Besides that have you taken up any new hobbies since you’ve been living in New Zealand?

Yeah, absolutely. First of all I’m a proud pet owner. I just got a puppy a couple of weeks ago and I got a cat last year. I have this very domestic life that I didn’t have in Manhattan a year ago, where I was living the city life, staying up until three in the morning. Whereas now I’m up at four in the morning, going to bed like a granny at nine. Also enjoying nature, a bit of surfing. Whenever the weather’s good in New Zealand we really appreciate it just because there’s so much rain here. I love living out here, there’s something in the landscape and the natural beauty that has this magical quality. I feel like the country is a main character in the show.

Would you have been so interested in playing the role if she was just a standard damsel in distress?

I don’t think I would have been as attracted to it. Just because I feel like that has been done so many times. I think she’s got a lot of complexity about her, which is my favourite thing about her. I think playing a damsel in distress would get really old and boring, getting rescued every day; I don’t think I could do it.

More at Scifi.co.uk.
August, 2009.

I’ve read that you enjoy playing the guitar and writing music. Is that something you try to do between filming?

Absolutely. I remember reading that Christian Bale said when he was filming a massive movie you need some kind of hobby, whether it’s fixing an old bike or something else where you can just go home and take your mind off it. I guess it’s that for me, but also music is just as much of a passion for me as acting. So it’s just that little creative outlet; when you’re emotionally drained from having a massive day of acting, just silly singing, silly dancing, rocking out man. I just love it.

Have you always been a fan of fantasy or was the whole swords and sorcery world new to you?

I was a massive fan of fantasy. I had an older brother who was about thirteen years older than me and he brought me into the world of Conan and star Wars. He had all these movies lying around, he had comic books everywhere; he had lots of the original Star Wars figures. I was easily brought into that world of fantasy. There wasn’t a day when I wasn’t running around the back yard with swords and killing imaginary orcs.

More at Scifi.co.uk.
August, 2009.