Tennis Pro Comes Out
Whenever straight actors play gay, they're asked if portraying same-sex romance is somehow difficult or challenging. Not for Erin Daniels from Showtime's lesbian drama, The L Word (Sundays at 10 pm/ET). She actually prefers love scenes with gals over guys. "There's a bond that exists between women," she tells TV Guide Online. "They understand if I say, 'Could you put your hand on my thigh in this shot? There's cellulite there, and I'm a little bloated and PMS-ing, so I'm a little self-conscious today.' Women just get it!"
Among L's circle of girlfriends, Daniels is Dana, the closeted tennis pro. Is she based on any real-life sports figure? "No," the actress says. "She's representative of a lot of athletes who are faced with the question of whether to come out, because of stereotypes. That's happened in the past to Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King. There's also the French player, Amelie Mauresmo, who came out, and she's fully supported. It's super cool."
Of course, there'd be no conflict in Dana's plotline if she were as self-confident as Martina. "Dana's afraid of losing endorsements," Daniels notes, "and for a lot of tennis players who aren't big stars, that's how they make their money. Plus, she's been shamed into the closet her whole life. But now, her closest friends are out and very proud, and she sees how happy they are. So her conflict is, 'Do I come out and be happy or stay in the closet and have a career?'"
Dana's budding relationship with Chef Lara only complicates things. "She's exploring it fearfully. Lara, who's totally out, is the greatest thing that's ever happened to Dana — but in order to have an honest relationship, you really don't want to hide it."
Daniels thinks The L Word — which already has been renewed for a second season — fills an important TV niche. "Our show has garnered a pretty large audience in its maiden voyage," she says proudly. "There are so few shows that are just about women, let alone lesbians. You know, I never get recognized, which is really fun for me. Yesterday, the cashier at the grocery store got very excited when she saw me and said, 'It's so nice there's finally a show about us.' I turned bright red. That doesn't happen to me a lot. But I knew then that we're doing something important."
