Tsianina Joelson (Varia)

The answer to the most important question about Tsianina was answered with her introduction: it's pronounced "Chaneena." Tsianina was a very bubbly young woman who looked even younger than Varia does. She didn't seem at all intimidated by the crowd waiting to talk with her. The only moment she was taken aback was when the crowd, upon learning that she used to participate in fitness competitions, demanded that she take off her jacket and flex her muscles for us. She seemed amazed that people would want to see such a thing (what planet is she from?), but at the end of her time, she obliged and showed off some darned impressive arms and shoulders.

Tsianina enjoyed playing Varia because she was the first "tough girl" role she had been given, a hard fact to believe given those muscles we saw. She said she identified with how athletic and competitive Varia was, and that she got stronger the more she played Varia.

Tsianina's favorite fight scene was the center ring battle Varia had with Gabrielle. She said that fight was given a full day of shooting and was mostly done by she and Renee O'Connor, that there are very few doubles used.

The incredible phenomena of shrinking wardrobes surprised the heck out of Tsianina. She said that her first day on the set, she was amazed at how little she had to wear, and each episode the costume seemed to get smaller. "By the end, I was in a bikini - my butt was hanging out!"

When Tsianina was first cast as Varia, it was only for the episodes Coming Home and Dangerous Prey. The rest of the episodes were added later, when her character worked well into the show. Varia won't appear in any more episodes, though - she wasn't called back for any of the final episodes.

Tsianina confessed to being very nervous when she met Lucy and Renee. She had been sent a bunch of Xena episodes to watch when she got her part, and wasn't sure what the leads would be like in person. But she said that both actresses were very sweet and "so so helpful," especially in helping her to learn some of the strange blocking and acting nuances that are required for a television show.

Since Tsianina was involved in Dangerous Prey, Renee O'Connor's second directing gig, she was asked how she liked Renee as a director. Tsianina said that Renee was particularly great at giving notes to actors for their performances, and was "patient and kind" to work with from the director's chair.

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