Lucy Lawless Pleads Guilty To Protesting On Ship

Lucy Lawless might not regret boarding an oil-drilling ship a few months back to prevent it from sailing to the arctic, but that doesn't mean she's ready to devote her life to environmental activism. That seems to be the message to take away from a new interview the Spartacus actress gave The Associated Press today following her court appearance.

During the proceedings, the actress pled guilty to trespassing charges, which, in New Zealand, carry a maximum sentence of three years, but considering she's a first time offender, Lawless doesn't expect to get anything more than a slap on the wrist. Her bigger concern is whether the conviction could prevent her from obtaining the proper documentation to work in different countries. Since this was a one-off occurrence, I anticipate the majority of places will see fit to let the former Xena: Warrior Princess star through their borders, but I guess we won't know for sure until she tries to land a job in some truly bizarre location.

For the foreseeable future, Lawless will reportedly continue to support Greenpeace causes, though in a far less noticeable and lawbreaking capacity. Whether that's money, time, energy or positive press isn't known, but she's made it clear her support will stop short of heading to jail in the future. It's hard to fault her for that. Most people aren't willing to get arrested for something they believe in once, let alone twice.

Lawless and her seven co-defendants will be officially sentenced in September. We'll bring you the punishments as soon as we get wind of the court's decision.