Advertise on podcast: Xena: Warrior Nutballs

This week Lou and Shell go deep behind the scenes as we kōrero with legendary Aotearoa casting director Diana Rowan, who tells us exactly what she saw in Lucy Lawless which made her push for her to become Xena: Warrior Princess. 👀⚔️ AKA that “don’t f**k with me” energy she owns. 💜💪🌶️ Xenites, you might recognise Diana for another reason… she played The Shepherd in Xena: Warrior Princess Season 5, Episode 22, Motherhood! 🐑🏜️ But, Diana’s casting legacy goes WAY beyond Xena - She has been shaping New Zealand's screen industry for decades! Casting countless Kiwi performers, including Michael Hurst as Iolaus in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and is the only casting director in the world to have cast multiple child actors who went on to receive Oscar nominations: Anna Paquin for The Piano (winning at just 11!) and Keisha Castle-Hughes for Whale Rider. We talk about the building blocks of casting the right person for the role, and what it takes to spot a future star before everyone else does. ✨ Whānau, this interview is an absolute one-off, one-of-a-kind. Diana doesn’t do these, so we are bloody thrilled she chose to kōrero with us. 💜    Follow Xena: Warrior Nutballs: 🌐 xenawarriornutballs.com 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578930248317   Come join our whānau! ⚔️💜

This week Lou and Shell are welcoming into the whānau Eric Gruendemann - Producer, Supervising Producer, Co-Executive Producer, and founder and Managing Director of Pacific Renaissance Pictures!🎬🌿⚔️😮‍💨    Some people think the story of Xena: Warrior Princess begins with Hercules: The Legendary Journeys... but they'd be wrong. The real origin story starts years earlier, when Eric boarded a plane and headed to Aotearoa New Zealand to see if this small country at the bottom of the world could become home to an ambitious new television series.✈️   Eric didn't just help make a television show - he helped build an entire industry. 🎬💪 His vision and belief in Aotearoa put New Zealand on the map as a world-class television production destination, paving the way for countless international productions that followed.    Join Shell & Lou as we travel right back to the VERY beginning and hear the incredible story of how one scouting trip changed Aotearoa New Zealand’s television history forever. 🌿✨   Follow us: 🌐 Website: https://xenawarriornutballs.com 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578930248317

This week, Lou and Shell have grown out their beards and donned their muumuus as we welcome into the whānau Timothy Omundson AKA Eli!🧔🏻‍♀️💚🕊️ Yes! That devilishly handsome, charismatic man with the sparkling blue eyes who arrived in Xena and Gabrielle’s lives as a street magician, before becoming one of the most important spiritual figures in the series.🎩🪄🙏 In this episode, Tim talks about connecting with Lucy Lawless, Renée O’Connor, and Kevin Smith, how much he loved working with the Kiwi cast and crew, and getting up to some proper Kiwi antics when the cameras weren't rolling.⛳ And yes… he stole his muumuu. HE STOLE HIS MUUMUU, YOU GUYS. 😂🤣 We absolutely ADORE this man. Tim is funny, warm, generous and genuinely phenomenal, and we loved hearing his memories of his time in Aotearoa and the people who made Xena so special. Show notes: Find Tim on Instagram 📸 Instagram: @omundson If you'd like to hear about Tim's recovery from his stroke, check out “Tim's 9th Stroke-iversary” on The Psychologists Are In with Maggie Lawson and Timothy Omundson, released 7 May 2026. 🎧 Listen to “Tim's 9th Stroke-iversary” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/31jzGjgNzD6XsLGlz9NvvC   Find Xena: Warrior Nutballs 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578930248317  🌐 www.xenawarriornutballs.com

In this Special Guest Side Quest, Lou gets up close with THE ACTUAL COSTUMES worn by Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor! 🤯⚔️ Getting to head behind the scenes at Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, with Stephanie Gibson, Curator of New Zealand Histories and Cultures.    We explore the craftsmanship and artistry behind Xena’s costume, initially designed by Barbara Darragh and reworked by Ngila Dickson, and Gabrielle’s Season 6 outfit, designed by Jane Holland, with props and weapons by Rob Gillies. 🧵✨   These aren't just costumes, they're pieces of Aotearoa’s screen history, celebrating the creativity and ingenuity of the people who brought Xena: Warrior Princess to life🎬❤️   👉 Xena’s costume: https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/765775 👉 Gabrielle’s outfit: https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/765776   And yes… Lou touches the chakram and absolutely loses her mind a little. 😂😭⚔️   🌿 www.xenawarriornutballs.com 📸 Instagram: @xenawarriornutballs 📘 Facebook: Xena: Warrior Nutballs

This week Lou and Shell talk with Rob Gillies, the Kiwi Production Designer on Xena: Warrior Princess⚒️🛡️🏛️⚔️ From the depths of Tartarus to the Elysian Fields, and everything in between, if you could see it in the Hercules and Xena universe, chances are Rob Gillies and his team built it. 📐⚒️🎨🖋️💪   As Production Designer across Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, and Young Hercules, Rob transformed parts of West Auckland into the ancient world - creating everything from taverns, castles, Amazon villages, temples, palaces, and  that big ol' boat! 🍻⛵🏰🏹👑 These sets made the Xenaverse unforgettable! His team also crafted some of the franchise's most iconic props, including Xena's sword and chakram, along with Gabrielle's staff and sais. ⚔️   🎙️ Join us as Rob takes us behind the scenes of one of television's most ambitious fantasy worlds, sharing the craftsmanship, unforgettable behind-the-scenes stories, and Kiwi creativity that brought the Xenaverse to life. We also chat about his love for the gloriously nutty sets like in Prometheus, which he affectionately dubs "The Super Egg Men."🦅⛓️🥚😂   This interview is a true celebration of the early 90’s hard yakka in Aotearoa and what it took behind-the-scenes to create the cult classic hero of Xena!   💙 Follow Xena: Warrior Nutballs for more interviews with the Kiwi and Aussie cast and crew who brought the Xenaverse to life!   📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578930248317 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/ 🌐 Website: https://xenawarriornutballs.com

This week, Lou and Shell climb the steps to Mount Olympus and enter the throne room with Paris Jefferson AKA Athena! 🦉⚔️👑 Paris joins us to look back on her unforgettable turn as Athena, the Goddess of Warfare, Wisdom, and don't forget Weaving! ⚔️🦉🧵 She shares what it was like arriving in Aotearoa New Zealand to join Xena: Warrior Princess for Season 5, stepping into one of Greek mythology's most iconic roles at the height of the series. We also dive into Athena as a canonically queer character in '90s television 🌈💜. Paris talks about how clear it was to her that Athena loved Ilainus, and why embracing that relationship felt completely natural in her performance.⚡ Paris shares what it was like wearing the breathtaking costumes created by the brilliant Jane Holland ✨💛, bringing Athena's regal presence to life with every shimmering detail. Plus, she reflects on working alongside the late Kevin Smith ❤️, Lucy Lawless ⚔️, and Renée O'Connor 🥰, sharing behind-the-scenes stories about the warmth, talent, and camaraderie that made Xena the phenomenon we Xenites know and love. Whether you've loved Xena for decades or are discovering it for the first time, this episode is packed with nostalgia, laughter, behind-the-scenes stories, as well as, the usual plots lost Nutball foolishness from Lou and Shell as they fangirl out over one of the greats, ATHENA! 🏛️✨⚡   💛 Follow Paris Jefferson 🌐 Website: https://www.parisjefferson.co.uk/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisjeffersonofficial/ ⚔️ Follow Xena: Warrior Nutballs 🌐 Website: https://xenawarriornutballs.com/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578930248317 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/

This week we're extending our whānau again! 💜🌿Shell and Lou are donning our fedoras 🤠, dusting off our typewriters 📝, and heading into the Xena: Warrior Princess writers' room with one of the most influential creative forces behind the show ✨ Steven L. Sears ✨   As a writer and producer on Xena, Steven helped shape some of the series' most iconic stories, shaping Gabrielle’s hero's journey, and contributing to 100 episodes! ⚔️📜❤️   Join us as we talk all things Xena ⚔️🏹 from the non-negotiables the writers had to navigate for her character ✍️✨, to the risks he was willing to take in the scripts, knowing he had a world-class crew of Kiwis and Aussies down in Aotearoa New Zealand ready to bring it all to life 🎬🌟   Steven has long been a friend and ally to the LGBTQIA+ community, and it was an absolute privilege to welcome him into the Xena: Warrior Nutballs whānau. 💜⚔️   Penny from Xenite Retreat also cameos - giving us the low down on what Steven is REALLY like…AKA he is a bloody legend!   🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts!   ⚔️ Follow us from Xena: Warrior Nutballs 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578930248317 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/   ✨ Follow Steven L. Sears 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steven.l.sears 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fsuwriter/ 🌐 www.stevenlsears.com Follow Xenite Retreat: 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XeniteRetreat/  📸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xeniteretreat/  🌐 https://www.xeniteretreat.com/

This week Lou and Shell are joined by the amazing Kiwi, Sandi Rayner 🐎🌟 We talk about her time as riding double for Lucy Lawless and Horse Wrangler on Xena: Warrior Princess.   Before CGI, before green screens, and before technology could solve every problem, there were talented people like Sandi behind the scenes working with incredible horses, and a whole lot of Kiwi ingenuity to bring us Xena! 🐴⚔️💪✨   In fact, Sandi is the very first Xena we see in the series 👀⚔️, riding Argo across our screens in full leathers before we ever lay eyes on Lucy Lawless!🖤    She talks about the enormous generosity of Lucy Lawless who personally paid for Tilly, her main riding horse in the show, and gave her to Sandi, to ensure Tilly had the best life, living out her days after the show with Sandi. 💖     This kōrero is a celebration of Kiwi hard yakka, creativity, and the can-do attitude that made the impossible possible 🛠️✨💪. Expect horses 🐴🐴🐴, stunts 🤯⚔️, laughs 😆, and plenty of appreciation for the incredible whānau who helped create the Xena-verse 🌍⚔️❤️.   ➡️ Follow and support Sandi’s work caring for animals in Aotearoa New Zealand: https://www.facebook.com/LittleVillageSanctuary/    ➡️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578930248317    📸 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/

This week Lou and Shell are joined by the wildly talented Joel Tobeck, yes whānau, that chaos gremlin you love to hate (but MAINLY love) 😈🔥🤪👺   You’ll know him as Deimos and Lucifer in Xena: Warrior Princess, but he’s known in the wider Xena-verse as Strife from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Young Hercules, serving pure foolishness with a smirk 😏😉   Xenites might even recognise him from the Aotearoa short film 1996 “Peach” where he starred alongside Lucy Lawless - OG’s we’re looooooking at you here! 🍑 Link below ⬇️   But at the heart of this episode is something really special, Joel kōrero’s (talks) about his close friendship with the late, great Kevin Smith, AKA Ares🖤⚔️ sharing personal stories, behind-the-scenes memories, and the kind of moments that remind you just how much love and camaraderie lived within the Xenaverse whānau 🫶   AND! Lou fizzes over as she gets to talk about his time acting in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King turn as Guritz, that deeply unsettling orc 👀🗡️💍🧝🧙⛰️   It’s wholesome and heartfelt 🥹 but of course with our usual unapologetic fan girl glee!!   Enjoy Nutballs, this is a goodie.     Show notes:   📸 Follow Joel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joeltobeck/    📺Watch “Peach” on NZ on Screen: https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/peach-1995    🎙️Editing of interview by Michael Allan   ➡️Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578930248317     ➡️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/

*Coo! Coo! Amazons, attack!* This week Lou and Shell welcome the incredible Danielle Cormack into the whānau! The Kiwi legend who brought the stoic, fiercely loyal, and beloved Amazon Queen Ephiny to life 👑⚔️🐴    Long before she became television royalty as Bea Smith in Wentworth, Danielle was ruling over the Amazon’s in Xena: Warrior Princess. In this kōrero, we talk about the REAL stuff - giving birth to centaurs 🤰🐎, arrows piercing boobs 🏹🍈🍈, and what it's like to see Lucy Lawless fully suited up as Xena 🤔   Her reaction?    "HOT!"🔥    From behind-the-scenes stories to reflections on a career which has made her a true Kiwi icon and how her time on Xena: Warrior Princess had a hand in this.    This conversation is everything Danielle is herself: warm, generous, funny, and full of aroha.   Trust us you won't want to miss this one. ❤️⚔️🌿   📸 Follow Danielle on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_daniellecormack_/    ➡️Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578930248317    📸 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/

This week Lou and Shell are catching up with the number one warlord, King of the Horde - Jay Laga’aia AKA the delightfully dark Draco! 🎶 😏⚔️   Jay, the iconic Kiwi-Aussie, takes us right back to “Sins of the Past” (S01E01), sharing what it was like stepping into the Xenaverse as the very first villain, including the very moment he saw Lucy Lawless in full Xena glory and knew this show was something special 😳🖤   We get a behind-the-scenes story from “A Comedy of Eros” (S02E22) 💋🏹 about an unfortunate fake beard and kiss situation 🤣 and we revisit his memories of “Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire” (S5E10) 🎸🔥 where Jay gives that iconic heavy metal mash up of “Always Something There to Remind Me”⚡🎶🖤   This one is FULL of Xenaverse magic - just the way we like it ⚔️🖤✨   Follow Jay Laga’aia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaylagaaia/   Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578930248317    Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/

*Lou, Shell, and MaryD have entered the 90s AUSXIP chat room*   This week we’re diving into the fandom itself with a true OG Xenite - MaryD! The absolute powerhouse behind AUSXIP 💻⚔️ Before socials, before streaming, there was AUSXIP… and MaryD was the Aussie legend running the show.   We yarn about the wild west days of the internet and her work creating the 25th anniversary book “Xena: Their Courage Changed Our World” 📜🪶. MaryD’s been doing the mahi (work) keeping us Xenites informed for 30 years, and fundraising hundreds of thousands of dollars through her annual AUSXIP charity auction! We get into the legacy, the chaos, and the aroha (love) for all things Xena 💪💜.    MaryD is Xena-verse icon - we ADORE her! 😌🔥   Wanna keep up with MaryD and all things Xena? Too easy: 🌐 AUSXIP: https://www.ausxip.com  📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AUSXIP  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ausxip   Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578930248317    Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/

OMG babes 💖✨ we are, like, SO excited because this week, we’re adding the divine Alexandra Tydings 💘👑 to the whānau!!! Aka Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love from Xena: Warrior Princess 💕 Tubular right?!   We go FULL Gaphrodite 💞🌈 yes babe, that kiss 💋💖 diving into Alex’s thoughts, angles, and all the deliciously sapphic vibes 😍💓It’s flirty, fabulous, and totally dripping in looooooooove 💕💅✨   …okay stepping out of our valley girl era for a sec, we go on a real journey in this chat - Alex is unbelievably smart and generous, and there’s truly something in here for every Xenite: from the origins of Joxer's theme tune, or working with Alexis Arquette and Kiwi Director Garth Maxwell on “The God You Know” S6E12, to wholesome memories of working with their big bro Ares, AKA Kevin Smith! 💖   We welcome the magnificent Goddess of Aroha | Love - Alex Tydings!    Show notes:    Follow Alex on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atydings/    Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578930248317    Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/

Golden curls, heroic biceps, and a whole lot of Kiwi charm, this week we’re joined by Aotearoa legend Michael Hurst (ONZM) ✨   Xena fans will know Michael across the wider Xenaverse: from his iconic turn as the ever-loyal hero Iolaus in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys 💪⚔️, to popping up in Xena: Warrior Princess as Nigel and the delightfully grumpy ferryman Charon ⛵🔥. But his impact on the show goes far beyond what we see on screen. Michael also stepped behind the camera to direct some truly memorable episodes 🎬.   Most famously, he directed the fan-voted favourite “A Day in the Life” (S02E15) 🐟    The beloved episode that gave us fishing, bickering, and peak domestic subtext chaos between Xena  and Gabrielle ⚔️📜💛.    He also helmed unforgettable episodes like “A Tale of Two Muses” (S04E06), “Lifeblood” (S05E16), “Antony & Cleopatra” (S05E18), “Who’s Gurkhan?” (S06E4), and “To Helicon and Back” (S06E15).   In this episode we chat about the wild early days of the Kiwi screen industry 🎥, and what it was like helping shape one of the most beloved shows of the ’90s, both in front of the camera and behind it. It’s a joyful kōrero (conversation), full of laughs and stories, with one of the great creative forces of the Xenaverse 🌟.   Follow Michael on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raunchy_twyford/    Keep up with Michael's work: http://michaelhurstnow.com/    Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578930248317    Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/

In this interview, Lou and Shell find themselves sitting down with one of the biggest legends in Aotearoa’s creative industries: Jennifer Te Atamira Ward-Lealand (ONZM, CNZM). 👑🎭   The 2020 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year, honoured for her contributions to the arts and advocacy for Te Reo Māori, Jennifer reflects on her time in the Xena-verse.⚔️🥝    She stormed onto our screens as the fierce and formidable Boudica in “The Deliverer” (S3E4) and returned as Zehra in “The Play’s the Thing,” (S4E17) bringing gravitas and razor-sharp wit to every scene. 🛡️🔥   We talk about what it meant to bring a real-life warrior woman to life within this bold fantasy world, and her favourite memories working alongside the late great Kevin Smith - Ares 🗡️🖤   Regal, grounded, and gloriously sharp - Nutballs, you will understand after listening why we are still in awe.    Follow Jennifer on Instagram: @jen_wl_te_atamira 📸   Book tickets to see Jennifer in “Helen Clark in 6 Outfits” 7th to 26th April, Auckland, New Zealand: https://www.atc.co.nz/whats-on/2026-season/helen-clark-in-six-outfits   Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578930248317    Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenawarriornutballs/