Blast From the Past: Xena and Seven of Nine Hang Out

We ran across these pictures on tumblr recently and just had to figure out in what context they were taken. Were Lucy Lawless and Jeri Ryan at a con? Just hanging out?

Was Seven on an away team that found a planet who’d based their culture on mythological Greece or more likely ancient artifacts of mid-90s television?!?!?

Turns out it was a joint TV Guide interview from 1999 about television’s ass-kicking leading ladies.

Here’s a quote from the two actresses, musing on their characters’ fame:

Lawless: Maybe we’ve just caught the wave of grrrl power. It’s very hard to analyze any of this. I mean, 40 years of feminism has culminated with the Spice Girls.

Ryan: If you’ll notice, the film industry hasn’t exactly capitalized on the success of action women, either. There was Sigourney Weaver. And Linda Hamilton. And…well, that’s about it.

Almost fifteen years later, we’re naming pretty much the same actresses as examples.

Here’s another:

TVG: Your characters are also similar and rather unusual in the TV landscape in that their primary relationships are with other women – Xena with Gabrielle [Renee O’Connor], Seven with Captain Janeway [Kate Mulgrew].

LAWLESS: Oooh, female buddies! [Raises an eyebrow and flashes a mock erotic glance toward RYAN.] That topic again.

RYAN: Wink, wink, nudge, nudge! But, seriously, why is it perceived as odd? Women can be strong and self-sufficient but still want female bonding.

LAWLESS: That’s life! Why don’t we see more of that? All my best friends are women.

Not ones to shy away from the truth, the actresses then went on to confirm that they were very aware of their lesbian followings, and were delighted by it.

(quotes via Lucy Library, pics from The Wilderness of Mirrors via Geektrooper.)