By BetteAndTinaForever

(Warning: minor spoilers)

JB: Right…well, the great thing about working on The L Word is it’s a fantastic crew and they are all union and they all know what they’re doing and they’re very well-oiled machine. And when I work on independent film, I’m working with people who are more inexperienced, and don’t know the ins and outs…they are learning…that’s one of the real pleasures of working on The L Word and why it looks so great and why we can make a great episode of one hour TV in a 7 days.

B&TF: What’s an emotional difference for you as a person and a director or also maybe as a fan of the show?

JB: I think that emotional difference is that the show is really Ilene’s show and Ilene’s world and Ilene’s writing and so, for me I just really feel like I really want to honor Ilene and to honor her vision and I feel like I want to bring my creativity to her vision but at the same time I really want to respect her words and respect the characters. You know, these actresses have been playing these parts for years and I’m directing a single episode so I’m really trying give them the respect that they know their characters but at the same time helping them, you know, fulfill the scene but obviously in the movie project they’ve never played the character before so I have a lot more hand-holding ordeal with the actress and the script is also probably a little more of my vision but I’m so honored because I love the show and I love Ilene’s work and I’m very privileged that I get to work on it.

B&TF: Good that you brought up the question of actors knowing their characters because they are playing them for so long because there were so many interviews where the cast members mentioned that after 3-4 years they know their characters so well and sometimes they want to make some changes because they think, “Well, my character would never say that or do that.” So the question is if they would come to you and ask for some changes do you as a director have the power to make those changes or you still have to talk to Ilene about it or you make it based on what you know about the characters…how does this work?

JB: There’s a conversation with Ilene beforehand about what’s kind of appropriate and what we’re allowed to do as far as making changes on set and she’s very flexible about letting the actors, you know, dictate the line changes or you know, making things more of their own…she’s very flexible about that type of stuff so, it’s very open and I usually tell the actors that it’s totally fine. If I feel like the actor doesn’t want to do something in the scene and they’re saying it’s their character but it’s actually because they are afraid, you know, maybe a really vulnerable moment they have to play or maybe it requires some, you know, clothes coming off (chuckles) or something like that, that I feel like it’s coming more out of fear than out of a real dedication to the character then that’s where I would say, “You know what, we really have to do this.” So I’m trying to use my judgment but for the most part I would say that the actors are usually coming from a place of truth and it’s usually not out of fear and they really know their characters and they always make it better.

B&TF: Can you give an example when it was happening out of fear of doing something or maybe being uncomfortable or when you knew that it was more about the character than about themselves.

JB: Um…I was doing a scene with Kate and an actor who was a day-player from Canada and it was…the whole scene was really more for comedy than it was for anything else. Kate’s very respectful actor and she doesn’t want to put her hands all over someone’s boobs, you know…she was with this nice Canadian actor and she doesn’t want them to think she’s a freak or a pervert or whatever, but after the scene was finished I said, “You know, if you were really…yeah, I know they were playing this for comedy but if you were really getting careless with this girl, your hands would be all over her boobs, I’m just telling you should be bad…

B&TF: Because this is who Shane is…

JB: Yes, it was the character of Shane and I said it in front of the other actor so the other actor knew, “Okay, she’s gonna do this because the director’s telling her and not because she’s trying to, you know, to feel or whatever…” So, that’s very typical. I think most actors are really trying to be respectful of other actors and so they won’t touch them, you know, physically in the sex scene but often it looks fake and you have to push them and tell them that it’s okay and they’re not being perverted.

B&TF: Okay…another question in the same direction. If you’re reading the script, for example, and you, as a director can see that some scene is not gonna work, not because the actors would tell you but because, as a director, you can see this is not gonna work right or it doesn’t look right, again, who’s making the decision about changing things? Like to the script or the setting of the scene?

JB: What happens is that we have preparations so we have 7 days before where we read the scenes, so I would never on the moment when I’m filming something say, “That scene doesn’t work.” Because if I haven’t read the scene and really haven’t thought about it beforehand, than I really haven’t done my job, so what I’ll do is I’ll read it in prep and when I’m preparing this 7 days before we start shooting, if I see like a scene isn’t quite right then I would come to Ilene and I would say, you know, “This scene’s weird to me, what do you think?” and either she would explain it to me or say, “Okay, let’s change it.” So that’s the discussion that I would have before the actual day of filming.

B&TF: One more question about this subject. You know, on OurChart they posted a few behind-the-scenes little videos from the set of The L Word and they are talking about wardrobe and about episode shooting. And there was one podcast where you were talking about filming episode 502 and you were explaining what’s actually happening. Can you maybe tell me shortly about your part? I know it’s only 8 days to shoot the episode but there’s something before and something after, so what is your role apart from the directing? What else are you doing?

JB: Well, I come to Canada like a week and a half before we start shooting, so 7 days before, so I’m doing casting for all the parts, even for someone who’s in the show for one episode or two episodes and then I’m going to auditions and then I’m helping to pick the actors with Ilene. I’m reading the scripts and then I, you know, bring up questions I have, and I’m looking at the set and, for example, I did a wedding episode so I had to help the production designer and a costume designer plan the wedding, so it’s like throwing a real wedding. We have to find a location, we have to think about what kind of food they would have, we have to think about what colors they would have at the wedding, we have to think about who are the bridesmaids, what are they wearing, you know, all that kind of preparation stuff a week an a half before. So it’s a really, really full time.

B&TF: So it’s like you’re working together with all the other people involved so you have to be involved in every part of the process.

JB: Yes.

B&TF: Okay, last question about The L Word. Do you have a favorite character on The L Word and why?

JB: I would say my favorite character is probably Jennifer Beals, um…her character, Bette, because I think she’s so smart and I really respect her and I feel like she’s complicated but just a fierce woman and she’s gorgeous, of course, and I also think she’s just a very intelligent, incredible woman and very talented actress. All these things make her my favorite character.

B&TF: Well, I’m a fan of Bette and Tina, I want them to get back together, I want them to work things out. Without revealing a lot of spoilers, can you tell me if there’s any hope, because there’s more TiBette fans than for any other character…

JB: yeah…

B&TF: yes, so can you tell me anything that can give us hope that something might happen that might bring their reunion?

JB: Well, what’s great about the Bette and Tina relationship is that it goes so deep and they do have their child and I think they have a very deep connection and they always will. So, no matter what, their deep connection will remain and whether or not they actually are able to make their relationship work, I don’t know, I only did episode 2. But, on the other hand, I know that Ilene is really respectful of their relationship. It still goes very deep and actually in my episode that I did last year, that’s where Tina said, you know, “I miss being part of with women…”

B&TF: episode 408, one of my favorite…I loved it…

JB: yes, so I think she really honors their relationship and I think, like with most lesbian couples, there’s always hope of them getting back together (laughing).

B&TF: well, you know that they were the longest one together and lots of people here are thinking that Ilene needs to show some positive aspect of lesbian relationship because everything I see on the screen is them cheating, fighting, splitting up, stuff like that…you want to see something positive that would be great to show that it can actually work, and you’re right, they have such a deep relationship, more than anyone else. It might work, it might not, but they have so much between them…so you think there’s hope?

JB: yes, I think there’s definitely hope, yeah.

B&TF: Great, thanks…now about your new movie. I read a couple of interviews about the movie that you were giving and there were couple of questions that I wanted to clarify. Were you trying to make some kind of political statements with “Itty Bitty Titty Committee”?

JB: I think my work always has some kind of political bend to it but I also tried to bring a lot humor to it, I mean I’ve been a part of so many of those political groups throughout my life and what happens inside of them is like truly spirited, ridiculous and funny, you know, there’s romance and intrigue, there’s a lot gong on, so it definitely not meant to be just a political movie, it’s also about relationships, lesbians…

B&TF: What other issues you were trying to explore with this film?

JB: I wanted to explore just women involved in feminism and what it means and how they all have different politics, they all fight and no one can agree on what’s important. Just kind of the chaos and the different groups battling each other.

B&TF: Did you write the show? I read that there were ads posted that you were looking for writers and the winners helped to write the script but were you influenced by something or someone to get the idea for the movie?

JB: yeah, actually I did write the story and it was totally inspired my own involvement with political groups over the years.

(At this moment we were told that it was time to go inside for the screening of the movie and I only had a few seconds left.)

B&TF: Well, thank you for your time.

JB: Thank you.