Fans of the epic fantasy series Legend of the Seeker take note: The series is back, with a new episode, “Mirror,” added this weekend and four more on the way, including the Season 1 finale. For those uninitiated, Legend of the Seeker follows the journey of Richard Cypher, a young woodsman who discovers that he has a bigger mission in life: he’s part of a prophecy to end oppression with the help of a mysterious woman named Kahlan (Bridget Regan) and a wise wizard named Zedd (Bruce Spense). The show is based on Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth book series, and was created by Sam Raimi and others from the team behind Hercules: Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. Last week, Hulu spoke to Legend of the Seeker‘s Craig Horner, who plays Richard. — Rebecca Harper (), Editor

Hulu: Legend of the Seeker is filmed in New Zealand, but you’re from Australia. What’s it like? Are you isolated while you’re shooting?

Craig Horner: Even though it’s like a three-hour flight, it’s still like I’m in a different place. I’m completely isolated from my friend and family and just don’t have the time to go back. I work so late, it’s hard to get the last flight on a Friday night, and it’s just not worth flying for one night. It’s tough.

In terms of culture, there are a lot of similarities between Australia and New Zealand. We’re close to each other but so far from everything else. We’ve got instant passports, so you can shuttle back and forth between Australia and New Zealand, no matter where you’re from. My dad’s a Kiwi, so I knew a bit about New Zealand, so it wasn’t that hard for me. But it was hard for someone like Bridget because Auckland and San Diego couldn’t be more opposite. She learned and adjusted really well.

So were you into these sort of fantasy epic adventures when you were younger?

Yeah, absolutely. I loved Conan and Star Wars and anything like that. I was obsessed with it, I loved it.

Before you tried out for the role of Richard Cypher, had you read any of the Sword of Truth books that the series is based on?

I read a little bit for the first audition because I didn’t know much about it, but a friend of mine who’s a writer, he’s read like five of the books, so he was like “You should really audition it, here’s a book and just read a bit of it.” So I did that for the first audition and sent away the tape. When I got asked to do a real kind of screen test, I read the book and it was awesome. He was right. We didn’t have too many scripts available, so I did this guy based on the book. The book was great. It was an awesome character. No matter what happened with this role, I could do good stuff with it.

Many of the scenes in the book are too graphic for TV. How have you guys worked around this?

You know, it’s not necessary. We’re making a different show. If we were making Wizard’s First Rule, then we’d probably have to go to all that graphic stuff, which wouldn’t be allowed on TV. So I think the fact that now we’ve just fully accepted that we’re making our own show based on the Sword of Truth series, we don’t need that stuff. I think it works better in books. You don’t want to go to those dark places every day in your [living room] with your family. You just want to read them and think about them and let them have an effect on you. But you know, it wouldn’t work on a family show. We did an episode like “Denna,” which is — gosh, in the book, the torture is long and there’s a lot more sex involved, but I didn’t care if we got to do that or not. I just wanted to go through this journey of a defiant man who was basically just tortured and has to put his dignity away in a little room, lock it away with a key, and just get through this situation and be this woman’s slave so he can just get through and survive. That’s all it was about. When I read that part of the book, I didn’t go “Aw gee, I really hope we get to go on and do all those horrible things which I won’t name.” Instead, it was “Gee I really hope I get to do that journey as an actor, that’s really cool” and I did.

How did you prepare for the role of Richard? What skills did you need to learn?

In terms of action, I definitely needed a couple weeks’ prep. And we’ve got really good stunt coordinators and horse wranglers and all that. So I had a few weeks of just prepping myself for that, because I knew it was going to be demanding and I wanted to do as many stunts as I can. I hate it when you have an action hero but when it comes to those fights scenes, you just don’t believe it. And that’s so important, it’s just as important to be able to actually fight like a hero as it is to act like one. You don’t want to rely on the stunt double. So I really wanted to do well in that, and I tried really hard.

In terms of developing the character, the book is such a good source to go to. It’s kind of like told from his point of view, and you really get to go in his mind and journey.

I read that your stunt double, Glen Levy, has the hardest punch in the world. Has he taught you the secret?

[Laughs.] Kind of. You have to develop these first few levels before you can get there, but I know the gist of it. I just can’t do it anywhere near as good as he can. You basically have to build up strength, that core strength and everything. I just got him to start teaching me the one-inch punch, and it’s all these tiny little things that you have to just think about and basically not think about, and do them all it once and very minimally. You do it like 100 times, and you literally get it once and you go, “Wow, oh my god, that’s it!” That’s what’s been around for hundreds and hundreds of years in kung fu and China and all that kind of stuff. It’s crazy, and I have a respect for it. It’s basically channeling the Earth’s energy from the ground, through your big toe, sending it through your body, and releasing it three inches away from a person. You’re sending all that energy into their organs, into their lungs, their heart, wherever, their muscles. And it sends all that negative energy, those electrons that just have nowhere to go, so the muscle just starts pulsing… We’re getting way off-topic here, but I just get so interested in it. Every day, I’m like “Glen, teach me, teach me, teach me.” If this show only lasts for two or three seasons, I want to have absorbed as much of his kung fu knowledge as I can.

You have an athletic background and it says you enjoy playing soccer and kayaking. Did that help with all your training?

Absolutely. I think it’s a result of where I grew up. Take practically anywhere in Australia, especially in Queensland. You’ve got heaps of space and it’s a very heavily outdoors-oriented kind of culture. Every kid goes out to play. You get home and you go straight out on the street, where the kids in the neighborhood play soccer and run around. So it was a combination of that and having a dad who was always willing to play cricket with me and my mates after school, or just getting out and throwing tennis balls, it doesn’t matter. I was always very, very active. I love sports. That was kind of easy coming into this physically demanding role. I just had to make a few adjustments of learning how to swing this way, and swing that sword that way. My horse riding wasn’t that good, so I needed a lot of help in the area.

Can you talk about your relationship with Bridget Regan, who plays Kahlan?

Me and Bridget get along like a house on fire. We’re really good. We got close as soon as we got here because like Richard and Kahlen, who are traveling an unknown world together on their own, and that’s kind of what we did. She’s from America, I was from Australia, we’re in New Zealand. We bonded quite instantly. She’s smart. Some actors just get it and some don’t. She gets it.

I don’t know how long they’re going to keep this Richard and Kahlan thing going in Season 2. It’s the classic Capulet and Montague story. They want to be together, but they really can’t, and they’re not supposed to. How long can they fight it, and what are they willing to sacrifice? But the last five episodes of this season are really good, they delve into a bit of that.

This show has some fanatic fans, with page after page of discussions on Hulu. Some of the discussions go so far as to critique the way you wield a sword. Were you expecting that sort of reaction, that minute attention to detail?

Let’s face it. I was one of those kids. Probably because I didn’t have access to a decent computer and Internet at a young age, I didn’t really do that kind of stuff where you go on and you blog and all that. But I probably would have. I wouldn’t have taken it [as far as some people do], but I don’t mind that. It’s totally cool. It’s just a hobby, and when people understand that it’s all fun and games, it’s kind of a fun thing, too.

Are people here in the U.S. starting to recognize you? Have you had any funny run-ins with fans?

This nice little gentleman pops out of a massage parlor yesterday and says to me “Are you the Seeker?” I was like “Yes, I am.” How is cool is that? As a kid, you dream that when you grow up, someone will come up to you and say “Are you Batman?” and you go, “Yes, I am.” This kind of happened, in a way. It was cute. And then he gave this weird, Earth Day lollipop plant or something that looks like something you should shove into the ground. I didn’t know what to do with it, so it’s sitting on my kitchen table. It looks pretty — well no, it doesn’t really, it just looks like a piece of dirt on a stick.

Well, Happy Earth Day!

Yeah, “Happy Earth Day, here’s a piece of earth! On a stick!” It was really awesome. I made his day.

What’s it like playing a hero?

It’s cool because it’s something I’ve wanted. I’ve been in the acting industry for nine years now and I’m glad because it takes about that time to really be able to go “Hey, put me as number one on the call sheet; I’m ready.” Certain people have different challenges at different times and yeah, someone’s first job might make them number one, and they might own it. Or they might not. I think I was ready to take on that kind of role now, bringing that know-how to the show, being a leader. It was a challenge I was willing to take on and really hope to do well at.

I have to ask, what’s the secret to those abs?

Ha-ha. Look, I work out a lot. I try really hard. Richard Cypher’s supposed to be a very chiseled woods guide. I don’t know if you’re familiar with the books, but you know how those books are “as he rips the vines, his muscles…” He’s a strong guy, and I wanted to look strong, so I try hard. I exercise as much as I can and eat right, go to the gym and all that, run. Exercise and food, that’s the secret.