The New Zealand Herald
Monday October 25th 1999, Page 1

nzherald.jpg (20539 bytes)

The warrior princess' new sidekick steals the show on debut, reports KEITH PERRY

(big photo) (picture credit: PICTURE: GHS PHOTOGRAPHY/TRANZ)

(caption:) SCENE-STEALER: Lucy Lawless' pregnancy with son Julius was writen into the Xena script.

First time on film set for son of Xena

It was only fitting that the first son of Xena, the Warrior Princess, should also have a heroic name.

This is the first picture of Lucy Lawless with her son, Julius Robert Bay Tapert.

The film star, who has an 11-year-old daughter from her first marriage, stole the scene when she took Julius to the Xena film set to show him off to cast and crew.

Lawless, who married Xena executive producer Rob Tapert in a lavish Santa Monica wedding in April last year, was said to be "absolutely thrilled" to have a younger brother for daughter Daisy to play with.

Speaking from her $4 million Mission Bay home last night, Lawless said both she and the child were very well. Sounding exhausted, she said she was releasing a photograph of her and Julius because of the huge interest the birth had generated, especially in the United States.

A Xena insider said last night that Lawless had opted for a home birth and it went smoothly.

Lawless posed for the photograph at the Xena production offices of Renaissance Pictures.

"She looked very well and was clearly very happy with her new son," the source said.

"She had a lot of crew-members coming up and congratulating her."

Lawless was obviously very fit and had continued filming up to four weeks before she was due.

"She was still doing action sequences and high kicks. The only difference was that she would get tired more easily.

"Everyone was amazed at how much she could do and was prepared to do," said the source.

"The pregnancy was written into the Xena script and I am sure the birth will be written into the plot, too."