Regis & Kathie Lee Interview Renee 23 December 1997

This is the second part of an interview – the first part was conducted in October 1997 when Renee visited the US to watch Lucy Lawless perform in Grease. The interview was cut short and Regis invited Renee back on the show.

Transcript Below
Transcript by W. Chan (wchan10@ccsf.cc.ca.us) – Originally appeared on Chakram Mailing List and posted to AUSXIP with permission from W. Chan  in December 1997 – see original posting

Renee O’Connor on the December 23, 1997 “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee”
show.

Transcription by Wing Chan (wchan10@hills.ccsf.cc.ca.us)

Regis: Okay, she was just on our show but you know we kinda ran out of time…

Kathie: Yeah.

Regis: …and so we’ve invited her back. The sassy sidekick Gabrielle on
“Xena: Warrior Princess” and she’s got some more moves to show us. Here’s
Renee O’Connor.

<Audience applauds and cheers as Renee enters, dressed in a zippered red
shirt, black tanktop, black pants and boots>

Regis: <Shakes Renee’s hand> Well Renee how are you? Nice to see you again.

Kathie: <Shakes Renee’s hand> Welcome back Renee!

Regis: Hey Renee, look at you. Yeah.

<Everyone takes a seat>

Regis: Incidentally, on the show, are you her assistant…? Her secretary… ?

Kathie: Her friend..?.

Renee: I’m her packhorse.

Regis: You do it all.

Renee: I do it all. I cook, I clean.

Regis: And how did you two meet out there in the wilderness?

Renee: Umm, ha ha, well as a matter of fact, she found me and I just
decided to be a little vagrant and a tag-a-long behind her. And then, you
know…

Regis: You were just stumbling around out there in the jungle and Xena
found you?

Renee: Well I was being sold as a slave and luckily…

Regis: For a hundred thousand camels again?

Renee: Probably. Now if it’s my mom I woulda been gone.

Kathie: <unintelligible>

Renee: But Xena, you know, heroic so she saved me…

Regis: She saved you and uh?

Kathie: So you’re grateful to her?

Renee: Very, so I become her best friend, her confidante. And now so
Xena… Xena’s heroic, she’s staunch and then Gabrielle, my character is
very sentimental… You know I’m always crying and…

Regis: But everytime I see you two fighting, you’re always knocking the
hell out of some guys, you know?

Renee: Well yeah. That’s the way it should be.

Regis: Well…

<Audience applauds and cheers>

Kathie: That’s why it’s a big hit. <Laughter>

Regis: Yeah. that’s why it’s a big hit and she’s probably right. I mean
once in awhile do you ever run upon a pack of wild women that you
encounter? <Laughter> Just ONCE in awhile.

Renee: We befriend them. You know they’re the Amazon women.

Kathie: They’re just misunderstood is all.

Renee: Yeah. you know, we’re very complex.

Regis: Mmm, you sure are. But you’re good fighters, the two of you.

Renee: We are, actually.

Kathie: Were you real athletic before you started the series?

Renee: Yeah. I used to umm, take gymnastics, dancing classes. But ever
since the show started I started working more with self-defense, martial
arts…

Kathie: Uh huh…

Renee: Because I developed an interest outside.

Kathie: So you like kickboxing now.

Renee: I love kickboxing.

Regis: Yeah.

Renee: I actually learned this move… <Renee grips her right elbow>

Regis: Did you really? Well let me show you. Xena was just on the show
last month and uhh…

Renee: Yeah?

Regis: We did some fooling around together there.

Kathie: Well she was showing you how to film these fight scenes, right?

Regis: How to film the fight scenes, yeah.

Renee: Did she hit you?

Kathie: Oh! Well…

Regis: Oh, yes she did. As a matter of fact did I whack her too.
<Laughter> I’m not afraid of her.

Kathie: Equal time.

Regis: Why don’t we roll the tape right here.

<Clip of Lucy Lawless’s appearance on the 9/25/97 show with Lucy and Regis
punching at each other>

<Audience applauds and cheers>

Kathie: Very well done.

Regis: Not bad.

Kathie: There’s a future for you in this thing. Warrior priest.

Regis: So now, what can you teach me?

Renee: I can teach you a thing or two, actually. I umm… <Taps her right
elbow with her left palm>

Regis: You keep going for the elbow, what…

<Renee and Regis stand up>

Renee: Come here… come here and I’ll show you this elbow. I umm, being
short…

Kathie: Yes…

Renee: I like to go for an elbow up to the chin here. <Moves her right
elbow up to under Regis’ chin>

Kathie: Right under the jaw.

Renee: Oh yeah…

Regis: Oh you think a guy’s just gonna stand there and let you put your
hand there… <Makes a similar move at Kathie Lee>

Renee: Oh hang on hang on. Someone comes at you from here- <Makes a
two-handed reach towards Regis> comes at you, just grab ’em and go whack!
<Puts her left hand behind Regis’ neck and elbows his chin>

Kathie: Yeah see he’s expecting a kiss.

Renee: Yeah, exactly. A cuddle.

Regis: Not around here I’m not. <Laughter> So that’s it.

Renee: So…

Regis: The ELBOW in the face. <Regis quickly moves his elbow towards
Renee’s chin>

Renee: Uh! that’s it, you got it.

Regis: And what about kickboxing? What is that all about?

Renee: Kickboxing. Um, you can…

Regis: The only kick I learned in the Bronx was “Hey hey hey, oh!” <Regis
kicks towards Renee’s crotch and she flinches and smiles>

<Applause and laughter>

Kathie: And it still works.

Regis: And it still works. And to this day I’ve found it to be the most
effective kick. <Laughter>

Regis: So tell me about you now.

Renee: I liked, ’cause I’m short, I like to go for the head so I would
come up and come straight for the chin. <Renee extends a high kick to
Regis’ head>

Regis: Oh, wow you can go that high, huh?

Renee: Well, you know, ow! <Grimaces> Sort of. <Laughter>

Kathie: Hey you gotta warm up for those.

Renee: Yeah yeah.

Regis: So a kick to the face…

Renee: Kick to to the face, you can come and knee to the… <Brings her
right knee to Regis’ stomach> the abdomen. So if we do those two together…

Regis: That’s a nice way of putting it. <Laughter>

Renee: And you can sell this now. If I come to your chin, just bop your
head back <Motions back with her head> and then when I come to your
stomach, <Leans forward, pulling her stomach in> lean forward.

Regis: Oh oh, we’re gonna do a little film, uh, film fighting.

Kathie: Yeah!

Renee: Yeah. Okay, ready?

Regis: All right, <?> Now what are you gonna aim for first?

Kathie: Now I’m gonna sit here and fan myself.

Regis: I give it that… <Tilts his head back slightly>

Renee: The idea is I’m, you know, I’m a good foot <Measures a distance
away from Regis’ face with her hands> away from your chin.

Kathie: Yeah.

Regis: Where should the camera be?

Kathie: That’s the idea.

Renee: Where are we? <Looks around>

Regis: There’s one… <Points off-screen>

Renee: There you are. You’re right here.

Regis: We got cameras all over the place. S’all right? Fine.

Renee: Okay, fine. That’s the camera.

Regis: That’s the camera you want on?

Renee: So when my foot comes to the chin, take it there. <tilts her head back>

Regis: (In a thuggish voice) Hey Renee!

Renee: Oh yeah? HYAH! <High kicks with her left foot to Regis’ head>

Kathie: Oh good!

Renee: And then…

Kathie: That was pretty close.

Regis: And then what?

Renee: And then to… uh, ready? <Renee suddenly makes a kneeing motion
towards Regis’ crotch and he flinches>

<Applause and laughter>

Regis: Didn’t we just do this?

Renee: Okay, lean over quickly? Ready? And… KYAH! <Renee knees and
punches Regis, who groans>

<Applause and cheers>

Regis: But then I love the guys that she fights.

Kathie: So they do a lot of the Three Stooges stuff now too. Olololololo!

Renee: (catching her breath) Yay…

Regis: Yes, the guys are leaping in the air before you know it. As you
approach them they’re falling down.

<Renee and Regis sit down>

Kathie: Well they know what to expect. How did the Three Stooges things
get introduced? Because it’s really funny now. First of all she does the
warrior thing. Oh-yoyoyoyo!

Renee: That’s pretty good yeah.

Kathie: Or something like that. That’s leftover from Jukebox Jamboree.
<Laughter> And then umm, and then you guys do a lot of the… umm, what
do the Three Stooges do? They go…

Renee: Lucy actually in this…

Regis: <makes a Bl-r-r-r-r-r sound> All those facial mannerisms you mean?

Renee: Yeah she umm, this last episode, she goes insane, so she’s doing
all this type of um, you know, Three Stooges things, <Paws at her face
and makes a split-finger poking-the-eyes Stooge move> but it’s so unlike
her character which was, you know, bizarre.

Kathie: Oh it’s temporary insanity. <Laughter>

Renee: Yeah.

Kathie: There’s a lot of that going around. Yeah.

Renee: But she usually does flips up the trees and all that is really
very realistic, and so, you know…

Regis: Well it’s a terrific series and it’s right up there in the
ratings, I’ll tell ya. Xena the Warrior Princess. <Applause> Thank you
very much Renee for being with us. <Shakes Renee’s hand>

Renee: Thank you.

Kathie: Very nice to meet you, Renee. <Shakes Renee’s hand>

Regis: We’ll be right back in a moment.