"Is that Gigi?" I ask.

"No ..." comes a cautious reply. "Errrrr ...?" Then there's a strange squeaky gurgling noise folllowed by an explosive, "Hehehehehehehe! Yes it is. Yes it is Gigi!" But not for long. Like Claudia Black, she's in transit, but this time travelling home from filming in a car driven by her boyfriend (they've been looking at a flat). Within minutes her mobile phone connection is lost. She phones back after a few seconds and suggests we wait until she gets home. "Yeah," I agree, "we can't hit any blackspots there." "Only the ones in Gigi's head," she says ... Cut to 30 minutes later ...

So, best newcomer, eh?

"How exciting! I can't believe it. I was only told yesterday. The PR guys sent me through a fax and I never got it. No-one ever gave it to me. And then they rang me and said, 'Now you do know you've won SF best newcomer.' And I went, 'What? Where? Who?' Hehehe! I feel absolutely humble ... Blown away! Especially when you're working such long hours, and getting a bit vulnerable, and to such an intense schedule. When something like that happens, it's like "Ahhhhh! Isn't that sweet?'"

Do you ever stand there in all that make-up wondering how the hell did you get yourself into this?

"More like, 'What's my line?' Because it gets so hot. Under that wig your brain starts to fry and you can see three of everyone, and people are going, 'Why can't you hit the mark?' And I'm going, 'Hang on a minute ... wha ... whe ... who ... huh?' In the middle of it all that was a really nice treat."

And it's voted for by the readers.

"Ahhh, you didn't rig it!? I was going to send you the cheque in the mail ..."

You just pipped Hugh Jackman.

"I beat Wolverine! My God! Does that mean I can get a raise now?"

Er, I can't arrange that ...! So, why do you think people have warmed to Chiana?

"Oooh, because, she's evil, and nasty, and everyone's got a taste of that in them, don't they? I think because she does what's right by her own rules. As someone said on the show, she gives her body away but her heart is a different matter. Whether it's an alien trait or whether it's an alien going through a weird kind of adolescence, it's very true, she does live with a passion, and she does live for the moment. I think there's a part of that in all of us - I know there's definitely a part in me - and it takes a lot of courage to find a place like that within yourself. Maybe that's what's enticing the viewers. Maybe that's what moves them to like a little grey girl."

You've also made the sexiest women in SF top ten. Does your boyfriend think Chiana's sexy?
Does he ever say "Come home in your cossie luv"?

"Heehee! He came onto set one day and he drove straight past me. I was waving at him, but he just gave me a couple of looks, so I was running after the car going, 'No it's me, come back!' I think he was a bit frightened at first. I don't know if he's do as far as inviting the alien home - I'm looking at him now and he doesn't look that impressed. I think we both like the alienness of Chiana, but I think if she got a bit domestic, she'd lose a lot of her spark and a lot of her edge that makes her what she is. You know - the dress and the moves and stuff. Actually, I think he appreciates that at times ..."

But I suppose, like all actors, you're going to say that sex scenes are about as glamourous as bin liners?

"I'll tell you what. We were doing a very raunchy 'nude' scene the other day and, you know, you can only have a camera at a certain angle. So you could only see my back and a bit of my side. It's half-way through, and, you know, you get nervous ... we'd got a bit hot and sweaty and FLIP! Off comes the modesty patch covering my nipples! Right in the middle of the take! And I thought, 'Go with it. Go with it." And of course everything was painted grey except that little strip. So they asked me, 'Do you want us to print that one because it was actually quite a good take?' So I said okay well let's print it up. And then someone said, 'Listen, man, it's got to go to the writers, to the producers and to the editors before it gets cut out.' So i went .... errrr, let's go again ..."

Chiana also looks like a bit of a New Romantic. Ever thought of keeping in character and popping down a nightclub?

"No ... no never. You know, there was some talk of Farscape having a float at the next gay and lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney. Can you imagine it!? Wouldn't it be fantastic? All of us dancing away on a float. But Jeez, I wouldn't want to be wearing that all night, I'll tell you. It gets very scary enough after an hour on set."

Any meaty storylines coming up for Chiana?

"Yeah, there's lots in store. There's places that she'll go that you've never seen her go before. She does explore a lot more of her alien attributes. And that's fantastic because that's where I wanted to take her. I was very nervous about meeting the challenge, but once you dive in there, and sitting back and watching the episode after it's finished you sort of get reassured that no, you're safe and this is okay ..."

What do you do to wind down, then?

"Just go to the park. Hang out at the beach. I jam with my boy a bit ... scat and blues. Just generally hang out. It's sometimes nice just to look at the stars for a bit and remind yourself what it's all about. The bigger picture. Don't take it all too seriously. And remember that it is all a bit of a dream. Because we're these weird human things, stuck on a rock in the middle of nowhere. Yes you do have to work your arse off to get where you want to go, but at the same time you've got to be able to play. Yes, it's important to support your fanily and to be supported by your family, but a lot of my friends live their life through their parents and stuff like that. Or they constantly want to live their lives for other people. And I'm bad at that. Because I do fall into that zone. But you've got to remember that as soon as you're happy with yourself then you're more use to other people."

Sounds like you're a bit of a dreamer. More in the John Lennon sense that a daydreamer ...

"I am that as well, let me tell you right now. Yeah, I'm sort of stuck in both worlds."

Is that a good credential for your current job?

"I'll tell you something. When I went for the audition initially I had been living in Sydney for about three or four months and nothing had come up. And Sydney rents are bloody expensive, and you have to work your arse off every day just to cover the rent. So I'm freakin' out ... eating rations, trying to stay positive ... And then this scene arrived underneath the door, and it's an alien. And it's like, 'Huh? This is weird.' Because growing up, my dad was an entrepeneur and very feet-on-the-ground, very earthed, very work-your-arse-off. While my mum's more 'Let's dance till dawn with the Indians!' She used to hold lectures with New Age speakers. And she used to come into my room at night, and say, 'Gee Geeg, we've found the cave!' And I would wake up - and this is like when I'm 13, 14 - and I'd say, 'What cave?' And she'd say, 'The aliens' cave. We've found it.' And I'd be dragged around in my PJs with my mum and a freaky guy with, you know, those sticks that find water. And it's like, 'Mum, can I go to bed now?' Then I'd go to school the next day absolutely buggered off my head, and tell a few friends, 'Yeah, we've found the aliens.' And I'd be sent to the counsellor ...

And when this script came through I rang up my mum and said, 'Guess what? I'm auditioning for an alien.' And she was like, 'You know, Geeg, I've got a feeling about this. Well, you've grown up with them all your life, haven't you?'

So maybe Chiana was waiting for me in a deep and dark corner all my life. Yeah, I am a bit of a dreamer because I don't know really what else there is ...

Hey, are you a Scorpio?"

Er ... no, Taurus ...

"A Taurus! You've got your feet firmly on the ground then. Hippy talk! I hate being a Scorpio! I used to come home from school and go, 'Mum, I can't believe you had me as a Scorpio. I'm so jealous and I'm envious ...' And she'd go, 'Embrace it, channel it into positive energy.'"

Do you feel positive energy about your action figure?

"I've experimented with the Chi doll and workshopped a few moves ... hehehee! She can stand on her good days, she can dance like a demon and reach almost every known - and unknown - yoga position. She can lie down real well. My room mates have joined in the game. Almost every night I return home and Chi has found a new stompin' ground round da house. Occasionally they even go as far as accessorising her with their own limited edition ideas ..."