Katherine Moennig #10

- She Magazine : the characters, the story, the love scenes, the actors, the message... The L Word -
Christina Radish

In January 2004, Showtime will present the premiere of The L Word, an original series about a group of young women in Los Angeles, their lives, careers and romantic relationships - both gay and straight. It will be the first time a television series has so thoroughly explored the lives and loves of a group of lesbian friends, making it a groundbreaking achievement and propelling its stars into the spotlight.
The one-hour drama follows the life of Jenny Schecter (Mia Kirshner), a gifted young writer of fiction who has just moved to West Hollywood with her boyfriend, Tim Hasper (Eric Mabius), upon graduating from the University of Chicago. Tim and Jenny reside next door to art curator Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals) and her partner of seven years, Tina Kennard (Laurel Holloman), who are trying to choose the perfect sperm donor to help them start a family.
As she starts questioning her own sexuality, Jenny soon finds herself drawn into Bette and Tina's close circle of friends, which includes unabashed heartbreaker Shane McCutcheon (Katherine Moennig), closeted pro-tennis player Dana Fairbanks (Erin Daniels), bisexual journalist Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey), and Bette's half sister Kit Porter (Pam Grier), who is a musician and recovering alcoholic.
She magazine recently spoke with co-stars Jennifer Beals, Pam Grier, Laurel Holloman and Katherine Moennig about the possible future impact of such a show.

Christina Radish: What made you take the offer for this television series?
Katherine Moennig: Rarely do I ever read scripts that I find very honest, with three-dimensional characters, especially for women. When I read this, there were so many elements that were amazing. It was sexy, it was true, and there was depth and emotion. It was a very rare, special project. So, when I got the job, I was highly flattered because I knew it would make some type of impact because it's very unique and it's very unusual to find such great stories that involve women. It was a beautifully written story.

Christina Radish: What was it about your character that attracted you to the project?
Katherine Moennig: I liked the way my character, Shane, was first introduced. You get introduced to her through this sexual action, and I thought that was so cool and just kind of summed up what she enjoys and who she is, to a certain extent. She's a complete sexual being and the great thing is that she doesn't apologize for it. It's just who she is. We rarely see women be able to do that on television.

Christina Radish: Were the sex scenes an issue for you at all?
Katherine Moennig: When nudity and sex is involved, I always ask myself, "Is there a point to it?" And if there is, then I don't find it gratuitous, and I certainly didn't find it gratuitous within this show. I liked the way it was described in the script, and then to see it come to life, gave it even more dimension. It was so beautiful and there was such reason and meaning behind every one of those sex scenes that there's no way I would ever be upset by doing it.


Christina Radish: What's the relationship like between you and the cast members off-screen?
Katherine Moennig: We're extremely close. When I read the script and saw that there were nine characters, eight of which are women, I was a little apprehensive because I thought, "Wow, working with eight women, I wonder how it's going to be." I was nervous about it, and I think everybody was, to a certain extent. But, what a surprise I was in for. These women are so amazing and real and true and just honest. They are just purely human and wonderful. When I went to work, it was not like I was going to work, it was like I was going to hang out with my friends and play make-believe. It was awesome.

Christina Radish: How important do you think The L Word is when it comes to making a statement in the industry as far as leading to future shows and movies specifically focusing on the lesbian community?
Katherine Moennig: I think it's very important because it's quite groundbreaking. There hasn't been a show on this topic before. There is Queer as Folk, and there are other shows, but never focused on women. Typically, lesbian characters have been very stereotypical and very caricature, and this show isn't like that at all. As the show goes on, you see these people become more three-dimensional. Considering this is the first show of its kind, hopefully, it will lead to other projects, in this regard. You get a little taste of life through each of these people, and everyone has their own issue or struggle, and they're very different from one another. I think that's very universal, in the sense that people can watch this and relate to certain characters.