TV Star Interview with Craig Horner

Exclusive Interview: Craig Horner (Legend of the Seeker, Fan Questions Answered), Part I

Finally, it's here: our two-part Craig Horner interview. Yes, we've pinned down Horner, the star -- or, sadly, former star -- of Legend of the Seeker, the syndicated fantasy series on which he shared the screen with Bridget Regan, Bruce Spence, and Tabrett Bethell. Horner had been on vacation, a long one, following the conclusion of filming on season two of the show, but we caught up with him by telephone somewhere in Australia, where he was out and about with a mate. Horner graciously and good-naturedly spent a half hour on the phone with us answering questions provided by you, the readers of TVstar.com. So, read on and enjoy.

In season two, we got to see Richard (Horner) as a more grown-up and self-confident character, just like in the Terry Goodkind books. How did that feel, finally being able to play the guy who runs everything? (mseHU)

It was really great and it was something that I had in mind since season one. He was basically just a nice little boy who was pushed into the world like a deer in the headlights. But after he goes through what he goes through, you couldn't not become a man, can't not grow up pretty fast. But, yeah, it was something I was really always looking forward to. Even from season one I said, "I can't wait to leave season one a boy and come back season two a man and start taking charge."

I'd like to know your opinion about Tabrett's arrival on the show. The fans quickly adopted her. What did you feel she brought to LotS? (woodsman2b)

She brought a bit of sassiness that the show kind of needed. The characters were more like Smurfs, so goody-goody all the time, and it was great to have someone come in with a bit more of their own agenda and who was not all about the people and the greater good, but was somehow sworn to serve to me. So it worked as a really good juxtaposition, having a snake kind of in the mix. It was an interesting little relationship, and it turned out good.

Your hair was becoming as epic as Bridget's. It took on a life of its own, but fan reaction was mixed. Some people didn't like how it was always falling across your eyes. Were you starting to think about putting it in a ponytail? Getting a perm? And how about now; do you keep it long or cut it? (crystal2222)

(Laughs). Boy, I don't know! It depends on my next role because what if I'm a rock star? Then I'll have to have everything. But I know what you're saying. It was kind of crazy, but it was even worse for Bruce and Bridget because we were in New Zealand, where it was always windy. And even if we were in the studio, we always had these massive fans blowing on us to create these magical, epic winds. So hair was just going in everyone's face. It was hilarious. You should see the blooper reel. It's mostly about our hair.

If you had to pick one thing to change about one episode, what would you change and why? And in general how happy were you when you'd seen the finished episodes? (virkatjol)

Well, that's an interesting one. I never thought about that. What's something that I'd like to change? Change, change, change. Ummmmmmm. Boy. Is this a season one question or a season two question? I'm going to go back to season one. I think we started off really strong with a two-hour event to open season one ("Prophecy" and "Destiny"), and I thought our follow-up episode ("Bounty") could have been done a little bit better, but only because it was a flavor of the show that we didn't know what we were going for. I think if there was one to change, we probably could have done that a little bit better, but we found our stride with six ("Elixir") and seven ("Identity"). And you know what? I probably would have liked to have redone the last episode ("Tears"). I think we all would have liked to redo the last episode, because we didn't know it was ending, and it would have been nice to have tied up some things.

Playing a hero like Richard on a day-to-day basis must have been amazing. If you could actually jump into his shoes for a couple of days, living in a world of magic, but with no scripts, no writers, and no producers controlling your actions, what would you do? (Tintalle)

Oh, a hero for a day, like Richard. Wow. I like to think that's how I'm living my life now. I'm just about to step into the unknown. I'm moving over to America pretty soon and will be off on my own. I'm going to see what happens. Being a freelance actor you're not really controlled by anyone. You get to be kind of be your own boss until you work with a collaborative group of people on your next job, and really, with a collaborative group of people there's never really a boss anyway. So, yeah, I like going into those unkown territories.

Aside from the chance to play with swords and be surrounded by gorgeous scenery, what were some of your favorite things that you can share about working on the show and with your cast mates? (TRastro)

The crew had become like a second family. If there was an apocalypse and our crew had to start a new world, we'd have some good facilities there. We had these amazing people. We had these amazing horse riders, these amazing fighters. We had nurses. We had people who could build amazing houses and castles. We had people who could cook things amazingly, who could make beautiful costumes. It was so impressive to be surrounded by all these people. I love 'em all. I really got along with everybody in every department and I appreciate everything everyone did.

If you were to have written an episode, what would it have been like? Dark and intense? Lighthearted and fun? And what's the one thing that you would have wanted to see happen in it? (nessaa)

Wow, my episode would have been like "Denna" times 10. I would have loved to have gone, dark, dark, dark. I would have loved to have split my episode over two parts and really not have relied too much on the fast-paced action we had on the show (during much of season two). That was great, but I'd like to have seen what the fans thought if we'd just broken it down for a while and just had three or four really great, dark acts in a good, solid two-parter. I would have set it in a dungeon, like you had in "Denna," with just a couple of characters. The magic would have come out here and there, but it really would have really, really been about those two characters, those scenes, those relationships, and that dialogue. But it would have been tough. It was a syndicated show that had to go to so many countries, so many people, so many cultures. It's sometimes risky to do those kinds of things, but I was hoping that we were going to get to the stage -- I think we were getting there -- where we could say, "You know what, fans? Here's an episode just in this one room. I bet you can take it. I know you can."

I've noticed in interviews that you seem pretty laidback, warm and happy, whereas Richard can be laidback and go with the flow, but he could also have a real dark side. How did you channel the character's dark side? (ChasingUrus)

Wow. I don't think I have too much of a dark side, especially on set. I tried not to bring that there at all. As a lead, it's just very important to set the tone for the crew, the show. If I'm nasty and I'm not willing to help out other people and encourage people, then people aren't going to be friendly to me or help me, and a set can fall to pieces. So I really try to not bring any of that stuff there. But there wasn't too much to be dark about when I was shooting those kinds of scenes. I'll be honest: the only thing that would ever get me was just pure tiredness. If I was just too tired, no matter how many cuddles or kisses or mockers, sometimes I was just too tired and it'd show, but I tried not to let too many people see that.

Had you thought about writing and/or directing an episode next season? (Riker1012)

That was actually the plan that was going to be in place. I'd asked (executive producer) Ken Biller early on in season two. I said, "If we go to season three, I think it's time. I think I'm ready and I'd really love to do it." It was going to be talked about. It probably would have been the first or the last one of the season, purely because I was so busy and as a director your need time to prep and to do post-(production). So it would have been that first or last episode, just to feel me up to do it. But I was really looking forward to it. Yeah, it's a shame.

Did you feel like a dork in the red velvet robe? What was it like wearing that in comparison to the normal costume? (Rach03)

(Laughs) I liked it, actually. I really liked it. I thought it was nice. When are you ever going to wear something like that. Because I was always wearing the same thing, any kind of different costume was just fun, even if it's really heavy chainmail. It's just fun for a week.

I know that you love your music and play guitar, but do you also compose music? Do you sing? How interested would you be in recording an album and perhaps pursuing a music career as well as continuing to act? (deanna)

Yeah, I've been doing that for about fifteen years now, even longer than acting. It's something that I'll now have a bit more time to really flesh out. That's what's great about California, that there are just so many great budding musicians out there and it's such a good scene for that. In Brisbane, in both film and music, you can only go so far because there's just not enough people. You end up doing the solo thing over and over, until you go, "You know what? I'm sick of playing this by myself. I want to play with a band. I want to get back out there and play to different crowds." Now that that free time is there and I'll be in California, hopefully it'll be a fantastic opportunity.

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