This weekend, the raunchy and raucous comedy Eurotrip hits theaters. The movie stars newcomers Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, Travis Webster, and Jessica Boehrs, as well as two actresses beloved by fantasy fans, “Xena”‘s Lucy Lawless and “Buffy”‘s Michelle Trachtenberg. Both actresses had different reasons for taking part in such a wild movie.
Lucy appears in Eurotrip as Madame Vandersexxx, a Dutch dominatrix. Although not a fan of teen comedies (the last one she remembers seeing was Porky’s at age 13), the actress was not about to pass up such a wacky role. “The vibe on a comedy set is great,” says Lucy. “Nobody takes themselves seriously. In fact, it’s important not to. I dig that and I like getting in the zone. When you’re in character, you’re not even responsible for what comes out and you can do some magical things.”
Lucy is also looking forward to the release of Boogeyman, a horror film produced by her husband in which she has a small role, as well as cheering on her fellow New Zealanders at this year’s Oscars. She’s rooting for Whale Rider star Keisha Castle-Hughes and Best Director nominee Peter Jackson, especially since “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy utilized so many of the crew members and stunt people Lucy befriended during her “Xena” days.
Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s sister Dawn for three years on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, says that as an actress, she aims to change with every character she plays and Eurotrip gave her a chance to do just that. She plays Jenny, a daring and rebellious teen who’s always been one of the guys. That changes during her bikini scene, which takes place on a male nude beach. “I was staring at fifty naked, not that attractive, weirdo looking dudes. It was kind of funny and freezing cold and definitely an interesting way to shoot a scene,” Michelle remembers. “They really had no shame. They didn’t care. ‘Do you want a towel?’ ‘No, I’m good.'”
While spending four months shooting Eurotrip in Prague, Michelle says she grew homesick, specifically for the products of In-N-Out Burger and The Coffee Bean. “I like my double doubles. I like my cheeseburgers and my ice blended.” Fortunately, she mentioned her longing to Matt Damon, who took a small part in the film as a favor for college buddy and the film’s director Jeff Schaffer. It turns out Matt always brings along packets of The Coffee Bean’s vanilla ice blended and was willing to share from his stash.
Since returning from Prague, Michelle has filmed four episodes of HBO’s Six Feet Under, playing a bitchy pop diva, and has also started training for a Disney movie, Ice Princess, skating three hours a day, five days a week.
