Xena: Warrior Nutballs

xenawarriornutballs

Kia Ora and G’day whānau! Join two queer overexcitable fangirls, Lou (Kiwi, new-ish fan) and Shell (Aussie, OG Xenite), as they deep-dive into Xena: Warrior Princess with charmingly mediocre wit, loads of nostalgia, and at times impenetrable accents. As Xena: Warrior Princess celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025, we’re highlighting its legacy by attempting to interview 30 cast and crew who made it legendary, the Kiwis and Aussies responsible for the leather outfits, the sword fights, and let’s be real, making us all a little bit gayer. From behind-the-scenes stories to on-set moments, we’re going to bring you the voices behind the show which changed the world. 🎧 Listen in and embrace the Nutball life! ⚔️🌈 Visit us at: https://xenawarriornutballs.com/ 

  1. 5d ago

    Interview #20: Steven L. Sears! 🤠✍️📜 Writer, Supervising Producer, & Co-Executive Producer

    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/

  2. Jul 8

    Interview #19: Sandi Ranyer! Xena's Riding Double and Horse Wrangler 🐎🌟

    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/

  3. Jun 24

    Interview #18 Joel Tobeck! Deimos and Lucifer 😈🔥🤪

    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/

  4. Mar 18

    Interview #14: Michael Hurst! Iolaus and Director of “A Day in the Life” 💪⚔️💛 + SO MUCH MORE

    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/

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

Kia Ora and G’day whānau! Join two queer overexcitable fangirls, Lou (Kiwi, new-ish fan) and Shell (Aussie, OG Xenite), as they deep-dive into Xena: Warrior Princess with charmingly mediocre wit, loads of nostalgia, and at times impenetrable accents. As Xena: Warrior Princess celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025, we’re highlighting its legacy by attempting to interview 30 cast and crew who made it legendary, the Kiwis and Aussies responsible for the leather outfits, the sword fights, and let’s be real, making us all a little bit gayer. From behind-the-scenes stories to on-set moments, we’re going to bring you the voices behind the show which changed the world. 🎧 Listen in and embrace the Nutball life! ⚔️🌈 Visit us at: https://xenawarriornutballs.com/ 

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