You have started your own production companies - ROC Pictures and ROC Productions. What inspired you to start these companies and how tough was the transition from acting to producing?
No, actually it turns out that I started working on this film where I ended up producing a lot of the movie - Diamonds and Guns. And then, after all of the hard work that I had been enduring all these years, I wanted to then put a logo or a name to it, so that I could then use it as a launching pad for other projects. So the project came before the production company really.

And what is the plot of Diamonds and Guns?
It's a romantic comedy set in Las Vegas and its guerilla filmmaking at it's finest. It's actually really well done. We had a very limited budget and a wonderful cast, great crew, so we just used all of our resources and many favors and shot at the Riviera.

People can expect it to be an adult comedy. There's many layers of humor. There's the farcical humor, there's the witty dialogue - when I say adult humor, there's talk of sex and it's just fun-loving. We sort of used Swingers as an idea when we were shooting in Las Vegas. It has that feel.

Has that been released yet?
It is straight to DVD. Right now, I'm selling it on its website, DiamondsandGuns.info and I will keep doing that until the distributor takes it out nationally. I say nationally even though the Internet is globally.

What types of films are you hoping to produce in the future?
I want to produce things that represent more of who I am or the types of movies I enjoy. Although I love comedies, when it comes to producing something and living with it for such a long time, I tend to be attached more to the epic films. So this one movie that I would really love to do, it's very similar to The Bridges of Madison County. And that's just more me. I'm a Southern girl and I like the visual pieces of being outdoors where you can really play with the composition of the movie. So that's something I'd like to produce and direct. It's not Bridges of Madison County the sequel. (Laughs.) It's a book that I have to just keep working with.

Have you or your production company been affected by the writers' strike?
I have not been affected at all because I've never actually written any of my own material that I've produced. That's another one of my missions for this year, be it a short film or something for the Internet. I'm just working really hard right now and trying to write and I can do that because I'm not part of the union. It will affect me if SAG goes on strike this summer.

It has affected me personally as an actress because I'm supposed to start work on Army Wives and I can't do that until they go back into their second season. So I have a character arch there that I'm excited about doing that I have to wait it out.

Are there any directors or actors out there that you would like to work with?
I would love to work with Clint Eastwood in any ability whatsoever. And Martin Scorsese. And Tim Burton.

You are set to star in the SciFi Original movie, Genisis Code. What is the film about and what can fans expect to see?
It's fun for me to revisit the SciFi Channel because the last time I worked for them was Alien Apocalypse with Bruce Campbell. It rated very well and I haven't been with that company, the SciFi Channel, because I was trying to branch out and do things other than monster flicks. This one really appealed to me because it has more to do with a sense of spirituality and the monsters together, so it reached me deeper than the actual action that you would come to expect from the SciFi Channel.

And what is your role in the film?
I play a character named Ava and she is not too dissimilar to Gabrielle in some ways, where she is interested in archeological facts and scrolls. She's an expert on all things to do with the area around the Dead Sea. They discover that there's another ark out there and they go to try to retrieve it to be the first archeologists who get this great find. But then, there has to be a monster involved. (Laughs.)

You mentioned working with Bruce Campbell on Alien Apocalypse. Is there any chance you might appear on his new show Burn Notice, which Lucy Lawless had a cameo on last season?
I don't know. Unless Bruce called and asked me to do something, I don't think I would approach him about it. I try not to do the same things that Lucy's done, you know? I mean we've already worked together for such a long time and if we do come close to the same paths, I'd like it to be that we work together. So no, I probably wouldn't go on it unless Bruce just wanted me to do it.

You are in Boogieman 2, which was released on DVD this past week. What can you tell us about that film?
It's another slasher piece, but there are elements of it that aren't as gory as you would think, whether that's to its benefit or not. It's not a Saw type of movie. It does have Tobin Bell in it, but it's not of the same franchise as Saw. It's the same executive producers as Xena, Ghost House Pictures.

And what can you tell us about your role in the film?
I play a psychiatrist who is trying to help these kids with their phobias, hence the fear of the Boogeyman.

What do you do to unwind when you are not working?
Hmm, I love to take baths. (Laughs.) That's my favorite thing to do in my house. I meditate. And I love painting.

And you've sold some of your paintings, correct?
I have. I actually started selling oil paintings to fund Diamonds and Guns, the post-production process of the film.

Do you do portraits or landscapes?
I prefer landscapes right now, but it really changes depending on what I want to try. I've done portraits. It's very sort of abstract and surreal. There's a lot of colors in there. But I hope that it feels alive and maybe even a little bit emotional, so that people feel that there's an attraction to the colors, more so than it looking completely realistic. It's something that I picked up as a hobby and I realized that it's something that I really love to do, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's something that I continued throughout my golden years - the twilight years.

You climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. What made you decide to do it and what was that experience like for you?
It's funny, it wasn't actually my idea. It was my mother's idea from what I remember. She says it was my idea. I've always wanted to travel to Africa and it just seemed like a good thing to do. "Let's climb the highest mountain in Africa." I was curious to see if I could actually do it, if I could reach the top, because it was physically pretty challenging for me.

I do suffer from altitude sickness but I can't take the pills to help alleviate that feeling, so it was a mental challenge for me to try to make it all the way to the top without all of the drugs that go along with it to help you. But it was beautiful. I had the opportunity to meet some amazing people from the local towns. I saw glaciers which eventually won't be there anymore, unfortunately. And I had that one moment of spirituality where I was sitting near the top and watched the sun come up. That was something I'll never forget. The colors were so incredibly vivid. That's the sort of things I like to repaint myself when I'm oil painting.

Do you see yourself doing more climbs in the future?
No. I don't acclimatize well to those things. I really don't. And I know how challenging it is. Kilimanjaro is not an overly technical climb, so it was just perfect for me. It was more an act of sheer will and I know I don't have it in me to do something with worse elements, like K2.

What would you do for a living if you never got into acting?
I don't know anymore. For a while, I wanted to be a marine biologist, but really that was probably just an interest I had for a fleeting moment as a kid. I don't think I could have done anything besides working in some sort of creative or entertainment field.

Tell us something most people don't know about you.
I don't know if that's possible anymore. (Laughs.) It's funny, over the years, I tend to reveal more of myself and my personal history and I think that's just from my getting older and not worrying so much about what people think of me or my background. So, I don't know. I tend to be very open in my own time. I think people know more than they ever have before, that's for sure.

Is there anything else you would like to say?
My fans know I adore them. I'm going to see them very soon at a Xena convention, so I'm going to have an opportunity to try to find ways to entertain them. I'm trying to write stuff now to see what I come up with.

Do you think you and Lucy Lawless will still be attending Xena conventions 50 years from now?
(Laughs.) That would be funny. If they have them - when I'm 80. One of these last moments of my life. That would be really funny.

It would also be great if you and her will still competing for the LesbiaNation woman of the year award.
(Laughs.) That would be awesome. Let's plan on that - reconvene in 50 years. That would be hilarious.

Interviewed by Joel Murphy, January 2008. The Official Xena Convention 2008 will be held January 25-27 in Burbank, California. For more information, visit Creation Entertainment's website. For more information on Reneé O'Connor, visit ReneeOConnorFanclub.com. To donate to the Richstone Family Center, visit their official site.