Never really done any meta writing on Aphrodite before or posted anything on here with Alexandra’s commentary in it but just so you guys know,… she’s also one of my favourite characters in Xena too. Some standout statements from Alexandra about Aphrodite and her relationships with Xena, Gabrielle and Ares come from the Mythology vs Xena featurette that was on the 10th Anniversary Anchor Bay released DVD set. I think you guys will enjoy learning all about the great significance of Aphrodite’s character in the show directly expressed by the actress that portrays her.
“I think people will be watching this TV show for a long time. I think it’s one of those moments in television history that’s really important because of what I said earlier about it’s really the first time that I can think of where you have two women who are really strong women action heroes who aren’t answering to men in some way or other or being dictated to.”
“I don’t think Aphrodite is homophobic. If you want to interpret the show that Xena and Gabrielle were lovers, Aphrodite was a complete cheerleader of their relationship, I think. It’s a big deal. It’s the first time that I can remember that a television show has had such a place for the lesbian community. I think that’s a really big deal too. And so to have this pink fluffy blonde bimbo-y girl is a little bit incongruous but I think there’s a little bit of genius in that because what you don’t expect in a show that’s kind of becoming a feminist icon is sex and humour and that’s what Aphrodite was and everybody likes sex and humour. Including feminists and lesbians. It’s kind of an overlooked part of life sometimes when people get very serious. So I think that maybe that’s one of the reasons she worked so well on the show and people loved her so much.”
“Surprisingly in some ways, the most pivotal episode for Aphrodite’s evolution in the show was ‘Punch Lines’ - which was almost an afterthought. They had already shot the show. I was done filming another episode and they asked me at the last minute ‘can you stay for a few more days and shoot a few more scenes we’re gonna put into ‘Punch Lines’’? ‘Punch Lines’ was a bottle show. It was really about Gabrielle. A story about Gabrielle and Lachrymose. And then they decided they needed a little bit of funny in there so they put in Aphrodite. But, again, here’s an episode basically with me and Renee. And that’s when Aphrodite gets into the hot tub. That’s when Aphrodite psychoanalyzes Gabrielle and there’s that slightly famous line about… what was it? Some possible repressed impulses - or something like that that became such a famous sort of fun fan line. Again, you’re gonna have to ask the fans what my line was. But I think that’s sort of the moment when Aphrodite got in there with Gabrielle and they created their own connection and their own friendship and relationship and Aphrodite started to take a personal interest in Gabrielle specifically and the love between Gabrielle and Xena.”
“We talk about Aphrodite and Ares and the Gods as if they’re human beings but they’re not, actually. They’re Gods. I think of them as archetypal human impulses. So in some ways you can look at the episode ‘Motherhood’ - the Twilight of the Gods - as this family crisis were Aphrodite is going against her family. Making a choice to betray her family in order to stand up for her friend - who she thinks is innocent, who pretty much is - Gabrielle. In another way you can look at it as all these different forces playing against each other and - of course Aphrodite, she is love, she is the embodiment of love, all kinds of love but certainly also magnanimous love, generous love, redemptive love. So she kind of has no choice but to stick up for Gabrielle. She can’t really… Ares would of course go try to kill her because he’s the God of War, but Aphrodite is the God of Love. She can’t. I think even if she didn’t already have this relationship she would have stuck up for her … nnngh might not be right about that, but certainly since she already had this connection, she had no choice. She had to fight for her, I think.”
I will leave you guys with this Xena confessions that perfectly describes the way I personally interpret both Aphrodite and Ares and the profound influence they have on our beloved WLW ship in Xena and Gabrielle.
