Lucy Lawless has thrived in the sci-fi, fantasy and action genres for years now with a slew of standout titles to her name including Xena: Warrior Princess, Battlestar Galactica and Spartacus. But even with all that experience, her latest feature, The Spine of Night, still feels like a wholly unique, one-of-a-kind production that takes her craft into new territory.

The movie is an ultra-violent epic told through hand-drawn rotoscope animation. The tale spans eras highlighting those who come together to stop a sinister force wielding a devastating amount of dark magic. The Spine of Night does have an anthology feel to it, but there is one especially prominent character significantly contributing to both the heart and the framework of the film, and that’s Lawless as Tzod, a shamaness with experience harnessing such power who watches as it falls into the wrong hands.

Check out this episode of Collider Connected to hear all about how Whoopi Goldberg inspired Lawless at a young age, what it was like making her way from Hercules and the Amazon Women to Xena, committing to The Spine of Night and so much more!Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices