Soul of The L Word

We may argue about The L Word, but on this we all agree: Jennifer Beals takes our breath away. The star opens up about shooting sex scenes, being a new mom, and giving lesbians what they want
By Anne Stockwell
Excerpted from The Advocate  January 31, 2006
By virtue of her acting chops and star power, Jennifer Beals unshakably anchors the L Word ensemble as lipstick lesbian dynamo Bette Porter, who aspires to run the world and never break a sweat. Born in Chicago, her mother Irish and her father African-American, Beals was 19 years old when she ripped the neck out of a sweatshirt and aerobicized herself into film history with 1983’s Flashdance. Directed by Adrian Lyne and cowritten by Joe Eszterhas, this was just one of a crop of would-be imitators of Saturday Night Fever. With her model’s stature and wounded eyes, Beals turned it into something else again.

The “wounded eyes” thing shows up in every story ever written on Beals, and no wonder. Those liquid brown eyes are a gift of nature, and Beals—an agile intellect who majored in American literature at Yale—deploys them to stunning advantage. In The L Word, Beals has put The Eyes in the service of lesbian fans everywhere, using that smoldering gaze to create some of the most erotic woman-to-woman love scenes in memory. Even Chaiken can’t explain how Beals works her magic. “I’ve never met anybody else,” says L Word creator Ilene Chaiken simply, “who can do it like she can.”

Do people still assume that you have to be a lesbian to play one on TV?
No, not at all. At least they don’t say that to me. I heard a rumor that somebody—a studio executive in L.A. who saw some of the show—assumed I was bisexual. Which was a huge compliment to me, because oftentimes I will go Leisha or Kate or Ilene or Rose Troche most often and ask, “OK, is this the right thing to do? Is this not the right thing to do? Am I going to seem like a total chump if I do this?” And so I feel really proud, actually, that somebody would think that I was bisexual—I was pleased with myself. And I don’t care, frankly. But I think mostly people will ask the question to get a titillating lead for their article. My older brother is a journalist, so I know how the game works.

Some in the lesbian community have said, “Everyone’s too pretty, too rich”—all of that. But on this season there’s going to be a more explicit look at butch and femme roles.
Yeah, I think Ilene’s explored that so far. But, you know, it is TV. I don’t know any group of people in New York who look like the characters on Friends either. But I take their point. It excites me that if people don’t like something, they voice their opinion about it. Because this, by and large, is a group that’s never been represented. And instead of just saying, “Oh, we’re so thrilled to be represented and we’ll take whatever we can get,” there are very specific opinions of how people want to be represented.

Let’s talk about season 3. Your character, Bette, is at a crossroads. The job’s gone. Her father has died. Her relationship with Tina has to be rekindled. And then there’s a new life that requires more commitment than she’s ever given anybody.
Yes, it’s true. It’s the curveballs that come, one after the other. The second season was definitely the trials of Job in a way, and then this season has its own trials that aren’t as necessarily evident but are profound nonetheless.

In what direction does Bette most need to grow at this point?
[Sighs] I don’t know. It’s hard for me to presume to say how someone needs to grow. Then I’m standing back and judging her, which is a tricky thing to do as an actor. I think she needs a really good attorney at this point. [Anne laughs]

Having seen the first couple of episodes, I can only say that baby Angelica is a gorgeous, beautiful baby.
Oh, that kid is just—her name is Olivia, and she’s just such a delight. She makes me laugh so hard, and she’s been so patient with all of us. Oftentimes, working with children can be very hard. They don’t know where they are, they don’t know why they’re there, and they don’t enjoy it. But she clearly enjoys being around.


翻译关键地方:
Did Jennifer Beals out Kate Moennig as a Lesbian?
Jennifer Beals(以下简称为J)是否踢爆了Kate Moennig(简称K)是les?
So, did Jennifer Beals “out” Kate Moennig as a lesbian in a recent interview with The Advocate?
那么，J究竟有没有在THE ADVOCATE的采访中踢爆k是LES呢？

The Advocate January 31, 2006 issue asked Jennifer, “Do people still assume that you have to be a lesbian to play one on TV?”
2006年1约31日，Advocate的采访中，向J提问“有没有人仍旧猜测如果你在剧中是个les，那么你在现实生活中就必须也是呢？
Jennifer responded, “Not at all.
J回答，“决不是。
At least they don’t say that to me. I heard a rumor that
至少对我而言不是这样。我听到一些传言，
somebody—a studio executive in L.A. who saw some of the show

某些人——一个看过了部分the l word的一个洛杉矶的演播室的主管猜测
assumed I was bisexual. Which was a huge compliment to me,
我是个双性恋。这对我来说真是句恭维话。
because oftentimes I will go to Leisha or Kate or Ilene or
因为我经常去问leisha、kate、ilene或大多数时候是问rose troche
Rose Troche most often and ask, “OK, is this the right thing
“好吧，我是不是应该这样演？是不是应该这样做？
to do? Is this not the right thing to do? Am I going to seem
我会不会因此看起来像个傀儡？（就是说是不是戏会演得很生硬）
like a total chump if I do this?”
Hmm… Leisha Hailey is an out lesbian. IIene Chaiken is an out
嗯……leisha hailey是个出了柜的les.iiene chaiken也是个公开的les
lesbian. Rose Troche is an out lesbian. Can we conclude from
Rose Troche是个公开的les。那么我么是否可以从J的陈述中
Jennifer Beal’s statement that Kate Moennig is an out lesbian too?
得出结论：katheting moennig 也是一个公开的les呢？

Catching up w/Jennifer Beals...

By Greg Hernandez on May 13, 2008 3:31 PM

Has it really been 25 years since Jennifer Beals put on that torn sweatshirt and became a huge star in "Flashdance"? You can't tell by looking at the beautiful face of the 44-year-old actress who currently stars on Showtime's "The L Word."

Jennifer plays Ivy League educated lesbian Bette Porter on the series which is set to begin shooting its sixth and final season which will air in 2009.

"It's bittersweet," Jennifer said of the landmark show's impending end. "But I think the most important thing is that we've been telling these stories of these women in Los Angeles. What I hope mis when the show is off the air, that someone will continue to tell stories from the lesbian community in one way or another."
Jennifer, married to Ken Dixon and the mother of a 2-year-old daughter, has appeared in more than 50 movies including "Devil in a Blue Dress," "The Bride," "The Twilight of the Golds" and "The Anniversary Party." But her only previous experience with series television was way back in 1992 when she co-starred with Lisa Hartman and Drew Barrymore on the CBS summer series "2000 Malibu Road."

She didn't seem to too pleased that I mentioned "Malibu" but it was good fun as I recall.

"It's very, very different," Jennifer said of working on the two series. "This is a completely different animal. Working at Showtime and working with (series creator) Ilene Chaiken, it's been such a real pleasure. And I've also had a really great character to play - a very rich character to play."

Jennifer had just completed a film with Kevin Kline called "Joueuse" before preparing for the final season of "L Word." Still a student at Yale when she made the big studio film "Flashdance," the actress has enjoyed some of her best roles in independent films in addition to "L Word."

"It's really about the role and it's about the story," she said. "I'll go wherever the good story is."

GLAAD S.F. It worked! I spoke with JB & IC briefly !!

written by Starbug. A very luckly guy!!!

There’s no two, three, four ways about it, JB is stunningly beautiful, even more so in person! I was (and still am) am in awe. I’m glad to report folks that my dream and your wish has come true. You will never believe what happened, I still don’t. Okay, get ready for a long story because I’m going to tell you everything as you all wanted me to. I arrive rather early and check in but cannot yet enter the cocktail reception area. I wait in the Marriott lobby and seal up the 9x12 manila envelope with the Mother’s Day card and the letter from Calebsmama as well as the donor list page, the credits page and the print out pages of Happy Trail Farms (I also included the print out of the PicScripts that P&G have collaborated on). I write on the envelope “To: Jennifer Beals - From: Your OurChart fans” all the while thinking that I might be taking this manila envelope back home with me. I wait until 4:45 p.m. and then enter the cocktail reception area. It’s just really a long lobby with auction tables and several hosted cocktail bars. Not many people are there yet and I get a bit bored. So I snuck into the dining room where the GLAAD awards will also be presented, I happened to find an open door all the others were locked. I sneak in and notice that my dining table no. where I’m suppose to be sitting is right in front of me. It’s very dark in the dining auditorium and the tables have not been fully serviced yet with napkins, silverware, etc. I can hear the noise of dishes and silverware in the back. The stage is half way lit and it seems like they’re testing out the sound equipment. No one else is in there but me and a few stage hands. I still hang around while checking my cell phone for msgs. Then I happen to see someone short with regular street clothes with a young assistant (I’m assuming it was her assistant) and I think do you suppose it’s Ilene … it was !! She was talking to the stage person. In any case, they head for the door to leave and I run to them very quickly (no one else is in this big dining auditorium and it’s dark) and I say, “Wait, wait !” They stop and I’m in total shock but at the same time I knew I had to give the manila envelope with JB’s stuff to Ilene. So I said, “Ilene, hello, could you please give this to Jennifer, it’s from the OurChart members and it’s a gift. We’ve been talking about giving this to her on OC for a long time!” Ilene said, “Sure, she can take it for you as she pointed to the young girl standing with her who I assume was her assistant. (I don’t know if any of you watch LOST but the young girl assistant looked like Ben and Danielle’s daughter). Ilene is SHORT. She’ shorter than I am and I’m only 5’ 3”. Ilene was very nice but seemed in a hurry so I didn’t say anymore to keep her. I did what we all had hoped and that was to pass the card to Jennifer. I was very excited ! I then went back out into the lobby and had a couple of cocktails and was walking around the place snooping around, you know a scope out of the territory. Down the hall and to the left of the escalators in the back I found the room where the celebrities go when they first arrive, you know when all the photographs are taken. The room was big and lit and you could see that back drop with the AbsolutVodka ads and other ads on it where they have their pics taken in front of. I then asked one of several people standing by the door in the hallway if this is open to the public. She said it wasn’t …too bad. At least I got to look in. It was still pretty quiet so I began talking to a security guard and then one of the people who escort the celebrities to the Private Celebrity Reception Room. I asked her if she would be escorting JB and she said no, some celebrities like JB have their own personal escort and enter from a more private area (understandable when you have someone like me trying to sneak a peek, they must have known I was coming). I walked back over to the cocktail reception area and was standing by the escalators having more cocktails (yeah, that’s right, I wanted to get a good, nice buzz). Then slowly people started coming down the escalator and going to that private celebrity photo/reception area that I just peeked in on. I then saw Ilene and her assistant come down the escalator and they were dressed up. Eventually more and more people began to come down. Judith Light was there with a small entourage and stood right by me. Interesting to hear their conversation. Then Ilene came back out of the photograph and celebrity reception area and as she walked by me I stuck out hand my and congratulated her. I think she must of remembered me from an hour ago. She was very nice and said, “Thank you, thank you very much”. It’s strange when you’re around celebrities I always feel if I go to them more than once that I may look like a stalker and I don’t like that feeling. The female escort that I had somewhat befriended while I was there had told me that she heard that Jennifer might not be here because she had not arrived yet. That about killed me but I thought just relax and that it’s all hear-say so I just tried to remain calm. I thought, why would JB not come especially since this award is for Ilene unless there was a family emergency or she missed her plane. But so far I had seen Ilene only with her assistant and no JB. I still had hope. Okay, so now the place is getting packed. I see Alan Cummings, the Scottish guy who worked for Kit in The Planet. I stop him and shake his hand, I say, “Hey Alan !” He puts out his hand and then I say I love The L Word, he smiles and moves on. I notice a very elderly lesbian couple and begin talking to them. They were so cute, one was 78 and the other 85 !! The 78 year old was wearing a tuxedo and the 85 year old sort of the same but with a blue shirt. They told me they’ve been together for 40 years ! And one of them owned several lesbian bars in SF way back when. She had been jailed a few times too for running a women’s bar and getting busted for having lesbians congregate, that was back in the 40s or 50s, can’t remember but… can you imagine ! Things have changed for them a lot they told me. They were very interesting to talk to. So now the lights go on and off in the cocktail reception area to let us know it’s time for dinner and that we should all go into the dining room. I find my table and took a seat. I introduced myself to the people at my table and the food is beginning to get served …..do you even think I was one bit hungry, no. Then this guy and his mother come to our table and asks me if this is table 58. I said yes, so we all had to scoot over to make room so he and his mother could sit together. His mother is sitting to my right and he is one over. TURNS OUT, THIS GUY IS JENNIFER’S HAIR DRESSER! His name is Rod Ortega and he took his mom to GLAAD as a Mother’s Day gift. His mom lives in Palm Springs. I didn’t know he was Jennifer’s hairdresser until I heard him tell his mom, “There’s Jennifer, I’m going to go over there to get her so she can meet you”, he left and I turn to his mom and I said, “WHAT? Does he mean Jennifer Beals ??” His mother said yes, my son is her hair dresser” Can you imagine .. HOW LUCKY WAS THAT ! What were the odds ! I mean really, what on earth were the odds ?! Well, you can imagine how I felt ! It’s funny though, I was so excited that I was calm … I’m not sure anyone can understand that feeling or perhaps it was just my slight “brown out”. I saw him go to Jennifer’s table way in the front and I thought to myself, there is no way she’s going to come up here. I turn to look and here she comes walking with him to our fricking table ! Now the things coming up that I’m going to describe seemed to have happened very fast and it did but I have total recall (for once). He immediately introduces JB to his mom and they hug and then I knew I HAD to say something because what better chance could anyone ever have than this! I interrupt and looking up to her, all the while seated in my seat, I asked Jennifer if she received the manila envelope with the card, she said no she didn’t (she came very late and Rod, her hairdresser told me that earlier). I then proceeded to tell Jennifer about the Horse Rescue and that we purchased a horse in honor of her and under her name. Guys, she was thrilled ! She said, “Oh my God, thank you!” She bent down a bit and asked me my name (yes, I could have died) I told her my OC user name is Starbug and then also told her my real name. I then continued about the horse and told her that it was another OC member’s idea, Calebsmama, and that the horse we saved for her was a Percheron and that we saved this horse from its ultimate death. JB said that Percherons are beautiful (I think JB really knows her horses) she said that they do suffer abuse and she knew the cruelty that these horses go through so, of course, she was really happy and I don’t think she could believe we did this for her. God, I think I was in heaven but my mouth kept going (which is good for once, thank god I didn’t freeze up!). I told her I left all the info she needed to know in the card in an envelope for her and that I had given it to Ilene. (Rod told me later that Jennifer reads everything she gets so he was sure she would have it and read it, especially since I gave it to Ilene). I told her JB looked even more stunning in person (and folks she was absolutely GORGEOUS!) What struck me is how slender and thin she was and how delicate and feminine she looked. Her skin was beautiful. Also that woman is TALL. I then asked her if I could shake her hand and we did ! She was absolutely wonderful ! I asked to quickly take some pictures. She then had to leave back to her table in a hurry. I was very satisfied as you can imagine ! BTW, Rod, her hairdresser told me he also does Jennifer Lopez’s hair, Sharon Stone, Sara Shahi (who will not return to TLW by the way, so he told me because she’s playing in something else, some TV show I’ve never seen). He also told me that they won’t begin shooting TLW until July (I guess because it’s only 8 episodes). So in my continued on and off chat during dinner with Rod, (I stress again, he’s JB’s hairdresser), I asked him how it is working with JB and working with that beautiful head of hair. He pretty much said what I expected, that JB is a really nice, gentle person and that her hair is beautiful. I asked him if she tells him how to do her hair or if he decides what would look good on her and he said both. By the way, he does her hair only for shows and promotions so not when she’s doing The L Word. The Awards ceremony then started and I got up out of my chair to walk along the side of the room so I could get closer to the stage to take better pictures. I was actually amazed that no one else got up to do this. The only few people standing on the sides were some of the hosts. I seemed to be the only person walking up and down and taking pictures. (I was also amazed that even though they had security guard people dressed in plain clothing there wasn’t really any kind of security that I could see. You can pretty much walk anywhere into any room or talk with any celebrity without any kind of security guard around them). It was too dark in the room though so unless you were close, even with a zoom, you couldn’t see very well or take good pictures. I finally saw where IC and JB were sitting. I tried to take pictures but they didn’t turn out, too far and too dark. But I did take them when JB was giving the award to IC. When JB came onstage she apologized for having to put on her reading glasses. (I thought to myself, but you look great in your glasses, why apologize?) After putting them on, she then said, “I know, now I’m the librarian”. It was interesting to see everyone onstage reading the monitor. No wonder they don’t stumble on what to say, there’s a big TV monitor in front of them that scrolls down so you can read from it. I keep forgetting they have that, I’m lame. Ilene’s award was the last one to be presented. She made a powerful and ranting speech about how we still have a long way to go in television especially to tell our stories and to have the LGBT community properly represented. I think it was a prelude to what they will surprise us with during Season 6, perhaps another type L word series, who knows. But it seemed very clear with Ilene’s acceptance speech that there’s going to be life after The L Word, YES ! When the awards ended and everyone began to leave I saw JB hugging, Alan Cummings I think, and then after a short period she left very quickly with 2-3 people, perhaps her personal escort. You know, I think it must be hard being a celebrity, you’re constantly on the go because you don’t want to get clogged up with all these people coming up to you. But I do think JB was in a hurry and Ilene too to get home to LA right away, after all tomorrow (which is now today) is Mother’s Day. I was lucky enough to get one more quick pic in the lobby of JB when she was leaving. Again, the thing that struck me most about JB is her finesse! She is delicate and feminine, perhaps refined is the best word to use. She was very stunning. By the way, IC mentioned JB several times in her speech and how JB is just a wonderful fantastic person to have on TLW. I think IC really, really appreciates JB because IC is always praising JB. I bet IC knows that having picked Jennifer to do TLW was probably the best thing she’s ever done. Even though I knew not many celebrities were going to the After Dinner Celebrity Party, I went anyway just to have a few more cocktails after that awesome and unbelievable experience. After the cocktails I went home VERY HAPPYAND SATISFIED (I realize now I was probably driving when I should not have been but I didn’t feel like I was driving weird at all, I was on cloud 9). Attending the GLAAD awards was truly worth it for me. It was a thrilling experience. The people who received the awards were well deserving and made some emotional speeches. I felt proud to be a lesbian and I felt at home being in an auditorium where everyone was accepted for who they are. So all my OC friends, I DID IT. I’m very happy that I was able to pull it off as you guys had wanted me too and that I did not fail you. It was just PURE luck that JB’s hairdresser was seated at my dinner table, again what are the odds ? It seemed very strange that I had such incredibly good luck last night …. perhaps someone up there likes me or felt bad for me ! So here are the pics. The first two of JB are when she came to our table and then asked me about the horse. The third one is her walking away to go back to her table. The 4th picture is the last one I took in the lobby before she left in the event. Then the on stage pics (sorry so small and dark. I thought it was a bit TOO dark in that room last night) and then one of Alan Cummings and his husband.

Her Beautiful profile.