Interview with Mia Kirshner

by Dara Nai, Senior Writer, August 20, 2009 from afterellen

Who killed Jenny Schecter? A mere five months ago, that was the burning question on lesbian lips in living rooms and local bars from Los Angeles to Little Falls, New Jersey.

Mia Kirshner (Miss Conception, The Black Dahlia, 24) — the astonishing actor who played Jenny, and managed to find the humanity in a character known for uttering, "Adele, the appliqué on the back of your jeans was declared an abomination by the Geneva Convention," and other psychotic bon mots — is in fact a thoughtful woman who'd rather spend time with her friends than bask in the spotlight of Hollywood.

After a record six years as Showtime's longest running original series, The L Word finally ended in March, putting our love-to-hate relationship with Jenny Schecter to rest, not to mention relieving us of those annoying alliterations.

What many people don't know is, all that time, Mia was also focused on humanitarian issues, and in October, 2008, she published her first book, I Live Here, a collection of "visually stunning" narratives told through journals, stories and images, by refugees and displaced people from around the world.

The normally press-shy actress talked to AfterEllen.com and opened up about working on The L Word, her reaction when she found out Jenny was dead, and furthering her efforts for I Live Here with an upcoming fundraiser that will include L Word cast members Jennifer Beals, Laurel Holloman and Rose Rollins.

AfterEllen.com: Now that The L Word is over, can you tell us what your overall experience was like?
Mia Kirshner: It's hard to talk about an overall experience, because each year was so different. But looking back now that a few months have passed since it ended, I miss seeing the girls. They were really fun to work with. I miss that dorm atmosphere that happened on the set. I miss giggling with them. I think in retrospect, in spite of some of the weirdness with the storylines, particularly with my character, it was wonderful. Showtime gave us a lot of freedom, and I realize how rare that is, and how lucky we were to have those jobs.

AE: How was it to work with so many women and so few men? That's a rare thing.
MK: It is a rare thing. When I first started the show, I was worried about it because in high school, there were packs of girls that reminded me of packs of wolves. I always felt like a group dynamics [can get] nasty. I remember in the pilot, I kept to myself. But now, I can only say it was a really wonderful experience – on the social side of it and the creative freedom that we had.

Working with all women is a great thing. Women talk more about how they're feeling, what they'd like from each other, and what they don't like. It can be a more sympathetic environment, if that makes any sense.

AE: You were all doing something groundbreaking, a show about lesbians, and going through it together. Did that help?
MK: We never thought of it like that. I didn't at the time. And we had all had our own experiences in the gay community, with women, whatever. Not all of us, but some of us. It wasn't a big deal. And we were shooting in Vancouver, so we were in a little bubble.

AE: So, being cut off from Hollywood fostered a little esprit de corp?
MK: Yeah, it was nice. We had dinner in each other's homes. Leisha [Hailey] and I lived together the first year. It was a special, special time.

AE: Who were you closest to in the cast? Who do you miss the most?
MK: I would say I was close to Leisha. Kate [Moennig] and I hung out a lot. But it was always group stuff. Leisha, certainly, because I lived with her the first year and the second year. We got to know each other very well.

Rose Rollins is definitely one of my best friends. I speak to her every single day. I love her very, very much. And I would say Jennifer [Beals], as well.

AE: So, that notion that women don't support each other, or try to keep each other down — you didn't see any of that?
MK: No, absolutely not. I didn't. Also, I was working on I Live Here, the whole time I was in Vancouver, so I had other things I was thinking about. I was focusing my energy on the book. I wasn't that involved in the politics.

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.

AE: Well, your book came out and now you're really concentrating on the I Live Here project.
MK: After I came back from Malawi, my writing partner, James MacKinnon, and I decided that we wanted to start a program in the juvenile prison there. So we spent a couple of years doing research and that's really what my spare time is devoted to.

If you think of the book as the right hand — the education part of it — then the project is the left hand. You see what some problems are around the world, and then you do things in a concrete way and you fix them.

AE: What crime could a young child commit that would send them to prison?
MK: I would say over half of them are there because of crimes related to poverty, such as stealing food. Many are being held without a proper trial, many of the kids are orphans. Their parents died from AIDS-related illnesses. They're locked in their cells, they're overcrowded. There's one bucket to use the bathroom.

I've been asked, "Why Malawi?" and my answer is, "Why not?" When you see human rights being violated, you have to say something and do something about it. Period.

I don't want to pretend to be an expert on the subject and have the ultimate answers, but there's an attitude that because they live in another country and we live here, they don't affect us. I think it's important to look at the world as a body. And if one part of the body is sick, and not treated, than disease will spread to the rest of the body. It's preventative. That's what I Live Here is trying to do, in its small, humble way.

AE: Your book, I Live Here, uses storytelling as a powerful tool to raise awareness.
MK: Yeah, it's their stories. That's the premise of the book: that stories can change the world. And you give people who often wouldn't be given a chance to speak for themselves, to write about their lives. So I think having people speak for themselves is very powerful.

AE: I read that your father was a displaced person.
MK: My dad was born in a refugee camp after World War II and went through a series of camps. My grandmother on my father's side lost her husband and her son. They were killed, I think. We don't know what happened to them. And that's why I think it's important to archive what happens to people who survive violence and trauma.

AE: Without a record or anyone bearing witness, crimes are lost to time.
MK: I think so. I also think, on a very personal level, if you're asked what or how you feel, and what you want, it makes you feel valued. And if you feel valued, it makes you stronger.

AE: Have you met anyone during the making of the book that really inspired you?
MK: The kids in the Malawi prison. Certainly, at first glance, these kids didn't seem to be hardened criminals. These kids wanted to write and draw. And what came out of their writing was their hope and their humility, and their lack of anger. Many others would be very anger at the fact that their parents had passed away, that they were extremely poor, and that they were in jail and hadn't been charged. It was an inspiring thing. So, I realize how f---ing lucky I was to have a job. I have nothing to complain about.

AE: Well, we're spoiled Americans.
MK: I'm Canadian!

AE: Oops, I forgot. Well, there's a certain cynicism when it comes to going out into the Third World and looking around. It even gets parodied.
MK: I think if you're trying to do a something, then that's a good, great start. It shouldn't be mocked. There's value in everything. It's better than doing nothing, I think. At the end of the day, before someone mocks anything, look at the work, get the facts before anyone forms a judgment.

AE: What's the next phase for I Live Here?
MK: Well, there's the fundraiser on August 22 in Santa Monica. I really really hope people come out for this one. Jennifer Beals, Laurel Holloman and Rose Rollins are all scheduled to be there with me.

AE: An L Word mini-reunion sounds like reason enough to me. Especially for a good cause.
MK: And we're going to debut a huge multi-media installation about the journey in making I Live Here. Then, I go to Malawi at the end of the month to set up the program. We're also doing something called the Ambassador Program, a student curriculum based on issues covered in the book.

AE: It's very ambitious, for a grassroots campaign.
MK: And people are responding. There's a woman named Debra Latourette who wrote to us and held her own backyard fundraiser. She raised over $1,000. How cool is that? Just a total stranger, doing that.

AE: Now I feel bad about asking you about those sex scenes and why Jenny is dead.
MK: And I don't want to seem like I was complaining. Who cares what I felt? I was a f---ing actor with a job.

AE: You don't sound like a complainer at all. But I get it. In Hollywood, it's safer to be nice to everyone.
MK: I'd rather tell the truth.

AE: I think it's OK if we raise awareness for good causes and care about what you ate for breakfast, because you're a celesbian.
MK: [laughs] I know. But at the end of the day, that's really what the bottom line is for me: the real world.

AE: So, what did you eat for breakfast?
MK: [laughs] You know what I'm saying.

Interview with Janina Gavankar

By B&TF from l-word.com

Part I: Comic-Con, Twitter and the Internet

I met with Janina at a little place called Body Factory that sells healthy drinks and smoothies. I got an “SOB” drink with oranges, bananas, strawberries and some organic healthy malt that makes the drink…well, healthy. Janina admitted that this place is one of her favorites and she’s addicted to smoothies. We went outside to have an interview and the fun began.

B&TF: Okay, so here’s my first interview with Janina Gavankar in the series “The L Word cast members – what are they doing now.”

Janina Gavankar: What am I doing right now? Right now I’m having a Body factory smoothie.

B&TF: What kind?

JG: The green one? (laughing) It’s good.

B&TF: What’s in it and why do you like it?

JG: Hm… green things? Well, they don’t actually tell you what’s in it, which is a bit suspect, but it’s yummy. There's pineapple… well that's not green but…(laughing).

B&TF: I’m having SOB. It’s an acquired taste but if you’re drinking it really fast and don’t pay attention to what’s in it, you’ll be fine (both laughing and slurping). Okay, let’s begin then. So you just came from San Diego Comic-Con…

JG: Oh, Comic-Con, how I love thee. This was the first Comic-Con I’ve been to. The first thing I did was a panel. I did a voice-over work on this massive project called Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey. It’s very cool because it was combining science fact with science fiction and using it in an educational animated movie. They were taking all these data that NASA’s releasing, all of the mappings of Saturn and all these different planets. It has a crazy cast. It has both of the people who played Darth Vader [James Earl Jones and Hayden Christensen], both of the Captain Kirks [William Shatner and Chris Pine], it has serious sci-fi royalty. It will be shown in IMAX Theaters, museums and such. So I did the panel and it was in ballroom 20. I don’t know if it has 3,000 or 4,000 seats but it was standing room only and it was in-saaaane. It was such a cool first Comic-Con experience for a geek.

B&TF: I saw some pictures that you posted on your twitter and there were so many people, crazy crowded. Is it always like that?

JG: Yep.

B&TF: So what’s usually happening at the Comic-Con? Do they have booths there? Do fans just meet other fans? Explain Comic-Con for people like me who’ve never been there.

JG: There are so many different aspects to it. The main floor is filled with booths like many other conventions. It has comic books sellers, video games, toys. Major studios have booths like Fox and Sci-Fi channel so they can promote their new projects. There is a huge atrium filled for autograph signings, and there are panels with speakers from different projects.

B&TF: I did see a line-up for different artists who were supposed to show up there, like the authors of different comic books and some famous people whose sci-fi or animated movies were presented. I saw an interview with Denzel Washington about his new movie, Book of Eli.

JG: Right, right.

B&TF: Did you see him there?

JG: No, I didn’t see him there but I saw many other people. Sigourney Weaver… It was intense; it was a great experience to be able to be part of the panel before I even let myself stretch my fan girl wings and fly (laughing).

B&TF: What’s your favorite animation, comic book or sci-fi movie?

JG: Battlestar Galactica is my favorite show.

B&TF: I liked it a lot, too.

JG: Alex [Kondracke] and Angela [Robinson], writers on The L Word, they were the ones who told me, “You have to watch Battlestar.” They are the ones who got me completely addicted to it. Edward James Olmos and Colonel Tigh [Michael Hogan] were there. I was standing there paralyzed in an “Oh my God,” state, like a total geek.

B&TF: You are just like the rest of us fans.

JG: Yes, absolutely. That’s the thing. I’m an actor but I completely allow myself to be a fan of certain things.

B&TF: You yourself have been in several sort of a sci-fi/space TV series, like Dollhouse, Stargate Atlantis. What attracts you to this kind of shows?

JG: I probably have a sensibility and unsaid understanding between me and the world of geekery that lands me these gigs.

B&TF: Do you search for them or they get offered to you?

JG: No, they just kind of show up and I do too.

B&TF: Dollhouse…they were supposed to show an unaired episode at the Comic-Con with you in it…

JG: I watched it, it was amazing.

B&TF: Wasn’t it supposed to be some sort of secret finale?

JG: Joss Whedon screened it at his panel and it was the first time I saw it, actually. It was the coolest Dollhouse episode of the whole season.

B&TF: It wasn’t shown on TV.

JG: Nope. I know I'm biased, but it's seriously the best episode of the season.

B&TF: But it’s going to be on the DVD.

JG: Yes and I think they are airing it in the UK because Jo, one of the volunteers from the Blackpool Convention, told me about it. Seriously, they tell me all the things I’m going to be in before I know it (laughing). They tell me details about my projects before I know about them.

B&TF: You can find a lot of things on the Internet these days, which brings me to twitter. All of a sudden it became so popular, especially among the celebrities. What do you really think about twitter and why do you think it’s so popular?

JG: Ok, I’ve been twittering since 2007 and I’ve known about it forever. Actually, I was one of the first actors who started twittering. It's kinda cool, because they use to send out these emails to everyone because it was so small at that time. It was a newsletter that said “Look who’s twittering: Ms. Dewey.” So I was doing it before everyone and their mother started doing it. I’m like a twitter O.G. (laughing).

B&TF: Why do you think it’s so appealing, especially to celebrities?

JG: Well, the celebrities get to promote their projects and have a direct line of communication to their fan. For me, I started twittering just to be able to remember what I did yesterday and I want to remember cool little moments. When you live life really fast and fully you can’t remember everything; I certainly can’t (laughing).

B&TF: Sometimes it’s kind of hard to get into it and it’s not for everyone.

JG: Well it's an opt-in experience. Twitter and social networks and the whole ever-changing universe of the Internet… You make it what you want it to be. It’s a completely individual experience. I’ve plenty of actor friends who have tried twitter because they feel like they are supposed to be doing it and I tell them, “You do not have to do any of it. If it doesn’t fit into your life, if it does not feel valuable to you, if you’re not connected to it emotionally in any way, don’t do it.”

B&TF: There are also a few imposters who are trying to impersonate some celebrities…

JG: Actually, there was a "Jennifer Beals" there today and I emailed her today and I was like, “Is this you?” She was like, “Um, no, not so much.”

B&TF: Good because there are things on there that she would never said.

JG: Actually I’m going up to the Twitter headquarters next weekend to go visit everybody there, in San Francisco.

B&TF: Yeah, tell them about this.

JG: Already emailed ‘em (laughing). [Note: the fake account was removed a few days after this interview.]

B&TF: Great. Well, since we are on the subject of the Internet, I checked your website, which is under construction, but it has a really cute picture up front.

JG: Thank you!

B&TF: Did you take it just for that purpose?

JG: Sure did. It’s all under construction now (making a lot of slurping sounds while finishing her smoothie and making unrelated comments about her new friend, an interrogator, and terrorists and how to break them). I'm really lucky to be working with some seriously talented friends who've become the creative team for this website. I did a massive photo shoot for it in the 5000 square-foot photo studio with Konstantin Golovchinsky. Actually, when I leave here I’m going to work with him on the final pictures. And then one of the pictures we did was that cute little picture for the main page. The guys who are designing and programming, I call them “The Babies”, they put up what’s there now (http://www.estunt.deviantart.com and http://www.dan14lev.deviantart.com). Everything is changing. I’m a huge fan of this amazing artist in India, his name is Archan Nair, who’s become a friend of mine and he’s going to do art work for it. I’m choosing a flash animator right now, even though we probably will use Java Script instead. I don't know, we'll figure it all out as we go along.

B&TF: When are you planning to launch it?

JG: Ask the Babies! (laughing) As soon as possible. I also recently set up fan page on Facebook, which I was hard pressed to do. It feels weird to me. It’s not who I am. I like to have a personal connection with people who watch my work because I’m so grateful to them. Facebook only allows you to have 5,000 friends and I’m about to hit that. I didn’t know what to do so I started a fan page last week.

B&TF: Can you have unlimited fans that way?

JG: Yes, it’s unlimited but it just doesn’t feel the same. I can’t post the way I want to. You can’t message me through there and it’s really annoying because I feel that people can’t get connected the way they do on a friend’s page. So I’m not so thrilled with that but, I have no choice! Well, there is one cool thing that the fan page has. The fan picture section. So all of the pictures from Blackpool can be posted there of us together. There’s actually a place for it there now. So together, we'll make the fan page as personal as the friend page.

Part II: Projects and appearances

B&TF: Great…let’s talk now about some of your recent works and projects. Recently you appeared on the episode of “The Cleaner”.

JG: Did you see it?

B&TF: Yes I did. I liked it and you were really believable as a drug addict.

JG: (laughing) Thank you so much.

B&TF: And as an Indian person…

JG: I know, it was crazy.

B&TF: How long it took to put the paint on your hands?

JG: We re-did it every day. The make-up artist was awesome. By the final day of the two weeks, we got it down to half an hour from the second I opened my hands to “done”.

B&TF: In addition to drugs you also played a very pregnant lady.

JG: Yes, very pregnant, that was odd (laughing). I ask myself, “Which one was more weird, the meth or the pregnancy” and I would have to go with the pregnancy (laughing).

B&TF: This is goes with my next question. When you prepare for a role like this how much homework do you do?

JG: I had to do a lot of homework. The show itself based off of a real guy who is the Real Cleaner. His name is Warren Boyd and I followed Warren around like a puppy for those two weeks. I was so obsessed with him.

B&TF: Is he involved with the show?

JG: Yes, very much so. He’s one of the producers and creators. He had to teach me how to strike up a crack pipe. And I was so scared that I would look bad and won’t do it right that I just kept saying, “Let’s do it again, let’s do it again.” Because I’m such a straight edge, I haven’t really smoked anything.

B&TF: Who helped you with being a pregnant lady?

JG: Alex Kondracke who just had her baby.

B&TF: Oh she did have her baby?

JG: Yes, she just had him. Unfortunately, what I was wearing wasn’t weighted, it was just foam and I had to naturally move and sit in a way as pregnant women do. Odd, very odd.

B&TF: So it was just this one episode?

JG: I did the season finale as well.

B&TF: Oh, so you will just show up as the same character…

JG: Don't wanna ruin anything…

B&TF: When is the season finale coming so I can tell the fans to watch?

JG: I don’t know in what episode they are in right now. I think they are showing episode four and they did total of 12 or 13 episodes.

B&TF: You know that week after you Mia Kirshner was on it as well.

JG: Yes, right! I haven’t see Mia’s episode yet.

B&TF: I missed it too but the fans can still watch it on AETV.com/thecleaner just like yours was online.

JG: Yes, it was the most harrowing two weeks of my life but maybe the most invigorating two weeks of work of my career so far.

B&TF: And you have some Indian blood in you so it wasn’t as weird as being a drug addict?

JG: I was much more worried about inhaling whatever they put in the crack pipe.

B&TF: I actually was always wondering what they use on the shows for drugs or alcohol because it has to look believable and realistic.

JG: They replace it with different things. Brown alcohols are mostly iced tea; they use non-alcoholic beer, or sparkling cider for champagne. They use lactose for meth.

B&TF: Interesting. By the way, when you said that you do research for the roles that you’re not really familiar with, what did you do to play a space trooper on Stargate Atlantis?

JG: Oh yeah, we went through gun training. We learned how to shoot P90 submachine guns.

B&TF: Were they real guns?

JG: Oh yeah, with fully loaded with blanks and this much fire were coming up front (she holds her hands about two feet apart) actually it was more like this (three feet apart). It will push you back if you’re not ready for it. One of the scenes I had to do, I was sitting like perched in the house on the second floor and I’m all set up (showing the way she was sitting). My character is a total badass and a smartass who kind of over it and just wants to kick some ass, it was a great character.

B&TF: Bad ones are the best to play.

JG: Yeah and it was a huge crane shoot in this massive area. There’s a lot riding on me getting this right and I had so much business to do. I had to chew a gum, I have to blow a bubble, I have to sit there, I have to wait for the fire to go off, make sure I had a cue and then shoot in this direction. I don’t know, some nonsense like that. It was so logistically crazy. By the way, note to anyone out there who’s trying to blow a bubble on cue – make sure you chew it long enough so the sugar gets out of it because if it’s Bubblicious it needs to be kind of stale gum to be able to get a perfect bubble.

B&TF: How many takes did that scene take?

JG: Too many, too many (laughing). And again, the things that you think you’re going to worry about are not what you should be worried about. It’s not the gun, it’s the bubble gum (laughing). How come I didn’t go through bubble gum training? That's what I really should’ve gone through.

B&TF: Exactly…well, let’s talking about your ACME appearance. Tell me a little about ACME, how did you end up hosting it and how was it?

JG: It was a blast! ACME on www.acmecomedy.com is a sketch comedy troupe, school and theatre. They’ve been around for 20 years. Every Saturday night they have a sketch show, much like Saturday Night Live, in a theatre in Hollywood. Now they stream it live on ACMEComedy.tv on Saturdays at 8pm.

B&TF: It’s at the same time when they actually having the show.

JG: Yeah, absolutely… all live. It was crazy that I was doing this show (laughing). I have a comedian friend, watching online. I would go back stage to do a quick change, text him about how the show was going, then I go back on stage, do something crazy, go back, change, text. He was like, “That was effin’ funny…that one just made me laugh really hard” and so I thought, “Okay, if he thinks it’s funny then we’re good.”

B&TF: So they just emailed you and asked you?

JG: They have a celebrity host every week for the Saturday night show. And they knew that I did comedy stuff as well. I was very happy to do it.

B&TF: When you said you’ve done comedy did you mean like stand-up comedy?

JG: No, not stand-up, that frightens the hell out of me, but I’ve done sketch. I work with a group, called OPMComedy, whenever I can, which hasn’t be a lot lately, sadly.

B&TF: Are you going to appear again on ACME?

JG: Maybe!

B&TF: Is there some kind of archive for people who missed watching the show live?

JG: Yep! It's all on YouTube. Search “Acme” and my name. It's the 6/13/09 show. It was wild. Very high energy. (Check out part of Janina’s appearance on ACME with a little tribute to The L Word.

B&TF: And it’s actually a real theater where people can go and watch?

JG: Yep!

B&TF: Since we’re talking about being funny, I honestly think that you are one of the funniest persons I’ve interviewed…

JG: Wow! Thanks, though I’m a little low energy today…not enough caffeine.

B&TF: Not enough?

JG: Just one cup ain’t enough, so I’m not bringing the funny today, sorry (laughing).

B&TF: I think you’re doing just fine. I personally think that humor will save the world but when I try to be funny, not everyone gets it because my humor is Russian.

JG: (laughing) You tell a joke and people like, “Whaaa?…That was entirely too Eastern-European for me”? And you like, “I just handed you comedy gold!” (laughing). How sad.

B&TF: Yeah, exactly (laughing). Do you consider yourself a funny person? Does it come naturally to you?

JG: I don’t really think I’m funny. But people laugh at me, so…

B&TF: Maybe you’re just a happy person.

JG: Maybe! I feel a lot. Period. I laugh a lot (laughing). I just invest a lot in the things around me. I’m just an emotional being. I’m color-sensitive and sound-sensitive.

B&TF: Like a Stendhal syndrome…

JG: Yes! I have major internal reactions to everything around me. It's quite taxing, really (laughing).

B&TF: Kind of like watching a sad movie and crying all the way through.

JG: There are movies that I will not watch because I can not emotionally take it, which is sad but true. It’s too much.

B&TF: Do you like comedy or drama better?

JG: In Chicago I was a theater kid and most of the material was more dramatic. When I came here, I took all these meetings with different casting directors and they were like, “You’re funny, you should do multi-camera comedy”. As if that was my little niche that I was going to fit in. And I’ve never even considered where I fit. I just like playing characters, that’s it.

B&TF: So when your agent sends you to auditions and when you look at the scripts they sent, how do you choose the roles?

JG: It’s all about the character. I get this question a lot if I want to do television or film…I don’t care. It could be on the cell phone, as long as the character is full-bodied and exciting to me.

B&TF: So, nothing flat or two dimensional?

JG: If I’ve seen it, or done it before then I’m not gonna be that interested.

B&TF: Do you consider the storyline as well?

JG: Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, the storyline is obviously part of the character development. Character’s first for me.

Part 3: The L Word, L Conventions and future projects

B&TF: Since we are on the subject of TV and movies…you’ve been in movies like “Barbershop” and also in several TV series, what’s the difference for you being on a TV show, even if it’s just one guest spot or in the movie?

JG: Hmm…the performance is a little different. It translates differently…

B&TF: Kind of like “camera adds ten pounds”?

JG: (laughing) And things move much slower in movies. I feel like the bigger the budget the slower the process. In television it’s like, “Go, go, go! We have to get this thing on the air!" It’s also nice to be able to build a character over a season or however long you get, because you can live with them longer and discover details about them.

B&TF: Like you told me about Papi when we talked at L5 Convention that you wish that Papi’s character was more developed.

JG: Oh yes, there was so much more to Papi.

B&TF: It was so much fun to see Papi back for one episode when she and Gabby were getting it on…

JG: I was so excited when they said it’s going to be Gabby Deveaux. I was like, “Brilliant!” And Guin actually became a friend… talk about a funny lady.

B&TF: Oh, I know. She’s been to a couple of conventions and she’s coming to L6.

JG: Is she?

B&TF: Yeah…we’ll talk about conventions a little later. Speaking of Gabby…you know when the show was on I would go to Vancouver every summer for a short vacation. I called it “My spoiler hunting mission”…

JG: You’re crazy…“spoiler hunting mission” (laughing).

B&TF: I know it was crazy but I always had a lot of fun and always found a little something. When we found out that Papi was coming back in season six there was one rumor that she was going to hook up with someone…

JG: Yeah, well she’s got to hook up with someone because that’s what she does.

B&TF: Well, fans were speculating but I don’t think Gabby was even mentioned.

JG: That’s why they did it. It was an unexpected choice.

B&TF: It was really funny to watch, especially Tasha and Alice’s reactions.

JG: I remember the first time Rose and Leisha worked together, they couldn’t stop laughing. They just had so much chemistry and it was always like a giggle fest. They really do have something that is pretty special.

B&TF: Was there a lot of improvising going on?

JG: Oh, Leisha improvised a lot and Mia improvised the most, I would say. They’re flippin genius at it. Everything they say was just golden. How do they do it…

B&TF: Well, we talked about convention a little. It’s another thing I learned from twitter…I guess twitter is not that bad because I got a lot of information from it…

JG: (laughing) See?

B&TF: Sean Harry from Starfury tweeted that he had a meeting with you about future conventions…

JG: Yes, yes…I met with Mr. Sean Harry.

B&TF: So, what convention will you attend? L6 or L7?

JG: I will neither confirm nor deny...

B&TF: It will be cool if you appear as a surprise guest at L6.

JG: You have to ask Sean.

B&TF: I just might. Well, if you gonna be a surprise guest we’ll just be surprised. As you remember, I told you before that people really enjoyed you being at L5, especially as the auctioneer.

JG: Yay! I had a blast.

B&TF: They even signed a petition for you to be an MC at L6.

JG: I know, I saw that petition! That whole weekend was so moving. I brought my mother and everybody was so warm to her and it was just beautiful experience.

B&TF: When I talked to you at L5 it was right at the beginning of the convention and now, after you had the full experience what are your feelings about it?

JG: We’ll never forget that convention. That will be with me forever. I went in thinking, “No one’s gonna talk to me. They will be like, ‘Oh, Jennifer and Laurel’ and then they’ll be like, ‘Papi who?’” I mean, I’m so honored to have a fan, let alone more than one (laughing). It’s a crazy concept to me. When I became an actor I didn’t get into the industry to have people love me. I got into it to create. I knew that The L Word was going to be a career changer but I didn’t know it was going to be a life changer. It’s been an emotional and very powerful experience to be a part of this community. People have been supportive, like they were in Blackpool. It’s such a crazy unexpected part of my life.

B&TF: Were you involved with any of the LGBT issues before the show?

JG: Not in a huge way. But I’ve always had gay friends, I've always felt “alt”. I’ve always been supportive of the community, but not in the heightened way I am now.

B&TF: I read an interview with Jennifer Beals once and she said that she knew about the LGBT issues but she had never been really involved in them, so when she started doing the show she realized that there’s so much she didn’t know and she’s much more involved now, like going to events and offering her support.

JG: Absolutely.

B&TF: And do you feel like people know who Papi is now?

JG: Yeah. In surprising ways. Even at the panel that I did at Comic-Con… the place was crazy packed, we only had time for one question and a girl came up to the microphone and said, “I love you, Papi.” And I, as Papi, was like, “I love you too, girl.” It was so funny. I was like, “Really? Really?” (laughing). Part of it is that I still feel so completely anonymous when I walk around. No one recognizes me. Unless I’ve got the Papi swagger goin’ and cornrows in my hair, then no one is going to recognize me, which is a huge blessing because again, that’s not why I’m doing this. So I forget, and then when you do something like Blackpool, it’s the antithesis of normalcy.

B&TF: So you would definitely consider doing it again?

JG: Absolutely. If they want me to come back I would absolutely go back. I’m sure my mother would want to come again, too. Every single one of those girls at Blackpool left an impression on us, we would definitely go back.

B&TF: And your mom was wonderful at L5…

JG: She was great, wasn’t she?

B&TF: Oh yeah, especially when you were doing Q&A together and everybody were asking questions about you that only mothers would know.

JG: Yes, right (laughing).

B&TF: Did you bring her for support?

JG: No, I just said, “Come to this thing with me, let’s have fun” and she flew in from Chicago and I flew in from LA. I really don’t have much to hide and I was open armed. “This is my mother, this is who I am.” (laughing). For me, it was how gentle and how respectful fans were. How much they appreciated her not only accepting the community but supporting them in the way that she does. No one understands the love between mothers and daughters more than… well… mothers and daughters. A kind of power exists in this community, because the intricacies of love are understood.

B&TF: Well, I hope you will come back.

JG: I would definitely come back.

B&TF: You twittered about Jennifer Beals’ upcoming book…

JG: Yeah, we actually talked about it when we were in Blackpool. Her photography is absolutely beautiful, just gorgeous.

B&TF: Yes, judging by the few photos they posted on OurChart and I remember one time I asked her if she will ever consider doing a book and she said no at that time.

JG: Now she’s definitely doing it. Let’s see what she said to me (checking her email)…so the proceeds are going to several charities but right now it’s the Matthew Shepard Foundation and Mia’s "I Live Here" Foundation. “All of the proceeds are going to charity”. ALL of ‘em. That’s rad.

B&TF: Why I was asking because if it was an actual book, there’s this Convention in Australia next January…

JG: Oh yeah, I heard about that. You know, people have been asking if I’m going but I’m like, “I’m not, none of the promoters had asked me.”

B&TF: They announced three people so far, Laurel, Rachel and Marlee Matlin…

JG: Oh cool, that’ll be a really good convention.

B&TF: This is Marlee’s first convention, which is really exciting because she’s such a hilarious and nice person.

JG: She’s so funny, my God.

B&TF: And she’s bringing her interpreter, Jack. He’s doing such a great job. I did some googling and found out that when he was first assigned to Marlee, he was supposed to help her with shopping in New York.

JG: And then they just clicked?

B&TF: Yep and they’ve been working together ever since.

JG: Rock.

B&TF: So the convention organizers are going to announce three more cast members, I’m not sure who. I know they were panning to ask Jennifer to come. If she’ll go she could print her books and bring to the convention, she could easily sell them there to raise money for charities.

JG: Whether she goes or not, I’d definitely mention it to her. Good call.

B&TF: Thanks…well, I have a few more questions. Have you ever thought about writing or directing something?

JG: Absolutely. I’m more into producing actually. I’m not a good writer (laughing). There a lot of things that I know I am good at, but I am not a good writer. I would definitely direct. I think I have a lot more to learn before i do, though. I feel like I just got here, I feel like I’m just starting. I know that’s crazy, but that’s how I feel. That’s one thing I think I learned from Pam Grier, actually. It’s not that she told me this but I had just realized this about her. She has such a sense of newness about her. She feels brand new. She's had the longest career but she's still invigorated and excited. I still feel like that and I hope to have that through the rest of my life.

B&TF: She’s coming to L6, you know.

JG: Oh yes, that’s right! She’s so much fun.

B&TF: You mentioned before that you got into this business to be artistic and creative…

JG: Yes, to build characters and transform.

B&TF: Did you always want to be an actor?

JG: No, no. I thought I was going to be a musician and then somewhere in high school I was like, “Oh shit, I wanna be an actor” (laughing). I felt like I was starting so late in this pursuit. I started playing piano at six and percussion later and I was training really hard. I really planned on being a musician. Then suddenly, I felt like I was going off into the world having not honed my skills at all. It was a really scary realization to make half way through high school.

B&TF: How’re the things with the music going?

JG: Great. I have so many different random projects that I kind of have my fingers in right now. You definitely be hearing more on that later as things progress.

B&TF: So what are some future projects that you have planned?

JG: Well, the finale of The Cleaner is coming up. I also did a little independent with a friend of mine, Ravi Patel, who also has a new show on Fox that airs next year after “American Idol”, called “Past Life”.

B&TF: Good spot, right after “Idol”.

JG: I know, right? I was at his panel at Comic-Con and I was like, “Ravi, you’re right after Idol, it’s going to be heeeuge.”

B&TF: So it’s a new series?

JG: Yes, it’s a new series on Fox and it deals with past life. Past life regression, therapy, all these things. And they’re solving crime by going though people past life. It’s very interesting. And Ravi and I did this indie called "Men, Interrupted" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1470666/). And it’s funny, funny, funny. Also all my friends have great things going on right now and I’m so excited for them. Like my friend, Christina Cox. Her show airs Sunday at 10/9c on ABC and CTV. It's called “Defying Gravity”. She’s playing an astronaut. I can't even take it. It’s a show I would actually watch even if my best friend wasn't on it. It’s doubly awesome.

B&TF: Are there some shows on TV that you’re watching regularly?

JG: Totally. I just marathoned “Lost” and I finished it so we can actually talk about it.

B&TF: I love this show. I did a marathon of the first four seasons and then watched season 5 when it was on. What do you think about the ending?

JG: I thought it was interesting that they were like, “Did you ever think that maybe the nuclear bomb is the incident?” Everybody was thinking it but then they still did it.

B&TF: I hope Elizabeth Mitchell's character is back.

JG: Yes…oh, I just saw her at Comic-Con. She’s gorgeous. And there’s so much time-travel and now we don’t even know if Locke is actually Locke…argh…but I’m totally into it. The good thing is that they said “ok we're doing this for only so many seasons” So we know they had the chance to sit down and plan the rest of the show, and I don’t feel like we're following them blindly. There’s actually reason for everything.

B&TF: I read that they already knew the ending and only a few people knows about it. Anyway, what else is new for you?

JG: What else is going on? I have a few projects that I’m helping to develop that I don't want to talk about yet (laughing).

B&TF: Well, hopefully we’ll see you at another L convention.

JG: You never know. My life is changing all the time. I have big picture plans but then I don’t even know where I’m going to be next week. Actually, that’s not true. I know I’m going to be in San Francisco next week (laughing). And I might be going to the Singularity University (http://singularityu.org/), which is really cool. Harry Kloor, the creator of “Quantum Quest”, the movie that I did, is a founder and professor there.

B&TF: Why are you going there?

JG: Fun (laughing).

B&TF: I thought you’re going to study.

JG: Oh my God, don’t put it past me. I was hanging out with Harry, who we call “Doctor Doctor” because he’s got two PhDs, which he studied for simultaneously, you know…as you do (laughing). He was talking about some of his studies and I was salivating because sometimes I just want to leave everything behind and go back to school and study something out of my current brainspace. Part of me goes, “Get an MBA”; part of me wants to learn how to fly a helicopter, but another part of me goes, “I should write a one-woman show”, so… (laughing). I have a few lives ahead of me.

B&TF: Okay, last question. I heard that you went to India a few years ago. Have you travelled a lot and what is your favorite place to go?

JG: Hm. I travelled extensively growing up. My parents dragged us all around the world because they were adamant about culturing us and letting us know that there are something other than America. And it makes a lot of sense, actually, because it was such a part of my early childhood development…different cultures, different sounds, different people. All of those things are now in my work. It makes me feel like I’m a child of the world as opposed to just American. I mean, I'm incredibly American, but I also have a sense of “other”. I think travelling is the thing that made me good at picking up accents. This is weird: when I was in Greece I could actually read Greek. I don’t understand how that happened. But for now? Well, I just recently “east-coasted”. I bounced from New York to Philadelphia to D.C. to Maryland and back to New York and I had a crazy blast. I need to spend some serious time in New York. New York feels to me, now, the way Chicago felt to me when I was 18 and hanging around these older actors that I respected and wanted to be like when I grew up. Note to self: I need to do a project in New York. I just really enjoy traveling, I like unexpected trips. I’m the girl that says, “Where are you? Ok, I’ll meet you there.”

B&TF: Yeah, just let me get into my private jet…

JG: Yeah…that, by the way, is the only way to fly.

B&TF: You have a private jet?

JG: Oh please, I don’t have a private jet (laughing)! I’ve just been on ‘em. It’s ridiculous. I was on a Citation X that goes 92% mach speed? Um, ok, I'll admit it, it’s pimp (laughing). Anyway, I’m definitely someone who could run away for an extended period of time and go learn something, come back and be like, “I know how to do this random thing now!” I don’t have enough time right now because I’m so obsessed with making something of myself, but as soon as things get to the point where I have down time? I’ll probably end up going off the grid. If I hadn’t found theatre in college, I would probably have been a linguistics major. One day I might run away, live amongst a people foreign to what I know now, learn a culture, learn the sounds and the food, everything about them, become one of them. That’s kind of what I do for a living here, it’s just would be in real life (laughing).