Claire Stansfield
The Chakram Newsletter: Issue 18
I never did a Xena episode with Kevin. We met at my first convention in Florida. I didn't know anyone. I was thinking that here I was in the land of theme parks, I should call someone and go see one. Kevin Smith and Danielle Cormack were the two other actors appearing that weekend. I called Kevin's room first. I asked what he was doing and he invited me down for a drink. I had no idea what character he played or what he looked like. I knew absolutely nothing about him.
I knocked on the door. It swung open. And there stood the most beautiful man I'd ever seen in my life! I was about to run away thinking I’d knocked on the wrong door. Danielle was sitting behind him, smiling. I didn’t know her either, but she's since become one of my best girlfriends. I still have a crush on Kevin and I think I always will.
We went off to visit two or three of the theme parks and wiled away the time drinking margaritas. Kevin and I were on the body-conscious health kick, so we only ate chicken breasts with the margaritas and no potatoes. A very logical diet. I loved him right away because of that. God forbid you eat a French fry, but let’s have another round of margaritas!
People took photos of the two of us together at the convention. They'd send them to me and I’d put them up on my bulletin board. He had such a great smile.
I also hosted one of the convention cabarets Kevin performed at. I had these two big symbols and the running joke was that Kevin kept stopping me from playing them. That was really fun.
Whenever I was in New Zealand or Kevin and Danielle were in the U.S., we’d always have lunch together. The three of us had some of the craziest times together. I felt as if we spent more time together than we actually did because Kevin was so warm and welcoming. “Hey mate, how’re you doing?” He remembered everything I was up to and my boyfriend’s name. He was that way with everyone. I remember after my last episode of Xena, the crew was all excited because Kevin was returning to do “Ares Farm.” They were so happy because he had such amazing energy. In fact, a bunch of us are meeting next Sunday in a restaurant he loved to have a memorial for him.
I go to the gym every day and men like Kevin just don't exist. He was so good looking, yet self-deprecating and selfless. I think he thought of his looks as a means to an end. It was work. It wasn't vanity. He will always be the ultimate guy for me. The perfect man.
I called Kevin and Danielle when they opened in The Blue Room in New Zealand and they left messages for me when I was at last year’s Pasadena convention which I still have on my answering machine.