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Interview With Amber Benson

Amber Benson first caught the eye of many a lesbian and bisexual viewer when she joined the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1999 as the lesbian love interest of main character Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan). Since then, Benson has gone on to write, direct, produce and act – always maintaining a warm relationship with the gay community.

She has written, directed and produced two films, Chance (in which she also starred) in 2001 and Lovers, Liars and Lunatics in 2005. Her animated web series for the BBC, Ghosts of Albion, launched in 2003, has expanded to include a role-playing game and several novels. She won the Grand Jury Award at Outfest in 2005 for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film for her role as Maggie in the independent film Race You to the Bottom. In her latest endeavor, Benson teamed up with director Angela Robinson (D.E.B.S.) to play the role of Svetlana Dragovich in the online series Girltrash!

Perhaps most importantly – at least to AfterEllen.com readers – Benson was voted one of our Hot 100 women earlier this year. In light of her enthusiastic fan following, contributing writer Jessica Jones agreed to take your questions directly to Benson, who answered as many as she could.

AfterEllen.com: What can you tell me about your new online series, Girltrash!, and how you got involved? Amber Benson: I’ve known Angela Robinson for years, long before she was an L Word and D.E.B.S. diva! So, when she called and asked if I’d come and chill in the Girltrash! world, I was totally down. I really liked her initial concept, which was to mix something like The Departed with a hip, edgy lesbian sensibility. So far, I think the show is going well and I especially love my old friend, Lisa Rieffel, who kicks butt on it every week.

AE: What has it been like working on the series? AB: I’ve only really done one day of work as of right now, but it was really fun. Angela is great to work with, as is her partner, Alex, who is totally shooting the whole thing. It’s so cool when women take the bull by the horns and do all the heavy lifting.

AE: Does your working relationship with Angela Robinson mean there could potentially be any guest appearances for you on The L Word in the future? AB: I would love to shake my booty on The L Word. Let’s make it happen.

AE: What has been your favorite role to date, and why? AB: It’s a toss-up between Ella from the movie King of the Hill or Tara on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They both have a soft spot in my heart. They are similarly sweet and shy on the outside, but super strong on the inside.

AE: In retrospect about your role on Buffy: Would you change anything in the way it was written and how? AB: I wouldn’t change a hair on Tara’s head, even the bad stuff, because it made her who she was.

AE: What was the casting process like for you as you proceeded through auditions for Buffy? AB: I just went in and auditioned for Joss and Marti [Noxon]. I had no idea what the hell I was getting myself into. Little did I know that within a few months my whole life would be turned upside down, and I’d be making out with hot chicks on TV!

AE: On Buffy, the characters of Willow and Tara opened the door to lesbian visibility on TV. Did you have any reservations or fears in accepting the role of one of the most memorable and important lesbian characters in the history of television? AB: No reservations or fears. I thought it was mucho cool, and I was lucky to have Alyson [Hannigan] as my partner in crime.

AE: Lots of folks seemed to feel that Tara was one of the few characters to demonstrate an appropriate image of “real women.” What do you think about this, and how has weight and body image played an issue in your career? AB:I work in an industry where what you weigh is more important than whether you completed high school or not. I am what I am. I’ve got boobs, and I’m proud of them. I can’t imagine living my life in such a way that I couldn’t eat french fries or peanut butter and chocolate ice cream.

I think the best thing we can do for ourselves is to eat locally grown organic produce – I’m a big fan of farmer’s markets – and try not to overindulge in anything. By the way, everyone should read Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. That book talks about a lot of things involving food that I personally agree with.

AE: Did you talk to Joss about whether it was necessary to kill [Tara]? There have been rumors that Joss wanted you back for a few guest appearances during Season 7, but you decided not to return to the show. If the rumors are true, why did you chose not to return? AB: The timing just didn’t work out. I was getting ready to go to London to direct the animated version of The Ghosts of Albion, so it just wasn’t to be. I know that Joss did not intend to offend anyone with Tara’s death. He was truly furthering a story line and didn’t realize what an impact Tara’s death would have. You’re talking about the guy who created Tara and Willow’s relationship in homage to his lesbian friends’ relationship. He is 100 percent behind the LGBT community. I know this for a fact.

AE: How did you feel about Kennedy pushing up on your character’s woman only a couple months after she died? How rude is that? AB: Yeah, that bitch! Just kidding. I love Iyari [Limon, who played Kennedy], and I told her upfront how everyone hated Tara at first for usurping Oz. I told her to hang on, enjoy the ride, and people would grow to love her the way they loved Tara and Oz.

AE: In light of the recent “Buffy Is My Life” essay contest, I wonder how did working on Buffy affect your life? AB: I started when I was 22 and I spent a good chunk of my 20s immersed in Sunnydale. How that can’t affect someone, I don’t know. I definitely wouldn’t be able to do a lot of the things I’ve done without Buffy. And I met some very special people on the set that are still integral to my life today.

It’s funny because I saw Joss recently, and while we were standing there looking at pictures of his adorable kids, I realized that this was the guy who had changed — for good or bad — my life forever. It was a kinda crazy realization, that one person can have so much influence on another.

AE: What are your thoughts on the “Once More With Feeling” sing-alongs? AB: I think they’re awesome! I hope there is a lot of “in drag Tara” going on out there!

AE: Have you read any of the latest Season 8 Buffy comics? AB: I know that poor Warren is skinless and loving it!

AE: Do you know if Tara’s going to appear in the Season 8 Buffy comic? AB: I don’t have a clue. I don’t get the secret info comic book updates. They know I’m a terrible gossip!

AE: Do you keep in touch with any of your co-stars, especially from such big-name projects as Buffy or Taboo? AB: I see Michelle [Trachtenberg, who played Dawn] occasionally, the trio [Adam Busch, Danny Strong and Tom Lenk] and Juliet Landau [who played Drusilla], who’s awesome.

AE: Do you think that your pro-gay career opens or closes doors for you? Does it create some sort of glass-ceiling effect or do you find that many people are coming to you with projects? AB:I think playing a gay character on television opened a ton of doors for me, while at the same time closing a lot of doors for me. We still live in a world where a very Christian moral ethical code is implicit to our society. And sadly, some people have taken this and used it as a tool to divide.

I have been very blessed to work with a host of LGBT directors, producers, actors and writers, and let me tell you, who you sleep with has no effect whatsoever on the quality of the work. Believe me, being straight doesn’t make you a better entertainer.

AE: What drew you to work with the LGBT community on films? AB:I try and choose films that appeal to me on a psychological level. Some of them happen to be about straight people and some about LGBT people. I don’t make a distinction. For me, it’s all about the project itself.

AE: Are you up to playing any other lesbian roles in the future? AB: If the part kicks butt, then of course I’m there.

AE: You mentioned previously that your favorite movie is Antonia’s Line. If this is true, can you tell us why? Who’s your favorite character and what’s your favorite scene from the movie? AB: I just think it’s a lovely film about love and treating the people around you with compassion and respect. I think my favorite scene is the first, where we discover that this is Antonia’s day to die. It’s so beautiful; I can’t do it justice with my explanation. My favorite character is probably Antonia herself.

AE: When did you know you wanted to become an actress? AB: When I was a little kid I saw the Nutcracker Suite and desperately wanted to get on the stage. That was the beginning of the end for me!

AE: Would you ever consider doing Broadway theater over movies? AB: Hell yeah! Bring Broadway on! I have a friend who does Broadway [Jenna Leigh Green from Wicked], and I am so jealous of her. She has an amazing voice, and the job is well-deserved, but I’m still jealous she gets to tread the boards.

AE: I heard you’re going to star in a Dutch movie. Are you excited about shooting in the Netherlands? And have you ever been there before? AB:I have been to the Netherlands once before, and I loved it. Right now, we are just waiting for them to finish a rewrite on the script, but I am totally excited about the prospect of going to work in the Netherlands in the future.

AE: Strictly Sexual has had some of its promotional materials filtering through the web at large. Could you talk about the characters and the movie? AB: It’s a fun sex romp about two couples that are desperately trying to make their relationships work in Los Angeles. I think it’s a really funny movie, and I get to play a complete ball-buster, so it was a lot of fun for me as an actor. Plus, the cast and crew were totally fun to work with — a good group.

AE: If you weren’t acting, do you think you would still be in entertainment or outside of it? AB: I would move to Tahiti and start a reggae band — me on timpani!

AE: What music are you listening to right now? AB: I love Belle and Sebastian, Tegan and Sara, Of Montreal. And I have a total obsession with Arvo Pärt’s Te Deum. It’s beauteous.

AE: As a writer, what is your favorite genre to write for? AB: I like supernatural chick lit. It’s fun to mix sex and monsters!

AE: How many Ghosts of Albion novels do you have planned with Christopher Golden? AB: Right now, we only have the two published novels with no plans for another book in the near future. Chris and I would love to get back into the GOA world, but we’re really at the mercy of our publisher. It’s up to them how many more we end up doing.

AE: Do you have any other comic book projects in the works like Shadowplay? AB: No comics on the horizon, but that doesn’t mean I’ll never write them again. I’m just waiting for the right opportunity to present itself.

AE: Will you ever publish copies of the plays you have written? AB: Not in the near future, but that’s definitely a possibility.

AE: What’s the most important thing for a young writer in Hollywood: a great pitch, a strong drive or good connections? AB: I think all three are extremely important. You have to have the presence of mind to be aware of an opportunity, the balls to take the opportunity that is presented, and the talent to back up the balls when the opportunity bears fruit.

AE: What brought about your desire to be a filmmaker and tell the story that you did in the film Chance? AB:I knew lots of girls like Chance that had this mistaken idea that they had to be like men in order to compete in the romantic arena. It was so ironic because they’d go sleep with some random guy or girl, then be totally upset when said random guy or girl wouldn’t call them the next day. I just found the dichotomy interesting and really wanted to write a character that was dealing with those issues.

AE: Between Chance and Lovers, Liars and Lunatics, which was your favorite film to wear several hats for? AB: I loved making LLL, but you never forget your first. Chance popped my movie cherry, so it will always be number one. During the making of Chance, I have a very distinct memory of walking my dog way early in the morning before we started shooting for the day, and thinking that this was the best time I’d had in my whole life. And it was true.

AE: What’s next on your plate? AB: I’m working on a novel called Death’s Daughter, working on another script that I might try and direct, and waiting for a few independent films I’ve done to come out.

AE: How do you choose the projects that you do? AB: Whatever pays me the most — just kidding. Basically, if I read something and it tickles my fancy then I’m down for it, no matter if I make $100 a day or a million.

AE: Do you plan on attending any more fan conventions in the future? AB: I think I’m gonna be in the U.K. in September, so keep your eyes peeled.

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