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AE: Do you spend a lot of time talking about playing these characters and the nuances of their relationship?
GC: Yes. There was a UPN pilot made revolving around two lesbian women. We saw it and we met the actresses who were in it. They told us about their experience and how they got into their characters. They went out in public one day and acted like they were in a relationship and saw the way people responded. They were giving us advice as to things we should do to get more involved with our characters. It was really helpful. We ended up doing a lot of that stuff.

AE: What was the name of the show?
GC: It was called Nikki & Nora, a UPN pilot. And Nancylee Myatt—our executive producer—wrote, created and produced Nikki & Nora. So when that didn’t get picked up she came over to South of Nowhere.

AE: So have you and Mandy done the social experiment to see how you’re regarded?
GC: We went out to a few clubs to see what they were like, and what the vibe and people were like. We went as friends and not as couple, but it was interesting to see a world so different than our own. It’s important when you’re playing a character to try to step out of your world and into their world.

AE:  And this is the first time you’ve played a lesbian or bisexual character on film or television?
GC: Yes.

AE: Did anyone tell you that it would hurt your career.
GC: No. At first, my agency really wanted me to go for it and I really wanted to go for it because the part is so great.  They thought it was new and different and it had a lot of potential.  And I felt the same way.  Everyone was really supportive. I was surprised when I went for the part because I thought there would be a huge pool of people going for it. Then I found out from my agency that a lot of girls were not going for the part because of the content. It scared them off, which is not what I would have thought at all.

AE: I guess it’s not a surprise considering the general political tone in the United States right now.
GC: Yes. Mischa Barton (on the television show The O.C.) just had her big “lesbian experience” but it was so about the raunchy, perverse “entertainment value” of it.  That process—the emotional journey that girls at that age are already going through besides dealing with their sexual orientation-- is so far beyond that. I don’t know of any show for this age that has every approached it this way.  There’s always the sidekick gay friend—and it’s usually a boy. Or there’s the girl who has a crush on you but there’s no real story that’s being told. 

AE: What’s great about this show is that the sexual orientation issue is contextualized as a family issue. This character is part of the family—her sexuality is not a “side issue.” The show really takes an integrated approach to these topics—sexual orientation, racial violence, parents struggling with their marriage, the mother’s Catholicism. 
GC:  It is a family drama and I hope that parents can watch it and get some understanding to help their kids.  The main target is to help kids be more accepting and open their eyes, but it’s important for parents to see that. 

My mother on the show (Maeve Quinlan) is kind of common. Everybody has that one parent that’s strict and is a little more conservative and traditional. I hope that parents can watch this with their kids and get an idea of what their kids can be going through. It’s more than just the sexual part of it, there’s an emotional journey and so much that goes along with it and a lot of people don’t realize that.