I'm watching Claudia Christian rush back and forth around her hotel room, attempting to finish some last minute business - including a pit stop in the bathroom - before she sits down across the round table to start our interview. We’re not alone; a two man team from a Pay-TV channel are here to film an interview, and three more from a radio program hover in the background, eagerly awaiting their chance to talk to the actress. As well there is Claudia’s long time friend Damon, acting as her minder.  All in all, a capacity crowd.  But the tall, slim actress is not phased by all the attention. Claudia offers drinks and chips all round.  “What are these?” she asks, holding out a bag of chicken flavour. After I explain, she crinkles up her nose. “Yuck. We don’t chicken flavoured!”

Christian was born in Glendale, California but was raised in Connecticut. At age 14 she moved back to California, graduated High School at age 16, and started pursuing an acting career.  Her first screen role was in the TV series Dallas. From there she has worked almost continuously, including guest appearences on Quantum Leap and roles in the films Hexed and Maniac Cop 2.  It was Babylon 5 however that brought her to the world’s attention.

The actress is in Australia attending a convention, and looks a little tired from a long flight out. Earlier however she held her own very well against Robert Llewellyn (Kryten - Red Dwarf), entertaining the audience as they took questions at the opening ceremony of Multiverse 3, in Melbourne.  There is a warmth radiating from her that makes everyone in the room feel at ease almost immediately.

How did it all start?
I started doing theatre when I was 5, moved out kind of young after high school, got my first series when I was 18, and have luckily, knock on wood, continuously worked since then - I’ve done a lot of television and film.

Any stage work?
I haven’t done much lately - I did a play a few years ago. I do enjoy theatre, it just doesn’t really pay the mortgage unfortunately. It’s not like New York, which... it’s just a better venue. People actually go to theatre in New York, but in Los Angeles they go to a lot of movies.

You hear a lot about Star Trek as well as Babylon 5 actors that have come from a classical theatre training background, others like yourself not so much - is there much difference in approach?
I think that in essence any genre of acting is basically acting, but there is definitely a discipline, and it’s definitely worthwhile to pursue theatre. Especially earlier on because it helps you with learning lines, and with the discipline of acting. But I really learn the most just by doing. I learnt by doing my first television job. I learned what a mark was, and what the key light was, and what everybody did - the dolly grip - these are the things you don’t have in theatre. So you really learn by actually doing, or at least by taking classes and pretending that you’re doing it.

How do you go about learning your lines?
The only way I do it is by repetition, repetition, repetition. Some people write them, I just sit there and read them over and over and over again. I’d get the first one memorised and then test myself, and the next one and then put them together and the third one - it’s memorisation. But the more you do it, the better it is. When I went back to do “Thirdspace”, the movie, I think I’d had a little bit of time off, and it was quite difficult. It’s sort of like a muscle.

And all the technobabble?
Oh yeah, that’s from the very first season. It became easier because your brain becomes conditioned to spouting out things. Every once in a while I would just say, “What is a tachyon emission, and why am I saying this? And what is a ‘pachmara’, and those sort of things, and it became difficult. If you know what something is you can relate it to something and it’s easier to memorise. In science fiction it’s sometimes difficult to memorise.

What show did you enjoy most in your career?
I really enjoyed playing Ivanova for four years, it was a great experience. And I enjoyed the time I did Hexed because I got a chance to be completely crazy, that was a lot of fun. There’s a film nobody’s ever seen that I’ve done that I had a wonderful experience with because I was out in the desert and it was beautiful and everyone was nice, that was called Never on Tuesday. It was just an all-in-all very good experience, there was no stress, it was lovely.

What was the most memorable part you’ve played?
I’d have to say playing a transsexual probably! That was on LA Law. That was memorable because I was just sort of surprised that they hired me! Hmm, maybe another avenue of my personality! No, it was just a very touching role, and it was something that was fun to play.

Have you had a variety of roles?
I’m definitely not typecast! People say: “Do you think you’ll be typecast in Babylon 5?” and I say, “Yes, because there’s so many bisexual Jewish Russian Commanders in space, I’m going to be typecast, you know!” No, I mean, I think it’s just nice doing a diversity of roles. I want to keep doing different ones. I would hate to get typecast as one particular character.

The whole Talia Winters thing - how do you think that should have gone?
Well if Andrea had not left, I’m sure it would have been pursued as a relationship.
How do you think the television companies would have dealt with that?
Well right after we finished that storyline, Deep Space Nine had Terry Farrell in a bi-sexual relationship, right after Babylon 5. I think it actually aired before ours, but we filmed ours before, so I don’t think there was any problem there. Unless you’re as high profile as Ellen DeGeneres’ show I don’t think you’re really going to have any ramifications of advertisers pulling out or anything - we’re talking about syndicated shows. We’ve tackled religion and sexuality, and a lot of things that are considered taboo, but I think in this day and age there are more important things to worry about than if a girl kisses a girl, really. I think people are beyond that.

With your interest in history, is that where you draw your philosophies from?
I don’t know - you certainly learn what philosophies to choose from, because it’s already been done, so I think it’s a little bit more interesting to choose your philosophies from something based [on what] you don’t know is going to happen! History’s always been a favourite of mine. I just like old things! Antiques - older men... When I walk into a room and flick a switch, I’m still in awe of electricity, everything is baffling to me. That is why I just recently learned how to turn on and off my powerbook computer! I don’t even use it because I’m afraid of it. I’d rather use ink and paper, I’m just more comfortable.

That’s ironic considering your role on Babylon 5.
Yeah! I’m a pretty good driver though!

What do you like to do at home?
I love to cook, I love to entertain, I like to play the piano and write music. I love having my friends around and building things and doing stuff and I love to read - I’m a bookaholic. I’m just now educating myself in television and film, it’s something that hasn’t been pervasive in my life, I’ve avoided it.

What sort of music do you like?
I like classical and jazz. But I don’t write classical or jazz. I write dance music and pop.

What instruments do you play?
I play piano okay, I’m not great. I fool around on a couple of instruments. I like putting things together - different sounds, different instruments. I just put bagpipes in dance song and it worked!

If you weren’t an actress, what do you think you’d be - a musician?
I would probably be a writer who also has a little hole in the wall restaurant or something, I don’t know. The music definitely, but I don’t think I’m good enough... I’m certainly not a good enough singer to support myself. But I do enjoy it immensely. In an ideal world, yeah. I’d be a rock star, well if I wasn’t an actress, I’d be the president...! I don’t know, I’d have to pick something a little more realistic. There’s no chance I’m going to be anything but an actress.