Acorn TV, Starz, Universal Television, Abanti Chowdhury/BI
Lucy Lawless is well aware of the "long shadow" her iconic role in "Xena: Warrior Princess" has cast over her career.
The series, which aired 134 episodes across six seasons, is what introduced her to the masses. And while Lawless wasn't particularly fond of performing the show's grueling action scenes at the time, she carried that fighting spirit along with her well after "Xena" wrapped in 2001 — particularly in her drive to create stories she believes in.