Alexandra Tydings (Aphrodite)

Alex was one of the many guests who commented on the huge crowds at Pasadena this year. She was just more direct than most, starting right out with "Jesus Christ, there's a lot of you!" Alex seemed very excited - heck, she was hyperactive. She bounced from spot to spot on the stage, never staying in one place for long, and even laid on the floor as if she were on a psychiatrist's couch to reveal all in therapy.

Alex was almost immediately asked about her latest work on Sheena (sounds like Xena, but not the same). Alex had just returned from filming an episode, which she said was a stark reminder of how U.S. work differs from work in New Zealand, because "Nobody had funny accents or broke for tea in the afternoon." She played a thief, and was very excited to be "wearing clothes" and her own hair. She told a long, hilarious story about a scene when she was supposed to fall on the ground in front of a cobra. (There was actually plexiglass between them.) The cobra was supposed to be paying attention to its handler and not worrying about Alex at all, but as she put it, "The funny thing about cobras is that they don't always hit their marks." She also told us all that cobras are method actors, and that by the second take, the cobra was intent on killing her.

There were a shower of questions about Aphrodite kissing Gabrielle in The God You Know. Alex bemoaned that it was hard to tell in the final cut on the TV screen that Aphrodite was sobbing through the whole scene. She joked that the only bummer was that it wasn't a "real kiss." Stoned out of her mind as Aphrodite was, though, Alex decided that Aphrodite had a great time, although some jokes were made about Renee now being pregnant and how much power the goddess of love has.

Like many of the other guests, Alex offered a big-picture look at her role on the show now that all the filming is done. She remembered her first day on the set of Hercules, gliding up in a giant clamshell and yelling "Tubular!", and said one person (Kevin Sorbo? My notes fail me!) pointed out "How many actresses get to do THAT today?" It was meant as a funny joke, but Alex also pointed out its serious side, of how lucky she felt to have played such a fun part.

Alex took issue, though, when one questioner described Aphrodite as "dumb." She pointed out that many people, in the U.S. in particular, have a hard time thinking of anyone who's blonde and sexy as being anything but dumb. But she said she's always thought that Aphrodite was "brilliant," and just used her lighthearted manner to manipulate and play with people as she wanted.

When asked about the naughtiest thing she's done on the set, Alex bemoaned that she almost never tries a practical joke, and that when she did, it didn't work. She told about a time Lucy, Renee, and she were supposed to sit at a table that was stocked with "disgusting set food," including big loaves of bread. Alex and Renee, giggling like kids, started breaking off crumbs of bread and putting them in Lucy's chair, "because none of us wear costumes" and crumbs in the underwear would make for a good laugh. But when Lucy arrived, she matter-of-factly brushed off the chair and plopped down, destroying their hard work. As Alex and Renee sat aghast, Lucy looked at them with wide-eyed innocence and said "What?" Alex told us she had really TRIED to play a practical joke and have a story to tell us all!

Alex's Energizer Bunny act did slip a bit after a fan gave a particularly heartfelt thanks to her. "You guys get me sometimes," she said gently after a moment to regain her composure. "I act all flippant and shit, but..."

Alex wrapped up her time on the stage with a heartfelt thanks to the crowd and to the show. "You guys rock," she told the crowd, and thanked everyone for being good to her. She pointed out that the show has given us a new level of a female hero, independent of a man for help, "codifying a whole new realm of popular culture" for TV productions to come. A pretty cool legacy to be a part of.

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