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Laurel Holloman Interview

What’s your impression of this year’s L Word convention?
"The convention seems bigger than last year. It’s like a well-oiled machine, very well-organised. It’s also more relaxing than last year. But it could just be that I was more jet-lagged last year! I came in really quickly and then I had to go back to work immediately. All the fans are really lovely and London is a great place to come to."

What has been the most meaningful feedback you’ve had from fans at the convention?
"The question I get asked most is when Tina and Bette are going to get back together again. I constantly feel as though I have to apologize for Tina’s behaviour in Season 3! I’m struck by how the fans seem to be really emotionally connected to the characters. I’m very moved by the personal stories of fans - how the show has affected their lives, affected their confidence, affected their identity. People keep saying how nice it is to have a show to watch that will hopefully pave the way for other television shows with other lesbian characters."

Are you and Jennifer Beals very close? There seems to be a very special bond between the two of you.
"Jennifer and I have a lot in common. We both have small daughters and we can relate to the same issues. I think we have a very similar work ethic. We do our work and try to balance it out with a healthy personal life. We lean on each other and we have become good friends. She’s a really lovely person to be with. One of the great things I’ll come away with from the L Word is our friendship. We also give each other lots of space. We understand how hard it is to have families and have kids and try to be a good actor and get work."

Do you have good gaydar?
"Yeah, I think so. Tina is not my first lesbian character so I have had a lot of exposure. I think part of being an intelligent actor is watching behaviour. If you watch people to emulate them you’re gonna pick up on the signals so I guess your gaydar becomes better. But I make no assumptions about anyone. I’m just open to how people present themselves."

If you hadn’t been an actress what profession would you have chosen?
"At one point I wanted to be a vet or a professional horseback rider that showed horses. But secretly I would probably like to paint. I do paint, but not professionally."

One often hears about pressure on actresses to be thin or to look a certain way in Hollywood. Have you experienced this on the L Word?
"There’s no one on the L Word that pressures anyone to be thin. Not at all. I think the girls on our show are very naturally thin. I hang out with them and we all eat like horses. The producers were wonderful to me when I was pregnant. They celebrated my changing shape. They always made me feel very beautiful and I think Ilene Chaiken is really good about just celebrating women and their differences - different bodies, different races. She sees beauty in everything. In the first season we took a lot of flack for wearing high-heeled shoes and lots of make-up. Our hair was all done and everything. But it’s all very simple: it’s television, you know? It’s fun to play dress up. Also, it’s about a specific group of women in Los Angeles that have a lot of money and lead a certain life. I’ve seen this group in LA. They’re gorgeous and very high maintenance. There’s a lot of materialism in LA and there is a certain vanity that Ilene decided to bring to screen."

How has the L Word changed your perspective on being gay?
"Playing Tina being in a same-sex partnership and having an alternative family has given me a new outlook on what it means to be gay in the USA. Not to be able to legally wed is such a screwed up thing in our country. My heart goes out to anyone who is in a same-sex partnership that goes through a separation and has children. It’s hard enough on an emotional level but harder still on a legal level when your marriage is not recognised by the government. I was really proud to have played out that storyline. I think it’s incredibly complicated and it was great that Ilene tackled that. How absurd that a social worker can come into a relationship and tell a non-birth mother whether she can adopt her own child or not. It’s insane! Would they do that to a straight couple? I don’t think so. I think I’ve learned a lot and I’m still learning about the dynamics and different aspects of same-sex relationships. When I heard that Tina was going back to having a relationship with a man in the 3rd season I was shocked and thought ‘Are you kidding me? I’m not gonna play that!’ But Ilene Chaiken said: ‘This is an important story and I’m gonna tell you why.’ And she was right."

Have you had any negative reaction from religious groups or anti-gay campaigners for playing in the L Word?
"I can honestly say I’ve had zero negative feedback. Not even negative fan-mail. In the last five years nobody has said a single negative word to me about our show. Either I hang out with an incredibly liberal crowd or the people that don’t like it just keep their mouths shut. I’m thrilled about that. Initially I was worried about what the response would be from crazy right-wing Christians but all the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Maybe I’m just in a very liberal bubble in my life… "

What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
"My daughter crawls into the bed with me and we cuddle and sing songs. She’s my alarm clock. Sometimes she’s already in bed with me because she crawls in any time she wants. It’s the best time of day."

What pets do you have?
"A corgi. We’re very attached to her. We got the dog right after I did the pilot of the L Word. She’s great with my daughter. She used to come to the set a lot. We’re a pretty pet-friendly cast. Everybody knows each other’s dogs, we take care of each other’s pets when the other person is travelling."

What is your favourite thing to have for dinner? What would you NOT eat?
"I like so much food! I like all food! Sushi would probably be one of my favourite things - with really great saki. I would never eat liver. I don’t believe you should eat the organ that cleanses out any animal’s body. And I don’t care if anyone says it good for you. It’s gotta be full of toxins. I’ll never touch it!"

What do you do between takes?
"Sometimes we just sit around and crack jokes. If I don’t want to waste energy and if it’s going to be a long day I’ll take a big book and just read. This year I read a Joan Didion book which was really great. If my daughter is not there it’s a great luxury to go to set to just read in between takes. At home I don’t really get time because I’m fulltime mommy there."

You had a child relatively late. Was that a deliberate decision?
"I’ve always wanted to have a child. I couldn’t imagine not being a mother. That was just something I knew from a really early age. The timing had to do with the fact that I did mostly movies before the L Word. It was the first time I wasn’t travelling all the time. It was the right time to try to have a baby, also the right time for my husband. It was just really exciting. It was great. We are talking about having another child but we really have busy schedules. My husband is incredibly busy too. He was a film production designer and now he’s getting his Masters in architecture so he’s in the middle of a graduate programme. We want to do it at a time when it doesn’t affect our daughter. We don’t want to spend less time with her because we’re juggling two careers and a new baby."

You have mentioned that you are keen to show more of Tina’s back story. Who would you like to play her mother?
"I don’t know if they're ever going to bring Tina’s mother on. But if they did decide to, there are lots of wonderful actresses that I’d like to play my mother. When Rose Troche and Ilene first described Tina’s mother to me they said she would probably be really liberal and cool but sometimes so much so that’s she’s almost embarrassing to Tina, or hypocritical. I like that Ilene always has flawed characters. I think Tina’s mom could be a very complex woman. It would also be interesting to see how she is as a grandmother. There are always issues coming up when you have a kid and your mother tells you to do things in a certain way and you go: ‘No I don’t wanna do it that way!’ There are lots of actors I would love to see as Tina’s mother. I like Blythe Danner and Ellen Barkin."


Leisha Hailey

Fast facts Leisha revealed at L2:
* Prepare yourselves for a kissing scene between Leisha and Mia Kirshner in Season 4!
* Leisha would have loved a part in the movie The Squid and the Whale.
* If she could be any L Word character, Leisha would love to play Carmen - ‘’just to have her ass for a day’’.
* One of Leisha’s more fanatical fans has had her name tattooed on her armpit.
* After the cast was asked what their favourite name for female genitals was, Leisha was totally embarrassed and speechless when the questioner announced her name for her genitals was “Leisha”. Laurel and the audience found it hilarious and gave the questioner a thunderous round of applause.
* She loved travelling while making the documentary Raising Teens but says she ‘’sucked’’ at producing.
* Leisha’s fantasy woman is Kate Winslet because she loves her curves and accent.
* She has made a conscious decision to appear more feminine over the past few years but Leisha also loves playing and experimenting with sexual and gender stereotypes.
* Leisha is openly gay because she ‘‘refused to live life in fear’’. The only time she worried about telling someone she’s gay was when she had to tell her parents. She describes them as very supportive and ‘‘the most amazing, open parents’’.
* When asked during the meet and greet by a shameless fan: ‘’Do we get to see the famous Leisha boobies again in Season 4?’’ Leisha just laughed and said: ‘‘Wow! That takes the cake!”

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