Mariel's crossing over to Jill Hennessy. (the Buzz).
MARIEL HEMINGWAY IS at it again, folks--playing a lesbian on TV. The Personal Best icon, who famously locked prime-time lips with Roseanne several seasons ago, will appear on an upcoming episode of NBC's Crossing Jordan. This time she's Dr. Lisa Fromer--a conservative talk-radio shrink accused of murdering her female lover. "It's not like I went out looking for it," she says of her queer history. "Playing gay is sometimes difficult for people ... I just don't have a problem with it."Neither does Crossing Jordan star Jill Hennessy, who played the lesbian character Lisa in the 1999 indie film Chutney Popcorn and now blurs gender boundaries weekly as velvet-voiced, sexy-yet-single coroner Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh. "My acting teacher used to say, `Gosh, you walk like a track driver,'" says Hennessy, who, like her TV heroine, was raised by her single father. "I guess I just learned that by being with my dad. I feel like the perception of what feminine is in this culture is so narrow," says the star. "That's why I was really happy to play a character who's not overly feminized. You know, somebody who could be misinterpreted. People might think, Well, what the heck's up with her? Is she gay, straight--does she have issuers? I like to keep them thinking."
When Hennessy first meets Hemingway on-screen--in an episode written by Jordan's openly gay executive story editor, Elizabeth Sarnoff--a spark ignites and a deep bond starts to form. "There's some energy there definitely," admits Hemingway. "But no kiss, no kiss."
 Printer friendly
 Cite/link
 Email
 Feedback
| |
| Publication: | The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) |
|---|---|
| Date: | Oct 29, 2002 |
| Words: | 251 |
| Previous Article: | Fact or fantasy? How a gossip site deals with wild speculation. (On the Web). |
| Next Article: | Risque Rebecca. (the Buzz). |
| Popcorn confidential. |
| Leash leader. |
| Fire? Not so much. |