THE ADVOCATE - June 27, 1995

WOMEN IN LOVE
The two stars of Two Girls in Love find romance on the big screen an eye-opening experience

By Chastity Bono

"Before I did the film, I don't ever remember walking down the street, seeing another woman, and thinking, God, she's really beautiful ," says Laurel Holloman, costar of writer-director Maria Maggenti's feature film debut, The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love , which opens in theatres June 13. "Now I'm 100% tuned-in to other women."

Nicole Parker, Holloman's onscreen lover and costar, also found being in a lesbian film a "broadening" experience. "Like Laurel, I have dated only men, but when I started shooting the film, it became easy for me to understand how simple it is to love a woman," recalls Parker, who just finished taping Divas, a television pilot for Fox. "So many of my gay friends have been through a lot of stress and social pressure. That made me really scared to explore my own homosexuality. But during the film it seemed so completely natural that my whole outlook has changed."

Although Holloman and Parker are both romantically involved with men, they agree that being a part of Two Girls in Love was a profound experience that will forever change the boundaries of their own sexuality. "I think what I define as sexy and attractive is not so standard anymore," says Parker. "Now I think women are extremely sexy and so beautiful, especially when they have short hair and are kind of masculine or when they're very feminine."

Holloman, 23, adds, "I felt like there were two parts of me that were starting to become whole. Before I did the movie, I thought of myself as a straight girl and that my only option was a boyfriend. That seems so small now. There are so many options, because for me it's the person who matters, not what sex they are."

Filmed in upstate New York in just 21 days, Two Girls in Love is a romantic comedy about coming of age and falling in love. It's the tale of two high school seniors: Randy Dean (Holloman), an underprivileged lesbian outcast, and Evie Roy (Parker), a beautiful, intelligent, and popular African-American girl. They meet, fall in love, and suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous dyke drama.

Although the film is essentially a lighthearted love story, Maggenti effortlessly interweaves a wide range of potentially heavy subjects, most notably lesbianism in a small town and interracial romance. And it was exactly these issues that made the movie so enticing to Holloman and Parker. "I felt completely grateful just to be able to get the part because it's such an amazing character," recalls Holloman. "I've played enough damn ingenues, daughters, and girlfriends that it was really great to play someone who is gay, completely out, and proud of it."

Parker, also 23, was equally enthusiastic about undertaking the role of Evie, but for a slightly different and more personal reason. "What was more exciting to me - even more than the sexuality issue," she says, "was the fact that I was getting a chance to put someone on-screen that I don't see very often but that I know personally - a young black woman who is both intelligent and educated."

Besides the opportunity to be able to play great characters, both Holloman and Parker really enjoyed the fact that Two Girls in Love was shot by an almost all-female crew, most of whom are lesbian or bisexual. "Ninety percent of the crew were women, and that was just amazing," remembers Parker. "There was a weird, intense energy on the set at all times that make it a very safe acting environment."

Holloman found her experience on the set to be an almost healing one. "I went to an all-girl prep school in the South where there was a lot of game playing and gossiping, which made me not trust women in general. Being on the set was very positive for me, because the women were so nurturing that it made me able to trust women again."

Maggenti, the woman responsible for creating such a positive working environment, had a very specific reason for wanting a female crew. "I believe having so many wonderful lesbians working on the film made a huge difference in the girls' performances," she says. "It gave them a sense of what it's really like to be gay. There is something very specific about a lesbian or gay experience; it's not something you can simply act because you kiss another woman."

Maggenti should know. Her own personal experience have made her well aware of the complexities of sexuality - a lesson she found harder to learn the second time she came out than the first. "When I can out as a lesbian, I felt great about myself," she says. "My attitude was, If you've got a problem with it, then it's your problem. It's pretty strange that 12 years later I would fall in love with a man, be totally traumatized by it, and have to come out again."

When Maggenti was originally casting the film, she had a very definite idea of the type of people she wanted for the leads. "I held open calls at the gay and lesbian community center," remembers Maggenti. "I was initially very committed to having two young lesbians play the roles of Randy and Evie. I found girls who were physically what I wanted but they had no acting experience, which concerned me." Casting the film turned out to be a tedious process, but Maggenti knew she had finally struck gold when she paired Holloman and Parker at the third set of callbacks. "I finally decided to go with them after they did an improvisation together that was so extraordinary, I ended up writing it into the script," Maggenti recalls. "After they left the room, I turned to everyone and said, ‘Oh my God, that was fantastic. It's them. It's them.'"

Maggenti's instinct to cast Holloman and Parker paid off. Their onscreen chemistry is undeniable. However, their lack of actual lesbian experiences prior to making this film does make one wonder how they pulled off this chemistry. "I think it helped that Laurel was fine and cute," Parker jokes. "My attraction to her came out of wanting to work with someone who was a good actress. I didn't want to take Laurel home, but sometimes when we were filming a scene, it felt like I actually did, which was all that really mattered."

Holloman found that the best way to act out the romantic scenes was to just play off of Parker. "You start to find the things that you would fall in love with if you were really falling in love with that person," says Holloman. "I didn't have to substitute Nicole for anybody else. I just worked off of her. There is something very mysterious and sensual about her, and I found that really attractive."

Although it's hard to imagine - after watching their passionate love scene - that there's nothing romantic between Holloman and Parker, the truth of the matter is that offscreen their relationship is based purely on friendship and mutual admiration. "I trusted Laurel immediately," says Parker. "She's just one of those people that you meet and want to share with. It was almost like I knew her already."

As far as Holloman is concerned, the feeling is very mutual: "I consider Nicole one of my really good friends. She's just one of those people you can be vulnerable around. Unfortunately, we don't get to see much of each other now that the movie is done."

No longer in the safe, lesbian-friendly environment of the set of Two Girls in Love, have Holloman and Parker changed their attitudes on the possibility of ever sharing their romantic lives with women? "If I met the right woman and she was the one, then she would be the one," states Parker. "But right now I'm just working on learning to be a loving and caring individual."

Holloman, however, seems much more curious about a lesbian relationship in the future. "I would have to say that I would be completely open to being in a relationship with a woman," she says. "Though I have had experiences with women before, they never escalated into a relationship. Now I'm very curious about that. However, whether it's with a man or a woman, you never can plan love. It just sort of falls into your lap."

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Interview magazine, april 2000

Laurel Holloman likes being a chameleon. That's why few people realize that the same woman who played the blue-collar tomboy in the teenage lesbian romance The Incredible Adventures of Two Girls in Love was also Mark Wahlberg's lusty lover in Boogie Nights, not to mention Janet McTeer's coffee-enema-aficionado friend in Tumbleweeds. "Early on I decided not to have any vanity in my work," Holloman says.

An earthy 28-year-old who spent much of her North Carolina girlhood on the horse-show circuit, Holloman lives in New York, not L.A., and is ambivalent about fame. "I'm really sure about having an acting career, but I'm really unsure about what celebrity is," she says. Nevertheless, celebrity is creeping up on her. Holloman stars in four movies this year. Loving Jezebel, an urban comedy about interracial romance; the World War II coming-of-age film The Rising Place; the dark comedy Lush; and Last Ball, where she plays a married mother having an affair with a younger man.

She's also about to begin filming her most challenging role to date, the paranoiac lead in David Smith's modern adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. For Holloman, who laughingly says, "I don't think I'm as neurotic as most actors are," the part will be a stretch. Then again, this woman has yet to meet a character she couldn't climb inside.

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SHOWTIME WEBCHAT WITH LAUREL
1/25/2004

sho_moderator: Thank you for participating! Laurel Holloman will be joining us following the episode. Welcome to tonight's event, a chat with Laurel Holloman. She will be joining us following the episode. We're sure you have plenty of questions for Laurel Holloman. To participate, type your question in the text box at the bottom of your screen and hit Enter/Return. Your question will be submitted. If it is responded to, it will appear in the chat window during the chat, followed by the response. Good evening everyone. Thanks for logging on. Laurel is now ready to begin the chat. Let's get started!


laurel holloman: I'm just really excited to talk to everyone because I know that the tone and the style of this episode is very different from the pilot, and I would love to know what people think.


ebb2002: Laurel, thanks for taking the time to chat. What would you say is the biggest surprise to you about your experienc of doing the show?

laurel holloman: I would say the biggest surprise was how amazing this ensemble of women fit together. I had no idea that that many women could be that cohesive.


kitkat: Do you feel like your character is defined by her quest to get pregnant?

laurel holloman: As the series moves on, I think you'll see that there are moments that my character does define herself by the quest to have a baby, and she sees how dangerous that is. I wanted to explore what happens to a woman, and Eileen Chaiken wanted to explore this also, what happens to women when they have high-powered jobs and they quit them, all just to get pregnant. And I think that the mistake that Tina might be making is that she's quit everything in order to be pregnant, instead of just continuing her work and letting her pregnancy fall into place. I think what will be explored in the entire season is the ramifications of what that does to somebody.

mostlywild98: What about your role as Tina do you find to be the toughest to portray authentically?

laurel holloman: I find the hardest thing to play about Tina is her centeredness and her easiness and her lack of fight for control. Because I'm a control freak, and I'm very different from Tina in a lot of ways. So there are some elements that I find very difficult, some of her softer qualities. I'm more brash than Tina. I have a much quicker temper.


latinamimi2: Laurel, what qualities do you like about Tina's character?

laurel holloman: The best thing about Tina is her loyalty. She is fiercely loyal in her relationships and in her friendships. I think she has a soulful quality and a spiritual quality that is often lacking in Los Angeles. I think those qualities are lovely and fun to play.


kimtowin: How did you prepare for the role of Tina?

laurel holloman: I was cast in this very quickly before it shot, so sometimes you do a lot of preparation and sometimes you don't do as much, so you hope that whatever you bring to it is going to be good. The majority of my preparation was in conjunction with Eileen Chaiken and Rose Troche in creating a history for Tina. The history for Tina was very different than what I thought in would be, in terms of her sexuality. I can't say anything else more because I would reveal some of the aspects that will be revealed later in the season. But other than preparing the history for the character, basically I just started working out like crazy because I knew there would be nudity, and trying to learn all the dialogue I could. As far as playing a lesbian, I had no issues, because I had already played the lead in The Incredible True Adventures of Two Girls in Love, and it basically jump-started my career.


cruise13: What direction would you like to see your character go in?

laurel holloman: I would like to see my character become more independent. I'd like to see my character find more balance in her life. But the beauty of being able to find those things, to me, is great, because all of these characters are flawed. For an actor it's really great, because it's really boring to play picture-perfect television characters. And that's not what anyone's going to see on The L Word.


oxymoron: What is your response to the criticism surrounding straight women playing gay women? Personnally, as long as a man isn't playing us, I don't care.

laurel holloman: Yeah, in a perfect world, maybe there would be an all-lesbian cast playing all lesbians. I kind of feel we get back to the same place, which is why does an actor's sexual orientation have to match the character? Should gay actors only be able to play gay characters, or shouldn't they be allowed to play straight or gay characters? I feel like it's important to focus on the characters and celebrate the show, and hopefully we will create an atmosphere in Hollywood where people are comfortable with being out.

oswegomv: Was filming the Country Club Mission scene as much of a hoot as it came across on screen?

laurel holloman: Yes it was a complete riot, the whole day that we shot in the country club. Making out with Jennifer in the country club was delicious. When we had to walk down and see Tammy Lynn Michaels, she cracked us all up by mooning us. And that was the tone of the day, just to really have fun.


beth: How much imput do you personally have in Tina's character?

laurel holloman: We all have a lot of input in our characters. Ilene is a great listener, as I should say, are Rose and Gwen. And we're allowed to bring a lot to the table.


slzsu: What areas of the relationship between Tina and Bette would you like to see explored this season?

laurel holloman: The power struggle that happens in same-sex relationships, or even hetero relationships, when one person is financially supporting the other.


semiaimes: I'm sure most viewers can see parts of themselves in some or all, mayhaps only one of the characters, regardless of orientation. If you weren't portraying Tina, which character would you identify with most?

laurel holloman: I think I would identify with Shane.


kendra: From reading articles I can see that the cast and crew all realize that what they are doing is very important socially... have you been able to experience first hand the kind of positivity the show is generating for the gay and lesbian community?

laurel holloman: To me, the first sign of the social importance was in the New York magazine article and what the New York lesbian community had to say. And that our show, being a Los Angeles show, still could be celebrated in all other sub-cultures in the country, especially New York, which is a very different place from LA. From my own experience, when I did The Incredible True Adventures of Two Girls in Love, I had a huge response from gay teenagers, which was wonderful because the suicide rate is high for gay teens, and I think our movie did have an impact. But it was an independent film, so it reached a smaller audience. So to me it's exciting that a television show can reach such a broad audience. And hopefully pave the way for more lesbian characters to be on television.


mam: I loved the Mission Imposible/queer eye for the"Lesbian"scene of the show tonight. Do you prefer the humorous scenes to the more dramtic?

laurel holloman: I like a balance between the humorous scenes and the more dramatic scenes. There are some days when the really heavy dramatic scenes can be exhausting, so it's refreshing to go into a new day where there's a lighter scene. I think the writers mix the comedy in very nicely with the more serious subject matter, and as the season moves on, the show will explore more serious, darker subject matters, Then to be followed with a more playful episode.


scubachele: Is this your most intense role?

laurel holloman: I can't say that there is one role more intense than the others. I've done a lot of independent films that people haven't seen, so there's been intense roles there. But this is the most intense television role I've ever had.


longtime_l_wife: Will Tina and Bette tackle the topic of gay marriage?

laurel_holloman: Keep watching. It could happen. I think it would be great to tackle that.


tkzoo: Are you or any one else in the cast concerned about stereotyping, since it is so prevelant in Hollywood?

laurel holloman: I cannot answer for anyone else in the cast. As for myself, I am completely not worried about stereotyping. I feel that it is my job as an actor to have as wide a range as possible, and so if I were to be typecast too many times, I would only blame myself because I'm not a good enough character actress, which is what I would like to be. From my own experience, I did 25 features after Two Girls in Love, and I never felt anyone typecast me as an eighteen-year-old baby butch lesbian. I also believe that there's not a lesbian type, and that's what's going to show up on our show.

turtle2: Do you think that "butch" lesbians are portrayed on the show?

laurel holloman: In the episodes that you've seen, no, you haven't seen that many butch characters. Will you see more? Yes. Can we get a representation of everybody in two episodes? No, it's impossible. But I hope that people will continue to watch, because I think that there's going to be a large mix of everything, and it's a shame to judge it so quickly. Just see how it unfolds.


carriebomb: You would identify with Shane? How so?

laurel holloman: I identify with androgyny, tomboyism, fear of intimacy, and a sense of freedom.


blueberry: Are you prepared for your sudden status as an 'icon' in the gay community?

laurel holloman: No, I'd have no idea how to prepare for that. I'm way too shy.


warriorgrrl: Will there be a time that we get the back story on Bette and Tina's relationship for the past 7 years?

laurel holloman: Yes! Stay tuned. There'll be an episode where you'll get to hear everyone's coming-out story. You'll get lots of history on more than just Bette and Tina, but you will get their history. It's an excellent episode.

foxmists: Is there a particular social statement or message that you want to get out to society in this show?

laurel holloman: I think the main statement is to show that alternative lifestyles are not that different. I think that our show will show that these lifestyles are not to be judged, feared, or pigeon-holed. For me personally, I'm really proud to be representing a possible alternative family on screen. To show other families that this lifestyle isn't so different.


soccergrrl: Laurel, great job on the show. I love it! I would like to ask who would you like to see make a guest appearance on the show?

laurel holloman: Angelina Jolie. Selma Hayek. Diane Keaton. Jodi Foster. I know, it's a big wish list, but what can you do?


hawkeye: What do you personally think the L Word stands for?

laurel_holloman: Love.


heroinhairweave: When will you know if there's going to be a season 2?

laurel holloman: I don't know. Keep your fingers crossed for us. Watching helps!


foxmists: Is there a lot of improvisation on the show as we've heard in various ads?

laurel holloman: Yeah, there is. The more important, more dramatic scenes are less improvised, and small things like telephone calls, driving, talking on the cell phone, little blurbs that seem really natural, can be improvised. But if we have trouble with the scene, we may improvise to work it out, but then we lock it in with permission from the writer.


ber: Once the season is over with, what do you personally take away with you. Not objects, but emotions.

laurel holloman: I took away a lot from this first season on an emotional level. Exploring Bette and Tina's relationship had a profound emotional effect on me. Exploring Tina's desire to have a child and the journey that her and Bette take to have a child hits very close to my heart. Because I want to start a family. I'm really grateful that people are watching and that we are having such a positive response. I hope that we have many more seasons, because I think we have many more stories to tell.


sho_moderator: Thank you for chatting with Laurel Holloman. We hope you've enjoyed the chat and tonight's episode of The L Word. Keep visiting SHO.com and be sure to stay a part our community by sharing your thoughts on The L Word message boards. Log on to The L Word message boards right now to discuss your thoughts on the cast and the premiere episode with other fans! The chat room will be closing in two minutes, but you can head on over to The L Word message boards and share your thoughts about this week's episode. Thanks for joining in on tonight's chat. Copyright ©2004, Showtime Networks Inc. All rights reserved.

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TV Magazine
The L Word's Pregnant Pause
by Ileane Rudolph

Laurel Holloman


We've seen plenty of pregnant ladies on TV, but never one like The L Word's Tina Kennard, as played by real mommy-to-be Laurel Holloman. As befits the no-holds-barred lustiness of Showtime's lesbian drama (Sundays at 10 pm/ET), Tina's — and Laurel's — expanding belly didn't keep her from doing love scenes with ex-girlfriend Bette (Jennifer Beals) and the haughty What-The-Hel (Rachel Shelly). And how's this for a twist on life imitating art: Now that Holloman has had her child (6-month-old Lola), Beals has revealed that she's expecting! TVGuide.com touched base with Holloman a few weeks before she returned to Vancouver to shoot L Word's third season.

TVGuide.com: So now that Jennifer Beals is pregnant, you'll have to deal with her hormonal issues on the set. Fair play?
Laurel Holloman: [Laughs] We're pretty good at it now. I'll take care of her this year, because she really took care of me!


TVG: Will Ms. Beals' pregnancy be written into the show like yours was?
Holloman: Jennifer really didn't want to be pregnant on the show, and everybody has come to the conclusion that it would just be repetitive [coming right after mine]. But she'll look glowing in her close-ups!

TVG: You really struck a feminist blow by portraying a heavily pregnant woman as feeling strong sexual desires — and being very sexually appealing to others around her.Holloman: I was really pregnant, and I had gestational diabetes and was on insulin, which didn't make me feel so sexy. But I wanted to be part of something that was such a celebration of pregnancy and a womanly body. I thought it was very progressive. And a lot of women have sexual desire in the last part of their pregnancy, which is sort of interesting.

TVG: Kudos for your bravery. You were next to naked in love scenes and nude in the underwater labor scene.
Holloman: And I [had] gained 30 pounds! As it was happening, I wasn't thinking about whether it was courageous or anything. I'd like to look at my career when I'm older and go, "Hey, I really did things that were hard." As an actress, it's one of the most cool things I've ever done. Also, I did The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love at a young age, playing a little baby butch dyke. So very early on, I just dropped vanity and preconceived notions of what I'm supposed to look like.

TVG: You had some hot scenes with What-The-Hel, especially in the pool. Will Rachel Shelly be back even though your characters have broken up?Holloman: Yeah! What-The-Hel will definitely be back. She's a great addition, and Rachel Shelly is a delight to work with. I was seven months pregnant in that scene.

TVG: Did your situation ever make you laugh? You were this massively pregnant, married heterosexual woman in steamy clinches with gorgeous women.
Holloman: It was a little comical the first time I had to do a love scene pregnant. I was in the pool, and Rachel and I were laughing because the baby was kicking! It was easy to do [pregnant love] scenes with Rachel and Jennifer. I don't know if I could have done that with a man. [Laughs]

TVG: Speaking of men, what was your husband's reaction?
Holloman: He [Hollywood production designer Paul Macherey] was very proud of me. He's an artist, so he would never tell me what to incorporate into my art, just like I would never tell him what to design.

TVG: You went through most of your pregnancy on camera.
Holloman: In the first episode, I was four-and-a-half months pregnant — and I worked until the day before my water broke!

TVG: Wow!
Holloman: I didn't make it to the last episode. I had an emergency Caesarian section, just like Tina. On my last day, I was supposed to have a meeting with [L Word creator] Ilene Chaikin. My water broke and I was in the hospital that night in labor. I had to do reshoots for the final show five weeks after the birth of my baby. It was pretty interesting; they pretty much shot the emergency C-section in the final scene, after I had a real one.