In the spring of 1988, I fell in love (or something) with Julia Roberts, and I wanted to become best friends with Lili Taylor. I was a freshman in college — just inching a toe or two out of the closet — and very happy to be attending a university where we got to see all sorts of cool, free stuff, such as screenings of Mystic Pizza months before its theatrical release.

Taylor's character was the most appealing of the three leads. Julia Roberts was pretty, but a mess. Annabeth Gish was smart, but having an affair with the married father of the kid she babysat. Ugh. But Lili Taylor was just a good friend to her friends while she struggled with commitment issues. How could anyone not think she was great?

Since then, I've been loosely following her career as "queen of the independents." She's played a whole lot of lesbians (I Shot Andy Warhol, The Addiction, Pret-a-Porter, Julie Johnson) and told The Advocate in 1996, "I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up with a woman."

She certainly looked comfortable with Courtney Love in Julie Johnson.

And now she's playing therapist with a wee bit of drama in her personal life on Lifetime's State of Mind.

Scribegrrrl has already detailed five reasons to like State of Mind, so I won't revisit those. In addition to the universal reasons to like show, I have a lot of history with New Haven (not to mention the New Haven psychotherapy world), so I tune in every week. The other good thing about the show's existence is that, as the star, Lili Taylor does a lot of press and it's fun to read about her. Here's what I learned recently from TVGuide.com.

1. She's been in therapy for many years.
2. She has a healthy respect for relationships.
3. Occasionally, people still sing "Joe Lies" to her. (Say Anything — "Joe lies/Joe lies/Joe lies/When he cries")
4. She enjoys flatulence humor. ("I have a little cup called the Windbreaker that makes sounds. Let's leave it at that.")
5. She's not as intense as her characters.

Really, why would anyone think she was intense?

I certainly enjoy the range of her intense and less-than-intense roles. Jojo in Mystic Pizza remains my favorite, but I loved her as Corey Flood in Say Anything ("Hi Joe. How are you? I love you. ... You invade my soul.") I also have a soft spot for her earnest vegan turn as Lisa on Six Feet Under.

And, of course, I still want to be her best friend.

What role is your favorite?