
MIA KIRSHNER
chat transcript
2/1/2004
sho_moderator: Thank you for participating! Mia Kirshner will be joining
us following the episode. We're sure you have plenty of questions for
Mia Kirshner. 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. Welcome to tonight's event, a chat with Mia
Kirshner. Mia will be joining us following the episode. We're sure you
have plenty of questions for Mia Kirshner. 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. Please enter all
the questions you have for Mia Kirshner in the bottom submission window.
We receive thousands of questions during the chat, so yours may not be
answered, but we are definitely receiving them and putting through as
many as we can. MIA KIRSHNER began her acting career at age 17, playing
a clairvoyant dominatrix in "Love and Human Remains." Kirshner
was recently seen in "Not Another Teen Movie," "Century
Hotel" and "Now and Forever." Other film credits include
"Exotica," "The Grass Harp," "Mad City,"
"The Crow: City of Angels," "Saturn," "Spencer,"
"Dark Summer," "Anna Karenina," and "Murder in
the First." Her other television credits include "24,"
where she portrayed mysterious would-be presidential assassin 'Mandy.'
Log on to SHO.com next Sunday, February 8th after the episode to chat
live with Pam Grier, who plays "Kit." Good evening everyone.
Thanks for logging on. Mia is now ready to begin the chat. Let's get started!
mia_kirshner: Hi everyone. How are you guys? Thanks a lot for loggin
on. I'm really excited to talk with you guys.
comettail: Thirty years from now, what do you think people will remember
about the L word and its messages?
mia_kirshner: Commettail, that's an amazing question. Thanks so much
for asking something that thoughtful. I hope that thirty years people
will remember this show as the first of its kind, but more importantly,
I hope that television, film and music will reflect the fact that being
gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual is a non-issue. And that people are
judged by their achievements in life.
sunata: What has been your favorite scene to film out of the episodes
that have aired?
mia_kirshner: Sunata, I would say the scene with most of the girls--the
girls meaning Leisha, Erin, and Kate and Jennifer and Laurel-- the party
scenes were the most fun to film, because we were always playing pranks
on each other and being very silly. Lots of gossip and dancing together.
lisa4peace: How would you describe your character -- Confused? or Wanting
it all??
mia_kirshner: I guess I would describe her as somebody at this point
who is completely morally conflicted. She is completely in love with two
people at the same time. She is caught off-guard, and she genuinely wants
to be a good person and do the right thing.
sho_moderator: Be sure to log on to The L Word message boards on SHO.com
to share your thoughts on this week's episode with other fans.
supergrovey: What was your first reaction when you found out that the
show was the fastest renewal of any show in the history of Showtime
mia_kirshner: I was so excited and so grateful that the people who log
on and go onto the message boards, I mean it's because of them the show
was picked up. I'm so grateful because it's because of them that the show
exists. The first person I talked to was Jennifer, and then I spoke with
Leisha, and I spoke to Kate the next day, and we're all so excited.
kymberleigh: Looking at the multifaceted nature of your character ...
other than the obvious, what do you see as your character's most significant
challenge?
mia_kirshner: Kymberleigh, that's a really great question. I think her
most significant challenge is being true to her heart, and really deciding
to follow her heart rather than trying to do the right thing. I think
at this point she's so completely lost and hopelessly in love that she's
faltering completely. I think she realizes that being true to herself
is going to be extremely painful. I think before we met Jenny in the show
she had a very dark life and had gone through a lot of pain. I think she's
just hoping to have a life that's a little easier.
mack: You said you played pranks on each other, what kind of pranks do
you guys do?
mia_kirshner: We would crank-call each other constantly. We would do
really do stupid things on set, Kate and I especially, like tie people's
shoes togetherk and this is Kate, she would tie tails to people while
they were walking, completely utter stupid things. One of the makeup artists
once dyed my dog blue with vegetable blue. We were dying to play a prank
on Ilene Chaiken, the executive producer. We would desperate to move all
the furniture out of her office, because she's so organized that would
have given her a complete heart attack.
sho_moderator: Be sure to sign up for The L Word email newsletter by
clicking on "Email Updates" on the The L Word website.
liverwurst: Mia, saw you on Jay Leno earlier this week and you were great!
Do you still play any musical instruments?
mia_kirshner: Liverwurst, that's so nice of you, but I was such a spaz.
I was so nervous and desperately shy that I just wanted to sink into the
chair. My hands were shaking. And, thankfully, I don't play any musical
instruments now. I'm not going to inflict that on other people.
dddpiston1: Which character would you like to have more interaction with?
mia_kirshner: It's hard to say because all of the girls are my friends
in my own life. But because Leisha Hailey and I live together, I would
say I would love to work more with Leisha.
darkangel579: will we know more about ur characters past?
mia_kirshner: Darkangel, yes definitely. As the season goes on, you'll
find out why she's so desperate for a peaceful life, that things have
been so tough for her because we meet her. She's trying to keep it together
because otherwise she'll fall apart completely.
diana: I was actually wondering if you had any specific questions YOU
might want to ask fans of the show/your work? Since you have a group of
us here live right now.
mia_kirshner: That's a great question, Diana. I think a lot of people
are really upset with Jenny right now, and I wanted to know why, aside
from the obvious reasons why. (People should go into the message board
to answer that question for Mia.) What would you guys like to see more
of on the show next year?
sho_moderator: Be sure to log on to The L Word message boards on SHO.com
to share your thoughts on this week's episode with other fans.
times9: What's it like playing a character with so much sexual duality?
mia_kirshner: Times9, it's complicated. A lot of it is sometimes based
on my own experiences, or my friends' experiences, so the most challenging
thing is to be as truthful as possible, even though sometimes it doesn't
make Jenny look that good or that nice.
christi: Being a heterosexual woman, I'd probably have a bit of a rough
time in a role like yours...is it a challenge?
mia_kirshner: No, not at all. The way I approach the character isn't
about being gay or being straight. It's just about who you love and who
inspires you. For me, gender has very little to do with it.
fanfromny: Do you have any questions that you havent been asked but want
to answer yourself?
mia_kirshner: Fanfrommy, yeah. I think that what I've realized with Jenny
is that she's just struggling so much to find a purpose in life and to
be inspired through love. I think when we meet her, she doesn't realize
how much pain that's causing other people. The issue of being gay or being
straight was never an issue for Jenny. I think that she related to people
and had people in her life because of their achievements and their desires,
not because of their gender or their sexual identity. Only now does she
realize that being gay or being straight does have something to do with
it.
shakeitsheila: How are you handling all the sudden media attention and
infatuation with the show?
mia_kirshner: Shakeitsheila, I like your name! That's a great question.
It's really wild. It's actually brought the cast even closer together.
We call each other almost every single day, and it's made our group so
unbelievably close. That's been one of the best things about the show.
We'll call each other to say, 'Did you see that billboard on Sunset?'
or 'Did you read that magazine article?' Those friendships have been the
most rewarding thing. The other rewarding thing is being a part of something
that has so much meaning for other people, and that helps tell stories
of their identity that the viewers seem to relate to. I'm just so honored
to be a part of that, and I feel in great service to that.
sho_moderator: Be sure to sign up for The L Word email newsletter by
clicking on "Email Updates" on the The L Word website.
irene: Mia I love your character. Do you feel that you are similar to
her in any way?
mia_kirshner: No. I think there are parts of me that are similar to Jenny,
but I'm not as quiet as Jenny is. And I hope that I'm not as socially
awkward as Jenny is! And I think that I try to have more moral responsibility
than Jenny has.
duncecap11: Hey Mia, you seem a bit shy in iterviews...do you find it
difficult doing all the p.r. stuff for the show?
mia_kirshner: Duncecap, yes, completely! I am an extremely private person.
And I always feel that I come across as a caricature of myself whenever
I do interviews. But I hope it's something that I never become used to,
because I'm determined never to let my personal life be defined by my
professional life. But I have to say, that I'm not that shy in my personal
life--only when I do interviews! I think it's just like a defense mechanism
or something.
mplsgirls: How would you like to see your character grow??
mia_kirshner: mplsgirls, I think that I would like to have her think
before she acts from time to time. I would like to see her being sillier,
because she's really silly and she has a great sense of humor, and that's
why I like Episode 10 so much actually, 10 and 7, because you get to see
Jenny's really silly side. This is Mia speaking and not Jenny. I would
like to see her have very meaningful relationships with women.
sho_moderator: Be sure to log on to The L Word message boards on SHO.com
to share your thoughts on this week's episode with other fans.
hrowstanley: How has the L Word impacted your own life?
mia_kirshner: Hrowstanley, it's the first project that holds this much
meaning for me. THe fact that these stories reflect people's stories about
coming out, or their relationships with women, or just trying to find
themselves, it fucking rocks my world to be a part of that.
kristirutledge: Does filming in Toronto affect the "L.A." show?
mia_kirshner: Kristi, that's a very sly question. Are you trying to figure
out what Jenny would do or is trying to do? Leisha says that if she had
a friend that was in Jenny's position, she would say 'You're gay, get
over it.' I think I would just tell my friend that if she's genuinely
in love with someone, she should go for it. Cause life's way too short.
But be careful, because sometimes love can be a little deceiving.
wer2girlsnlove: If it were up to you, would you choose for Jenny to end
up with Marina or Tim?
mia_kirshner: I would say that she should go for the person she loves
most, who inspires her the most. I think Marina really inspires her work
and makes the world seem like there are infinite possibilities. But Tim
makes her feel safe and grounded. And at this point in Jenny's life, she's
been unsafe for so long, I think she's just scared of losing that. Even
though I think it's being unfaithful to what she'll ultimately want.
themdoubleose: What does the L word mean to you?
mia_kirshner: Longing. Love. Lost. Libido. Luscious. What does it mean
to you, doubleose?
sho_moderator: Be sure to log on to The L Word message boards on SHO.com
to share your thoughts on this week's episode with other fans.
sexygirl: Mia, You mentioned on Jay Leno that the L word was the best
job you have ever gotten, How come??
mia_kirshner: As I said before, I've never worked on something that has
so much personal meaning for me. Or worked with a cast of all women before.
Or worked on something that we genuinely think impacts people's lives.
Even though sometimes the portrayals of characters aren't necessarily
flattering.
doujuvix: do you spend tons of time with the writer of the script? is
she on set everyday?
mia_kirshner: Doujuvix, there are actually several writers. There's Gwen
Turner, Rose Troche, and Ilene Chaiken. And yes we do spend a lot of time
together, especially Ilene and I.
justy: Why does the L word have so much personal meaning for you?
mia_kirshner: Because I think one's sexuality can be the center of life,
and coming out and discovering your sexuality is something that really
can define your existence. To be part of that means so much to me. Because
I've certainly grappled with those things. I just want to thank you very
very much for asking amazing questions. Please keep on writing. These
message boards are amazing. We're listening to you, and we want to hear
what you guys think, because you guys are so smart. It's because of you
the show was picked up, and because of you the show is successful, and
we can't do this without you.
sho_moderator: Thank you for chatting with Mia Kirshner. We hope you've
enjoyed the chat and tonight's episode of The L Word. Tune in to SHOWTIME
next Sunday, February 8th at 10pm ET/PT for another all-new episode, and
chat with Pam Grier who plays "Kit" immediately following the
episode. If you missed tonight's episode, tune in to SHOWTIME on Wednesday
at 10:45pm ET/PT to catch the encore play. 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.
The chat room is now closed. Thanks for joining in on tonight's chat.
Copyright (c)2004, Showtime Networks Inc. All rights reserved.