Lucy Lawless could face 3 years in prison (VIDEO)

GlobalPost

Lucy Lawless, the actress best known for "Xena: Warrior Princess," pled guilty on Thursday to trespassing, according to the Associated Press.

Lawless said she had no regrets about boarding an oil-drilling ship in New Zealand and preventing it from leaving the dock in February.

"For the first time in my life, I put my body and reputation on the line to stand up for my beliefs and do the right thing," she told the AP. "I hope I've encouraged other people to do the same."

Lawless joined a group of Greenpeace activists in boarding the Noble Discoverer for three days in February, preventing it from sailing to the Arctic to search for oil, according to Agence France Presse.

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The protest at the port of Taranaki ended peacefully though eight activists, including Lawless, were initially charged with burglary. They pled guilty in the Auckland District Court when the charges were downgraded to unlawful boarding.

Lawless said the protest had prompted 470,000 people to sign an online petition in opposition to deep sea drilling, according to AFP.

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"Peaceful action is the only way forward, a clean green Earth is what we need," she told reporters outside the court.

Lawless, 44, could face up to three years in prison, said People Magazine, but she doesn't expect jail time as a first-time offender in a peaceful protest.

Here is a clip from the original boarding of the ship in February, via The Huffington Post:

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