Top Spot: actress and director, Lucy Lawless

Tell us about your favourite Kiwi holiday destination.

One of my favourite places is Gisborne. It’s visited very little by tourists; it’s not on the way to anywhere, and I think the locals like that about themselves, that nobody comes there unintentionally – you’ve got to want to be there.

It’s a great community; I have friends who live there, and I visit several times a year.

When you’re out in the boondocks you’ve got to be self-reliant and figure out how to fix stuff yourself, cause there’s no one you can rely on. But I love manual work and being out in the field. I’m quite mechanical. When something goes wrong with the mower on the back of the tractor, I can strip down and re-grease the PTO [power take-off] which is not difficult at all, but arduous.

There’s also a lot of tree planting going on. Because I’ve flown a bit in my life, I’m trying to offset my impact on the environment. The planting is all encompassing and there’s lots of maintenance that comes with the equipment. I always come away needing to see a chiropractor, but the work itself is very nourishing for the soul. 

What kinds of trees do you plant?

All sorts of native trees. My son is a mad-keen plant guy and is always out taking cuttings. He propagates seeds and is very careful about keeping them in the right zone, for example you can’t grow a kōwhai tree in Gisborne; they are unhappy if you take them out of their natural environment.

What else do you enjoy in Tairāwhiti?

I enjoy being part of different schemes that support conservation. A wonderful man from Hawke’s Bay is working to regenerate the Himalayan Banj Oak as a timber experiment. Unlike pine, which is not native to New Zealand and grows quite poorly here, these oaks don’t acidify our soil, which after two to three generations makes it very hard to rehabilitate. The trees are nearly extinct in the Himalayas, and this programme sends acorns back to reintroduce the species to its home. 

Would you describe yourself as an ‘active relaxer’?

I tend to be more active because my work is often very sedentary. If I’m writing or even directing, there’s a lot of sitting on my backside and typing. There’s a very fine thread of inspiration that is easily broken, so once I’m in the groove I have to stay there. It means I need to get up and go and do something periodically. I’ve learnt this new thing, which is that you should get up and do ten deep squats every hour, it’s apparently as good as a 30-minute walk. So, that’s what I try and do. 

Congratulations on a fifth season of My Life is Murder. Have there been any surprises or challenges since filming began in 2019?

The surprises are that producer Mark Beasley gets such great guest stars, like Keisha Castle-Hughes and Rhys Darby. I’m always completely floored by the wonderful guest stars and getting to meet these New Zealand actors for the first time. I’ve only ever worked on American shows, so I was not really part of the New Zealand acting community. They are such nice people!

Do you have any similarities to your character, Alexa?

Alexa and I are quite similar. I think the fact I was using my own accent for once made it much easier to put more of myself into the role. I think I tend to be more agreeable than she is; I don’t go out of my way to insult people which she sometimes seems to do! But I think there’s wishful intent in that. I have a lot of women come up to me and say, ‘I wish I could be more ballsy like Alexa’!

How do you switch between being an actor and a director?

They are very different roles. Acting requires total surrender to the demands of the job: the script, the scheduling, what you’re wearing that day, whether you’re able to see your mother that week. I realise now after branching out into directing that acting requires you to put almost all critical thought away.

Conversely, what I love about directing is that it requires critical thought across every single part of making a film or a television show. From every role to sound design and editing, to the colours you want to see and the movement of the camera, you have to decide on everything. Once you’ve done that successfully, it’s very hard to go back to being in the box of just acting which has been my life and obsession for nearly 40 years, since I was 18.

Can you ever see yourself doing anything else?

I’ve never done anything else, apart from a bit of waitressing between jobs back in the day. After I got arrested for a protest a few years ago, I was given community service, and I went to work in an old folks’ home where I was put on the entertainment team. I was playing balloon tennis with this circle of older people, and I thought, ‘this is the best job ever!” Whatever I’m doing right now is my new favourite thing. I’ve always said I’m like the goldfish in the bowl going, ‘look, there’s a castle’ and two seconds later, saying the same thing.

What else are you working on at the moment?

I’m about to go into pre-production, directing a brand-new TV show called Blue Murder Motel which is another crime show, but tonally very different from My Life is Murder.

Can we expect another season of My Life is Murder?

Who knows! The landscape has changed so much, the decision won’t be made until after it’s aired in America later this year. But even after five years, I’m really proud of it. My husband [fellow director Rob Tapert] and mum love it. And I enjoy watching it; I find it delightful.

I love seeing Auckland looking beautiful, modern and sexy (once all the road cones have been framed out!) It’s a view of New Zealand you don’t often see in film, which is usually all mountains and countryside. I like the cool, urban look. I love my city and I’m proud to show it to the world. 

This story is from the Spring 2025 issue of AA Directions magazine.