KEVIN SORBO LUCY LAWLESS
Thank
Zeus for those few TV shows free of latte bars and Manhattan
apartments. In other words, thank Zeus for buff thespians Kevin
Sorbo and Lucy Lawless, who lord over Hercules: The Legendary
Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, two syndicated hours of
Bronze Age camp. This year, Sorbo's Fabio-length locks and
deadpan delivery snagged him both colossal Hercules ratings and
a seven-figure movie deal (he'll star in Kull the Conqueror).
It's a breakthrough, says the veteran commercial actor, that
seemed centuries in coming. "I've paid my dues," sighs Sorbo,
37. "It's not like I was an accountant and all of a sudden I
said, 'Hey, I want a series.' "
Much less one so popular that it yielded a
spin-off starring Lawless, 27. The kung fu-chopping actress says
she "turned green" with jitters after learning Xena would get
her own series but soon got comfy in those dominatrix boots: "I
guess it's the culmination of 35 years of feminism. Women can be
as badass as any man."
