Renaissance Man
Your behind-the-scenes insight into all things Xena straight from the Pacific Renaissance production offices in LA, courtesy of Renaissance Man Dave Pollison.
Official Xena Magazine: Issue 18
XENA MAGAZINE: First of all, obviously the most talked about subject at the moment is the impending conclusion of Xena’s sixth and final season. Can you reveal anything at all about the intended storyline of the show’s ultimate episode?
DAVE POLLISON: At the moment, all I can really tell you is that it will take place in Japan.
Do you have any interesting guest stars lined up for the final instalment yet?
Not as yet, but we’ll keep you informed once we know who will be in it.
Do you know yet when the final episode will air in the US?
The week of 14 May 2001. The date is subject to change, though, so stay tuned!
Turning to the remaining episodes prior to the series finale, obviously we all want to see some familiar faces back on the show before Xena and Gabrielle walk off into the sunset. Can you confirm which, if any, popular recurring characters will be making a final appearance on Xena before the show ends?
Well, I can confirm that Joxer will be back, as will Aphrodite.
It’s great news that Ted Raimi will be back as Joxer, which leads us to the subject of the actor’s recent accident. We understand that he got a piece of metal lodged in his eye. Can you tell us any more about this, how it happened and if Ted’s fully recovered?
It was a freak accident. Ted rubbed his eye and found out, the hard way, that there had been a tiny metal shaving stuck to his hand and it had got in his eye. He had to work with two different ophthalmologists for about a month, but now he's fine and can hardly believe that it actually happened. As Ted tells me himself, “It was really no big deal.”
That’s good news. Moving closer to home, what’s it like behind the scenes at Renaissance Pictures in the US at the moment? Is there a lot of excitement about how the show will end and what the future holds for Xena and Gabrielle?
Well, it now looks likely that [Executive Producer] Rob Tapert will direct the final episode himself, and we’re all very pleased about that. So yes, there is a lot of excitement about how the show will end.