Is a Confessor's power really all that reliable?

I'm not ashamed to admit it, I watch the Jeremy Kyle show - someone has to. It was during a recent episode that I realised the lie detector test they use to 'catch out' guests works in the same way as a Confessor.

A lie detector test cannot tell if you're lying, only if you believe you are.

In Legend of the Seeker episode 11, Confession, Kahlan's power ends up committing an innocent man to death. How is that possible if a confessed person cannot lie? It plays on the weakness of belief. If you believe in something so entirely, it wouldn't be a lie to you, it'd be real.

A Confessor therefore, cannot tell if you're lying, they can only tell if you believe in what you're saying. In the end it comes down to perception. Perception is a very selfish ideal, very one minded. Yet it's only validated through the eyes of others. Think of it as interpretation.

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Richard Cypher has a date with destiny, but he certainly doesn't have one with the beautiful woman he just met named Kahlan. She catches his eye whilst running through the forests of Hartland, complete with four soldiers hot on her heels. Suspecting danger, Richard does the honourable thing and protects Kahlan, or at least tries to. An unexpected blow from one of the soldiers leaves him knocked out on the ground with little chance of helping her. But already the prophecy has begun, and Richard and Kahlan's chance encounter will lead them to meet each other once again, entwining their destinies in a fight for freedom, truth and love... Click here to continue reading.

After playing an assortment of weird and wonderful characters in fantasy and sci-fi over the years how does it feel to finally be playing the wise old mentor?

Well I guess I've served my apprenticeship. Zedd is certainly a grand character and I've been in scenes with Gandalf, Obi Wan Kenobi, and assorted characters so I'm prepared to take on the mantle of a mentor; a wizard character in this quite superb epic... Click here to read the rest of the interview.

Your character is a very powerful heroine who can more than take care of herself. Do you find it liberating playing such a strong character?

Absolutely. I love Kahlan. When I signed on to do this show it was really without a script, they had just picked up the series of books to make a show, and I just fell in love with her, I thought she was so unique. I'd played strong women before but not ones that were so physically strong; she can tackle any man to the ground. Also she's got wisdom and strength. I just adore her... Click here to read the rest of the interview.

Have you always been a fan of fantasy or was the whole swords and sorcery world new to you?

I was a massive fan of fantasy. I had an older brother who was about thirteen years older than me and he brought me into the world of Conan and star Wars. He had all these movies lying around, he had comic books everywhere; he had lots of the original Star Wars figures. I was easily brought into that world of fantasy. There wasn't a day when I wasn't running around the back yard with swords and killing imaginary orcs... Click here to read the rest of the interview

UGO: What kind of reaction have you had from fans of the books?

Craig: I’ve notice a 50/50 split but I think lately fans are starting to come around to the show. I, myself, had to make the adujustment when I got the script. We love the characters and we were given permission from Terry Goodkind to work with this world and really develop it. For example we had an episode that aired a few weeks ago called “Denna” and we had a really postive repsonse from the fans. We were true to the book - the costumes and everything and we do try to give the fans a few wink winks here and there... Read more?

Who's your audience for Legend of the Seeker?

Tapert: Who is our audience? Our audience is people who enjoy fantasy, and if you look at motion pictures, who went to see Lord of the Rings? Who went to see Spider-Man? Who went to see Iron Man? We're entertainment in a broad fashion. It has a heart and soul for people who want to be made to feel through what they watch on television. And it also provides a visceral thrill. It's got big action set pieces. So we're hoping that the audiences who once enjoyed Hercules and Xena, which, although not that same group of people, but that same demographic, would hopefully show up for this, along with people who have clearly demonstrated over the years that there's a huge marketplace in the theatrical world for hero-driven fantasy entertainment...More?

“It’s really about the characters, the relationships, the love story, the politics, and all that,” he concludes. “When you are in another world that represents nothing of what you are used to in your own life, you can escape and start believing in these characters. Before you know it, you are invested in this world and buying it. The stakes become real. Okay, sure it’s the end of the world, but you get it because you are engaged by these characters.”... More?

Mr. Raimi said he became a big fan of Mr. Goodkind’s books after a friend mentioned that his son was devouring them. In particular, he said, he was attracted to the evolution of the male lead.

“He’s a boy thrust into a position of adulthood where he has to immediately become a leader and a hero,” Mr. Raimi said in a phone interview. “That is very compelling to me, especially in the context of a really fun adventure story.”

Mr. Tapert also became hooked on the story — laid out in 11 books that have sold more than 25 million copies worldwide — and saw an opening in the syndication business that had not existed in nearly a decade. ... More?

How free are you to diverge from the books--or book, since you're primarily adapting Wizard's First Rule--and maybe take those characters in another direction? Or are you planning on following them pretty closely?

Tapert: We've actually remained true to the characters, and what we've done is we've taken aspects of the book, storylines from the book, and blended those into episodes that differ from the book or run tangentially. ... We've had to, in the world of television, create events that were not portrayed in the book but still remained true to the characters, the theme and what's happening within the overarching story within the book.... More?

Keeping with Kahlan, what was it about Bridget that drew you to her for the role?

Raimi: Rob was the one who found Bridget and showed her to me. He'll have to say how he originally discovered her, but when I saw her I just thought that she was ... I believed her. I believed the things that she said. Obviously, she's striking. She's quite beautiful to look at, but a lot of actresses are beautiful. But she made these fantastic situations and fantasy situations, ... she grounded them by being very human and real. And when she expressed emotion, I was moved by her, and I believed her, and I thought we couldn't ask for anything more. Because these are stories of friendship and loyalty and self-sacrifice. And if you don't really believe the people in the center of the characters--if you don't really believe that they're rooted and someone really exists in a three-dimensional way--then those stories won't have the weight. It won't work at all. So it was her, I guess, ability to just convey that she was a solid, soulful individual. That's what convinced me. But Rob, how did you come upon her? ... More?

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Spider-Man director Sam Raimi is taking on a different heroic tale as executive producer of Legend of the Seeker (Nov. 1, check local listings), based on the Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind.

"It's an exciting story of heroes, and it's a love story. And it's got a lot of action," Raimi says.

In Seeker, Richard Cypher (Craig Horner) and Kahlan (Bridget Regan), aided by the wizard Zedd (Bruce Spence), are on a quest to stop tyrant Darken Rahl (Craig Parker) from releasing an ancient evil. The first season will track Wizard's First Rule but will include elements from later novels, says Rob Tapert, also an executive producer.

Raimi and Tapert produced Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

The new series should appeal to families, as those earlier shows did, but "it's a little straighter in its tone, a little bit more serious of a drama," Raimi says. —Bill Keveney