Lesbian : July 2008 Archives

I hadn't seen "South of Nowhere" but that didn't stop me from interviewing two of the show's stars: Gabrielle Christian who plays a high schooler involved in a lesbian relationship; and Maeve Quinlan who plays her mother.

The show, which follows the lives of the members of the Carlin family as they adjust to moving from Ohio to Los Angeles, was cancelled after three seasons but will return this fall with its last original eight episodes.

I spoke with Gabrielle and Maeve at the GLAAD Awards in late April as I continue to post these "lost interviews" during my summer vacation:

One of the main focuses of the show is the relationship between Spencer Carlin (Christian) and her out and proud friend, Ashley Davies (Mandy Musgrave). The close friendship between the girls eventually led Spencer to question her own sexuality.

"It's really been an incredible journey just kind of coming out of your shell for me - I'm straight in real life - and coming into a character who is exploring the journey of her sexual identity," Gabrielle said. "It's interesting because you find out so much about people that you wouldn't generally experience. People have these stereotypes of what lesbian women are like. Our show kind of stayed clear of all those stereotypes. My character is just a girl from the Midwest who falls in love with another girl and that's what it's all about. It's not about sexual exploitation or sensationalizing the whole idea of being a lesbian - like, it's hot. It's more about the emotional involvement which is really exciting to play."

I wondered of Gabrielle hears from many young gays and lesbians who watch the show and gotten feedback from them.

"Yeah, very good feedback." she said. "Our show is one of the first that deals with lesbian girls in high school as opposed to just the boys. So for girls, it;s kind of like a new outlet for them to see another girl being through it."

For Maeve, the role of the mom of the family came after she had been a cast member of the CBS soap "The Bold and the Beautiful" for more than a decade. Here, in her own words, is what her experience playing the mother of a gay teen:

"I feel such a tremendous responsibility because because I have such close girlfriends, who, when they were coming out, they could never come out at that age in high school. As a matter of fact, one of my friends just came out at 40 to her mother though she's been living a gay lifestyle for 15 years. So I feel a tremendous responsibility because I feel that kids nowadays, with television, we have the means to give them a real message.whereas when we were growing up, they didn't have programs like this. Girls my age always say to me, 'I wish we had a show like 'South of Nowhere' back when we had 'The Brady Bunch.' Those were great shows that we fun but they didn't have anything like this.
"I hope I'm doing a good job. i play a homophobic character so it's very difficult for me personally to play her. She came around this season, which is great. I hope the show, in the end, has given a lot of hope and I hope that girls, guys, whoever is watching this with their parents, that they don't feel so alone and maybe their parents hopefully will learn something. Thank God for MySpace because we get the instant gratification of knowing we're making a difference."

Maeve has moved on to the irreverent lesbian-themed Internet romp, "3WAY" about a straight soap actress who moves her best gay girlfriend into her home only to be followed by an array of whacky lesbian characters.

I'm not insulting your intelligence. I know that you know damned well who the fabulous Jane Lynch is. She's the subject of my Daily News column today which is written for more of a mainstream audience than Out In Hollywood. I don't want to write an entirely different version for the blog so I'm writing this note. OK, here it is:

Chances are, you've seen plenty of Jane Lynch movies.

The name doesn't ring a bell?

Okay, think of the personal dog handler in the mockumentary "Best In Show," or Steve Carell's horny boss in "The 40 Year Old Virgin," or Will Ferrell's mom in "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

Believe it or not, it's all the same actress who appears in so many movies and television shows that she's got to be in the running for the title of hardest working woman in showbiz.

"I do it all, I very rarely say no and I just love to work. If they keep asking me, I'll keep showing up," Jane said when we spoke recently. "I'm just riding a wave that I'm really thrilled with and that I'm extremely grateful for. I'm really happy. I'm on top of the world."
If you ask Jane, who turned 48 earlier this month, what projects she has coming out next, expect a long answer!

"I have a movie called "The Rocker" with Rainn Wilson coming out in August and a movie called "Another Cinderella Story" with Selena Gomez where I play the wicked stepmother," she began. "And a movie called "Post-Graduate Survival Guide" and a movie called "Little Big Men" with Paul Rudd. And also, I did a film with Meryl Streep just recently called "Julie/Julia" about Julia Child. It was a magic time for me. To lock eyes with the great Meryl Streep and be her sister, it was amazing."
I wondered how Jane can possibly tackle such a wide variety of roles. She made it sound like a snap: "They're all different people and you just hook into something a little different inside of you and you make some physical choices and you've got a completely different person."

Jane had an extensive theater background and had done scores of smaller parts in movies and television before her career took off in "Best In Show."

That career momentum was not at all deterred when Jane appeared on the cover of The Advocate a few years ago and discussed her life as a lesbian.

"I'm happy to report that for me, it doesn't seem to effect anything," she said of her sexuality. "If I've lost something or have not been considered for something, it's been behind my back and I don't know about it. But you know what else? I'm a character actor. If I were an ingenue, or a love interest type of character, it might make a difference."

Online extra:
Jane appeared at the end of this week's Outfest Closing Night feature "Tru Loved" as a pal of Alec Mapa's character.

"I'm in it for a nanosecond but I'm very proud to be in it or that nanosecond because it tells a story that hasn't been told before believe it or not. It's about a girl being brought up by two moms who's trying to fit to a pretty conservative school and society and through the openness of her heart and her charm, she brings people over to her. It's really a lovely story. It's good for kids to see."

Happy birthday to the incredible actress, Jane Lynch.

There may still be plenty of stars who are choosing to remain in the closet, but Jane is not one of them. Since co-starring in "Best of Show," her star has been on a steady rise with so many memorable roles including Steve Carell's boss in "The 40 Year Old Virgin," Will Ferrell's 's mom in "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" and a hilarious send-up of a Mary Hart-type anchor in "For Your Consideration." She next appears with Meryl Streep in the film "Julia & Julie/"

I did an interview with Jane last week at Outfest opening night and will share it with you later this week.