Interview with Ted Raimi (Sebastian) at TheTorchOnline…
Ted Raimi Interview: “We’re Living in a Golden Age of Fantasy Movies and TV”
LotS-related snippet:
When it comes to acting, dying is easy, but comedy is hard — so says the old expression.
Playing Joxer the Mighty for six years on Xena: Warrior Princess, actor Ted Raimi got to do both.
The “lovable loser” character, not to mention Ted’s pitch-perfect comedy timing, were surely an essential element in Xena’s break-out success — and the inspiration for some of the show’s zaniest flights of fantasy.
But starting around the fourth season, the character deepened, and it was hard not to be touched by his unrequited love for Gabrielle — and his eventual death in the six season.
Ted’s brother is, of course, uber-director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, The Evil Dead) — also one of the producers behind Xena: Warrior Princess. As kids, Ted famously acted in Sam’s Super-8 movies — and he still pops up in bit parts in his older brother’s films such as last year’s Drag Me to Hell.
We caught up with Ted at the recent premiere of Spartacus: Blood and Sand and managed to pull him aside for a few questions about his time on Xena, his genre-intensive acting career, and his reoccurring guest spot on Legend of the Seeker.
TheTorchOnline: How did the role on Legend of the Seeker come about?
TR: I was asked by my old pal Rob Tapert who cast me in Xena if I wanted to do Legend of the Seeker, so I said yes. Rob has a great eye for TV shows naturally, so I just jumped at it. I didn’t even look at the part – he really knows where my strengths are, and it was a blast.
Sebastian is this creepy map salesman who also peddles magic, and it was a great part. It was a hell of a lot of fun.
[This season] I went back to New Zealand to do another episode [airing February 20th], and I can’t reveal what happens in it, naturally, but suffice to say that he causes a lot more trouble than he did in the first episode. He does come in contact with the wizard, and this time I actually had a scene with Bridget and Craig, and it was fantastic. I had a wonderful time.
TTO: If they asked, would you do the show full-time?
TR: Oh, sure, if they asked me to Legend of the Seeker full-time, I wouldn’t hesitate to say no!