By BetteAndTinaForever

INDEX of all photos and reports from L5

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Q&A: Jennifer Beals/Laurel Holloman

Jennifer and Laurel together on the same stage and at the same time…how exciting was that?! As they both appeared on the stage after Adrienne had announced them, the loud applauses erupted and it was obvious that both actresses were overwhelmed by the fans’ reception.

Q&A session with TiBette has been already described in full details by many L5 convention attendees, so I will try to bring on some interesting (in my opinion) questions.

- When talking about how they see their characters 30 years from now, Laurel said that she hopes that Bette and Tina are together and they are having another child and Jennifer added that they would have two more houses in Paris and Mexico where Bette can work on some art.

- Someone asked them both what did their husbands do to make them realize that they were The One and Jennifer replied, “He didn’t do anything, it’s just the way he was.” After everyone made an Aww noise, Laurel said, “It’s what my husband does every day.”

- All the cast members are still dealing with Dana’s death because for them it feels like an essential piece is missing now. Laurel said, “Quoting Kate Moennig, ‘It sucked’.” Jennifer mentioned one scene that she had to do with Pam in season 3 and she was breastfeeding at the time. She was very hormonal and because the scene was about Dana, Jennifer became very emotional, so it was hard to film.

- Because the convention was happening right after the presidential elections, Jennifer was asked about her reaction and thoughts regarding Barack Obama becoming the next president. Jennifer said that she was really happy and she cried and it’s time for change.

- Jennifer was also talking about different charities she is involved with, like Mathew Shepard Foundation. She described how she met Judy Shepard and got invited to participate in their fundraiser. She talked about the interview she did with Tobias Wolff and that it is possible to undo many mistakes done by Bush administration, including DOMA. Jennifer was very passionate about things that she was saying and she emphasized the power of the LGBT community because it unites people from all over the world and helps to bring forth the changes. Jennifer also mentioned how incredible it was to participate in the Gay Pride Parade in San Francisco because it was such a wonderful experience. There were so much misrepresentation of that by the media but she saw something beautiful and she especially was surprised to see so many families there.

- Basketball scene from season 4 was really fun to shoot and even though some of the shots were improvised, most of the scene was completely scripted and choreographed.

- One interesting question was asked how it was for Bette as a hearing person to be in the relationship with Jodi, a deaf person. Jennifer replied that it was more about who Jodi was and what kind of person she was and less about her being deaf. Sometimes they did have problems because Bette was limited with her sign language abilities and it was very frustrating when Bette couldn’t express herself and Jodi couldn’t hear what she was saying. Then Jennifer made a joke that there probably were a lot of moments when Tina wished she couldn’t hear what Bette was saying, as well.

- They were asked about The Kiss scene in SheBar and Laurel said that it was Bette’s fault because she grabbed her wrists and kissed her. Jennifer replied that she just read Tina’s mind. The scene was scripted of course, but Bette’s crying wasn’t. It was just something that happened and Laurel went with that. Originally, the scene was more about sexual tension and attraction that those two women couldn’t deny anymore but as they began shooting, they both realized that it was much more for their characters. On the surface it was about sex but it went much deeper because it showed that they had lots of memories and emotions and they both missed each other. Realizing that, Jennifer just started crying and Laurel added that because they usually don’t discuss what they are going to do during the scene, she just went with her instincts and began comforting Bette. She basically said that it was so incredible to act opposite Jennifer because a lot of their scenes come naturally as they take clues from each other’s acting. The Kiss scene was very emotional for them and later Laurel said in her interview with me that it was her favorite scene from season 5.

- Both Laurel and Jennifer mentioned that they begged Ilene to give them some scenes to process their issues. They were becoming friends in season 4 and Tina was selflessly helping Bette to get Jodi back and then Jennifer said that she ended up having another affair. She added that she wished that Bette would break up with Jodi before getting back with Tina. They were both happy when they got the elevator scene where they were able to address some of the issues. Laurel said that she was glad that Tina apologized for some of the awful things she had done. She also said that she absolutely loved what Bette said to Tina at the end, “It feels like I’m coming home.”

- The toughest scene to shoot was the finale in season 1 (we call it The Scene). Tony Goldwyn, who directed that episode, was filming it without breaks and they had to do a very long and very emotional scene over and over again. It was very draining. Laurel said that there was a moment when she had to flip Jennifer over but she couldn’t do it because Jennifer is incredibly strong. So Laurel asked, “Please, let me flip you over” and Jennifer was like, “Oh, okay.”

- When asked about doing the “F***ing Dwarf” scene in season 2, Jennifer replied that it was so much fun. The actor who played the dwarf was really awesome about it when Jennifer was raging and getting her frustration out on the poor guy. Jennifer said that one of the greatest things about being an actress is that you can do stuff you don’t get to do in real life. Since she was growing up with brothers, she had no problems fighting a man but she had never done anything like that before. She also added that she wish she could keep Bette in her pocket and use her during arguments.

- Physical parts of the sex scene are always choreographed down to the very last detail. On emotional level, though, the sex scenes are never just about sex. They have many layers and they could be about hurt, revenge, anger, vulnerability, passion or loss and the actresses had to figure that out for themselves before the shooting. Someone mentioned the unique chemistry between them and Jennifer said that it’s almost like a separate entity between them. It’s not like Laurel walks into the room and Jennifer fells the chemistry. They just give hundred per cent to their scenes. Laurel added that the first time she realized that there was such a good connection between them was after they filmed the threesome scene in season 1.

- Laurel said that she admires in Tina her patience and the sense of grace she has about her. Tina changed a lot over the years and became a stronger person in her professional and personal life. Jennifer said that she admires Bette’s loyalty to her friends and the righteous part of her. She also revealed that in season 6 Bette is the best and she laughs more.

- At the end they both told a very entertaining story about Laurel auditioning for the role of Tina. First, Laurel was asked to read for Shane and she tried her best, using some Randy Dean’s moments but she didn’t feel cool about it. Then she tried out for Tina and she felt awkward because she didn’t get the sense of who Tina was at that point, because originally Tina was more aggressive. She was asked to come back and have a coaching meeting with Rose Troche to act a scene between the couple. By the way, originally they were both called Bettina and their names were shortened to Bette and Tina. They were playing off the fact that a lot of lesbians in couples have the same or similar names. (I have to agree with that because I’ve met many couples with the same names.) While working with Rose, Laurel thought that she’s probably really bad if she needs the coaching but Rose told her that everyone loved her audition and she just needs to be herself. She had a really great audition in front of Ilene and people from the Showtime. Later she was told that before they decide to give her the part, she needs to meet with her on-screen partner to see how they will interact together. It was sort of a final test.

Then Jennifer picked up from this moment and told her side of the story. She was away filming another movie and she was told that two possible Tinas will be coming to meet her. The actresses were supposed to come to Jennifer’s trailer so they could talk. Jennifer had her two big and scary-looking dogs in the trailer with her and when the first actress saw the dogs, she got frightened and Jennifer had to lock her dogs somewhere to keep them calm. The whole meeting wasn’t going well but Jennifer tried her best to help the other actress because she saw how difficult it was for her and she wanted to give it a chance. Who knows, one day she might find herself in the same situation, Jennifer told us. At one point during their conversation the actress asked where Jennifer went to college and Jennifer replied, “Yale.” The actress said that she went to Harvard and studied psychology. She was really snobby when she said that and Jennifer’s imitation was really funny. And when Jennifer mentioned that, she said, “And I was thinking to myself, ‘Obviously you didn’t learn much’.” It was hilarious.

Laurel then continued with the story. Her husband drove her to the movie set and the dogs were calm because she wasn’t scared of them. Laurel joked that she passed the dog test. They began talking about their weddings, what’s going on in their lives and they were really comfortable with each other. Since their conversation was recorded, Ilene and others were watching it later to see how it went. Jennifer said that after that she also talked to the producers and said that Laurel had her vote. (We all know that when Ilene saw their tape, she said that it was like magic. And this is how TiBette was born).

Laurel then added that she had met the other actress later and the woman told her that she was glad that she didn’t get the part because of all the nudity. Laurel made this funny movement with her arm and said, “And here I am, six years later.”

- I’m pretty sure that you’d read numerous accounts of the very emotional ending of the Q&A, so I will tell it as I remember. Jennifer told us that they all finished filming last episode on different days. Laurel finished her scene earlier and Jennifer realized that she never had a chance to say ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye’ to Laurel. She said that Laurel is absolutely fearless in acting and that she makes everyone who plays opposite her better. Laurel replied that she feels the same about Jennifer.

They were both teary-eyed and then Jennifer began crying and said that Laurel was the best on-screen partner and she couldn’t imagine doing it with anyone else. Laurel began crying as well and then Jennifer just got up and took Laurel by the hand and pulled her into a tight embrace.

It was like almost watching “The Kiss” again, because it was impromptu and Laurel just reacted to what Jennifer was doing and she was comforting her again. It was very emotional and incredible. I was so surprised and touched that I didn’t even take any photos. I think we all felt honored that Jennifer and Laurel felt comfortable enough to share this emotional and somewhat intimate moment with all the fans.

Laurel said something about Jennifer but by the time they were hugging, everyone was already on their feet, yelling and applauding, so it was hard to hear. I only remember Laurel asking us if we were glad that she made jennifer come to the convention and that she looks up to her as her older sister.

It also felt like a merger of fiction and reality. While Jennifer was saying ‘goodbye’ and ‘thank you’ to Laurel, they were also saying goodbye to Bette and Tina, to us and to the show. It was incredible, it was unexpected, it was beautiful. It felt like a goodbye and we all got emotional, as well. I still get teary-eyed and emotional just thinking about it but, as Laurel told me in her interview, “There’s nothing wrong with being emotional.”

Autograph session - Saturday

As a Gold Ticket holder, I had a privilege to get my autographs on the first day. My TiBette picture wasn’t ready yet and I decided to get all the autographs on the pictures that I bought at this and previous conventions.

Jennifer was first and she just said Hello and smiled at me and it was enough because I had 5 things for her to sign anyway. I didn’t want to exhaust her with a conversation.

Laurel asked me what I thought about today’s Q&A session. I said that it was great but so sad at the end because there’s no more TiBette and Laurel said, “Yes, it was like a goodbye to us, as well. We’re only going to see each other at some events.” I replied, “But you and Jennifer are friends, you’ll see each other in LA.” Laurel smiled and said, “Well, we live in different areas.” I would talk to her more but I had to move to the next table so I just smiled and told her that I’ll talk to her later.

Rachel was next and she also asked me what I think about the convention so far. I said, “It was great. There’re a lot of people but it’s great.” Then we talked about the photo shoot on Sunday because I mentioned that I will have my picture taken with her then. So I made a joke, asking what she will wear so I can maybe match. Rachel laughed and said, “It’s a secret. What are you wearing?” I was planning on wearing my newly acquired Philadelphia Hard Rock Café shirt and so I told her that.

Janina was the last one and she was very friendly again, laughing and chatting with everyone. Her mom was there and I asked if she could sign Janina’s photo, as well. She just wrote “+ Mom” underneath Janina’s signature.

And that was it for day 2. It was very emotional, very entertaining and very exciting. My friends and I went to the disco and the music wasn’t that bad at all. We had a lot of fun and then later went to someone’s room and had a drinking party because we were all very sad about the end of The L Word and TiBette.

Needless to say, I felt even sadder in the morning when I had to take pictures with Rachel, Laurel, Jennifer and the whole group, and I looked pale and sick. I had a chance to talk to Jennifer a little but I will tell this story in my Day 3 report.