Muck Raking: Liddy Holloway
Hercules' screen mother Liddy Holloway reveals all to Karen Hayes, including how she enjoys a testosterone-filled game of rugby as much as any man.
Official Xena Magazine: Issue 11
Full name given at birth: Elizabeth Brenda Holloway.
Nicknames: Liddy, Libby, Bit, Mum.
Favourite word: Fantastic!
Hometown: Wellington.
Current Residence: Auckland. I've lived here most of my life.
Croutons or Bacon Bits? Croutons.
Favourite Salad Dressing: Lemon and garlic and oil. Simple is best.
Shampoo or Conditioner? Both.
Have you ever gone skinny dipping? Heaps of times! I'm a Kiwi!
Do you make fun of people? I try not to.
Favourite Colour: Red.
Have you ever been convicted of a crime? No.
One pillow or two? Two. [Cotton or feather?] I've no idea! A pillow is a pillow is a pillow.
Have you any pets? Not at the moment. [If you had one, what kind would it be?] A dog.
Favourite music? Tibetan music.
Hobbies: I'm not sure what is meant by hobbies. I write and paint and I work as an actress. I just have a life. Life is my hobby.
Which toothpaste do you use? Whatever falls off the shelf into my supermarket basket!
Favourite food? Indian food.
Favourite town to take it easy in: Katmandu, Nepal.
Favourite ice cream flavour: Hokey pokey.
Favourite non-alcoholic drink: Coca-Cola.
Adidas, Nike, Reebok or other? (pause) I'm searching for them to see what they are. Reeboks.
Favourite perfume: Jean-Paul Gaultier.
Favourite subject in school: Art, Drama, History, English.
Favourite sport to watch: I secretly watch the rugby with my sons. [Why secretly?] Many people, especially women, don't like people to know they watch rugby because it's a boy's sport. But I like to watch the rugby with my boys. We have fun. They hoot and scream, and drink beer and do all those testosterone things, and they can tell me who's who and what's happening.
What is your most humiliating moment? I was in a play by John Webster called The Duchess of Malfi and Joel [Tobeck, her son] played the young prince. JoeI had to wear a little cape and leggings and a funny little hat, and I had to be on stage with him and I'd be sweating blood for this tiny child on stage. And one night, he was playing with his cape and he got a giggle from the audience. So he played a bit more with his cape and got more laughs, and he learned at age two how to get laughs! This is like the greatest tragedy of all time where everybody ends up dead, and a great dramatic scene is going on, and Joel at age two and as wide as he was tall, a very cute little fat blond baby, was quietly entertaining the audience with his cape! I was so embarrassed that my child was completely ruining the play! He was so sweet. And then the next night he said to the director, “Tony, are you the director?” And he said, “Yes, I'm the director.” Joel said, “Can I have some lines tomorrow night?” I thought, ‘I've created a monster!’
What is your craziest or silliest idea? These are hard questions! (long pause) To eradicate poverty and hunger from the whole planet.