Beyond The Bitch
Alison Bruce knows what it’s like to kick butt… When she remembers the right moves, anyway, as she tells K. Stoddard Hayes.
Official Xena Magazine: Issue 03
The very first Queen of the Amazons to appear on Xena: Warrior Princess was Melosa, played by Alison Bruce in Hooves and Harlots. More than four years later, Bruce remains enthusiastic about her experience on Xena. “I had a great time because I was really excited and everyone was really into it. For a lot of us it was our first time on the series, so there was lots of energy to really do a good job.”
She recalls that she was nervous at her audition, because she very much wanted the role. “I knew it was a great role. When I got it,” she explains, “I was really excited.” Asked whether she did anything special to prepare for the role, Bruce jokes, “I fasted for a week. I wanted to be thin!” referring to Melosa’s minimal costume.
The part of Melosa was an opportunity to play a powerful woman, a type of role which has been uncommon until recently. “I think our perception of powerful women is generally that they must be bitches,” says Bruce, reflecting on what goes into playing such a character, “because what else could they be in that position? But that's not actually true... I often get roles for women who are authoritative and contained, but they do tend to be bitches as well. Sometimes you have to find a way of working against the writing... looking for something else in there.”
The character was not Bruce’s only challenge. She had recently broken an ankle and had only been out of a cast for a few weeks. “My ankle used to get a bit swollen and sore so I had to go put my leg up for a while. I was a bit cautious about jumping on it... so that interfered a little bit, but not significantly.
“I had such a good time doing that role, because I’ve never gotten to do any stunt fighting or anything before. I found it really exciting. I love anything that's physically based anyway. Doing the fighting was amazing. It was a real plus. So now when a role comes up, I have a good look and see if there are any stunt fights.”
Bruce reports that she got to do nearly all of the fight sequences except for the acrobatics such as the flips to the high platforms. “We were allowed to do them, but they still doubled us... and then just cut away to us for faces.”
She and Lucy Lawless also had a problem with the choreography while staging their big fight. “The sequence went out the window at one point and we were really fighting to hold it together before we started laughing.” At that point, she says, they lost the plot “completely! But we got it back again.”
Bruce is among the actors who have worked on all three Renaissance series produced in New Zealand. And how does she find Xena, compared with Hercules and Young Hercules? “They’re all fun. Everyone has their tongue firmly in their cheek!”