FarscapeWeekly Farscape Ask and ye shall receive... Virginia Hey interview Zhaan

Ask and ye shall receive...
Joan Hedman ¤ originally published on ThemeStream.com, May 2000

The ever-gracious Virginia Hey sweetly agreed to an e-interview for this week's column. Let's hear what she has to say about Farscape's renewal for season 3, her plans for the summer, and more....

Virginia Hey (VH) plays Zhaan, the 812-year-old Delvian priestess. She's bald, blue, and hypnotically beautiful, sporting some of the most gorgeous makeup ever to grace the small screen. She remains motionless for 3 hours each day while it is applied by two very talented makeup artists, and spends another hour when the day's shooting is completed removing it.

On Zhaan

Zhaan is a complex character, and Ms Hey's portrayal of her is multi-layered, subtle, and delightful. Zhaan has perhaps the best sense of humor among all the crew, and she often teases Rygel. She clearly feels everything deeply, and the single tear tracking down her cheek at a moment of emotional torment is becoming her trademark. Her motherly concern and protectiveness of the crew, particularly Chiana, provides a stable base for the other often-volatile crew members.

But Zhaan's usually calm exterior hides her own volatility; like all Delvians, she struggles against the madness that threatens to overtake her as she rises to the higher levels of the Delvian Seek. Zhaan came to be imprisoned under the PeaceKeepers when she murdered her lover. He was a leader on Delvia, but refused to yield his position when his tenure was up, and had begun negotiations to bring in the PeaceKeepers to solidify his power. With her crime, Zhaan hoped to free her people or at least avenge their betrayal, but she was unable to accomplish either one.

Zhaan posesses extraordinary physical and psychic abilities. She is capable of super-speed, and she is adept at weaponless combat. She also can help ease another's pain. With her extensive knowledge of plants and derivatives, Zhaan is Moya's unofficial medical officer. By the way, it's helpful to know that Delvians are a plant-derived life form; exposure to certain forms of light can cause interesting reactions.

Ms Hey has frequently mentioned in interviews the interests she shares with Zhaan: "It's amazing how alike Zhaan and I are, because she has a great love of science and medicine and spirituality and so do I," she said in article on AnotherUniverse.com, posted late last year (see links below). So for the first question, I decided to turn it around:

FSW: You've mentioned in previous interviews your similarities to Zhaan. What is the most difficult aspect of Zhaan's character for you? How do you approach your performances during these difficult scenes?

VH: Great question! The most difficult aspect is that of Zhaan's former violence coming to light occasionally. As Virginia I absolutely abhor violence in any way, so when tackling those scenes, I have to just sink into the script and throw myself into character, there is nothing in my own life to call upon for those scenes, just an understanding of how Zhaan ticks!

On Farscape, so far

We're about a third of the way through the second season, and so far we've seen Zhaan battle with her dark side (That Old Black Magic), and descend completely into madness, only to be redeemed by Crichton in Rhapsody in Blue, which remains the most visually arresting episode to date. Zhaan got to play tough in Throne for a Loss and this season's Picture If You Will. We've seen her orgasmic in Through the Looking Glass and Cracker Don't Matter, we've seen her cry, laugh, flirt, chastise. So, how does Ms Hey rate all of that?

FSW:. What's your favorite episode (from either season); if it's one that we've seen already, can you tell us why? If it hasn't aired yet, we'll just have to remain curious!

VH: My favourite ep changes each week, the writers are such eccentric geniuses that each week we are delighted and thrilled by their inmaginative and twisted minds. Ha Ha Ha We absolutely love the feeling of curiosity, waiting impatiently with butterflies in our tummies for our next adventure! It is the same feeling you get as a child waiting for Christmas Day so you can open your presents!!

I don't have an absolute favourite, I quite genuinely love them all.. But I must admit to loving Jeremiah Crichton the least.. Except it has the perfect speech in it which describes a day on the set!!! I wonder if you know the one I mean? I can't remember it exactly, but it starts with John saying, "Since I left home, I've been hunted, shot at, had a 'working day on Farscape!'"

Here's the quote that Ms Hey was referring to, in its entirety: "Since I've left my home, I've been hunted, beaten, locked up, shanghaied, shot at. I've had aliens in my face, up my nose, inside my brain and down my pants." This is how Crichton describes his life since falling through the wormhole to D'Argo, who just rediscovered him on Acquara after a 3-month search.

On Summer Plans

Farscape will soon wrap up shooting its season two episodes, and the cast will have a few months to relax and pursue other opportunities (recall Claudia Black's appearance in the scifi thriller Pitch Black.) I was curious to know what Ms Hey has coming up during the hiatus:

FSW: We know you'll be making an appearance in California in August, but do you have any projects in the works for the break? Any film or TV appearances we can look forward to? (By the way, I recommend a well-deserved vacation, but that doesn't mean we should be deprived of you!)

VH: Well, as a single working woman I must keep on paying those bills!! LOL! In Australia we don't get paid the big American wages unfortunately, so we all have to plod on.. I do have my agent pushing for various projects here, I'll let you know how I go.

I am looking forward to meeting all the Scapers in August, I am very dissapointed that the [Creation] Convention dates were chosen to conflict with the fan con [ScaperCon 2000], I was very excited about our family gathering! However, I am personally going to find a way to make contact, even if it is only via the net.. XX

On Season 3

While no "official" word has been posted by SciFi or the Henson Company, nonetheless word has come down that Season 3 is a "go." Here's what Ms Hey has to say about how that affects things on set.

FSW: How has the news of next season's renewal affected the atmosphere around the set? Did you all figure it was pretty much a "done deal", or is there a sense of relief along with the excitement? Have any story lines changed as a result? (I know, no spoilers can be given, and I'm not asking for any. Be as vague as you like.)

VH: We all knew that a third season would be a goer. It would be business madness to abandon the ship when it is flying along at its greatest speed! Of course we are all excited about it, and look forward to being guided into more character unchartered waters by our writers!

I can't talk about any story lines for 2 reasons. One, I can't for spoiler reasons, and two, because I don't know them, they haven't been written yet! Hee Hee! I have heard a rumor that Zhaan finds romance, but that's no secret, all good clairvoyants will tell us all the same thing! Hee Hee!

And a final blessing from Virginia to all her fans:

May Zhaans Goddess be with you all.. Love you Virginia XXXXXX

Virginia Hey's official website is located at: http://www.virginia-hey.com/

Check out more interviews and chats with Virginia Hey at the following websites:
Note: some links may no longer be available.

http://www.scifi.com/transcripts/1999/VirginiaHey.html

http://www.scifi.com/transcripts/2000/virginiahey.html

http://www.sfx.co.uk/features/farscape/farscape.asp?sec=FEAT&jump=FEAT

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2000-03/28/11.35.sfc

http://scifi.ign.com/tv/4123.html

http://www.anotheruniverse.com/tv/interviews/virginiahey.htm