I adore Judith Light. But lemme tell ya, I'm not the only one. Yesterday at the Outfest 2007 event featuring the cast of "Ugly Betty," Light got such a long ovation (at least twice as long as any other cast member) that she said it gave her goose bumps. She has stood beside the LGBT community for decades and done far more than talk the talk - she's given her time and her heart to so many causes and you wish the world was filled with more people like Judith Light. Of the affection she was shown Sunday she explained it to me this way: "It's like when you're on stage and you're doing a great play and you are connected to the audience and there's just this incredible give-and-take over and over and over again and it takes you up to another level. By their giving, they keep taking you up to another level. I feel that with this community because I have so much respect for the community and I've been inspired for so long that what I give is out of my heart and out of what I experience of this community. I get back way more than I give. It is quite an Outfest for me, I must say."
Liight (pictured here with your favorite blogger) really is the belle of the ball at this year's 25th annual Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival what with her sensational dramatic turn in the opening night film "Save Me" and her appearance with the "Betty" cast. She has been upgraded from recurring cast member to full-fledged regular for the upcoming season.
While most people know Light for the eight seasons she spent on "Who's the Boss?" or for her Emmy-winning performances on "One Life to Live," she's been working hard in all kinds of mediums including the Broadway stage ("Wit") and on television as a judge on "Law & Order: SUV." Now she's a big hit on "Betty" and has the feature "Ira and Abby" out next month.
We also talked about her being "rediscovered" in such a big way...she's the new kid on the block!
"I'm so grateful," she says. "I feel so blessed. I worked really hard for a very long time and I feel that I'm coming into a whole different arena of the use of my talents and how I am to be of service. I think that's why a lot of this is happening. I've preservered."