Gabriella Ascari : Can you tell us a bit about your plans, for the future, and specifically, would you accept to shoot Farscape again if they solved the problem with the blue paint for your body?
Virginia Hey : Plans for the future, it’s always difficult to make plans ahead, isn’t it really? 
When I was younger, I used to love planning ahead, you know, years and years and years... Of course you can’t: they never work out. You’re always, you know, carried in life in one direction or another. And now that I’m older I think I might be, I hope you know, I might be a little bit wiser, and so I don’t tend to plan as much, now, long distance. So, I don’t really know what my plans are, I’d like to think that I’ll just be led to wherever I go. And I always ask God, you know, to lead me to a place where I can live to my fullest potential, and everyday I ask that. So, I just hope that, you know, that, that something... that will continue, that I can live to my fullest potential.
I would love to still act: I mean, when I came over to America, I didn’t think that I’d be doing what I’m doing now. Obviously, this is all supposed to be, designing the fragrances and the candles, because I’m being led towards something, I don’t know what it is, and I’m excited to find out what it is, but I came... I actually came over to America, the real purpose, to me, when I came to America, was two fold: firstly, was to continue my studies in natural therapies and natural healing, and I believed that Los Angeles was the center – it used to be – the center of where healing and spirituality meet, which is very exciting, for me, because in Australia they are two separate things: the healing is, you know, one whole science, and the spirituality is whole other, whatever, whole other, whatever the word is... yes, world, thank you. And so, when I was in Los Angeles, in the Eighties, in the late Eighties, for three months, I... that’s what I noticed that the two worlds were very much one. I was so excited, to come back and study. But by the time I came back, in, you know, 2001, I think it was, or 2002, it didn’t exist, anymore, really, absolutely it did not exist anymore. There were no colleges or universities that taught natural therapies and spirituality together. They all moved to Arizona and other places in the world, I think, everyone got older, and decided not to live in the city, the people who were teaching, so, they moved away. And so, my idea was to study natural therapies and to act, you know, because I love acting, but also to fund, to, you know, through acting to find the money to support my studies.
But it led me to... doing conventions, and meeting a perfumier, along the way, led me to where I’m now. But, yeah... I’d love to still act, always, I’m always asked, people always ask me to act in various productions, but so far the productions have not been funded. Every year, every year there’s always a production I say “yes, I wanna be involved in”, and it’s always science fiction, but so far nothing... Right now, I’ve been asked again to act in a production, but I usually don’t talk about them, because, you know, unless they actually get moving, ‘cause I made the mistake years ago, when I first came to America, telling everybody “Yes, I’ve been asked to do this, asked to do that” and of course it’s very disappointing when they don’t, they can’t find the finance, you know.
And Farscape, yes, I’d love to go back to Farscape, but not blue, I can’t, the make up is really dangerous for my internal organs, for my kidneys, it’s very... Those of you who are in a medical profession, those of you who understand physiology, and anatomy, you understand that the skin is the largest eliminatory, eliminatory organ, and it works hand in hand with the kidneys, and the lymphatic system. And the make up, because it was liquid plastic, shut down the lymphatic system. In my, on my face, and also the center in my... I don’t know if it shut it down completly, which suddenly partially, and the kidneys were under a great deal of pressure. And so my kidneys used to bleed... It set up really terrible side effects and...
The other actors were not aware of this. They heard rumours of it and didn’t really understand what was goin’ on. And possibly even doubted it, I don’t know, but... But, it was very, very real. The producers and I were extremly concerned about it, so... So, in order to play Zotoh Zhaan again, it would be very important to me not to be in the blue make up, I would absolutely be Zhaan again, if they could find the way to change the colour, or to, you know, to make me... I figure that maybe they could invent a story, because anything is possible, with science fiction, they could invent a story that peraphs Zhaan was partially sebacean. Because after all she... you know, she has two arms, and two legs, an head, she looks like a sebacean. So, you know, there’s no reason why they couldn’t think of some back history, maybe Zhaan had a great-great-grand mother who was a sebacean, perhaps, because she is a plant. Maybe there’s a way that she could have morph into, you know, or become partially if not wholly sebacean, you know, maybe some botanical affectation, you know. It’s possible. And I also asked them for Peacekeepers Wars, that’s why... I was supposed to be in Peacekeepers Wars, but I said, “Look, you know, I’m not going to use the make up anymore”. I mean, I don’t want to go into detail, exactly, what damage the make up did, but it was profound. So, I don’t want to visit that destruction in, of my body, again, you know, I love my body too much, really, for that. But if they can find the way to make, you know, safe make up, ya, sure, I’d love to be Zhaan, I miss her...
Gabriella: And, the last question: how did you like Deepcon, and how do you enjoy being in Italy, with us.
Viginia: Oh, I love Deepcon... It's such an unusual convention, and very relaxed and very friendly. It’s kind of like spending a few days with family. In fact, it’s like going to your grandmother’s house, and she feeds you, and feeds you, and feeds you, because... with good nutritious food... It’s like going to your grandmother’s house. In that, she welcomes you, and she hugs you, and she embraces you, and she puts out, she cooks beautiful food for you, and there’s plenty wine and beatiful breads, and, you know, amazing pastas and gorgeous meats and... Yes, exactly like, like at your family’s house for a family gathering, and having a banquet, you know, every day. And, it’s like that... And also the fans of Deepcon are really sweet, and very friendly, and lovely.
A lot of the time I was wandering around, thinking “What do I do now?”, because in, you have to understand, what it’s like in american conventions, and, you know, we love the american conventions, I don’t mean to sound so I was complaining, I’m not, but, at the american conventions, the second the convention opens, you’re required to sit at the table, where you entertain the fans, for the whole convention, and sometimes through into the night, so, and you’re working, probably, fourteen hours a day. It’s a pleasure to work, of course, it’s a fun work, but nevertheless, you’re working, you have to sit... you can very rarely leave your table, not even really at lunch time, sometimes they bring you a sandwich, for lunch, sometimes nothing. And, you have to really sort of make your own way, you... they accomodate you, but, you know, they might give you some dollars, they call it the deal, a daily allowance, for you to go and buy your own food, and sometimes once, on a saturday night, they’ll have banquet, when you... but you don’t sit and eat.
It’s really funny, because all the american actors, always say apparently to Deepcon, say “So, we need to eat before we go to the banquet”, and Flora, and the organizers, go “Why?”. Because in America, when you go to the banquet, you’re working, and so, you have to visit every table, and answer the questions, and be interviewed, and so you don’t ever get an opportunity to eat, so you always have to eat first. And you’re always very busy, every second of every day it’s busy busy busy, really making an absolute, you know, an huge effort to answer everybody’s questions, and people come to your table, and.... They don't, it’s not all about finance, you know, while they’re at your table, asking their questions, they may have stay stand there for two hours, and maybe they’ll have an autograph, or maybe not, you know, but the reason you’re there is to present yourself to the fans.
But the Deepcon...
So, all of us, the american actors, we get here, we think, you know, “what’s the table, what are our duties”, waiting to be told the schedule, and we’re ready for hard work... and it’s not hard work! It’s a pleasure, it’s all about pleasure. It’s really so unique, and wonderful. It’s about rest, and pleasure, and friends, and socializing with the fans, and just taking it easy. It was really nice to be able to move through the hotel and, you know, not have people chasing you with cameras and things. It was really really lovely, just like go having a family gathering, exactly, exactly like going away to Italy to be with friends, it was really really nice, I loved it.
And, Italy, I’ve been here many times, I absolute adore it, I think most of you know, anyway, now, that it's the place where I want to retire. And I always say, God lives here, God lives here, in Italy, I really mean it, it’s very beautiful. And, I love the... I love the feeling of it, I love the smell of the air, I love the taste of the water, I love, you know, I love the... someone is crunching something in the background...
It’s just, I love everything about Italy, I love the colour of the sunshine, the, you know, the smell of the trees, is just so beautiful. I think, maybe, I was going to say "maybe" because I came here when I was little, and my mother took me to the, you know, beautiful cathedrals, so I appreciate art so much, there’s so much art, there’s more art in Italy than there’s in anywhere else in the world, maybe this is the reason so I’m so.
But, I keep, every year I keep promising myself I’ll learn italian, every year, in January, every year I promise myself. So, one of these days, I’ll learn italian, and then later, once I’m an old lady, you know, I’ll come here and live. Maybe, even sooner, would be very nice. The only reason I don’t, is because I don’t know the language, and I need to be where I can work. So, if ever I can find the way, wherever life takes me, if it brings me here to work, in some way or another, then this is where I’ll be rather than anywhere else in the world.
It’s my heart and my soul, Italy...
Giovanni: Thank you very much.