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MONSTER CHILD IN A PROMISED LAND (part 4)

Is there any other character Desmond would like to have played in Hercules or Xena? "I've never thought of that," she says. "I was always really into the role I was cast in. Discord got the hilariously saucy lines and was always feisty and fun. Why be anyone else? I really enjoyed my time as the goddess Discord and all the enriching experiences it allowed me to have, and I'll take them all on to what I do in the future."

That being the case, is there any of the character of Meighan Desmond in the outrageous Discord, or is she based on anybody she has met in real life? "Now that would be telling!" she laughs. "I think it's fair to say that we both have a sense of mischief and we can both be dry with deadpan sarcasm. But she shouts a lot more than I do, and I laugh more than she does! She stomps around here and there, whereas I tend to bounce! And no, she isn't based on any real life people... What sort of people do you think I hang out with?"

"I'm one of those people who has been lucky enough to always know what I wanted to do and be, and for me that has always been to act," Desmond says. "There was no big decision that I had to make, and I can't remember a time when I contemplated doing anything else. No one else in my family is in the profession. There is no nepotism in my family. I went off on a tangent that was my very own."

"I've never had any formal training, but I like to think that I make a good study of people, what motivates us as individuals, and the emotions that lie beneath our outward actions. I've been lucky enough to meet some really different people on my travels. I believe that the more I live my life and experience things, the better I'll be as an actor."

So what direction does Desmond hope her acting career goes in now that her time in Xena is at an end? "Right now, I'm passionate about working in television and film," she remarks. "However, I know that there is a lot the theatre could teach me about everything. So maybe I'll do that one day. But if that is the case, it will be a natural progression when the time is right."

"I know that I'm capable of doing more than just acting, although it will always be a great love of mine and I hope I'll do it for a long time. I also know that I need a lot more to pour my energy and creativity into, but I haven't figured out what that is yet and what to do next. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll direct, produce or write. Right now I'm just looking around and trying to sort out what I'm about or what I'm not about, and what interests me and what doesn't, before I made any big decisions or commitments to any one career path."

part 5