John - Hello Virginia thank you for talking to us today.
 

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John - When you were growing up what were the TV shows that you were hooked on watching?

 

Virginia -  I grew up in the UK and Australia. In Australia most of the TV shows in the 60s/70s were from the USA. I watched the original Dr Who in the UK when I was 10 in 1962. The Avengers was my favourite when I was 12 in the UK, Id watch that on a Saturday night and in the morning would be my horse riding lesson. What a great time in my life. Disneyland on a Sunday night when I was in Australia at about 7. I Dream of Genie was a fave at 14 in Sydney.

 

 

John - When did you first realise that you wanted to be an actress?

 

Virginia - When I was asked in 1981 by a casting director in Sydney whilst I was a top fashion model doing allot of TV commercials. She asked me about 5 times and I said no 5 times, I was terrified of the thought of acting.. but she explained that that was what I was already doing in all the adds I was filming. She came back to me with Mad Max 2 (Road Warrior) and the script was so innovative that I had to say yes. I auditioned, was dreadful, but George Miller saw something in me and gave me the job! I gave up modelling and continued as an actress.

 

 

John - Who influenced you in your career?

 

Virginia - George Miller and Celia from C for Casting. The girls from Prisoner Cellblock H who took me under their wings and taught me so much about the craft. And my original agents Peter Chadwick and Stuart Cameron from Chadwicks.

 

 

John - Do you remember your first day working on a TV show, what was the show and how did your first day go?

 

Virginia -  Prisoner Cellblock H. I was terrified, my first acting job after the minimal Mad Max 2. Terrible 1st day.. I was extremely intimidated, but all the girls made me welcome and I felt relaxed after a couple of weeks.

 

 

John - Over the years who has been the most famous person you have worked with or met?

 

Virginia - Ive worked with George C Scott, Mel Gibson, Carol Kane, Kylie Minogue, John Taylor (Duran Duran), Timothy Dalton,  Oliver Reed, Robert Downey Jnr, Simon Baker, David Bailey, John Glen and many many more.                   

Met Dustin Hoffman, David Bowie, Cameron Diaz, Duran Duran, INXS, Michael Hutchence, William Shatner, Jane Russel, Mickey Rooney, the casts of most scifi shows (fellow guests at conventions),   Joe Manganiello, Brian Ferry, Susan Surandon, Goldie Hawn, Gerard Butler and thousands of others over 40 years.

 

 

John - You have worked on shows like Prisoner: Cell Block H, Neighbours, Home and Away what was it like going from TV Dramas and soaps moving into the world of scifi TV on Farscape and which type do you prefer working on?

 

Virginia - Yes, Ive worked in all the Australasian classic TV series you mentioned. All acting is the same really, its no different moving from TV to Scifi to film, except TV shoots faster. Farscape's difference lay in the Alien creatures on set and the prosthetic make up.

 

 

John - When did you first hear about Farscape?

 

Virginia - When I was sent a fax from my agent asking if I would like to audition for Space Chase (I think it was called, from memory) as an alien Priest called "Zen". 

 

 

John - What were your thoughts when you first read the script?

 

Virginia - Brilliant. I was very impressed and totally enthralled.

 

 

John - What did you think about the other members of the cast when you first heard who you will be be working with?

 

Virginia - I was the only actor in the Australian main cast in 1998 who had been in the business a very long time, all the Aussie maincast were newcomers. It was fantastic meeting them all, we Aussies were an ensemble cast that were very close. The only non Aussie was our American star Ben Browder. I was very excited to meet him, he was an established actor before he joined Farscape, we were all drooling over him! Poor thing, took him a while to assimilate into the Aussie brash back-slapping potty-mouthed swearing ways, LOL, but he soon became acclimatized and we all become on big family.

 

 

John - What did you make of all the props, sets and special effects that were created for Farscape?

 

Virginia - I thought they were very unique and ingenious. I spent allot of time in the Creature Shop in the studio complex watching the enormous team there inventing. The Creature shop was run and orchestrated by Dave Elsey, who recently won an Acadamy Award for his work.

 

 

John - How long did the make-up process take for you to become Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan?

 

Virginia - 3 1/2 hours to apply and 1 hour to remove.

 

 

John - What is your favourite episode of Farscape and why?

 

Virginia -  I dont have a favourite. I genuinely with all my heart adored all. To choose would be like asking me if I had a favourite child.

 

 

John - Has anything funny ever happened or gone wrong while filming live that you remember and how did you react and carry on?

 

Virginia - No, not that I can recall. Everything Ive worked on has been very professional and tightly run like clockwork. Minor glitches happen on all sets, phones going off and noises outside, but besides those normal occurances nothing stands out as remarkable to chatter about.

 

 

John - With sci-fi TV Shows from the past starting to come back and fans welcoming them with open arms do you think that Farscape will be back for more?

 

Virginia - I dont know, only Brian Henson and Gigi Edgely know that. All I know is what the world knows, and that is that there has been a current script written, but whether or not the script moves into pre production only Brian and Gigi know. (Gigi is working with Brian everyday and is a very good friend of Brians, so she would know.. but Im certain would never tell!)

 

 

John - What projects are you currently working on and where can your fans see you next?

 

Virginia - I spent 12 years retired from acting after Farscape, I concentrated on my perfumed product business. (shop.virginiahey.com). This year I am coming out of acting retirement and have accepted a lead in a film to be shot next year. I'll tell you more by the end of this year. I have toured the world sionce 2001 attending Comiccons in almost every country. Im currently on tour in the UK, with a visit to LA in Sept, and have a radio show every Wednesday on internet radio station CKDS details below.

 

John - Thank you for answering my questions Virginia it means alot.