Tina and Bette are, in so many ways, the heart and soul of The L Word. In a show that changed the game for lesbian visibility, they were the resident long-term couple. Their on-again, off-again romance arcs across all six seasons of the original In the pilot, they are the first women we meet, sprawled together across an unmade king size bed, their arms draped lovingly and familiarly over one another in a private moment of domestic intimacy. Cut to them in the bathroom dressed in oversized PJs: “I’m ovulating” , “Let’s make a baby”. In 2004 these lines were groundbreaking and seeing a queer female couple starting a family was unprecedented.
从许多方面来说Tina和Bette都是The L Word的核心与灵魂。在这部改变了女同性恋形象的剧里她们是一对长远伴侣，时有时无的浪漫联系让她们共度6季剧集。试播集中她们裸身躺在特大号床上胳膊交织的开场是我们见过的第一个女同性恋亲密家庭画面。而之后，浴室前那两句“我在排卵”，“让我们生个宝宝吧”的台词，在2004年无疑开创了先河，这一对长期相伴的酷儿女性伴侣也是电视史上的史无前例。
Of course, another factor in their enduring appeal is that Laurel Holloman and Jennifer Beals have dynamite chemistry – the kind you’d be hard-pressed to prise your eyes away from, whether their characters are fighting or flirting, breaking up, getting back together or having scorchingly hot make-up sex. However, when the cast was announced for The L Word: Generation Q there was no sign of Laurel. It seemed that their epic love story had finally run it course. But then, midway through the season, a cry went up in the homes of gay women everywhere, including mine, as we all yelled in unison at our TVs, “TINAAAAAA!” Once Id calmed down from all the Tibette-induced hysteria, I called Laurel at her Palm Springs home to talk about her surprise L Word comeback, her flourishing art career and whether she believes Tina and Bette really are destined to be together forever.
当然，能够让TB长期保有魅力的另一个因素来自于她们的扮演者——Laurel Holloman 和Jennifer Beals之间那非同凡响的化学反应。无论角色间如何争执、调情、分手，又或者火辣的性爱，观众都很难将目光从她们身上移开。当Q时代官宣的演员表中没有Laurel时，TB那史诗般的爱情故事似乎就已终结。然后，Tina出现在了剧集中，所有的同性恋观众——包括我——在看到她时都忍不住边哭边喊着“TINAAAAAA!”等我从Tibette引发的歇斯底里中彻底平静后，我拨打了Laurel在棕榈泉的家的电话，想与她谈谈这充满惊喜的复出，她的艺术家生涯，以及她是否相信Tina和Bette真的注定能永远在一起。
It’s so good to have you back! What was it like stepping into Tina’s shoes once more and re-joining The L Word?
LAUREL HOLLOMAN: That is the question of the day! It was very scary at first and then also really exciting. It’s kind of like when someone asks you out on a date and you get really nervous. I didn’t necessarily intend on acting again, but it’s really a luxury to be able to act with your friends. Even if I was a little bit scared, I had to do it.
It was one of those things I can’t look back and go, “I had that chance and didn’t take it”. And the beauty of it is that the minute I jumped back in, it was so fun and wonderful and it was such a safe environment. Also I got to figure out who Tina was I0 years later. I sat down with Ilene [Chaiken, show creator and executive producer],Maja [Lewis Ryan, showrunner] and Jennifer [Beals] and mapped out a history for these two people.
看到你回来真好！又一次扮演Tina有什么感觉？
Laurel：这也是拍摄当天的问题。它一开始很吓人，但之后就变得很刺激。这有点儿像要去约会，让人感觉非常紧张。我之前从没想过再次拍戏，但是真的，能和朋友们一起拍戏是件很难得的事。所以虽然有些害怕，我还是回来了。
我一点也不想将来回忆这事时会懊悔“我没抓住那个机会。”重新扮演Tina的美妙之处在于它很有趣，很精彩，而且整个环境都富有安全感。十年后，我明白了Tina到底是怎样的人。我和IC、Maja还有Jennifer一起挖掘TB的过去【十年】。
Bette and Tina’s relationship means such a lot to viewers. Why do you think they, in particular, had such an impact?
There are certain dynamics about this partnership and these two women that many people can see a reflection of themselves in. That’s what I’ve seen. People come up to me and say, “Oh my god, when I watch the show I see what Tina struggles with and identify with that My partner is really dominant and I watch you guys and I see some version of my own partnership.” I’ve found that there is something romantic about the characters, too. They have to grow and earn each other’s respect. With the cheating incident, Bette had to earn Tina’s trust again. I’m a romantic. I kind of want to see Bette and Tina get back together。
Bette和Tina对观众来说意义重大，你认为她们为什么会产生如此大的影响？
她们作为伴侣经历过的那些事让许多观众看到了自己的影子。这也是我所看到的。很多观众和我说：“天啊，当我看到Tina挣扎的那些事，看到我的伴侣也一样那么强势，看到你们，我仿佛也看到了我和我伴侣的另一个版本。”与此同时，我认为这些角色也有些浪漫。她们共同成长，赢得彼此尊重。在劈腿事件后，Bette必须重新寻回Tina的信任。我是一个浪漫的人，我希望能看到Tina和Bette复合。
Right. We’ve seen these two go through so many ups and downs, individually and as a couple.
Tina is really tough, in a way, and often she can be misunderstood. She was a bit of a late bloomer, trying to find her way. She’s a very nurturing person. When we did the pilot, Tina was discussed as an earth mother –very grounded, very loyal – although by season five they definitely madeher more edgy. There’s also a chemistry between Jen and I that I think is really rare and it was pretty immediate. We have a similar sense of humor and a similar desire to tell the story of these two in their relationship, how they grow, when they make their mistakes, what they learn.
是啊！无论作为CP还是作为个人，我们都看到了她们经历的起起伏伏。
Tina真的很坚强，在某种程度上，她也容易引发误解。她成长的比一般人晚，也不断尝试找寻自己的路。她是一个有想法的人。试播集的时候，Tina还像是大地母亲的化身——理智、忠诚——经历5季后她就变得非常前卫大胆了。我和Jen之间有着非常直接也非常罕见的化学反应，我们有着相似的幽默感，对角色发展也抱有相近的想法：她们是如何从错误中吸取教训，又是如何成长的。
You’re spot on about the incredible chemistry between you two. Did you audition together?
They did put us together, but we weren’t acting. They wanted to see what we looked like together and how we interacted. She was working at another job and I came into her trailer. They videotaped us chatting, having a conversation. It was an instant chemistry and instant respect Then when we started to work on the pilot, we were so excited to have these wonderful characters who weren’t sidelined around a leading male. We got these fully fleshed out characters, and there was such a joy in that. That’s the kind of moment when you’re like, “This is going to be great Let’s take it really deep.” And that happened with everything – scenes of conflict, sex scenes, all the dynamics.
你对你们之间的化学反应了若指掌。你们是一起试镜的吗？
制作方确实把我们放一起了，但不是一起试镜。制作方想看看我们在一起时是如何互动，但那时Jennifer有另一项工作在身，所以我去了她在拍摄现场的拖车。制作方录制了我们的聊天场景。等开始拍摄试播集时，我们之间的化学反应与对彼此的尊重也立刻显现出来。我们很高兴这些角色出色到没被男性角色挤到角落中去。这些角色非常立体，这让人非常喜悦。那时你会感觉到“只要深入下去她们就会变得非常伟大”，这种感受充斥在每一个场景里：冲突、性爱，或者任何一个动态场景中。
I think that’s part of why people love you guys – you really take it there. It’s layered. There’s a sense of gravity and meaning. How did you prepare for your scenes in Gen Q?
A lot of it was going back and doing research, watching other episodes and getting to the core of what the main dynamics are, who this character is. Jen came to my house and we ran some things together. I was more nervous as I hadn’t exercised that muscle in a while. But when we’re in that, it just starts up again.
我想这也是人们爱着你们的部分原因——你们让角色变得真实。她们有层次、有意义，也吸引人。你是如何准备Q时代的表演的？
大部分时候都是通过观看原始剧集与其它剧集来做研究，去了解角色性格与行为动机。Jen来了我家，我们一起做研究。我有些紧张，我已经很久没演过戏了。但我们共同投入到表演中时，那种感觉又回来了。
What was it like being back on set?
Really surreal It was just like no time had passed. The chemistry didn’t die.
重回拍摄现场感觉如何？
那梦幻到仿佛时间从未流逝，化学反应也始终存在。
Season two of Gen Q has been confirmed. Will we get to see more of Tina? I have everything crossed!
I don’t know if they will want to bring Tina back again, but I hope they do. Plus, I’m a romantic I kind of want to see Bette and Tina get back together.
Q时代已经续约第二季了，我们还能看到Tina吗？我很想知道。
我不知道他们是否愿意让Tina回归，但我希望可以。我是个浪漫主义者，我希望看到Tina与Bette复合。
That’s what I want to know. Do you think Tina and Bette belong together despite all their difficulties?
It’s hard to say. I like them together, but the dynamics there’s a lot of things going on. We’ll see where it goes, but this is a way to explore different stories about both of them and What’s happened over the past few years: Why has Tina found somebody else? What is so dynamic about this person? Is it a rebound relationship? To have a story where you navigate co-parenting is very interesting.
这也是我想知道的，经历过那么多破事以后，你认为Tina和Bette依旧属于彼此吗？
这很难说。我希望她们能在一起，但这需要她们从多个方面共同推动。Q时代在于探索新时代的不同之处以及过去几年发生在角色们身上的事：为什么Tina会另寻他人？这个人有什么与众不同之处？这是【因为Bette造成的】反弹式爱情吗？以离异的关系共同培养孩子本身也很有趣。而且，我们最终也会知道结局如何。
It’s not something that we get to see that much of a same-sex couple Co-parenting together.
Exactly. Wherever that relationship might go, it’s really important right now. It’s very simple: this is a family, this is love.
屏幕上很少看到同志伴侣共同抚养孩子。
是啊！无论一段关系的最终结局如何，聚焦当下都是最重要的。其实这也很简单：这是一个家庭，这是一种爱。
Have your own kids watched The L Word?
I took my 15-year-old daughter to the premiere. She loved it. I didn’t want to walk the line, because I wanted to preserve the surprise that Tina was gonna land later in the series.
你的孩子看过TLW吗？
我带我15岁的孩子去了首映礼，她很喜欢它。我不是有意（隐瞒），只是想保留Tina再次出现的惊喜。
That was such a well-kept secret. What was the reaction like once the cat was finally out of the bag?
It was very positive. I felt really great, and I think we really handled it well. People didn’t see it coming l love surprises.
这秘密保护的非常严实。等秘密曝光后，你是什么反应？
【我得到的反馈】都非常好。我感觉超棒，而且我觉得我们处理的很好。没人发现Tina会出现在剧集中，而我也非常喜欢惊喜。
And, of course, when you filmed the second season of the original L Word, you were pregnant with Lola.
She gets a real kick out of that. I was very, very pregnant I basically worked a I3-hour day the day before my water broke.
是啊，原始剧集第二季拍摄时，你怀上了Lola。
她确实是个惊喜。我羊水破的前一天还工作了13小时。
That’s dedication.
She came early, so we took a little breather and then five weeks later I came back. We shot the C-section scene. That had actually happened to me, so I didn’t have to act that much. It was probably good I did it I got rid of some sort of PTSD! I love that I got to work pregnant and I love that the show really celebrated that. And then Jennifer was pregnant! I feel like another reason Jennifer and I are close is that we had children close together.
这也太有奉献精神了。
她早产了，所以我们不得不中断一段时间拍摄。五周后，我回去拍摄了剖腹产那段。因为这才发生过，所以我只用如实呈现便可。这段戏让我摆脱了轻微PTSD的烦恼。我喜欢工作时怀孕的乐趣也喜欢这剧赞美了它。这之后Jennifer也怀孕了。我觉得先后怀孕这事也让我和Jennifer的关系更加亲密。
Did you guys stay in touch after the original L Word ended?
Yeah, and also with Rachel Shelley, too. I had such lovely women to work with. Being in this creative atmosphere on such a groundbreaking show, around people that were inspiring – for me, it was a really unique environment.
原始剧集结束后你们还保持联系吗？
当然，同样保持联系的还有Rachel Shelley。我喜欢和这群可爱的女人们一起工作。置身于被有才之士环绕的创意氛围中，与他们共同制作前所未有的电视剧——对我来说，这是非常独特的。
I love seeing Tina being a mum to Angie in Gen Q. You and Jordan Hull have a really beautiful connection. What was it like working with her?
First of all, she is a force. She’s amazing, really grounded and incredibly in the moment. There were a lot of things we could talk about, being that I also have a daughter who’s a similar age to her.
我喜欢看到Q时代里Tina作为母亲与Angie相处的片段。你与Jordan Hull之间拥有美好的联结，和她一起工作是怎么样的感觉？
首先，她本身就具有力量。她令人惊喜，又富有理智，最令人惊讶的是因为我女儿与她年龄相近，所以我们有很多话题可以聊。
How much do you think you’ve got in common with Tina?
Well, I’m divorced and I co-parent! That dynamic has been part of my life since my children were two and five. Also, I relate to the part of Tina that allows her friends to tell her something. Her core is ultimately she’s a loyal friend. She represents a certain moral code and she also makes mistakes, just like everybody else. Sometimes she’s not so great. I like playing that, too. When you see her at work and she’s producing a movie with Jenny, she’s pretty nasty sometimes!
你觉得你和Tina有多少相同点？
嗯，我离婚了而且我是一个单亲家长。在我一个孩子5岁一个孩子2岁的时候我就经历了与Tina相同的事。此外，我与她一样和朋友们有着不错的关系。她是一个非常忠诚的朋友，也代表着某种道德准绳。和其他所有人一样，她也会犯错，也会做出一些不好的事。我喜欢扮演这样的Tina。（回顾剧集中）与Jenny共事拍电影的那段日子，Tina有些时候特别遭人厌。
How much have you learned from being part of The L Word?
Such a good question. Tina, in some ways, is more patient than I am. It taught me a lot about patience. Also, if l look back at some of the scenes we did, I think to make a relationship work you have to really listen to each other. You can see, maybe when people aren’t listening, how quick and easy it is to miscommunicate in a partnership. About what The L Word did for me – I did a couple of television things afterwards that weren’t that interesting to me, and when I started to paint it was something I was so passionate about and had a lot of control over. The L Word set a certain standard for me. I care about this show that my friends created. It’s a gift in an industry that is not always telling stories about middle-aged women.
TLW教会了你什么？
好问题。某些方面Tina比我更具耐心。当我回顾过去那些剧情时，我发现想要维系一段关系，就必须学会真正地倾听对方的声音。如果没有彼此倾听，那么错误的讯息传达会轻易摧毁一段亲密关系。而TLW我的影响——我之后参演的影视剧都远不如它，TLW给我定了一个极高的标准，也因此我投身画作，我对绘画充满了热情，而且也更具备掌控力。我关注朋友们创造的Q时代，对一个极少讲述中年女性故事的行业里，这是一份礼物。
Are you interested in playing other roles?
I’m back to painting, but I don’t know. Around 20I0 I said,“Alright, I’m just gonna see how this art show goes”, and it went well. Then great things kept happening. I was part of the Venice Biennale group exhibition in 20I3 and I had a solo museum show in Amsterdam. I’ve had so many wonderful experiences.
Your paintings are gorgeous – so lush and vibrant What inspires you?
It’s very nature-based – water, beautiful flora and fauna. I’m somebody who sort of shrivels when I’m in too much of an urban environment I need to be in places where I can hide, be out on the water. I do a ridiculous amount of whale watching My kids think that’s really boring but I’m obsessed. I’ve been to Tahiti and swam with manta rays down there.
Have you always enjoyed being close to nature?
I was a kid that was always out on a farm. Just a tomboy with short hair catching snakes!
That reminds me. I have to tell you, I’m such a fan of The Incredibly True Adventure Of Two Girls In Love. It was one of the first lesbian films I ever watched. You as Randy and Nicole Parker as Evie -just heavenly.
Oh my god, that’s the coolest thing you could have said! I would like to see if they would ever use Nicole Parker on the show. She’s amazing. My kids saw a poster and they were like, “Mum, you look so cool”. I think I was playing one of the first out butch teenagers. There was hardly any other story like that When I auditioned, I had fortunately cut most of my hair off. I walked in and that was another chemistry thing. Nicole Parker looked up after we read and everybody’s jaws had just dropped.
That film was released in I995. How much do you think has changed for LGBTQI representation? Does it feel very different playing a queer character like Tina now compared to playing Randy then?
For Two Girls In Love, there was a lot of publicity and people hand-holding or telling you what to say It was a little overbearing. I was like, “I’m gonna say what I wanna say”. Now it’s more fluid, things are more open. I remember my agent told me not to have short hair anymore and to wear sexier clothes. I think today a guy like that would probably get fired. You know what’s funny? After Two Girls In Love, when I first had to read for The L Word, they asked me to read for both Shane and Tina. I read about five seconds of Shane and knew very quickly it was Tina who I wanted to play.
Oh wow, you could have played Shane! I could kind of see it though, with the Randy connection.
Maybe with that, but Tina was perfect for where I was in my life. I understood her. A lot of what was going on in the pilot was that they were staring a family together. There were questions like, “Are they gonna use a sperm donor?”, “Are they gonna use a friend? “These were all such important stories to tell.
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