Archive

Talking with the New Yorkers of “The Real L Word” Season 3

On tonight’s Season 3 premiere of The Real L Word, viewers will be introduced to the East Coast lesbian contingent. At the recent NYC premiere, we sat down with stars Kiyomi McClosksey, Lauren Russell and Amanda Leigh Dunn to find out what we can expect from the new girls on the Showtime series. AfterEllen.com: So why did you decide to audition for The Real L Word? Kiyomi: As a musician in an actively touring band, you try to expose your music to as many people as possible. The casting director approached our agent, and we felt that it was an amazing opportunity and a great platform to present our music to the masses and it gave us a tool that we never would have had if we had just kept touring across the country and grinding it out. We really hope that we can expose our music and our personalities on the show.

Lauren: I have a friend named Amber who made it to the final round but didn’t make it onto the show. We were sitting down at dinner and she told me they were still accepting applications for the show. It started that way and it kind of snowballed into something totally different. Amanda came to visit, and at that point I wasn’t on the show yet, but I was about to be finalized. Amanda told me that she wanted to move out to LA and leave New York, so I told the show producers about Amanda, and they had some really good interviews with her and loved her a lot, so they brought her on as well.

Amanda: I was actually asked to do it in New York, but then I decided to do it with Lauren, since we are best friends.

AE: Lauren, I know you spent a few years in New York. So why did you move back to Southern California? Lauren: I was dating this girl, and she wanted to move to LA. I am from Southern California, so my family is here, and I was starting my jewelry line, and while I didn’t know whether the girl and I was going to work out, I decided to go for it anyway. We ended up breaking up right after we moved to LA, but you know, everything happens for a reason. I wasn’t really ready to leave New York, but it was in the middle of the worst winter ever, so I was like, fine, let’s just do it.

AE: Lauren, how would you characterize your friendship with Amanda? Lauren: At the time the show was filming, although we’re best friends, we were both very single, very free and open. It was a very “free love” moment in time. We were just like, “Who cares!” It was just a very fun time for us. I can’t really divulge anything else, but I’ll just say that things kind of progress, and – well, it is what it is.

Amanda: I mean, we are best friends, and we – how would I put it – have had a sexual relationship, but not in a romantic way. We are friends.

AE: Does the NY cast end up interacting with the LA cast at all this season, or are the storylines separate? Kiyomi: There is a lot of interaction between the east coast and west coast cast, and it is kind of cool to see that all come together. When the season starts, the band spends a lot of time in New York, but eventually the cast members do meet.

AE: Is there any tension or drama when the cast members from both coasts meet or interact? Kiyomi: You’ll just have to tune in to see what happens, to see the drama.

 

AE: The promos for the show seem to portray a rivalry between the lesbians of LA and the lesbians of NY. Having interacted with the other cast members or having lived on both coasts, are the lesbians on the east coast and west coast really that different from each other, or it that all hype? Kiyomi: I don’t think it comes down to personalities being so different. There is definitely a difference in mentality between Los Angeles and New York. It comes down to more of a lifestyle thing. In LA you’re kind of a little more laid back and in New York, people are a little more high strung, and I think a little more work driven and work obsessed. In LA people have a more relaxed attitude about life.

Lauren: This is the most asked question about the show – the difference between New York and LA lesbians. But what I think what it comes down to is that they are two great cities that have so many different areas and neighborhoods so it is hard to characterize the lesbians in each city. In New York City you have the Manhattan lesbians and the Brooklyn lesbians. In LA, there are so many different areas as well. There aren’t any generalizations you can make, physically speaking at least. But yeah, there is a different lifestyle in that people in New York work more, they’re more driven, and in LA, people are more relaxed.

Amanda: Well there are a lot more femmes in LA, and there’s definitely a lot more colors in their wardrobe!  

AE: Lauren, when did you start designing jewelry? Lauren: Well I started designing jewelry around two years ago, and prior to that I didn’t think that was what I was going to be doing, but like the show, everything just kind of snowballed into this thing, and I was like, “Whoa, I have a knack for this.” So the company launched around a year ago, and it’s crazy what has happened in just a year. Before I started my line, I worked for other jewelry companies, in publishing and finance as well. But designing jewelry is my passion.

AE: So where can we buy your jewelry? Lauren: On my website, lyonfinejewelry.com and my jewelry will also be sold at the Kiki de Montparnasse stores – they are a specialty store, and it is so phenomenal and unique. They have jewelry and lingerie and really high end stuff that is gorgeous. They’re in New York, LA, and Las Vegas. My jewelry will be there soon. And my bracelets will also be sold in Williamsburg at Simple Café.

AE: Oh Simple Café? I love that place! Their brunch is amazing. They are going to be selling jewelry? I thought it was a restaurant. Lauren: They are building a little shop in the restaurant, and they will be selling my bracelets there.

AE: So Lauren is a jewelry designer and Kiyomi fronts a band. Amanda, what do you do for a living? Amanda: I do brand development with artists, and I am also an events coordinator and publicist.

AE: So did you move to LA for a job, or just a change in scenery? Amanda: I can do my job pretty much anywhere, so it doesn’t really matter where I live. I just wanted to switch it up a little.

AE: Kiyomi, I first met you two years ago in May of 2010 when Hunter Valentine was trying to break the world record of most gigs in a day. Since then, what developments have happened in the world of Hunter Valentine? Kiyomi: Well we parted ways with our old bass player, and we started playing with a native New Yorker, Veronica “Vero” Sanchez. We were touring as a three piece for a year, touring with a lot of great all girl bands like Sick of Sarah and Vanity Theft, and we started working on our new record. When we started working on our record, we invited Somer [Bingham], another local Brooklyn musician to work with us and play on this record. She’s been added to the band as the fourth member, and she plays keys and guitar. We’ve been playing shows with her, and it’s been pretty good so far. AE: How did you meet the new members of the band? Kiyomi: I met Veronica, because she works at a bar called the Metropolitan. I go there almost every Wednesday for girl night, and you always chat with your bartender. She has always been a sweet, interesting person, and when we lost our bass player, Veronica told me that she has always wanted to play bass in a band, because she is a singer songwriter, and a bell went off in my brain. Then she auditioned and it worked out great.

AE: What are you most excited for viewers to see this season? Kiyomi:I am excited for viewers to see what it takes to be an active, touring rock band. Quite often there is the misconception that musicians are lazy and I completely disagree with that. I think that musicians are some of the most hard working people that I know and I hope we can show that to viewers. I think that Showtime made a great choice in that they are going to show people who have a lot of passion and drive this season.

Lauren: The coolest thing is that in such a short amount of time so much happened. Crazy amounts of things happened. I was really focused on being single, really focused on my jewelry line, so you’ll see me struggle through that. While some people couldn’t understand why, I just didn’t want to be attached to anyone, and you’ll see me go through that. In terms of the living situation, my relationship with Amanda, you’ll see things happen on that end, but I can’t really talk about it! But I promise some big surprises! AE: Even though viewers act horrified or disturbed to see skin on the show, secretly they really want to see it. So will viewers be treated to a lot of sexy scenes this season? Lauren: Yeah there will be. I don’t know whether you’ll see a lot of full on sex or not – I don’t know what they’re going to show, because I haven’t seen the episodes, but you will see a lot of – sexual situations. You’ll see a lot of kissing and touching and making out and a lot of fun stuff, a lot of bodies in there – a lot of boobs and a lot of ass. [laughs]

Amanda: A lot of sex? I mean there is always a lot of sex! [Laughs] I think whenever you film someone’s life from morning to night and you look at all different aspects of her life, sex is part of it. And it is a show about sexuality, so “Duh!”

Kiyomi: Well I see the show when the rest of the world sees the show, and I’m not in everyone else’s bedrooms, so I don’t know how much sex is going to be on the show! But sex is a part of our lives, so I’m sure there will be plenty of it.

AE: So does it get awkward with the camera there when you’re in a compromising position? Lauren: Well, you start getting comfortable around the camera, and you’re also intoxicated a lot of the time. So in addition to getting used to the camera being around, you’re also buzzed. You forget the camera is there! Sometimes you walk out of a room and are all, hey there’s a camera! I think a lot of people go in knowing they’re going to [get intimate on camera], and then they’re people like me where it’s like, I didn’t go into it wanting to reveal my prized possessions, so I end up doing that, but I’m OK with it. I think the whole process is very eye opening, and I turn into this very open person.

Amanda: Well, there are definitely tasteful ways of doing things, and if you politely ask the producer to leave the room, they will respect that. You’re never forced into doing anything. But going into it, it is generally known that we are going to tell as much of our stories as we can possibly can. That’s what you’re signing up for. You just have to go into it with an open mind.

AE: So after a while, you forget the camera is even around. Are there any “oops” moments or moments when you just lose your cool, moments that you wish you could take back? Kiyomi: Definitely, but it takes a lot of courage to expose your complete personal life to the general public, and I think, for me, if you’re not going to give it 100% then what’s the point. It’s all about making yourself vulnerable in front of the camera, and that’s what is going to make interesting television.

Amanda: Yeah you’re out partying and drinking and you forget the cameras are there, and maybe you make a passing comment about someone that you probably shouldn’t necessarily say, or you make a joke about someone to your friends, and then you’re all, “Oh shit, I have a microphone on!”

AE: The cast seems to have more tattoos than Imelda Marcos had shoes, so I’m just going to have to ask, what is your favorite or most meaningful tattoo? Amanda: I have one on my thigh. It’s like an exploding feather. Birds explode out of it. My friend and I got it together, because we’re birds of a feather. Either that one or the word “equilibrium” in Arabic because I’m Lebanese, but it’s not written phonetically. It’s written with the letters separated.

Lauren: I have a lot of tattoos! My favorite tattoo is probably the crown on the back of my neck that I really love. That is probably my favorite.

Kiyomi: My favorite tattoo has to be my “eat or die” tattoo, because I am food obsessed and I believe that food is life. AE: So would you consider yourself a foodie? Kiyomi: I think the term “foodie” is kind of pretentious, but I do have a big appreciation for food!

AE: So what’s your favorite restaurant in your neighborhood? Kiyomi: It is called Rye. It’s on South 1st in Williamsburg. It’s really good nouveau American!

See the New York girls in action tonight on The Real L Word premiere at 10 p.m. EST on Showtime.

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button