If you’re thinking that you’ve seen Olivia D’Abo within the past decade or two then you’re probably right since she’s been quite active since her first role in Conan: The Destroyer, and she’s kept her career moving forward and upward at times since she’s aged incredibly well and has kept herself as one of the more appealing if slightly lesser-known actresses in Hollywood. The reason I say appealing is that she is, of course, a very beautiful woman, but there’s also something else about her, a quality that’s hard to define, that makes Olivia alluring because of the way she approaches her roles and is so undeniably present and in the moment when on screen. She’s also fully capable of hiding away in the middle of a crowd if she needs to, but that same quality will allow her to step into the open when it’s required and allows her to stand alone even when surrounded by other actors. As I said, it’s hard to describe, but it’s definitely noticeable if one opens themselves to the experience and pushes past the idea that she is a very attractive woman. Seeing past that isn’t always easy for everyone, but looking for the intangible qualities that an actor possesses is necessary for many people and a habit for those that don’t want to judge a book by its cover, so to speak.
Olivia’s first role as Princess Jehnna, eventually to be Queen Jehnna, was interesting since it painted her as an innocent young girl, but also a bit of a haughty, spoiled brat since she appeared to relish the fact that she was able to order Conan about as she might with any soldier under her queen’s command. That’s likely why it was so funny when Conan pushed back and told her what was what a time or two since he knew better than she did from experience and wasn’t about to be bossed around by a young girl. It might be a bit of misogyny, but the fact is that there are times when women know better than men and there are times when men know better. It has more to do with experience and being worldly than it does with who’s in charge and who calls the shots a lot of times, and in the movie, Conan was the seasoned adventurer and warrior, and his word was a lot more valuable than someone who had been tucked up in a palace for most of her life. But to her own credit, Princess Jehnna was a strong-willed character even if she wasn’t particularly strong in any other manner. The fact that Conan left at the end of the movie forge his own kingdom is still an arguable point among some fans, even if it’s a moot one.
Another great and convincing role that she took on was that of Nicole Wallace on the show Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Wallace was a conniving and duplicitous character to be certain and she definitely had a bit of twisted fun running Detective Goren around a time or two since she had something personal against Goren, or so it felt. Strangely enough, she was only on the show for five episodes, but they were five of the most pointedly disturbing episodes of the show considering that Wallace didn’t have a lot of boundaries that she wouldn’t cross and it was kind of apparent that she didn’t mind matching wits with Goren, which is amazing since the guy was an encyclopedia of knowledge that could be accessed at any given point even if it meant that he was going to act strangely and unnerve a lot of people around him with his continual questions and a rather unorthodox style of constant movement that would give anyone pause. Her character was, simply put, a sociopath that many would label a psychopath since it didn’t appear that she had any genuine feeling towards anyone. This was debunked though when it was apparent that she knew when to stop herself, indicating that she had a sense of right and wrong, but that it was highly conditional. There was a moment when fans thought that Wallace might have died, but they were allowed to vote on it to see if she would indeed be taken off the show or if she would be given another chance. When she was given another chance there was a feeling that her time on the show was nearly done. But in true Law & Order fashion, her end came in a way that people didn’t expect, and in a manner that was only fitting for someone such as Nicole Wallace.
Olivia has had a rather successful career over the years and she’s even gone into doing voice work for various projects. On top of this, she’s also a musician that has been working on her career for years, so when asking what’s happened to her and what’s become of her, one can only say that she’s living her own dream right now and is likely having a great time with it.
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