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On Deck: Ilene Chaiken Says The L Word
Life in Provincetown, liptv.usThe original article appears online in PDF format and is extremely large as the file contains the entire magazine.
In the wake of Showtime’s gay male juggernaut Queer as Folk, producer-writer Ilene Chaiken found a
more receptive corporate ear to her earlier pitch for The L Word, a new show focusing on lesbians in
LA. The show’s first season was a hit, and the second season is on the way. So is Ilene, who comes to
Provincetown to accept the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s National Service Award at this weekend’s annual Deck Party. NGLTF arranged a telephone conference call with Ilene to meet the
local press. She was charming and articulate. Here are some of her comments for those who know
what the L in The L Word is all about, and for those who are going to want to know.success
“We have a core audience of lesbians, and straight women have responded to the show. Men are watching the show in large numbers, and not just for the salacious elements.”actors & sexual orientation
“It’s not an issue who is a lesbian and who is not. I cast the best actors for each part. It doesn’t figure
in my thinking what the actor’s sexual orientation is. I don’t even presume to know. When I write a
character, I ask the actor I’m working with to plunge deeply into the role. I will cast an actor of any sexual orientation to portray another sexual orientation because the stories are about psychology and relationships and they are universal.”knowledge
“Once people get to know us they understand us better. Knowledge is the greatest friend to understanding and acceptance. I find it offensive to know that someone is merely tolerating me. The more they get to know us the more they will understand that we share much more in common than what separates us and that whatever it is that they feared about us is not fearsome.”variety
“No television show can or should try to represent everyone. We have been so marginalized, and the
incredible hunger to be represented is understandable. But there is no television show that represents
everybody. There’s been debate that there aren’t enough butch women on The L Word. The longer
you watch the show the more you will see different people represented. One of our main theses of the
show is that our lives touch so many others, and as we go down the line we’ll see that. “I write about the kinds of people I know personally. Secondly, this is television, so they are a little prettier than the people I encounter in everyday life.”telling tales
“Telling our stories is a radical act. To feel that we are being heard and seen is one of the fundamental
human needs and one that has been denied to so many gay people for so long. Declaring that we are as accessible, moving, intriguing, and entertaining as everyone else has been the most gratifying thing. I try to tell the stories I’m telling as well and honestly as I can.”stories from the heartland
“The actors on the show have really been touched by people’s stories and they pass them on to me. They are all profoundly moved when somebody comes up to them or writes or contacts them and says
the show made a difference in their life. Someone approached one actor in a grocery store and told her
that because of watching The L Word she finally had come out to her parents. Her mother had
approached her after watching the show and said, ‘I know you have something to tell me,’ and after
years of estrangement the mother was coming down to visit her and coming to her wedding.”sex
“I get pressure from both sides on the sex scenes. I know that many have to put themselves into other
people’s stories by reassigning gender to the characters, and they are just longing for good erotic or fullon lesbian sex. Then there are people who say, ‘Oh, my god, it was too much for me.’ I will continue down the path I am walking, driven to fully and completely tell the story in a detailed and specific way. Sex is one of our biggest stories. Every sexual encounter is a completely different story.”The L in The L Word
“I love to play with language. The title appeals to me because The L Word phrase has several entrenched
cultural meanings. Lesbian is probably third or fourth down the list. First, the L word is Love. Women ask, ‘Has he said the L word yet?’ Then in the last fifteen years of our lives it has meant Liberal,
and it’s used as a curse.”politics
“It’s hard to take on specific political issues because we make our shows six to eight months before they air. As much as I would like to take on the election and the politics of it, I am hopeful that by the time our
new shows air we will have a new president and it won’t be relevant. But I try to reflect such issues
intrinsically in the stories we tell.”future
“There is so much drama in store. One of the big stories in our second season is the story of Jenny coming out as a lesbian.”award
“I feel honored and daunted and delighted to be receiving the award. The work that I am doing involves a massive collaboration to make a television show. I’m really pleased that it moves people and seems to be actually having some cultural significance. I feel privileged to be the one getting to tell these stories. They need to be told, and I was lucky enough to tell them. I am really looking forward to the event, and I am thrilled to know that Kate Clinton will be presenting the award!”
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