Lucy Lawless on Xena, 'My Life is Murder,' and Her Heroes Columbo and Jack Klugman

What was it like starting out Down Under?

I think play when you're a kid is a great indicator of what you're designed to do. My dad was the mayor of Mount Albert, New Zealand, and we were always putting on shows for older citizens, piano recitals, and acting in church and school. I never didn't do acting. My mother took me to all the shows. People pitied her when she said, “Lucy wants to be an actress.” They were like, “Good luck with that. That's never going to work out; you're in New Zealand."

Are you as fearless as Xena and Alexa?

I have a slightly unwise streak. In Dubai, I rode an Arab charger. I rode one on Xena, I remember how. People at the hotel were like, “Are you sure you want to do that? It's for really, really good riders.” And I'm thinking, like in America, they're never going to put you on a crazy horse. Wrong. I held on a really long time but it just went bonkers and I got tossed off. I'd broken my pelvis in ‘98. I was lying there going, “Oh, my God. That was awesome, because I had the experience, and I'm not that hurt. I'm sore and I'm shaken, but I didn't break my pelvis so, golden! I got away with it!”

What other risks do you take?

In New Zealand we have nothing to be afraid of, there's no snakes or spiders. If I'm in Louisiana and I see this beautiful golden field, you just want to gamble and run across it because you don't know there are chiggers in the grass that are going to get stuck in your underpants and socks and you're going to be utterly miserable for the next three days. And you don't know in Australia, grass has seven-foot-tall taipans [snakes] that can stand up and kill you. I'll walk down all sorts of crazy alleyways in Brazil because you feel just impervious. You're not impervious, you're ignorant!

As an activist, how do you get people to fear climate change?

The only way to get people to be part of the solution is to empower them with the optimism about what works. Instead of beating them over the head with cold, hard reality and fire and brimstone — because it just doesn't work. I tell people about solar panels, fungus being discovered that eats plastic, New York running wind farms off its coast. We don't have to wait for the government. There are business leaders who understand the science and are acting on it. The only business to be in is a sustainable one. That means evolving our homes, businesses, factories, energy systems, to sustain a clean and healthy future. Stop listening to people who say it can't be done.

What's a good tip for grownups who want to stay as active as Xena? Yoga. Now that I am the “older woman,” I want to encourage people that it's never too late to start. You can get your mobility back and it's such a beautiful part of voice and freedom.