Jennifer Beals on the last season of the L Word

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Jennifer Beals on the last season of the L Word:

 ‘The Identity of Jenny’s Killer is Going To Shock Fans!’

Posted by Jarett Wieselman at 12:57 PM on January 19, 2009

Jennifer Beals on season end
After five years of love — both lost and realized — “The L Word” is signing off with its most shocking season ever. Leading the lost list of “Oh my gods” that will come flying from your mouth throughout the next seven weeks was the mysterious death of Jenny Schecter that kicked off last night’s premiere.

But for stunning star Jennifer Beals, the shocking identity of Jenny’s killer wasn’t the most unexpected development for the series’ final year — her biggest jaw-dropper is a toss up: was it the arrival of her real life BFF, discovering “The L Word’s” impact on popular culture or finding out that creator Ilene Chaiken hit the reverse button? Read on!

PopWrap: After seven years I imagine saying good-bye to Bette must have been difficult.
Jennifer Beals: Yes and no. I feel really good about what we have accomplished. Really good and now I’m excited for the next chapter.

PW: What do you think about the decision to tell the final season in flashbacks?
Jennifer: I just found out about that recently. We finished shooting a while back and I don’t know what to think of it. I haven’t seen it and I never read it that way.
Jenny Scheckter
PW: But as a storytelling device, it’s pretty cool. What do you think the fans’ reactions will be to finding out who killed Jenny?
Jennifer: I think they’re going to have a bit of “Oh my god, I can’t believe they did that!” Ilene never seems to take the easy way out of anything!

PW: Over the years Bette has has some really amazing storylines, which were your favorites?
Jennifer: I loved when she had the show, “Provocations.” I also loved when Bette had the affair and the storyline where she tried to win Tina back.

PW: Fans seem to be torn over Bette and Tina’s viability as a couple — do you think they can be together, successfully?
Jennifer: I think they can. It would take a lot of attentiveness, but I definitely think the two of them could make it work!
XP rodger dodger
PW: I know that your “Roger Dodger” co-star Elizabeth Berkley is joining the cast this season as Kelly and that you two are very close in real life. Was that fun for you?
Jennifer: Yes! It was so much fun. When they were talking about casting the part, there’s this video on YouTube that I showed Ilene of the two of us doing an interview when we were making the movie that we shot at 2 or 3 a.m. and we were just so silly together. (Watch it here!) So I showed her that so I could talk about the relationship between Bette and Kelly, and I said to Ilene that I thought Elizabeth would be the perfect person for this role because we already have this rapport. We wouldn’t have to manufacture it.

PW: Over the last few years, “The L Word” has been name-checked on a slew of other TV shows — “House,” “The Sopranos,” “Gilmore Girls,” “The Office” — has that been fun for you?
Jennifer: It’s exciting. It’s fun, particularly “The Sopranos” one.

PW: Right, it’s like crossing party lines!
Jennifer: Ha, exactly. And it works on different levels. You imagine the character as a real person thinking about the show and then you also imagine the writer conceiving that.
L Word
PW: Does being a part of something as groundbreaking and original as “The L Word” make it harder to find that next project?
Jennifer: Well, what becomes difficult is finding something that it so engaged with the world and has so much meaning to so many people — that is helpful to so many people. I don’t know if that will come, but I am confident that I can find something as well written.

PW: So should I assume that fans have told you that watching the show has helped them come out or deal with their own sexuality?
Jennifer: Oh, so many. Countless. From very young girls who felt incredibly alone and looked to the show to form some sense of community to two women, who had been together for years but closeted, deciding to come out because of the show.

PW: It’s got to feel amazing to be a part of a project that means so much to so many people.
Jennifer: [The show] united people and gave them courage to be who they are. That was extraordinary.

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