ORBzine - Ted Raimi [Saturday]
[Note - Ted's surname is pronounced Ray-me.]
Ted's talk is preceded by a personalised video -
a clip from the Hercules episode Yes, Virgina, there really is a Hercules
where the writers propose their new series ... Joxer, the Legendary Journeys.
We then get a bunch of Joxer clips, to the sound of
When the Going Gets Tough!
Ted said he had been in London for several days.
He noted how it is different from the USA:
Fans don't just come up and say hi.
Before Ted came to London he was in Berlin. They prefer DSV there -
yeah, they love all that military stuff!
Prior to that he was at Bratislava in Slovakia.
The hotel was a mile from the Con, and
you have to order breakfast the night before.
Will you be in Season 6 of Xena?
Ted WILL be back on the show.
Joxer's ghost - the producers want him to be real serious,
but being dead won't stop Joxer from being a goof.
In Married with Fish-sticks
did you raid Bruce Campbell's wardrobe?
You were really scary as Half-Ted in American Gothic
Ted - Scary? Thanks - I think.
Have you any new films due out?
Ted just worked with Seth Green and Jeffrey Combs in a recent film.
Xena and Seaquest both jumped 25 years into the future.
At 3.30 AM Ted gets into the make-up chair.
Ted hates getting up in the morning.
It also takes 1 hour to remove.
Will there be a Xena movie?
No - it would be too expensive.
What is the funniest Xena out-take?
There was one scene that they printed 18 takes, and show at Cons.
JOXER My life is empty, like a hole.
GABBY We'll fill it.
JOXER Nobody can fill my hole.
GABBY Don't be silly.
JOXER Don't you think if I could find someone to fill my hole I
would have done it by now.
Will Jett and Jace be back?
Jett and Jace - Joxer's brothers - will return.
Do you regret that Joxer and Gabby never got married?
Joxer and Gabby can never end up together.
But if they had, it would have been Gilligan getting off the
island.
What are your favourite Xena episodes?
Married with Fish-sticks -
It was too surreal for the USA audience, not enough fights.
The hairpiece at the end - he had intended to do a Pat Boone
Lyre Lyre, Heart on Fire -
Ted did all his own singing.
They did a standard vocal track first, then when Rob Tapert left
Ted did an extra track singing in a Hispanic accent [Jace is a Latino gay].
Are you working on any new projects?
Ted is directing 2 Rock videos.
He has been doing TV for 10 years straight,
and now he wants to do features instead.
Are you really afraid of horses?
Ted says he hates horses.
he was born in Detroit - the first time he saw a horse he was 23
and it was at the petting zoo.
In the show Joxer usually pulls it, and is rarely seen riding it.
Ted once rode Argo lite - a tame version of Argo.
Did you ever get injured on set?
Renee O'Connor never injured him - except once, in Married with Fish-sticks.
Renee had her eyes shut for a wide shot, and had to punch
him. She's 5ft 3, weighs - 80lbs, according to Ted! :)
Tell us about the Lesbian Subtext on xena
The 2 women leads didn't have BFs, some people wrote to Tapert
and asked Are they gay?
He was going to say no, but didn't reply.
Everyone assumed they were lesbians.
The writers deliberately set up a subtext. In one episode Joxer asks Gabby
Is that a hickey?, and Renee blushes.
Is it difficult working in New Zealand?
NZ is like England lite - and England weird.
Ted says that he doesn't like the food.
Also, the Kiwis have different terminology there.
Was it fun working on DSV?
His DSV role was exposition guy, telling Roy Scheider what the plot was.
Ted also mentioned how Darwin the dolphin loved waiting until you were waist-deep
in water and then tripping you - and you had to go straight back to make-up!
Any anecdotes about the Directors you've worked with?
In the episode In Sickness and in Hell Joxer gives everyone diahorrea.
He gives a nasty stew to the army, and the director [a kiwi] insisted
the results be shown. The US censors aren't too keen on things like that.
Bruce Campbell [actor-turned director] puts in extra things if they look funny.
Tell us about the going-away present you got after your character was killed.
Ted always hated the Joxer helmet, because it made him look stupid.
Of course, that's the idea, but he still hated it.
Renee O'Connor gave Ted a going-away present; a book of photos [all
cast and crew wearing the hat].
Ted was so glad to be on Xena, not DSV - he did his own stunts.
He knew he was overdoing it when he knew the hospital receptionist by name.
Ted played a joke on Tim Omundson - he had Lucy and
Renee treat Tim like sh*t at his first audition.
Tim promised to get even some day.
Lyre Lyre, Heart on Fire
was the hardest episode.
Ted rehearsed with the Auckland Jazz Dance Company.
They had 4 days practice for every minute on-screen.
What is Rob Tapert like?
Rob Tapert has a very distinctive voice
How did you get the role of Joxer?
Ted was just back from Florida [DSV].
He was leaving a bad audition - he knew he hadn't got the part
- and bumped into Rob Tapert in the street. Rob asked him
Hi Ted, would you like to go to NZ and work?
Are you going to be in your brother's new movie?
Sam's doing Spiderman - Ted hasn't got a part. Yet.
He plans to turn up on set to visit his brother,
then ask who's playing guard #1?
What is the clumsiest thing you've ever done?
Ted - There are children present!
He rolled down hill last year, on one of the Chinese episodes.
The crew were so used to his clutzyness they just glanced down
to see if he was OK, then went back to what they were doing.
Does it upset you to get flack from fans?
It bugged Ted a lot at first, then he just switched off his computer.
Ted has no time for nerds who call themselves things like Shadowdancer
and Windwalker.
Play The Six Degrees Of Ted Raimi
Type in another stars name and link them together!
Need help?
Ted proposes that the British Work Permit [equivalent of the US Green Card]
question should be what side of the road do you drive on?
Ted asked if anyone wanted to make movies, and invited them up on stage.
He asked them for their Movie ideas. Suggestions include
Xena
Xena meets Seaquest
Mata Hari [someone wants to curry favour with
Adrienne Wilkinson!]
gangsters
romance
The plot: teflon Don meets spy-wolf.
Next they needed actors. Ted promised Really, I won't humiliate anyone! :)
Ted - Acting is such a difficult profession.
Sometimes we only get half a million for 2 days work. :)
Ted asked the volunteers why they wanted to be actors.
fame, money and sex
to meet people like you.
Ted explained that all the degrading things he put the volunteers through was
nothing compared to the stuff that professionals in the industry have to do.
Before he did
Seaquest,
Ted applied to be in a fried chicken advert.
They asked him to dance like a chicken!
What about the male lead? someone asked.
Ted brought them in, told them the part was for Mata Hari's love interest ...
Chickenboy!
Paris told us to ask you about the hike you did with her.
Ted admitted that she easily out-paced him on the hike.
How did they tell you Joxer was being killed off?
They just said You're done.
They decided to introduce a new element - more chicks!
The death scene originally lasted for ages.
Ted spoke to his brother [not Sam, the other one], an ER doctor,
who said that death is often virtually instantaneous.
Will you be back on Xena, Season 6?
Ted will be in 5-6 episodes.
How did Lucy get into Gabby's outfit at the end of Lyre, Lyre
The skimpy pink outfit?
Lucy was 6 months pregnant at the time.
Other people, like Claudia Christian,
would pay people NOT to photograph her in that state.
Does the lack of anonymnity bother you?
Ted has more anonymnity than the really big stars do.
He doesn't mind people speaking to him, as long as he's not eating at the time.
On the other hand, having multiple bodyguards like Stallone and Schwartzenegger
do can be very intimidating.
Any other favourite episodes?
Deja Vu all over again -
Ted got to work with Kevin Smith for about the second time.
Ted notes that he hates watching the way Joxer walks -
he thinks it looks like a duck waddling!