56-year-old
actress Cybill Shepherd is joining the cast of Showtime's
popular lesbian drama The
L Word in its fourth season, it was revealed today.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Shepherd will play a
married mother--and president of the college where Bette Porter
(Jennifer Beals) attends graduate school--who suddenly begins
to question her sexuality.
This
is the first major series commitment for Shepherd since starring
in the 1995-98 CBS comedy Cybill, for which she won
her third Golden Globe. The actress from Memphis got her start
in the classic 1971 film The Last Picture Show, made
another big splash in 1976 drama Taxi Driver, and
earned her first two Golden Globes in the mid-80's with the
TV hit Moonlighting, co-starring Bruce Willis.
She
was most recently seen playing fallen business mogul Martha
Stewart in the TV movies Martha Inc. and Martha
Behind Bars, and she next appears in the indie
film Open Window, which premiered at January's Sundance
Film Festival.
This
will be Shepherd's first gay role on-screen, although she
has been an ardent support of gay rights and women's rights
in her personal life. Married and divorced twice with three
children, the outspoken actress and accomplished singer has
produced 10 albums, and a 2000 autobiography titled Cybill
Disobedience: How I Survived Beauty Pageants, Elvis, Sex,
Bruce Willis, Lies, Marriage, Motherhood, Hollywood, and the
Irrepressible Urge to Say What I Think.
Joining
Shepherd on the fourth season of The L Word is Oscar
winner Marlee Matlin, who has signed on to an
11-episode arc playing a deaf lesbian romantically interested
in Bette. The series attracted an eclectic group of guest
stars and supporting cast members in its first three seasons,
including Camryn Manheim, Kelly Lynch, Rosanna Arquette, Holland
Taylor, Gloria Steinem, and the late Ossie Davis, among others.
The fourth season of The L Word begins filming shortly,
and will air in early 2007.
Ageism?
It is sad to see how a third ager (over 50) who has come to feel there is something wrong in her marriage and her sexuality, is treated with an element of ridicule so far (to S4E06) in The L Word.
In fact, where are all the other lesbians over 40 in the L Word?
All it so far tells any woman of 40 plus who is questionning her sexuality is "Don't venture out, you will be looked down upon". There are many women who have concealed their feelings within a barren marriage to a man, who need encouragement to step out from behind the Merkin and be themselves.
Yet Bette and Alice, at least so far into the series, show little sympathy towards Phyllis - even the choice of the name raises a titter.
Go for it Cybill - if there were more women like you around I wouldn't feel so damn lonely !
It saddens me
Nikki
York, UK