By Christina Radish

Jennifer Beals at the Elle Magazine Women in Hollywood event held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, Calif. on October 15, 2007.

No, I didn’t have any doubts about taking it. I thought it was a great part. And, none of my representatives thought it was, in any way, controversial or risky, or anything.

Did you ever think that this show would give you such a big comeback, and that it would be in a gay role?

I don’t look to have a comeback or an impact on anybody, other than myself. It’s about following the story and what story is meaningful to me and what I connect with. That’s my biggest criteria. The mortgage is maybe a distant second.

Were you at all surprised with the response that you got for the show?

I’m not surprised. To be surprised, you’d have to think the opposite. I just didn’t really think about it. I’m certainly pleased that it’s done so well, and that we’ve all had the opportunity to play these characters for so long and really find out new things about them, but I don’t know that I would characterize it in that way.

You can’t help but notice that almost every character has had either semi-nude or full-nude scenes on the show except for you. Was that a personal choice?

I didn’t think it was necessary. I think I’ve effectively conveyed Bette’s sense of intimacy and sexuality without showing nudity.                                 

What difference do you think The L Word has made in mainstream media and with audiences, when it comes to the lesbian community?

I don’t really know. I feel like there is a change, in terms of whenever people have representation, it changes how people see themselves and how others see them. The most obvious example is Obama being elected as President. The African-American community, or any community of color, is viewed differently now, and most likely views themselves differently. In a smaller way, it’s true of the gay community as well, with regard to this show.

Are there any other issues you would have liked to touch upon in the series that you don’t feel like you got to explore?

I would have liked to have done the adoption story. Bette and Tina tried to adopt a baby, and I would have liked to have explored the intricacies of that process a little bit more. But, there’s never enough time. You’ve got so many characters and so much is going on, that it’s hard to fit everything in. It’s a complete balancing act.

Do you feel like The L Word has devoted enough time to exploring the different issues that are faced by lesbians of ethnic backgrounds?

No. That could probably be a whole other show. That could be spin-off right there.

How would you describe Bette in Season 1, compared to Season 6? How much has she changed or grown, from your point of view?

She laughs a lot more. She’s a little more relaxed, and certainly more focused on the notion of family, as opposed to just being about work all the time.

If you could ask Bette one question, what would it be?

What were you fucking thinking with the carpenter? Really, what were you fucking thinking? Pardon my French! Just, really? That upset me so much. I was so upset with Ilene. I was like, “How could you?” That’s called drama.

Besides Bette, which other character would you have liked to play on the show?

I can’t really imagine playing anybody else because everyone else who played them did such an amazing job.

Being a mom in real life and in the show, what differences or obstacles did you find between what it’s like to be a straight mother and a gay mother?

Bette is a totally fictional character. We didn’t really get very much into the kind of obstacles that she would have faced as a gay mom. I can’t really answer the question because it was not depicted in the show. That’s a whole other subject that could have been delved into a little bit more.                                                                            

What would you like people to remember about Bette Porter and the show, in general?

I would like people to remember that Bette spoke up for herself. In regard to the show in general, that we tried. I really don’t know the answer to that. I don’t think, “How do I want to be remembered?,” or “How do I want this to be remembered?” It’s a living, breathing thing, and it will be there for a long, long time because it’s on DVD. So, it’s like it’s in the present, all the time. It’s not a past-tense experience. It’s a very present thing, and the representation is very present. If people are dissatisfied, in any way, with the way in which they’ve been represented, then they need to start writing and represent themselves as clearly and as truthfully as they would like others to see them.

This is obviously not the first project you have worked on that has come to an end, and there is always a last day of filming. How different was it for you this time, after working with the same people all these years?

It was interesting because we didn’t get to all wrap on the same day. I was the last one on set, on the last day, but I was by myself. There weren’t any other cast members working. Rachel was actually there, but that was only because she had just finished, right before me. So, we didn’t get the group sense of wrapping, all at the same time.

Have you had an embarrassing or particularly memorable moment with a loyal fan?

So many fans have been so wonderful, and really kind and incredibly thoughtful. I received a letter from a young girl who just talked about how much the show had meant to her when she was coming out, and how there was nothing in her community and no one to talk to about who she was, and that the show was her lifeline, in so many ways. That really made me so proud of all of us, who have worked on the show, that we were able to be that for her, and that these characters were able to be that for her.

Now that you’ve gotten that education, what are your thoughts on the set back of Amendment 8 in California and Amendment 2 in Florida, regarding gay rights and marriage?

It’s very frustrating that it was on the ballot, to begin with. I am encouraged by the fact that, when you educate people and when you expose them to this idea of two people of the same sex, loving each other and wanting to be together, people change their minds. It’s about exposure and contact. With this issue, the community needs to be more organized, in terms of getting their message out, and they can’t take it for granted that people will be able to completely unravel their own cultural upbringing, in the space of the few moments that they’re inside the voting booth. It really takes an education and, to that end, I hope that people start writing their stories and that they’re able to find representation in the mainstream media. That’s really what it will take for people to understand what’s at stake. It’s about love, and that’s the bottom line. And, it’s about civil rights. I really believe that there will come a day when kids say, “I can’t believe that there was a time when gay people couldn’t get married. That’s so weird!” I think it will probably pass within the next decade, if not sooner. I’m hoping that it goes back to the courts and gets overturned.

How does it make you feel to know that you are the dream girl of so many women out there?

I think it would be fun to do another series, but I’ve learned that I’ll never see what’s coming. It’s always a surprise. I can try to plan, but the universe has other ideas.

Is there anything that you haven’t had the chance to do yet, in your career, that you hope to have the opportunity to do, at some point?

A Bollywood musical. I’m only half-joking about that. I don’t know. I think the universe will serve something up to me, but I don’t know what it will be.

If you were to write it yourself, how would you have ended the series?

No, absolutely not! I would have never ended it the way it ends, ever! Can I just say that, on the record? Somewhere, Ilene’s ears are hot and tingly. I never would have ended it that way, but I’m not the writer, so what can I do? There were a lot of things I wouldn’t have done. But, I’m incredibly grateful to have been on the show, and I think Ilene is amazing. Even when I don’t agree with her, I think she’s a force of nature.