:: L 2 C O N V E N T I O N ::
London, UK
November 10-12,
2006
Page 3
*Photos by Beverley / Starfury
---------------------------
Leisha Hailey Interview
Are you enjoying the
convention so far?
"Yeah. Laurel had a fantastic time last year and she thought the fans were
great and we’d all love it. It’s great, everyone is so nice, it’s lovely."
You must have some very "intense" fans. Have you ever been unwillingly
pushed into a corner in a nightclub or suffered other cringe-worthy moments?
"Mmmmm, usually when people start drinking and having fun the boundaries
start to get blurred. But I always know when to leave. You can feel it out."
Do you think you have a different relationship with fans because you are
actually gay?
"I don’t think so. They’re all people, they’re women. It’s no different for
me."
Have you ever been concerned about being type-cast as gay?
"You know, I don’t sit around thinking about it too much. It might come bite
me in the ass. I’ve never been in a situation where I was rejected because
I’m gay. Actually it’s always helped me to be so open about myself. That’s
just how I choose to live my life. I don’t want to think about it as a
career-orientated decision. I am who I am and I live my life."
If you could change anything on the show, what would it be?
"I never wanted Dana to die. I would have loved to see that relationship
grow and have its problems and watch how the two characters deal with those
problems, you know? The situation of being best friends-to lovers to being
ex-lovers is a very difficult place to be. Everything else has been fun to
me to play."
You once said in an interview that you were pleased that the characters
were not portrayed as perfect, meaning that the viewers could relate to
them. What would you say has been your most Alice-like moment? Any high
speed car chases in a blue mini?
"Oh God! I do stupid things all the time. That’s what I like about Alice.
She’s not perfect and she messes up her life all the time and gets herself
into dumb situations and says the wrong things. I like that she has all
those imperfections, because that’s what makes her human. So, I’m sure
there’s a lot of me in her. I have Alice moments all the time. I’ve
experienced the same jealous rage as she has. I’m just not as witty as she
is. But I’m less of a gossip. And I also fell in love with my best friend
once..."
Since the show started you have played many different roles within the
group; friend, lover, confidante, troubled ex etc. Which role has been the
most fun to play and how far do you think your character has come since the
start?
"I like that Alice is the go-to girl for any sort of situation - she’s like
the safe one to tell anything to. Even if she has her moments of concern
with her friends, it’s never out of judgement but it’s out of care for her
friends. That’s the most beautiful quality about her, that she loves her
friends so much and they know that. That’s why they go to her for all these
different sorts of problems or magical, beautiful moments. She’s the funny
one to share things with. I like that about her."
If you were one of the writers, would you bring Dana back in a
Dallas-like shower sequence and pretend all of season 3 was a dream?
"Mmmmm. You’ll have to stay tuned and see what happens… You never know. It
may be even better than that!"
Is there any competitiveness between the actors?
"This cast is really, really close. It’s like the polar opposite of
competitiveness. We are like super-supportive of each other. It’s like a
family. There’s never been an issue of competition. That would be weird.
That would be an awful working situation."
Is it true that you improvise a lot?
"What we like to do is to take the text and enhance it and play with it in
different ways so that the director has different cuts to work with so that
it’s not the same performance over and over. That’s what’s fun about
improvising, because you never know what’s gonna happen. We often crack each
other up or do whatever we can to make the scene more exiting to watch."
There’s been a lot of criticism and rumours about the choice of music for
the L Word. As a musician, how do you feel about that?
"(Long silence). I think I’ve put my foot in my mouth about this before so
I’m just gonna take the high road and shut up. I think every one on the show
- whatever department they work in - is making choices, just as I’m making
choices as an actor. I don’t think everyone necessarily loves what I do
every second. So, whether you love something or hate it that’s what makes
the show what it is today. That’s also what makes talking about the show
interesting."
From listening to other cast members it seems Season 4 was a bit lighter
and more fun to shoot than Season 3. Do you agree?
"Last year was difficult because our friend Erin was leaving the show.
Leading up to that horrible day that we shot Dana dying it was a very sombre
feel for a while. This year was different in that Erin wasn’t there and it
was like a giant black hole. But you have to move on and there are a lot of
new characters. Because of the new people it was a very different vibe.
Maybe it’s like the feeling going from high school to college - you miss
what you know but you are excited about what lies ahead. It’s very strange,
though. I miss Erin like a crazy nutball. I miss her every day. I miss
working with her and not having her around in Vancouver. But as far as the
show itself goes, the writing was definitely lighter this year."
What was it like working with Cybill Shepherd?
"Oh wow, she’s like Hollywood royalty! She’s very funny and eccentric and
she has a very dry sense of humour."
Did any of you room together for the filming of S4 in Vancouver as you
did in past seasons?
"No, we didn’t! We all had our own places. But we lived very, very close to
each other - it was like two minute walks to get to each other’s houses."
What’s your most prized possession?
"My dogs! Not that I possess them but they’re my favourites."
What’s your coolest article of clothing?
"I’ve got some really great cowboy boots that I love."
How would you describe your house?
"The perfect California bungalow. I’ve got all the things that I love around
me."
What can’t you start your day without?
"Coffee."
Something you can’t fly without?
"My little hydrating spray. I like to keep my skin moist."
What’s your dream car?
"Mmmmm… I don’t have a dream car. I would have to think about that one…"
Who is the biggest clown in the cast?
"I think we all change for that role. It depends, because we spend 24 hours
a day together. You can’t have somebody being that person all the time. One
of us is always in a better mood or less tired."
What’s been your most embarrassing moment on set?
"Oh man… I don’t know. There’s tons of bloopers I wish people could see.
Funny shit happens all the time. They should put that on the DVD. "
Do you ever play practical jokes on each other?
"Yeah, but there weren’t as many this year. We love doing that stuff."
How do you relax after a long day of shooting?
"I usually call Kate and we go and have a drink or dinner or rent movies. Or
I paint. I love to paint".
Tell us about your plan to start a band?
"I miss music like crazy. I just made my first few phone calls the other
day. So I’m definitely in the process of starting it. I just need to get
some more confidence…"
Guinevere Turner
Fast facts Guin revealed at L2:
* Guin and Rose Troche are working on a new TV show about three sisters who
own a bar.
* Kissing Leisha Hailey (Alice) in Season 1 was difficult because they are
such good friends. But they still managed to do the kissing scene in just
one take.
* Guin came up with the idea of the wall chart showing the connection
between lovers when she was fooling around shortly before shooting started
on Season 1. On the initial chart that the people behind the scenes of L
Word drew up and contributed to Billy-Bob Thornton’s name appeared! Guin
said she didn’t tell the complete truth about her own sexual history but
ended up looking like the ‘‘centre of all slutdom’’ because her name was in
the middle of the chart.
* When she played a dominatrix in the movie Preaching to the Perverted she
was asked by one of the real-life S&M extra’s: ‘‘Can I lick your feet?’’.
She declined. She trained for the part with a real dominatrix.
* If she and Rose Troche ever get around to doing a sequel to Go Fish, it
would be called Go Fuck Yourself.
* Her favourite L Word episode is the Dinah Shore-weekend when all the
characters share their coming-out stories.
* Most quotable quote on writing: ‘’My goal is to make people laugh
uncomfortably.’’
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