character Sister Nicci?

Jolene Blalock – Sister Niccii is introduced as a sister of the light but later defects and becomes a sister of the dark. Regardless of her label…I firmly believe that Sister Niccii is inherently good and innately pure. She has lost focus of the bigger picture because she’s become blinded by her own passions…the passion of her own intentions…which she truly believes are the way to go, the path to take.

Question – What has it been like filming the show, especially in New Zealand?

Jolene Blalock – New Zealand is an incredible place to shoot…the landscape is breathtaking but even more special are the people. The cast and the crew they went out of their way to make me feel at home and were just incredibly hospitable to me and I am grateful for their effort.

Question – You seem to act mostly in the scifi/fantasy genre especially coming from Star Trek. What about this genre attracts you?

Jolene Blalock – Scifi/fantasy is always going to attract me because it’s something that’s special to my heart. I grew up on the original Star Trek. Also when I was in the 6th grade I would came home from school and watch the Star Wars trilogy back to back…it’s something that brings humanity outside of itself…it presents questions…what if, what if we could jump the timeline, what if we could meet another intelligent species, what if we could colonize on another planet. It deals with very big ideas.

Question – Could you give us a little teaser about what’s coming up with your character?

Jolene Blalock – There’s a battle of agendas…we have Richard who has his quest so that’s one agenda, we have the sisters of the light they have their agenda, then we have the defected sisters of the dark lead by Sister Niccii who has her agenda. It’s really a battle of agendas…each person believes their agenda is true. For Sister Niccii her agenda and her intentions has been a plan long awaited…she’s plotted this for possibly thousands of years. When Richard arrives on the scene it is a long awaited event and each moment with Richard…between Richard and Sister Niccii…each word that is said to him, each sentence that she says and the way that she says it is very well rehearsed…she’s had all this time to salivate over how this will unfold. So as she’s actually watching it unfold moment to moment I think she’s just self satisfied with herself and with her mastery of manipulation and the subtleties of it because it’s not blatant manipulation.

Question – What were some of the acting challenges you found with this particular character?

Jolene Blalock – What drew me to the character was the fact that there was a seed of doubt. She wasn’t blatantly sinister and she wasn’t blatantly evil. And with a seed of doubt…we have a lot of space to move and a lot of space to grow. What drew me to this character was this ability to have maybe a darker goal but be able to play that innocence. Also the fact that she was so calculated. Everything was so well planned out…so well rehearsed. Those two elements drew me to her because I’ve never really played a character that was so calculated.

Question – How did you originally become involved in Legend of the Seeker?

Jolene Blalock – It’s odd because I auditioned ages ago. I want to say probably over two years ago. The casting director at the time held on to my tape and the producers remembered me and when Sister Niccii came up and when they were writing her they thought of me and they brought me in for it. It’s sort of interesting.

Question – Did you always want to work in this particular industry while you were growing up or did you have other professions in mind?

Jolene Blalock – I’m a creative nut case. To say that I knew exactly where I want to be would be a lie. I knew that I had a sense of creativity and that an outlet was necessary. Whether it be art or writing or acting or performing in a play there had to me an outlet so I’m thankful and grateful that I’ve been able to do this.

On Tuesday I was very excited to take part in a media conference call with Jolene Blalock who will be playing Sister Nicci in some upcoming episodes of Legend of the Seeker.

Question – Can you tell us what Legend of the Seeker role you had originally auditioned for?

Jolene Blalock – Honestly it was so long ago…it was for a small part I do remember that. The producers told me later they didn’t want to use me for that part. They were just waiting for the right character which is very flattering.

Question – Were you familiar with the books or the TV show before you auditioned?

Jolene Blalock – Honestly I wasn’t. Once I learned about the character Sister Nicci that’s when I started doing my research.

Question – Can you share some thoughts on working with some of the cast such as Bridget, Craig and Tabrett?

Jolene Blalock – Tabrett was incredibly hospitable to me. We would go out for coffee and stuff like that. Being so far from home…that was incredibly special for someone to do that; especially as hard as they work. Craig, who I did most of my scenes with,…I give him kudos…he’s an incredibly hard worker. Bridget was just incredibly kind. They’re a special group.

Question – How did it feel to trade lasers for wizards?

Jolene Blalock – It’s different. It’s always fun working with magic and working with powers. It literally does empower you. I enjoy every role I take…for different reasons.

Question – Are you enjoying this effeminate role?

Jolene Blalock – What I enjoyed about Sister Nicci is that she spoke with a sense of urgency. Each line was just laden with intentions and also with this hint of innocence in order to win Richard over. It’s like “I’m presenting to you this picture but really I’m holding this picture back here”. You know?

Question – Are we going to see the screen get ‘hot and steamy’ between your character and Richard?

Jolene Blalock – No, you’re not.

Question – Given your broad fan base from modeling through Star Trek Enterprise and now to Legend of the Seeker have you received a lot of feedback from your fans in anticipation of this role?

Jolene Blalock – I’ve had some people tweet me saying that Sister Nicci was my favorite character from the book so I’m looking forward to seeing you portray her.

Question – That leads me into my next question which is are you on Twitter which we now know you are!

Jolene Blalock – Yes, my Twitter ID is JoleneBlalock

Question – Can you talk a little bit about the costuming on Legend of the Seeker?

Jolene Blalock – They did an incredible job with the robes and the veils. You’ll notice that Sister Nicci is portrayed in the Sisters of the Light garb and you don’t actually see her change to the Sisters of the Dark but there was just no time to do that because the story continues on. There’s just no time to change. They did a great job with those gowns. It’s a lot of upkeep on the set. A lot of steaming…a lot of fussing…but beautiful costumes.

Question – Apart from the two episodes that we’re scheduled to see you in very soon are we going to see you any more later in the series?

Jolene Blalock – Only if they bring me back.

Question – Do you have any other roles or movies coming up that you’d like folks to know about?

Jolene Blalock – A couple of films actually. One is called “One Kine Day” which was shot in Hawaii. I play an alcoholic woman who is less than the greatest mother. I also played a character in a movie called “Sinners & Saints”. That’s an action thriller with lots of guns and lots of violence.

Transcribed by: Kevin Bachelder (TheSeekerCast)

INTERVIEW: The Seeker Speaks with Craig Horner

Michael — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:35:53 +0000

Original Article is by Jenna Busch
The article (and images) can be located over at IGN

As a fan of the Terry Goodkind “Sword of Truth” novels, I was thrilled to hear that they were making a television series based on the books. And that Sam Raimi was involved. Now in its second season, Legend of the Seeker is taking on the second and third books in the series.

Richard Cypher (Craig Horner), a young man with an extraordinary destiny, his grandfather and wizard of the First Order Zed (Bruce Spence) and his unobtainable love, Kahlan (Bridget Regan), a Mother Confessor who can bend men to her will with a touch have killed the bad guy, Darken Rahl. And yet…Rahl is back in ghost form, doing the will of the Keeper, trying to destroy mankind. Rahl’s red leather-clad mistresses of pain who wield unbelievably phallic weapons called “agiels” (Goodkind must have an interesting sex life) are out to get Richard. So are Rahl’s armies…until they learn that Richard himself is a Rahl.

I got a chance to speak to Craig Horner about the show. He gives us a sneak peek at what’s coming up this season, his favorite moments in the show and how hard it is not to laugh when the softer versions of the agiels are used on set. And yes Twitter fans, he may just be joining you on there soon.

IGN: At the beginning of the season, you had a very interesting guest star, Charisma Carpenter, which was really fun for us geeks to see. Are you going to have any other guest stars this season?

Craig Horner: Yeah! It was great to start off with Charisma Carpenter, especially if we can bring on some Buffy fans. That would be great. Because I reckon Buffy fans would really like the show. Because I’m a Buffy fan and I like the show.

IGN: Me too.

Horner: Yeah, we’ve got Aimee Teegarden, we’ve got Gabriel Mann who plays the young Zed, we’ve worked with Jolene Blalock, another actress.

IGN: Yeah, I know her! Star Trek: Enterprise.

Horner: Emily Foxler…yeah, we’ve got some great guest cast.

IGN: Can you talk about the development of Richard’s character, especially now that he found out that he’s a Rahl?

Horner: Yeah, absolutely. Well that first whole season, season one, was really Richard kind of boy to man, kind of journey. And it was him coming to terms as the Seeker. And now season two, I have a whole new mission. I’m a Lord Rahl. I’ve defeated the person I was supposed to defeat. And now it’s my turn to kind of lead the people and save the world from a greater evil, I guess. So it’s definitely up a notch in terms of leadership, for sure.

IGN: I’ve been asked to ask you about reading the books. The last time I spoke to you, you told me you had read the first one. Have you gone any further into the series?

Horner: I’m reading the second one, but the more we kind of deviate, it’s like, we’ve got a slightly different Richard and Kahlan. We’ve got a slightly different world. We’re doing our own kind of thing now. The majority of the work will go more into my scripts, I guess, and on the set, and that kind of stuff, just trying to make the best show we can really do, you know? Yeah.

IGN: I know you did six weeks of stunt training before the series started. But the fight scenes and the riding has only gotten more intense this season. What kind of training are you continuing to do?

Horner: Good question. We don’t really get a lot of time to do that much fight training, so I just try and grab the stunt guys whenever I can, you know. The day before, or even like half an hour before we shoot the damn thing. Luckily I kind of have a good memory for this kind of stuff, so it’s kind of falling into place and it kind of gets easier each time you do it. And you know all the stunties’ names, so it’s like, you can start calling it out. ‘Who dies after Noodles? Oh, Cheesecake. Oh, so and so. OK, great.’ So because we’re becoming a bit more of a stronger…Bridget and I and Tab (Tabrett Bethell) are becoming better fighters, we all need, I guess, less time to pull it off these days.

IGN: Now you’ve got a Mord’Sith traveling with you…before I ask about Cara, I have to ask you…when I read the books, it was very clear that they’re rather S&M sort of characters. And then they have those agiels. Is it ever hard not to crack up when you’re holding those things? Or crack up when someone else is using them?

Horner: Oh! Oh my god! I can’t tell you…the first time we had Denna, (a Mord’Sith played by Jessica Marais) in Episode 8, the first time we really got into the Mord’Sith world, there were so many jokes. Because we had one…those agiels are quite, um hard. But we’ve got one that’s soft, in case we’re doing any stunts with them. And I remember Jessica Marais was, you know, pushing that damn thing up against my chest…

IGN: [laughs]

Horner: …and it’s like, bending at the tip, and it’s just like, entering frame and bending at the tip and coming up close to our face, and we just couldn’t…’Oh, we’re going to have to be really careful where we place this thing. [laughs] It’s going to be too suggestive.

IGN: The love triangle that seems to be inevitable between you, Kahlan and Cara…where would you like to see that go?

Horner: I don’t know if I would call it a…well, I guess it is a bit of a love triangle there. I think they might send us that way. I think they might send Richard and Cara that way. You never know. But it’s a tough call. It’s a massive relationship to have [Richard and Kahlan] and it’s something that’s beyond something sexual, because they can’t really do that, so there is a really strong bond. It’s really going to be hard to break those two up. But it’s possible, so we’ll see. [laughs]

IGN: Well it’s just another thing that could keep Richard and Kahlan apart a little longer to sort of draw it out. And in the books, Cara is very close to him, so…

Horner: Yeah. Absolutely. They have to find ways of keeping us apart, because eventually we’re just going to give in. We can’t fight it forever.

IGN: So I have a bunch of Twitter followers who are desperate to know if you’re ever going to get a Twitter account.

Horner: Um, you know what? It was Gabriel Mann who was convincing me to maybe go on Twitter. I was like, ‘I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s me.’ And he was like, ‘No, all you have to do is give thoughts that come into your [head].’ I put off random thoughts to him and he’d say, ‘This is the stuff that you’ve got to put out there. It doesn’t matter. They just have to be from you.’ I was like, ‘Really? Is that all Twitter is? People don’t really care what I think.’ But maybe I’ll do that. [laughs]

IGN: If it helps convince you, I got about seventeen questions about when your birthday is, since it’s not on IMDb.

Horner: [laughs] Oh! The 24th of January, 1983.

IGN: [laughs] So if you don’t think people care about what you think, there’s that. They also wanted me to ask you about your favorite moments, especially the Richard and Kahlan moments.

Horner: Hmm, especially the Richard and Kahlan moments? I was a really big fan the first pilot, where we really brought those two together. And really had these two people who were separated from each other but…in different worlds, but so attracted to each other. But really finding that kind of relationship was really exciting for Bridget and I. And then it also came to the point where if they’re comfortable with our characters, things like when we got to play other characters like the Fritz and Claire episode. I think it was called, “Mirror”. Episode 18 where some criminals took our bodies and pretended to be us. And Bridget and I just loved that. It was really good. Anything different we just love to do. You know? Show different sides to Richard and Kahlan. I guess that. Yeah.

IGN: I love that episode. Are you enjoying playing a darker, angrier side of Richard now? When the rage from the Sword of Truth takes over?

Horner: Yeah. Absolutely. In fact, before I got the job, before we started shooting, I was really excited about that part of Richard, and I was hoping we were going to draw on it a little bit more. And they kind of are a little bit, which is good, you know? Because they want this show to kind of be standalone episodes, you can’t just have suddenly rage happen, because a lot of viewers won’t get it. So they had to just really write a whole episode around what that’s really about and really feature it in that episode. But I love just going, ‘Arrgh!’ To just yell at someone and then be really fine with it. Like, ‘Ah. That was all good. I got that out of my system. Awesome.’ [laughs]

IGN: If you weren’t an actor, what would you be doing?

Horner: A musician. Yeah. Any type. A singer. Songwriter. In a band. Just play and play and play. I would find a way to make enough money from, hopefully, that, but if not, I would just get a job that would be able to fund my passion. I love music, and really, I mean, as humans, once we get past that mere point of survival, I mean, all life is about then is doing something that you love. That you’re enthusiastic about. I love music and I love acting, so if I can just live and be able to do those two things, I can be happy, you know?

IGN: Can you give us a little tease about what is coming up in the next few episodes?

Horner: Oh yeah! Great! You’re…up to episode 6…awesome. We get a little visit back from Denna. Denna’s coming back which is really exciting. Whenever she steps in…ah! A whole other vibe comes in, I reckon. So that’s really exciting. Denna fans can look forward to that. And a lot more Sisters of the Dark action, and, jeez, maybe I’ve said too much already. [laughs] Yeah, but those are some cool things to look forward to.