Jennifer Beals Tears Up About ‘The L-Word’

By Victor Balta
As Seen On TV
Comcast.net

As “The L Word” draws to a close, the stars of the show talked about its significance in portraying what, even six years ago, was a pretty taboo topic.

“I find I think the most profound moments are when you get a letter or you meet someone where they say the show helped their lives change,” said Katherine Moennig, who plays Shane. “They were able to come out or they were able to accept themselves for who they are. They were no longer scared. That’s the power of television, and I think we’re lucky enough to be on a show that can deliver that strong message.”

Jennifer Beals got emotional when talking about a couple of letters she’d received over the years. One was from a lesbian couple in their 60s who had been together for more than 30 years, and in the closet for several years prior.

“They told us that from watching the show, they were able to have the courage to come out to their friends and their family and people at work,” Beals said. “And that, to me, was amazing to give people any kind of courage or encouragement to be their most authentic self, made we feel really proud of what I do.”

Beals was brought to tears while talking about another letter, from a 16-year-old who lived “in the middle of nowhere” and had just come out of the closet.

“She said it was the loneliest time of her life, and she said by watching the show, the show had saved her life because she had contemplated killing herself,” Beals said. “And by realizing that there were other people out there who were like her and that there was a larger community to which she belonged and that one day she might be able to take part in, she was encouraged.”

I asked Beals how this TV role fit into the arc of a career that started with one of the most iconic dance routines in movie history. Beals said her “Flashdance” character, Alex Owens, fits into the notion of “what it means to be ‘other,’” along with her “L Word” character, Bette Porter. Alex found herself outside of society, with no parents and no family, and her only support, her dance teacher and mentor, dies.

“So she is then left to be herself as much as she possibly can and left to be as resourceful as much as she possibly can and as authentic as she possibly can through her dancing, if I can elevate that movie to talk about it in that way,” Beals said. “I think that by playing this character, it’s sort of an extension of that idea of what it is to be ‘other.’”

Beals said she isn’t sure where her career will go from here. She’s taking some time off of working, but she knows it will be difficult to find a project quite like “The L Word.”

“I think what will be the most difficult thing to do is to find something that is written well and that is as helpful as it has been to so many people,” she said. “I think that’s very rare for a show.”

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