Togaless

Actress Lucy Lawless “is attracting a lot of attention for her latest character — not that the New Zealand actress isn’t used to recognition,” writes Metro Canada’s Steve Gow. As Xena: Warrior Princess, Lawless gained a surfeit of spirited sci-fi fans that adored the cult TV show for six years before following it as one of the sexy Cylons on Battlestar Galactica. Now Lawless isn’t just stirring the fantasies of fanboys worldwide — she’s fulfilling them as Lucretia in her provocative new gladiator series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Lawless is just one of many characters that spend plenty of on-screen time shedding their togas. “It’s really kind of a spooky thing,” laughed Lawless of the series’ lack of dress. “The good news is that we have very sympathetic producers who work very hard to make us all look fantastic even in high-definition. I mean, nobody really looks good on HDTV past the age of nine.”