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AE: What is up with the crazy Asian woman in Episode 6?
GT: That wasn’t really how I wrote the character, but that's the funny thing about TV...what the actress and the director brought to it turned it into this way overblown hysterical character that it wasn’t meant to be. That whole thing is a little painful for me, that it turned into a hysterical woman of color. I came across a blog on the internet where the woman was ranting about what a racist I am, because of that character, and it was painful to read.

AE: Who is the most difficult character to write for?
GT: In Season 1, Tina was the most difficult, because her character lives so much in relation to Bette. We were always looking for ways for her to have her own identity, but we never seemed to quite get there, story-wise. I just worried that we were making her character boring, and she deserved a lot more than that—and she gets a lot more than that in Season 2.

Tina has the same birthday as Laurel, by the way, in a completely unrelated and irrelevant side note.

AE: Who is your favorite character?
GT: Alice is the easiest and most fun to write for, because she’s funny, and I know Leisha will bring humor to anything I write. But also because she’s an easy character, lower on drama and higher on quips. She gets to be the voice of the single woman about town, and it’s fun.

AE: What kind of reaction have you gotten to Alice being bisexual, since some lesbians have issues with bisexuality?
GT: I think people forget she’s bisexual. Our joke about her character is that she always says she’s bisexual, but she really isn’t, she just wants to be like “I’m open to anything” because she’s that kind of person. Except for Alice’s stint with Lisa, which goes so wrong, she doesn’t ever really act on her bisexuality. And Jenny’s bisexuality so overshadows hers, that any anti-bisexuality sentiment goes towards Jenny.

AE: Does Jenny get less annoying in the second season?
GT: Suffice it to say that the staff of The L Word is well aware of how annoyed the community was by Jenny’s indecisiveness in the first season, how watching her you're just like “What do you want already?" So we tried to take her in another direction in Season 2.

I did really like the final scene with her, Anne Ramsay and Gene all playing Scrabble together. I just think it’s really sweet. Probably there was a fear there that there was going to be a three-way there, but I just like how that turned out. Anne Ramsay did a great job with her character.

AE: You have a lot of great guest stars in Season 2, like Sandra Bernhard, Camryn Manheim and Jane Lynch…
GT: Yeah, Jane is a completely hilarious actress. She was cracking me up [at the POWER UP event] on Sunday night. And Jennifer Beals, man, she rocked it. It was amazing, I was just like “Wow!”

AE: Her speech was impressive. Especially coming at the end of the evening when everyone was pretty worn out…
GT: Yeah, and you felt for the only time in the evening that the entire room was focused on the stage.

AE: So what are you working on these days besides The L Word?
GT: The Bettie Paige movie I wrote is finally almost done, and it’s going to premiere probably at the Berlin Film Festival. And the action film I wrote, BloodRayne [starring Kristanna Loken, Ben Kingsley, and Michelle Rodriguez] is in post-production now. I don’t know what the projected release date is, but sometime next year. I’m also in post-production on a short I wrote and directed called Hung, about five lesbian friends who wake up one day with penises, from sunup to sunset. I’m in post-production on that right now, and plan to have it ready for the gay film festival circuit next year.

AE: Do you want to keep acting, or do writing and directing only…
GT: I would like to keep acting. I’m not getting any younger, and I can be writing and directing until I’m old, but we all know that for female actors, the career goes downhill pretty quickly unless you’re Susan Sarandon.

My part on The L Word is officially over for now, so I’m looking for another job—at least until the show gets picked up for a third season. But I’m optimistic that it will, since the show seems to be really popular.

AE: Are you surprised at how popular it is?
GT: I’m thrilled. The internet creates a whole new level of fans, it’s great. I wish people wouldn’t post spoilers, but just the fact that people are already thinking about Season 2 is exciting.

Besides the lesbians, the group that really seems to love the show are straight women. Straight women and my dad. He just really likes the show. He’s always emailing me to ask what’s going to happen in Season 2, with questions like “Is Jenny ever going to decide she’s gay? Why did Bette cheat on Tina?!” It’s really funny.

Everyone keeps asking me about the DVD, too, like “I missed Episode 8! When’s it coming out on DVD?” So I’m glad it’s finally out.

AE: Except there aren’t any deleted scenes or bloopers…
GT: Really? That’s so surprising, everyone loves a blooper. People should write in and say they want bloopers, because I’m sure there are plenty. They can always include them on the Season 2 disc.

Get The L Word on DVD now at Amazon.com

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