Hudson Leick, Callisto

I didn't think Hudson could surprise me any more. I saw her at a convention a year ago, I've seen pictures and reports from other convention appearances. I know how she dresses to kill and I know the great vamp act she puts on to wrap the crowd around her little finger. But this lady seems determined to outdo herself every time. She arrived on stage in a black silk-and-satin formal dress and a long black veil draped over her head; her "mourning dress," she called it. By halfway through the session she was complaining about the heat (it WAS sweltering in there - I'd say she better take quite a bit of the blame) and pulling her skirts up to cool off. Good heavens. After throwing off yet another provocative pose, she exclaimed "This is my job... I get PAID to do this!"

With a nice, long Callisto scream to kick off the session, people got right down to brass tacks. What's it like to be dead? Relaxing, Hudson replied. What's next? She'd like to work in odd independent films. Was she sorry to see Callisto die? No, Hudson didn't want to do it anymore. (Boy, that brought a moment of stillness on the crowd.) She explained that while she loves Callisto like crazy, there wasn't much farther for the character to go. As she put it so well, "You can only say 'I'm going to get you' so many times and then NOT get you."

However, given her druthers, Hudson would have changed Callisto's death. She would have rather have seen Callisto find redemption in the end. When someone asked whether Callisto's final zest for life was for real, Hudson asked after a moment of lip-biting "Will you sleep if I don't answer this question?" She did answer it, though: Hudson admitted she didn't care for the writing in the final scene. And even though it was written for her to want to live, she played it with the thought that Callisto was still looking to die. Although she did admit the joy at Gabrielle's death was probably quite real.

While Callisto is resting in oblivion, Hudson will appear in another episode of Hercules next season, in an encore appearance as producer Liz Friedman. "Liz just gets stranger and stranger as I go along," she said. Bug-eating is included. Beware a third episode of the Herc staff!

Hudson's favorite episode? A Necessary Evil, when she became a god. Her least favorite part of doing Callisto? Getting up at 4 in the morning in "that outfit" to go outside and hold a steel sword. Brr!

Hudson's parents were in the crowd to see her, and Hudson invited them up on stage. Mom's first line: "What did you do to your hair?" It had been eight months since they had seen each other, and they had not yet seen the pixie-short haircut Hudson had. Both of Hudson's parents were friendly with the crowd, and Hudson has definitely inherited some of her ham genes from her mother. Her mom's comments to the crowd included "So would you like to know what Hudson was like when she was young? Shorter!" and "I want you all to know, she's got my old body. And I want it back."

Hudson opened the floor to the audience and told everyone they could ask her parents whatever they would like. Some genius in the middle of the crowd called out "When she was a kid, did she ever set fire to anything?" and brought the whole house down. No, she didn't. "Was she difficult to live with?" another asked, which brought the immediate answer "Whaddyamean, was?" Hudson retorted "Where do you think I got it from?" Her father reported that Hudson had a string of dates when she was in high school, and rejected each so quickly that he never bothered to learn their last names.

When her parents returned to their seats to thunderous applause, Hudson mused "those two people are the reason I'm in therapy." Her warm hugs for them and their support for her as they sat with her at the autograph table, though, kind of gave that line away. When Hudson was finished signing autographs at the end of the night, her mom took up the microphone to thank the crowd for being so sweet ("sweet"? did she see the way people were reacting to her daughter?) and supporting Hudson so strongly. Her father was friendly and even ducked into a big group fan photo in the lobby when he was invited to join in. They seemed to enjoy the nuttiness surrounding their kid.

When someone hesitantly tried to find a tactful way to ask if there was much... ahem, um... subtext... to Callisto's attitude toward the warrior princess, Hudson would have none of the word-mincing. "Oh, you mean was she hot for Xena? Of course she was!" When asked about what Callisto thinks of Gabrielle, she proclaimed that Callisto "doesn't care a pip about Gabrielle." She made sure that everyone understood that this was Callisto's attitude, not hers toward Renee O'Connor, but Callisto barely gave a second thought to the bard.

Hudson confirmed that the singing in Bitter Suite was not her own, although she did do the opening chant. She called singing for the public a "very bad idea." She was allowed to sit in on the taping of her songs, and said the Broadway actress who sang for her was a very sweet woman. In fact, she reported having to run into the recording studio a couple of times to coach "Too sweet! Badder! Evil!" She loved the final result, as did the crowd, judging by the applause.

A boy who looked about six years old came to the microphone and asked Hudson to marry him. Hudson said it was her first proposal ever, and promptly accepted. Ain't she going to surprised when he shows up at her doorstep ten years from now with flowers in his hand.

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