Here at IGN TV, we were psyched to hear that Lucy Lawless would be appearing on Parks and Recreation this season, in a recurring role as a new love interest for none other than Ron Swanson, played by Nick Offerman. And when I spoke to Lawless on the set of the series recently, where she was filming her second episode, she quickly made it clear she shared that excitement. Even before we began our interview, she was telling me just how great a set it was and how happy she was to be working on such a funny show.
Sitting on the recently built Washington, D.C. sets (for Ben and April's new jobs this season), we went on to discuss what makes her character, Diane -- who makes her debut this week -- the kind of woman Ron would be interested in, why Parks and Rec is so great and a bit about the end of Spartacus.
IGN TV: So you’d seen a lot of the show beforehand?
Lucy Lawless: Oh yeah, I’ve seen everything. I think they thought I was kidding, but I’ve really seen everything. I’m an enormous fan.
IGN: So that was an easy yes.
Lawless: I’m a P-and-R aficionado, actually.
IGN: Nice, so you can share factoids with the best of them?
Lawless: I think so. Actually, Nick said something yesterday, and I knew it wasn’t right -- I had to think about it for a minute. He was saying who knew about Duke Silver, his secret identity, but he forgot that Mark knew, because Mark was the one who told Tom.
IGN: So what is it like playing a love interest to Duke Silver himself?
Lawless: Very exciting -- well, I don’t know he’s Duke Silver yet. I’m not sure if and when that’s going to come up… But it is! This is a very rare thing in television, especially in half-hour where you’re not accustomed to seeing the characters grow and change. But Leslie’s gone off to Washington -- this is so shocking to me, I’ve never actually seen this set!
IGN: Yeah, I guess no one had, except for the people shooting here. Aziz came over here today and said he hadn’t seen it either.
Lawless: Yeah, and Ben is off doing his thing, and yet the show remains intact in terms of its storylines and everything. It’s as rewarding as ever. I’m just so lucky to have been invited to join. Oh my God, and I met Rob Lowe today! Now there’s somebody with a bloody magnificent oeuvre, you know, and charming with that. Accomplished guy, seen a lot of Hollywood, and he’s still as delightful as anybody else on this set.
IGN: How would you describe your character? Because it takes a special kind of woman to be a love interest to Ron Swanson, I’d say.
Lawless: Yeah, well she is, in Ron’s words, a sharp, capable woman. At some point, he runs afoul of her, and basically she threatens to feed him his own mustache. I’m not sure how that’s done, but I love the sound of it! So we’ll see if that scares him off.
IGN: Well, he certainly likes strong women, so I’m guessing it might not scare him off. I’m guessing he might be very intrigued.
Lawless: Yeah, but I don’t think she’s another Tammy, which was extremely exciting to me. They have something different in mind. Again, it’s that evolution. They’re allowing him to have something he’s never had before, which is a real grownup relationship. I’m dying to see whether he ever gets to wear the red shirt! I don’t know if we’ve slept together or not, and the sexual tension’s palpable.
IGN: As a fan -- especially since Ron Swanson is such an iconic character at this point -- what’s it like playing off Nick?
Lawless: I had the giggles at first because it’s Ron Swanson, you know? There was one point in the first episode where I had to laugh derisively at him, out of nowhere, and I was having real trouble getting to that point. I’m not used to faking emotions anymore. It’s a different kind of acting that’s required in comedy. You’ve got to keep it light. Anyway, so I would get Nick to do that little dance - Amy Poehler actually wrote that episode, where she gave them all little bits, and they were all wasted. I’d get him to do that dance, like a monkey for me. He just dazzles me. He’s too funny.
Continue to Page 2 to see what Lawless had to say about how Andy is involved in her storyline, the opportunity to do comedy and her thoughts on the upcoming end of Spartacus.
Source : ign[dot]com
