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Interview with Christine Woods of “FlashForward”

The ABC drama FlashForward came as pleasant surprise in 2009, as one of the main characters, FBI agent Janis Hawk (played by Christine Woods), was revealed to be a lesbian early on in the series.

In only the fourth episode, Janis went on a romantic date with chef Maya (played by Numb3rs star Navi Rawat). While the romance showed promise (as well as a fair amount of physical intimacy), Janis was upset when she learned that Maya had been snooping around in the Mosaic database for information on her flashforward. Janis subsequently bailed on their date and, ostensibly, their budding relationship.

Since then, Janis Hawk has weathered her share of trials, including being attacked, getting shot, resigning from the FBI and having that resignation rejected by her boss. But there’s still a lot we don’t know about Janis, including the details surrounding her mysterious pregnancy, which was revealed in her flashforward experience.

Because the show is on hold for now (it will resume March 18), we’ll have to wait a bit longer to learn more about her. In the meantime, AfterElton.com editor Michael Jensen spoke to Christine Woods on our behalf at the Television Critics Association (TCA) Tour in Los Angeles this week, and asked her to give us some hints as to what might be coming up on the show and how Janis’s love life might be shaping up.

AfterEllen.com: What more can we expect to see between Janis and Maya?

Christine Woods:I know that we may or may not see Maya again, but it’s definitely not the end of the road for Janis’s romantic relationships. She has a couple of romantic inquiries, if you will, that come back. Her dating and finding love is still very much on the table.

AE: Can you elaborate on either?

CW: All I can say is that we will see her looking for the right person. She will be dating, trying to meet people, and there will be romance for her.

AE: Do you know if, by the end of the season, one of those will potentially turn into something more long-term?

CW:Yes, that is definitely a possibility.

AE: Are we going to see Maya at all? Is Janis going to forgive her for searching for her flashforward?

CW:She might be back, I don’t really know if she’s going to be back for certain. But there is also potential for Janis to not just have one person in her life romantically. She could have more than one.

AE: Her sexuality isn’t in flux or anything? She’s a lesbian?

CW: One hundred percent lesbian.

AE: Is she ever going to come out to her co-workers?

CW:It is, I think at some point, revealed that they might have already known. So there’s not a big to-do, there’s not a big reveal. We come to find out that it’s already been common knowledge for them.

AE: So just a total non-issue, just as one would expect from that level of people?

CW:Absolutely.

AE: Are we going to get more information on how Janis became pregnant?

CW: Oh yeah. (Laughs) And let me say this, we may not have met the person she gets pregnant with. It might not be a person, there’s so many different … at one point it might be like, “Gosh, is it that person or that person?” But we will find out who it is.

AE: How do you approach the character? She kind of reminds me of Anna Torv‘s character on Fringe, in that she’s not traditionally feminine (in really good ways).

CW:I think I approach it first and foremost as her being someone who is exceptional at what she does. You can be exceptional at baking cookies if you’re passionate about it. And if you’re exceptional, you seem strong. It doesn’t matter what you do, but if you do it with so much passion and force, sometimes people think “that’s masculine,” because you’re strong.

But really I think of it … I don’t think of it as a “girl power” role, I just think of her as someone who’s really good at what she does. Sometimes that comes across as stable, strong and powerful, and so be it. I think that’s a great way to come across.

AE: In regards to Janis’s sexuality, did you create a backstory for her in your mind, like when she came out, what her approach to all of that is?

CW:Definitely. My backstory for Janis is very funny. It could or could not be what the writers envisioned, I don’t know. But my backstory for her is that she’s come out to her parents, and I think of her parents as kind of hippie intellectuals that totally let her do and let her be. Then, all of the sudden she becomes a cop, and that’s something totally opposite from what they ever envisioned for her.

But I think she’s able to be so good at her job because her sexuality is something that’s been addressed, been part of her for most of her adult life, and it’s a non-issue for her in terms of having people find out, or people know.

So I think in terms of her sexuality, I made up in my mind that it’s been out there and been part of her life and something that’s part of who she is. She doesn’t have to explain it to people, it’s just there. And there’s a lot of other things, i.e. her job, that are more important to her than that.

I like the way the writers have approached her sexuality because it’s very important, it’s very central, it’s mentioned but it’s definitely not the thing that drives Janis. What drives Janis is her work, and the FBI, and I enjoy that very much.

AE: When you read for the role, was it described as how Janis is now or has that changed? How much discussion, if any, went into the fact that, even in 2009, you’re playing a lesbian role and people are going to be watching closely, so how do we play this, how do we address this?

CW:Well, it’s funny, I was definitely not a lesbian when we shot the pilot. That was kind of new information, and after watching the pilot and going in a certain direction, I thought it would be a really great, different type of character to have on the show, that other people could relate to.

The writers are so great, and we’re allowed to talk to them about how we feel about certain stuff … and just addressing the whole bisexual or gay thing. They’re open to discussing that scenario, I of course prefer that she’s 100 percent gay, but that stuff always changes, you never know, it’s TV.

But it’s interesting because I initially started as an analyst, and kind of like a nerdy office girl, and now I’m like this total badass with a gun who shoots people. (Laughs) So it’s great that they allow you to make it your own and allow it to change in the natural direction in which it seems to be going. As opposed to sticking to how it originally was.

It’s really great that she is just gay, and that’s part of who she is, and it’s not the number one thing in her life. And I really appreciate that, and I think the writers are staying true to that. And that makes me feel like it’s something that I, Christine Woods, can personally get behind and be proud of.

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