From one warrior princess to another, Lucy Lawless explores life of Margaret Moth
Actor who played Xena makes director debut with documentary about photojournalist
A new documentary looks at the late photojournalist Margaret Moth's unflinching work as a war correspondent — even after a sniper's bullet shattered her jaw at the Siege of Sarajevo.
"She lost part of her tongue, her teeth, her beauty, her ability to speak, her standing in the world, potentially her career," said Lucy Lawless, director of Never Look Away, and star of '90s cult TV classic Xena: Warrior Princess.
Lawless told The Current's Matt Galloway that it was "an injury that would have killed a young marine," but Moth fought back, and went on to cover global conflict for years to come.
"That's kind of the lesson of Margaret … that she did so much when so much had been ripped away from her."
Moth worked as a news camerawoman in her native New Zealand before moving to the U.S. in the 1980s, where she eventually joined CNN. She covered conflict zones all over the world, gaining a reputation as a tough photojournalist who stood her ground to get the shot, even when bullets were flying and anyone else would have ducked for cover.
Never Look Away — which is screening at the Hot Docs festival in Toronto — also digs into Moth's personal life, which was a heady mix of sex, young lovers, drugs and punk music.
"She wanted to know what was over the edge of the abyss," Lawless said.
"It's not that she would jump over the edge to find out … but she would certainly lower herself down on a rope to get a good look at what was inside."
Lawless high-kicked her way to fame in Xena: Warrior Princess, and went on to star in hit shows like Parks and Recreation and Battlestar Galactica. Never Look Away is her directorial debut — an opportunity she says she couldn't turn down.
"It was really scary, and it was really painful, but also the most rewarding thing I've ever done," she said.
A badass, who was 'dangerously authentic'
Lawless described Moth as "a badass" and "very complicated person," but added that her personality didn't always match the reputation of a hard-living war correspondent.
"She was very fastidious about all her habits and she talked like a little Victorian lady … she never swore," Lawless said.
Moth covered some of the world's most dangerous stories from eastern Europe to India, often pointing her camera right into the line of fire.
In the documentary, CNN reporter Stefano Kotsonis shares a story about Moth covering the civil war in Georgia in the early '90s. When gunmen opened fire on the crowd, the other camera operators ducked down behind a car — only to look up to see Moth standing straight up, filming the shooting.
"She got the only pictures. She's filming people going down as they got hit — the other camera people were kind of startled that she had the guts to … step right out in the middle of it," Kotsonis said.
Lawless said Moth was definitely brave, but that Moth herself would have disputed that she was fearless or reckless — arguing that she simply made calculated decisions in her work.
In 1992, Moth was travelling in a car of journalists along what had become known as Sniper Alley in Sarajevo — a series of streets lined with snipers during the Bosnian War.
A bullet ripped through the car and hit Moth in the jaw. It left shrapnel in her palette and lungs, and destroyed part of her tongue and teeth. She was evacuated to a German hospital, but within months, she was back covering the conflict.
Moth used to joke that she went back to Sarajevo to find her teeth — but 32 years later, Lawless actually did find them while making the documentary.
"They were in the back of the driver's head," Lawless said.
The director explained that the bullet had hit Moth with such force that it shattered the teeth into "a billion shards of porcelain" that were propelled towards the man in the driver's seat.
"He said years later he'd be showering and go, 'What's that?' And it'd be a little, little spike of porcelain would come out … and that was her teeth."
Moth worked in conflict zones for another 16 years, Lawless said, focused on "the pure objective of telling the story for the sake of the non-combatants, the victims of war."
Moth died of cancer in 2010.
Lawless thinks Moth should be remembered as "somebody who was dangerously authentic" — with an honesty that cut through social posturing.
"If we could have the courage to be half as truthful as she, our world would be in a better place."
The legacy of Xena
Lawless said her role as the iconic Xena was a good sales pitch to find funders to make the documentary.
'"Ooh, Lucy Lawless, Margaret Moss. One played a warrior princess on TV; one was a warrior princess in real life.' It's an easy story; it's a sell," she said.
Lawless gained fans worldwide with her portrayal of Xena, a former warlord on a quest of redemption, righting wrongs with her formidable fighting skills.
In Canada, Xena inspired comedian Mary Walsh to create her own character, Marg Delahunty, Princess Warrior. Clad in a burgundy felt costume, complete with a toy sword, the character entertained Canadians and accosted politicians, including future prime minister Stephen Harper.
Lawless said she's proud to see the impact the show has had, and the way in which it has inspired some fans to change their own lives for the better.
But she doesn't take any credit.
"It blows your mind that you were part of something so good — accidentally," she said.
"I guess I just do my job, which is to love them back. They've always been good to me, and I'll be good to them."
She said that at some point a Xena reboot has "got to happen," but she won't be involved.
"Nobody wants to see a 56-year-old woman in thigh-high boots," she said.
"Or they might, but I ain't giving it to them."
Audio produced by Julie Crysler.
