Superhero for a Day

On an "extra" special occasion, Tim finds himself working alongside his heroine in a Xena episode

Meeting Xena Warrior Princess was a dream come true for Tim Fairhall - but the face of this year's IHC appeal wasn't too awestruck to pass on a few acting tips to his heroine.
Matching the pluck and determination he admires so much in Xena, the acting newcomer sat chatting with Lucy Lawless and made sure she got the coaching she deserved.

Tim Fairhall has met Xena star Lucy Lawless on a previous occasion, when she danced and posed with four of her IHC fans for the limitd-edition PhoneCard.

"I was talking to her for ages," says the Down's syndrome teenager, beaming from ear to ear as he relives his day on the set of the show."She said really funny stuff and showed me how to use the chakram [Xena's deadly circular frisbee]. She was even better in person than she is on TV. Later, Gabrielle [Renee O'Connor] showed me how to use the fighting stick. She's an Amazon princess, so I told her I'd like to be an Amazon prince."
Tim's appearance in Xena is not his first foray into television. His debut was as the holder of a starting pistol in the Countrywide Olympics commercial, and he was back on the box to publicise this year's annual IHC appeal.
And when Tim, 19, announced that his ultimate dreams were to be an actor make an acceptance speech at the Academy Awards and appear in Xena or Hercules, IHC fundraising manager John Bergin saw a chance to make at least part of the dream come true. He approached program makers Pacific Renaissance Pictures, and as a result Tim was cast as an extra for an episode on both blockbusters.
In the Xena episode "A Good Day" he plays a rag-tag villager saved from starvation by Xena, and for the Hercules episode "Just Passing Through" he is a patient rescued from a burning hospital. "I have to admit I was a bit jealous I wasn't carried out by Kevin Sorbo like some of the others," says Tim.
"Kevin was a very funny guy. He had a copy of Community Moves [the IHC magazine] that had a photo of me, and asked me to sign my autograph for him. I was really excited because Kevin said I was a natural at acting."
Tim, who lives on Auckland's North Shore and attends an attached unit at Glenfield College, says that for Hercules he had to start at 6am and was freezing as he was wearing sandals. But after years of yearning to be an actor, he didn't mind suffering for his art.
"Entertainment is just my thing. I've alwavs dreamed about being an actor," says Tim. "I practise acting at home. I do true stories, true love, action stories and - write this down - I do monologues, too.
"My favourite actors are Ross and Rachel on Friends. Brad and Janet in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in Grease.
"I really like Cliff Richard too, and guess what - he patted me on the bottom once. It was before I was born. Mum met him and he patted her stomach where my bottom was."
With such tales, it's no wonder acting is in Tim's blood. But the teenager, who is the youngest of Sam and Joan Fairhall's three sons, packs a lot more than performing into his busy life. He is a keen ten-pin bowler, swimmer, and artist, and also does work experience once a week in a supermarket produce department.
"And I've got a girlfriend. She's 23 ... and we're lovebirds." he says proudly.
Laughing, his mother and "best friend" Joan, says, "You can see why he loves being on stage, can't you? When the makers of the Countrywide ad were looking for someone, they put their video camera outside the bowling alley and put the microphone up to people as they came out.
"Some of the kids were really shy, but Tim grabbed the mike and started announcing all the details of his life. He had them in stitches when he said he had 'three cats, two dead'.
"Mv husband Sam and I were thrilled he had the chance to be an extra. It's the first time I've seen an intellectually disabled person in a show who isn't playing that sort of part. Inclusion is one of the key aims of the IHC, and he was definitely just one of the gang here ... except for a bit of special attention from the stars."
With the two television episodes behind him, ambitious Tim is already thinking ahead to his next on-screen break. "Xena and Hercules are big heroes and I always wanted to be a hero too," says Tim, proudly pointing to photos of himself with Lucy Lawless.
"I'd love to go back and be on more episodes, and ultimately I'd like to be on Friends, too."

Story: Jenny Forsyth

Return Links
Articles Annex Main Page (Xena articles)	your previous page

This article is used without permission but is being used only in a fan-oriented, non-profit endeavor. This page are not intended to
infringe upon the copyrights of any companies concerned. This page will be removed if so requested by any copyright holders.