Liveblogging Xena Con, day 3: Claire Stansfield

The bitch is back!

That's how Claire Stansfield, who played Xena's arch-nemesis Alti, greeted the crowd at Day 3 of the Xena convention. She talked about how much she loves doing Xena conventions and the energy - says that some people say wow, you're not doing A list TV shows, you're doing CONVENTIONS? And she said, doing the conventions was the best fucking part of my career. "I mean, you can do the Vagina Monologues for 400 people - or you can do them for four THOUSAND Xena fans."

She talked about her  fashion design company - C & C California. She said selling her company was possible because learning how to communicate and talk to people at conventions enabled her to "make those corporate guys laugh and drop their bullshit."

She had a baby boy - named Lucky. "He's just the light of my life." She sold her company and now works as a consultant. She also offered the crowd some of her breast milk. "I'm planning on breastfeeding Lucky until he goes to college." He's 19 months, she wants to breastfeed until he's 2.

She glances at her chest. "My lactating breasts - ok, that was inappropriate. "  She laughed that she was pretty much always totally inappropriate, and said it was really good she doesn't work in corporate, sexual harassment manual America. "I go in every day and say, 'How you sexy bitches doin'?' "

Says L Word is her favorite show, and her husband keeps asking why she's watching it: "Honey, they use  some C&C t-shirts, I'm just doin' some resaearch." And "Yeah, I love me some  Shane." Said she wants to make out with Karina Lombard.

Says she likes to throw some Alti into the "Mommy and Me" groups now and then.

"Are you sick, do you have a cold?"

(Growls) "No. You look hot in that sweater."

Said she wants to do a Xena movie, and she's going to put an Alti hex on Rob Tapert to make it happen.

Says her baby's first word was "shit."

Talking about mommy-talk: "I just can't be that mommy. Is your kid registered for pre-school yet? HE'S NINETEEN MONTHS!"

She imitates Lucky, he sounds a lot like Alti. Scary.

Imagines when he goes to school  and people say, what does your mom do? "My mom's an evil shameness bitch and she kicked Xena's ass. FIVE TIMES."

Says she's going to adopt another baby from Africa... says she's on Team Angelina. She wants to rehearse her L Word scenes with Angelina, when they're in Mommy and Me together.  "This is what happens when you've been married for two years."

"I literally was pregnant five times. My career was on fire, going through the roof, and I'd go home and be devastated."

"I feel really really lucky to be able to share with you the good AND the bad, and I feel comfortable enough in these rooms to do that."

Fan asked about her most memorable moment: In Padadena with Alex Tidings when they came out with their triple X briefcases and everyone's mouth dropped and everyone said, 'Get the fuck out, she is NOT reading dirty fan fiction!'"

"I have so many fond memories of Xena, and New Zealand, I'd like to go back there, hang out with Danielle, pay my respects to Kevin's family."

Fanboy asked: "What were the joys and challenges of playing a character with very little moral compass, and a lack of humanity?"

She said, "Well, because I'm SUCH the humanitarian, it was a real stretch. When I was preparing, I didn't know what to do. I"ve always been very strong and big, but I've played it down by having a sweet quiet voice. So for this, I copied the voice of the witch from Wizard of Oz... when I plugged into her evil, it was like adrenaline running through me..... It was fun and I reveled in the fantasy of that. I didn't feel ashamed."

Fangirl asked how it was doing Alti when there was no real background on her.

She said she interpreted her as someone who had a great loss, a high powered priestess whose position and love was taken from her. She takes it out on other people, her inner suffering. "In my mind, Alti and Xena had had a history... there was a real vengance.... she was turned away for not being part of the cool bitches group. So she said, fuck you, I'm coming back and I'm going to get you." (Said in Alti voice.) "I always saw Xena,, when I looked at her, as the reason why I wasn't more beautiful or powerful. Alti was just swimming around in Purgatory non-stop. That was her life. She's still out there."

Another fangirl asked: I got the chance to ask Hudson (Callisto) this once...

Claire, sweetly: "Who's Hudson? Does she have a clothing line?" (Laughter.)

Fangirl: Alti vs Callisto, who wins?

Clairie: "Wow, that's an L Word episode if I've ever seen one. Hey, Callisto, wanna mud wrestle?"

Then she said she thinks Alti might be a little scared of Callisto because she's psycho.

Says her husband wants her to start an Alti MySpace. Put up pictures of all Alti's favorite bitches, and tell it like it is from her inner bitch.

She laughed: "I've cleared the room of all the kids. All the nice church-going Republicans have left."

Fangirl asked about the young girl Alti brought to Xena: Said she didn't know about the show, about subtext, nothing. "My first outfit was like 'What?' Then there's like this little kiwi chick in this number. Later on, YOU ALL decided she was an 'offering,' the wonderful subtext.... have they finally copped to it?" Audience screams yes. "But at the time I was so concerned with getting through the door of the fucking yurt.... but if I could have gone back and presented the little nymphette to Xena... I come through the door and there's Xena on all fours under some bear rug, and I'm like, WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF SHOW IS THIS?

"And then Borias comes like knocking past me, he's a wonderful actor who gets into the part, and thinking I'm like 400 pounds under my sleeping bag costume, and knocks me aside, so I'm lying in the corner crying, freaking out, I wanna go home, I hate it here. That was my first day on Xena... I was so scared, I don't even know how I pulled it off."

Thanks everyone for filling her in on the autograph line... oh, you were offering that little girl to Xena... "For what?" Audience screamed.

Fangirl asks: Favorite episode?

"I really really enjoyed the one where I got to drive the car and kind of look hot, wear the tight outfit, kind of like a normal person."

She repeated she wants to see a Xena film. Said Sin Trade arc WAS like a film.

Fangirl: Squeeage, then asked how she met her husband.

Claire: "I was living with somebody else, and not so happy. I was going to Gold's Gym, very cliche, trying to keep my body together for Xena... not FOR XENA, for the SHOW. They wrote a lovely episode that I still have a copy of, where we got it on in the Jacuzzi that they never filmed. I was naked on a horse with long hair, and then we get in the Jacuzzi and it's FULL ON. And then they changed it. Xena was scared." (Laughter) "No, Rob got jealous."

Audience member called out, "Did you blind him?" Laughter.

Fangirl says, "I have an offering." Another fangirl comes on stage and gives her hat to Claire, then takes off her shirt. Yes, we have photos.

Claire: "I'm petrified, I'm shaking. But pretend like I'm cool."

Original fangirl gets on the stage and acts out Xena on all fours under the bearskin rug. Claire calls for a Borias, is there a Borias in the house? A guy comes up.

"Okay, Borias was behind Lucy underneath the bear skin rug. Do you need me to SHOW YOU how to do this?"

"Okay, so I'm petrified outside the yurt, and I have a headdress on. I'm SO NOT HOT. (Wraps a sweater on her head.) Are you ready? YOU TWO, GET IT ON." (Much slapping.) "And here's THE OFFERING... then you (Borias) run out of there and push me out of the way with too much force, and hey! I don't KNOW what happened in there!"

"That was day one on the Xena set."

Laugh, laugh. Any more questions?

Fangirl asked question I couldn't hear. Claire was talking about being up on a crane with Lucy, in the rain.... "we were just sort of up there by ourselves, and that's how we became friends."

Fangirl: "Did you have a crush on Xena?"

"I think she really, really hated her. I think that when I was messing around with Xena's little bitch, there was this sort of titillating thing with THAT character..."

Then fanboy yelled out an Alti line from the show, "I always wanted to be inside you, Xena."  (Audience screams and applauds.)

She laughed and went, "Okay, you're right. But just because you want to be inside someone, doesn't mean you like them. Sometimes it's better when you don't."

Fangirl: "What do you want to teach your son?"

Said her husband is African-American, and many of her friends are gay. "To be open minded and fearless to anybody and everything. I hate closed mindedness. I hate labels... I'm still astounded when I travel with my husband how women will hold their handbags tighter when he gets in the elevator. I want Lucky to laugh and be carefree."

She thanked Lucy, Renee, and Creation... "All the thing I have achieved are in part because of you guys. I really, really thank you for that support."

Comments

[KT]

I so had zero expectations for this and was COMPLETELY blown away. I almost forgot to take pix 'cos Claire was so funny, warm and amazing. Never underestimate the cast of Xena, I'm guessing ;)