Lucy Lawless has made a career out of playing badasses on television. However, it would seem that her warrior mentality extends to real life, as well. In order to bring attention to Arctic oil drilling, Lawless, 44, and six other Greenpeace activists climbed aboard an oil drilling ship in Port Taranaki, New Zealand in attempt to prevent it from embarking on an expedition. When they were asked to leave, Lawless and company decided to stay. Four days later, they were arrested for trespassing, though their point, it would seem, had been made.
On Thursday, Lawless plead guilty to the charges, which could ultimately land her in prison for up to three years. However, this apparently hasn’t dissuaded her from other Greenpeace activities, as the actress intends to continue her activism with Greenpeace.
Prior to the February arrest, Lawless explained her position to US Weekly. “This chapter has ended, but the story of the battle to save the Arctic has just begun. Seven of us climbed up that drill ship to stop Arctic drilling, but 133,000 of us came down,” she said. “We will continue to stand in solidarity with the communities and species that depend on the Arctic for their lives until Shell cancels its plans to drill in this magical world, and makes the switch to clean, sustainable energy.”
Lawless, who was born in New Zealand, made a name for herself on the popular television series “Xena: Warrior Princess”. In addition to appearing on such shows as “The Simpsons”, “The X-Files”, “Just Shoot Me!”, “Veronica Mars”, and “Burn Notice”, she also co-starred on “Spartacus: Blood and Sand”. Lawless is also an accomplished Broadway actress and singer, having performed several sold-out concerts since 2007.
