Article: She’s Electric

The last time I saw Leisha Hailey was at the Women’s Night event in Hollywood in April where she was the guest DJ. She triumphantly managed to win the crowd round after the main event had sent hundreds of Californian grrrls fleeing to the roof party of the Henry Fonda Theatre. It was quite an achievement; not least since comic character actress Jane Lynch had entertained the assembled hard-to-please locals and celebrities, including TV personalities Honey Labrador and Megan Morris.

It’s fair to say that Hailey is the girl we’d most like to do. Or be. Smart, sassy, charming, witty and the social glue who keeps our favourite bunch of girls stuck together. The first I met her at The L Word fan convention in a packed Thistle Hotel at Heathrow, I was struck by how comfortable she is in her skin, like her on-screen persona, Alice. At 34 [sic] years old, Hailey is a delightful mix of emotional maturity and playful mischief. She was an instant hit as Lucy, the punk rocker in the 1997 movies All Over Me, and her career trajectory has gone skywards ever since.
In the last ten years she’s attracted accolades, awards and the attention of k.d. lang as she marked her path. She lives, very happily, in Los Angeles with her partner, Nina Garduno. Not content with sitting still for a moment, she has recently reprised her musical interest in the form of hip electro-pop duo Uh Huh Her. Her next visit to Blighty kicks off in Blackpool at the third L Word convention along with cast mates Kate Moennig, Erin Daniels and Eric Mabius. Rumour has it that she and fellow bandmate Camila Grey are planning a couple of UK gigs while she’s over this side of the pond. And with a new season of The L Word kicking off this month, fans will be able to get a regular fix of Hailey right through to December. But for now we present to you, Leisha Hailey: unexpurgated.

Childhood
Born in small-town Bellevue, Nebraska, [sic] Hailey spent her youth in down-to-earth Omaha with older sister Kaydra. Living close to the US Airforce base where her father Robert worked as a pilot navigator, Leisha’s love of the arts was nurtured from an early age by both parents, who also encouraged her to study drama and singing.

What music did you grow up with?
I used to love the 10,000 Maniacs, Björk and Sinead O’Connor. My parents played John Denver and Carole King. It was a musical household – my dad would play the guitar and mum would sing and I would join in.
What’s the most important thing your folks have taught you in life?
My parents instilled in me that life was for dreaming and achieving goals. You have to work really hard to get what you want and it took me a while to get that.
So you were never a fan of homework, then?
No way. I was a horrible student. I hated everything at school except drama and art class and anything that was leftfield. I was happy all through my childhood though, and thank God I had parents who were supportive of me; they let me audition for the acting academy in New York and paid for me to become an actress from the ages of 17 to 19.
What was it like coming out?
It was a hard process internally but my family and friends were really accepting. I started to realise it was happening at high school but I didn’t fully realise what had hit me till I was 18 years old and at college.

Music
You probably know Hailey from her previous bands, The Murmurs and Gush. She met her Murmurs partner, Heather Grody, in NYC at the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts in the 1990s. They played together for 12 years and signed to MCA Records. When they disbanded, Hailey concentrated on her acting, but she missed her music. Last year she met Camila Grey – she produced UHH’s five-track EP – through friends in Los Angeles. Grey, a session vocalist working on soundtracks ranging from Nip/Tuck to Catwoman, has also worked with Dr. Dre, Kelly Osbourne and Tricky, and is a member of Mellowdrone.
UHH will return to the studio this autumn to finish their debut album, slated for a mid-spring 2008 release.

Your sound reminds me of an electro reworking of the Cocteau Twins.
Really? I hear Kate Bush and The Cure.
Your voice is sweeter than Elizabeth Fraser’s, though…
Actually, it’s both Cam and me singing. I think that once people get familiar with our voices they’ll be able to tell when it’s me singing and when it’s her.
So who does what in the band?
We both write lyrics, sing and play keyboards, synth and bass.
The stand out track is Say So. What’s it all about?
It’s really about wanting the person you can’t have. Most of our songs are about angry, frustrated and passionate love.
You have a bonus track available exclusively on iTunes.
Yes, Mystery Lights. Alicia Warrington, our drummer wrote it before she left the band.
What happened there?
She had some cool opportunities that came along. She’s been a hired musician since she started her career and we’re a baby band – to stay in it is risky. We don’t know what’s going to happen so we don’t want to hold her back.
So you’re looking for a third member? Should we form an orderly queue?
Well, we will be touring with a backing band and maybe in the future we’ll work with her again.
What do you love most about singing?
It’s really liberating. I feel unstoppable and I love to harmonise. Once you’re on stage you just get lost in the moment and it feels really euphoric.
Did you teach yourself to play and sing?
I’m self-taught on the guitar so it feels like I’m playing with the big kids now. It’s the scariest thrill playing with Cam (and Alicia). Cam and I truly are yin and yang. I’m a happy-go-lucky hippy and Cam is a dark, sexy, mysterious Berkeley grad.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Blonde Redhead and The Cure and Goldfrapp. I love Goldfrapp, I think they’re awesome. It would be my dream to open for them.

Work
After Gush, Hailey resumed her busy acting schedule with a bit part in the 1997 coming out episode of Ellen. She’s also been the face of Yoplait yoghurt on TV commercials – still is, apparently. Hailey has appeared in various other TV and independent film roles since. She made her TV series debut on The L Word in 2004 as Alice Pieszecki, The L Word has received multiple awards and critical praise.

What’s the secret to a happy work/life balance?
The secret to a happy life is to find something you love to do. That makes the work part really enjoyable. I love acting and music. Add responsibility to that and it all just seems to work out. I used to think that responsibility was a drag. It’s not when you’re doing something you love.
What makes you get out of bed in the morning?
I’m addicted to success. I am definitely a girl who gets what I want; not because I’m a brat but because I just go for it. I’ll have plenty of time when I’m older to wake up at noon, smoke pot and paint. When I look back I want to be able to say I’ve lived up to my own expectations, I’ve risen to the occasion and I was the best I could be.
Has being out affected your career negatively or positively?
Well, I get to be in the most amazing TV show! I find it ironic when I hear men telling me that I am going to suffer because I find women beautiful, because they do too. I’m not going to change or hide who I am to try and please others.

The L Word
In Series Four Alice explores her ‘portals’ from her website OurChart, spreading her wings. She discovers a Latina contender to Shane’s playgirl crown – Papi – tracks her down and beds her in yet another steamy sex scene. Soon after, Alice takes her Bette’s new and closeted boss Phyllis (Cybill Shepherd) on a date. Phyllis falls head over heels with Alice, forcing her to spend the next few episodes trying to get rid of her before she meets moody soldier Tasha, back from a posting in Iraq. They say opposites attract and this is no exception. Cue more smoking-hot sex scenes, the comedy lightness of Series One and a whole new set of socio-political issues.

So who gets the most fanmail?
We don’t really talk about it and I don’t read any of the stuff on the message boards – you get mean people on there they can ruin your day talking about how you look and the way you are, as if they know you.
Does the show still get criticism for not accurately reflecting real lesbian life?
I used to worry a lot more about whether we were representing the lesbian community in the early series’, but since the third season, it’s taken a different turn. Initially, I was adamant about lesbians having rucksacks but now with the range of story lines in Series Four we get to explode our femininity as well as showing the butcher kind of girls. Finally Alice gets to wear heels!
Is it like a big girls dorm when you’re holed up on set?
Well, we’re over the ‘living together’ stage now. We spend too much time together as it is, and since we have no-one else up here except each other, it’s gotten to the point where we all need our own space. But since we all relocate to downtown Vancouver for six months it’s really become like a second home for most of us.
What’s it been like without Erin Daniels since her character, Dana, died from cancer in Series Three?
In Series Three we really hit some dark places, but we’re coming out of it in Series Four. It’s more about the friends acting together in situational comedy – but not having Dana was a huge loss for a lot of us. I miss Erin terribly. She’s one of my best friends on the show.
Will you ever leave the show? Or will it leave you?
It’s the biggest topic of conversation on the set these days. We’re up to Episode Seven of Series Five right now and I have no idea what will happen. I think it would be premature to end it this season, though.
Who’s the best kisser?
I’ve lucked out with the kissers – Erin (Dana) and Rose (Tasha) are both fantastic.
Who do you find the most attractive?
I can’t imagine finding any of them attractive in that way. I mean, they’re all beautiful, but actually doing anything with any of them would be like kissing my sister.
Who are you closest to?
Kate (Moennig) and I are über-buddies, as well as Mia (Kirshner).
What’s a typical day like?
At the moment we’re on night shoots. We have read-throughs for every episode or we have a fitting and a director’s meeting. The fitting is the fun part. We have the best wardrobe department on the planet, and by that I mean they want the show to be fashion forward. There’s a lot of waiting around and we have been known to go through entire box sets of The Wire or The Sopranos. We attempted knitting in the second season, but this series I’ve been bringing my keyboard in and practising with my headphones on, so I don’t bug the others.
Give us a clue about what’s going to happen in Series Five?
Remember the basketball scene episode or the phone tree scenes in the earlier series? Well, we just filmed an episode that will be an all-time classic because we are all in it. It’s a party at Shane’s and Jenny’s apartment – but not a sex toy party!

Love
Her most public love affair was a four-year relationship with k.d. lang. Hailey is rumoured to have been the inspiration for lang’s romantic pop album Invincible Summer (2000) in which lang sang about ‘the beautiful and tenacious struggle of love’. But with her partner of seven years, fashion designer Nina Garduno, she believes she’s met her match.

How did you meet Nina Garduno?
We met at a party in LA through friends and hit if off straight away. I was instantly drawn to her but it took a few months before we started dating.
You were 25 years old when you met k.d. lang. How did it feel going out with the most famous lesbian in the world?
Oh, it was a while ago. I don’t really want to talk about that. I’ve moved on.
What’s it like going steady with Nina?
Being with Nina is like being with a hot Willy Wonka and I’m Charlie, walking through her world. She’s odd and fascinating and one of the most creative people I know. Just when you think she might be making the wrong decision, it turns out to be exactly the right one.
Would you marry her if you could?
We’re committed to each other whatever happens, but yes I would marry her if it were legal. I don’t see our government allowing that any time soon, though.
Do you want children?
I don’t think so. All my friends are popping out babies at the moment and when I hold them I understand why but I don’t have that instinct. Never say never, though.
What kind of girls do you go for?
I’m attracted to people with drive, power and self-confidence because I have it. I need someone who drives me to do bigger and better things.
What do you want from your relationship?
My mum (Jane, a nurse) and dad have been together for 42 years so I’ve always lived with the expectation and hope of being with someone beyond the two-year relationship. You know, the ones where you’re just trying to play house.

Life and Style
She’s described Alice Pieszecki as the glue who holds all the other main characters together, and she’s a bit like that in real life too – balanced, and a good friend to everyone. But like all of us, she’s had her crisis moments and managed to overcome them.

Have you ever been to therapy?
I feel I can do most stuff on my own but when I can’t – like after I’ve broken up with someone – I run to therapy. I love how it shows you a different way of looking at stuff.
Have you ever taken drugs?
I’ve experimented with all drugs, but I’m no Lindsay Lohan – I don’t have an addictive personality.
How has fame changed you?
I don’t feel it that much in my daily life. I don’t have a personal assistant yet, although I need one! I surround myself with my really close friends who see me as the same person I’ve always been. The only time I feel it is when I’m in a really concentrated fan situation, like a convention.
How would you describe your style?
I kind of work the preppy look, wearing glasses and pulling my hair up like a college school girl who, you know, has other things going on. Kind of like a female version of Clark Kent!
Has it changed over the years?
Yes. In my 20s I was a punk-slash-feminist-slash-clubkid. It was really important to look as weird as possible. I wanted to look like I was from a different planet to set myself apart from other people. I was one giant identity crisis. I still have streaks of it in me but I think now I get to express it through acting.
When I’m playing a different character I get a chance to be someone else and change myself on a daily basis. Before, the only outlet I had was through my clothes.
That’s awesome.
Yes, and now when I play music I get to express the myself in another way. I don’t go on stage as Leisha; I have to be someone else in a way and filter my inhibitions. I’m still scared to get on stage as a musician and figure out who I am, so it’s like a spiritual journey between different aspects of my personality. I love it. I would get really bored of myself otherwise.

(@Diva Magazine 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)