AE: Did you like the way the series ended?
MK: No. No. No, I didn't. But what can I say? We had so much freedom on The L Word, I think we became used to being able to have our say, and being heard on the show. But that's not normal. That's definitely a privilege that [creator and executive producer,] Ilene [Chaiken] and [executive producer,] Rose Lam gave to the cast.
Therefore, when things went down the way they did, it was surprising not to be asked, "Are you OK with this? What do you think of this?"
But they don't have to do that. We were lucky to have jobs.
AE: What did you think when you got the script and found out Jenny was dead?
MK: I remember so clearly being so shocked at my own reaction. We were shooting the scene where Niki [played by Kate French] is trying to seduce [laughs] – I call everyone by their real name – Alexandra Hedison's character at the club. We had just come back from lunch and finally, I had heard. There was all this speculation about what was happening, and it was really toward the end of the show. I remember being really upset by it, and being surprised by how upset I was.
There was the logical mind, where I was like: "This is just a character. You're lucky that you worked so long, and it gave you opportunity to do so much." But there was another part of me that was so sad because I tried to find the best in Jenny, in order to play her.
I agree with most of what people say about her, but here was a girl, if I can defend Jenny, who at the end of the day, seemed bi-polar to me. And an artist in search of herself. I never wanted Jenny to be a hero. I admired Ilene for making her a complicated, often unlikable character, but perhaps a truthful character that pushed people's button.
But especially [during] Prop 8, what does this say about a show that was supposed to be about friendship? I guess I was just sad that there was no redemption on that end.
AE: Did any of the writers or producers tell you they knew who killed Jenny?
MK: No. I'm not sure who did it, or why. Well, "why" is clear, but it's still remains murky to me and I'm OK with that.
AE: Who do you think did it? Some people speculated Jenny killed herself.
MK: I don't know. When you see this character you've worked so hard on, for so long, just become a stereotype of a lunatic, I was very sad about that. I haven't done a lot of press for the show because I don't want it to be misinterpreted that I'm trashing the show. These are my own feelings about someone in search of herself, becoming something I thought she wasn't. The work that had been valuable to me and my experience.
And I said to the girls as I was leaving on my last shot, that I had never known a greater group of people since I was in grade school.
AE: Were you comfortable doing all those nude scenes and sex scenes?
MK: [laughs] Really? Are you asking me that?
AE: Yeah. Sorry.
MK: Uh, I don't know. For me, it's a job.
AE: Fair enough. OK, moving on. Did you ever get confronted by angry fans that couldn't separate you from your character?
MK: It happened once at a club. We were at a gay club in Vancouver and one girl came up to me and said, "I hope you die."
AE: Whoa.
MK: Yeah. I asked her to come outside with me, and I was like, "Listen, why are you at this club tonight?" And she said, "I'm here to have a good time." And I said, "So am I. Do you have a job?" And she said, "Yeah." And I said, "Why do you work?" And she said, "To make money." And I said, "That's why I work, and that's why I have a job and I need to make money. And that's what I do. So when you say, 'I hope you die,' I assume you're talking about my character, and not me. And it's not nice. It's not me, it's my job and it's what I do to pay my bills. And I just ask you to have a little kindness."
AE: What did she say to that?
MK: She seemed kind of shocked and taken aback. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable but I really wanted to make the distinction it's a job; a lucky job to have. But she was pretty rude and unkind.
AE: Did you experience a lot of that?
MK: No, I think out of all the cast members on the show, I keep an extremely low profile and I don't go out that much. So, I'm not really exposed to that kind of stuff. I know it's a boring answer.
AE: Hey, if I were playing a character everyone hated, I'd keep a low profile, too.
MK: You'd keep a low profile? No, it wasn't that. I keep a low profile because when I'm not at work, I just want to hang out with my family and friends. I guess I'm not ambitious about what actors are supposed to do.
AE: You're not missing anything. Which was your favorite Sounder?
MK: Sounder. Oh, I hated that stuff. I really just don't know what to say.
AE: What stuff? You mean like the storyline about putting a dog down just to get back at someone?
MK: Yeah. I just didn't understand why. I didn't see what that said about the character. Not that Jenny wasn't mean – she was – but there was a point where I was like, "Whoa. This is not something I'm [personally] comfortable with." But it's what [Ilene] needed to express and that was my job.
AE: Have you heard anything about an L Word movie?
MK: I have no idea. No idea.
AE: If they do one, I can't see how to make Jenny undead. Maybe a prequel?
MK: I don't know. And it wasn't a long time ago, but the show feels like a long time ago. A lot of stuff has happened.
