gossips, interviews, news

interview of Thea Gill

"Congratulations to Thea for receiving the 2010 Victoria Critic's Spotlight Award for the Best Performance in a professional production for her incredible portrayal of Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire. The show was also named Best Production of the year and theatre icon Brian Richmond received Best Director.... Rounding out Streetcar's accolades was best lighting design by Kerem Cetinel. Congrats to the entire Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre Company for an amazing production and much deserved honors!
http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/Blue+Bridge+honoured/3979241/story.html
http://www.mondaymag.com/articles/entry/hail-that-streetcar "



Photo by gina glass/Wonky Girl Productions.
Copyright 2010
source: facebook.com - Thea Gill's account

Congrats, Thea!

LIVE Magazine salutes Thea Gill of 'Queer as Folk' at a Dinner hosted by The Czarina of Riverside and Imperial Counties, Elizabeth Loren Maria Romanov. Guest of Honor was Peter McAlear and the host of the show was Hostess with the Mostest, Bella da Ball.



Photos of Bella da Ball and Dinks Restaurant are by Jay Hooker

She has a beautiful voice. It seems like she can do anything, right?

Interview With Thea Gill
Posted by Karman Kregloe, Editor in Chief on November 19, 2007

If you haven't had the pleasure of experiencing the hot mess on here! Networks that is Dante's Cove, then you're missing actor Thea Gill in her most recent lesbian role: the mysterious, magic-addicted, maniacal Diana Childs.

Until recently, Gill was best known to gay audiences for her role as Lindsay, one half of the only lesbian couple on Showtime's Queer as Folk. After Queer as Folk's fifth and final season, Gill immediately traded in her snow boots for beach sandals and joined the clothing-optional, camptastic boys and girls on Dante's Cove.

Gill was the recipient of the 2003 National Leadership Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the 2006 Spotlight Award from PFLAG of Washington, D.C. She also happens to be a jazz singer and a MySpace avoider. She didn't sing for us, but she did admit that it's time to give in and get her own MySpace page.

AfterEllen.com: Congratulations on another season of Dante's Cove.
Thea Gill: Thank you! I just did a marathon [and] watched all the episodes the other night. I was fascinated by how Diana spiraled into hell. When we were [shooting] it, I was suffering a lot playing her.

AE: Dante's Cove characters are over-the-top crazy. Or naked. Or both. Diana spiraling into hell makes perfect sense.
TG: It turned out to be quite hilarious.

AE: I can't wait to see that. Is Diana a lesbian, a bisexual, or does she not label herself?
TG: She's very attracted to both men and women, but she's kind of addicted to her mission in Tresum [the magical force in Dante's Cove], her life as a witch, and putting balance into [the cove]. In the third season, she doesn't have much time for fooling around. She's always striving for forces being equalized. Unfortunately, she doesn't quite achieve that.

AE: You say she's addicted to Tresum?
TG: She has to be. That's her one calling in her everlasting life.

AE: So no magic sexy time for Diana?
TG: You get a little whisper here or there of who she likes and who she has the hots for, but you don't really see any heavy, hot action.

I think maybe people are tired of seeing that with me. I'm starting to get too old for that kind of stuff. [laughs] I used to be young and fresh on Queer as Folk and now I'm shriveling up.

AE: There are many people out there who would disagree. Besides, QAF took place in Pittsburgh, but Dante's Cove residents live on a tropical island and run around, nipples to the wind. Sex is never far from their minds.
TG: [laughs] Yeah, there's a different climate. In Tennessee Williams' plays, the heat always plays a big character. The weather is so important to the environment of the story. Definitely the environment, the weather and the location of Dante's Cove add to the magic and the mystery.

AE: Here are some mysteries I hope you can help us with. Your character, Diana, and Grace [Tracy Scoggins] are unmarried sisters, right? So why is Diana's last name Childs and Grace's last name is Neville?
TG: Yes, that's a very good question.

AE: And why does Grace have a British accent and Diana sounds American?
TG: Oh, another very good question! [laughs] I think there might be a reason — in being disowned by [her] mother, [Diana] took on another identity, one of being the child of [her] father.

AE: You just made that up.
TG: [laughs] And the accent? Well, uh, they're witches, so they speak in tongues.

AE: Come on.
TG: You'll see a little bit of an accent come about with Diana in the later episodes. You'll be wondering why she suddenly adopts an accent.

AE: I wonder about a lot of things with this show.
TG: It's the whole history of the rivaling sisters.

AE: So, your story arc gets even more exciting?
TG: You should see the fifth episode. I'm tearing my frigging hair apart. I tear patches to tatters. You know, it's painful. [laughs] It's painful!

AE: You and Tracy are fun to watch together. Tracy doesn't really have an accent, does she?
TG: No.

AE: I guess if I didn't want that bubble burst, I shouldn't have asked. Is there anything spoilerish about this season you can tell us?
TG: Grace and Diana have sex.

AE: What?
TG: [laughs] I'm just kidding.

AE: With Dante's Cove you never know.
TG: [laughs] Well, that's right. No, I'm sorry. I won't spoil anything for you for this season.

AE: Yeah, thanks. So, you also just finished shooting Mulligans, a film written by your Dante's Cove co-star, Charlie David. What was that like?
TG: In Mulligans, I get to play a straight woman, the mom.

AE: That's a change for you. You're a married, straight actor, but you've spent many years as a professional lesbian.
TG: You think? [laughs] No, no.

AE: Playing a lesbian or a bisexual is old hat by now.
TG: I guess I'm used to it now. I'm [more] curious, as an actress, what my next love scene will be. What will that be like? If I ever get one again.

That role that I played in Charlie's film, the mother — oh my Lord, it was huge. I ultimately came out of the experience a stronger, deeper actress, because I had to go to places in that piece that I haven't had to go to before.

I hope my work was OK, I really do, because I tried to break boundaries for myself, tear down some shutters, open the windows, and let the light or the night shine through.

AE: You recently moved from your native Canada to Los Angeles.
TG: I thought it was time I became more introduced to the industry here in Los Angeles. When I was in Canada I was just an actress going for the auditions, doing my best as an actor and then [leaving].

Here there's more of a star system, and the emphasis [is] on image and persona. I've been struggling with that a little bit because I've always prided myself in just being me.

I've been told to watch my behavior. So the wild aspects of Thea, or the restless parts of me, have to be tamed a little bit. And the nice, conservative, sweet girl parts of me have to be heightened.

AE: Maybe you can still be wild, restless Thea, just not until people get to know you. I saw you at the Point Foundation awards dinner. Events like that allow you to introduce yourself to the local community, no?
TG: You know, I'm hoping that that's true because when I was in Canada on Vancouver Island, it felt like "out of sight, out of mind." Now I'm meeting new people every day — very creative people — and ideas are flourishing. It's good.

AE: That's exciting.
TG: One's attitude makes a big difference, and how one's frame of mind is. I feel I don't know where my home is right now. I have a beautiful little coach house here but, you know, I feel like a bit of a wanderer. I feel a little nomadic right now.

My husband is back home in Canada and he has his job at the university, and here I am on my own, without the structure of the job or the series. So I'm living an independent life for a change. And with that comes experimentation, and figuring out how to be independent and responsible, and how to behave.

AE: Behaving can be tough.
TG: I lost a little bit of my faith in people. But then, when I had the lowest faith in people, I bumped into Wallace Shawn at [a] screening and immediately my whole faith in humanity was restored.

AE: I made eye contact with him on a street in Manhattan. That was cool.
TG: I think he's fantastic. I had sat beside him at Lincoln Center, to watch Tom Stoppard's The Coast of Utopia. It was just by accident that I sat beside him, and I was very well-behaved with him at that point. We got into a conversation and he was so sweet and so very gracious.

And so a year goes by. Halloween this year, I see him at his premiere [for] Southland Tales. You know what? He remembered me. I couldn't even remember the play because I was so stunned to be seeing him again. He remembered me, he remembered the play. He remembered that we had a couple of mutual friends.

Then, of course, as I proceeded to get a picture with him, my friends told me, "Thea, you should really watch out for being a fan." You know what? I don't know about that. I'm glad I was honest about how I felt. I was genuine with my feelings. And yes, maybe I'm not supposed to act like a fan here in Hollywood. But f--- it, you know?

When you bump into someone who you adore, worship and idolize — someone who gives you a sense of faith in the world and something that is progressive and positive, and gives you a good feeling about life, and about what you're doing, and that there's hope for the future — when you meet someone who does that to you, you can't help but be a bloody fan.

AE: But how do you really feel about Wallace Shawn?
TG: [laughs] I have had people come up to me and be excited to see me, so I respect what being a fan is about. I respect worship and respect. I respect respect. I love it when someone shows me their affection for my work, and I am grateful for it. It's important to let people know when we like something of theirs.

AE: Are you homesick for Canada? Do you miss poutine? What is that anyway?
TG: Oh, that's so funny. I was at a dinner and met a food writer. She told me there's one Canadian restaurant in Los Angeles. So I said, "What does this restaurant serve? I'm curious: What are the Canadian dishes?" And she said one is poutine, and I didn't realize that was particularly a Canadian thing, but it is. It's like french fries and gravy.

AE: Poutine sounds classy. In New Jersey, it's just called fries and gravy.
TG: [laughs] Yeah, it's french fries and gravy, but it's not a regular delicacy here.

AE: We should go out for poutine some day.
TG: We should go out for some poutine.

AE: That sounds dirty, but I really just mean fries and gravy.
TG: [laughs]

AE: So, what are you planning to do while the writers are on strike?
TG: Well, I'm going to get [a] MySpace [page]. I've been denying and rejecting MySpace for so long, but I'm realizing that it is a good marketing tool. So, I'm getting a MySpace [page].

AE: Well, look, you held out as long as you could.
TG: Yeah, yeah. I know, but you can't really do it for much longer, though. Everyone needs a MySpace. There's a Thea Gill fans MySpace, but I don't have my own official MySpace.

AE: I have an idea for you for after the writers' strike. I see you playing one of those deeply damaged female teachers who has an affair with her underage male student.
TG: Oh, that would be good. Yeah, that would be a good role for me.

AE: Plus, for some reason, those teachers are always blond.
TG: I could start with my hair up in a bun, like the librarian look, and slowly let it all fall down. Unbutton my blouse and …

AE: Exactly.
TG: Yeah. And then the boy — or the girl — pants in ecstasy over me, in need of me. But yeah, I'd love to [do] that.

AE: Sounds like you could tear that role up.
TG: Anything off-center is up my alley.

source: http://www.afterellen.com/people/2007/11/theagill

Power Up Interviews: Thea Gill
By BetteAndTinaForever

Remember what we talked about at Matthew Shepard's Foundation?
It's funny because I remember one of the first questions you asked me.

Yes, I asked who was your favorite The L Word character and you said Bette…Jennifer Beals.
Yeah…I said Jennifer Beals because I really like her.

Pretty much 90% of the people I talk to give the same answer to that question, even if they are not involved with the show, which is amazing because there's so many other characters.
And she has this very calming presence about her. I think she's a Buddhist actually. She's studied Buddhism.

I know, she even studied Sanskrit at one time and there was one episode in season 3, I think, when they were talking about all the different terms for vagina and Bette said, "Yoni". It's a Sanskrit word and actually that was brought in by Jennifer Beals. She's very intellectual.
She is very intelligent and again, like I said, she has this presence about her.

How many times did you meet?
Many times. We've known each other for a few years now, and every time I see her at an event she's always very pleasant. She always has such a nice smile on her face, and she never ever acts like she's in competition with you. She's very much an equal. I really like that about her. She's always very nice to me. I appreciate that kind of support between actresses because it can be quite, you know, bitter and competitive.

The last time we met we talked about Queer as Folk, so let's talk about Dante's Cove. I watched the first season on youtube, because where I live we don't have Here! Network. I don't think it's on Logo yet…
No, it's on Here!

You were not in season 1, so I watched a few clips from season 2 and 3 when your character was introduced and now you will be in season 4.
Right.

So tell us about your character.
I play Diana Childs and she's a witch. She's a bisexual witch (laughing) because she likes men and women.

Yes, I saw one clip when she was hitting on one of the main characters…
Yes, Nadine (Heimann)…I mean, Van. I confuse them all the time. Yes, we did quite a big love scene in the second season but it never made the cut.

How come?
I don't know why. I have no idea. I haven't even asked (laughing). In the third season my character is still a witch and still doesn't get any action! She's really only out to avenge her father and bring balance to Tresum but along the way she sort of gets swept up into the dark shadows, loses herself, and gets taken down to some place not too nice.

This was the end of season three, right?
At the end of season three, yeah.

Are you filming season four right now?
No, I have no idea when are we going to start filming again; probably in the spring time - April or May.

Where are you filming?
In Hawaii. It's beautiful there.

Now, this is a personal question that someone asked me before, and I didn't know the answer. You don't have to answer if you don't want but a friend of mine was asking me if you were straight in real life. After I watched Queer as Folk, I went to different websites devoted to the show and searched information about you and Michelle Clunie, but it has been a few years since then.
I think people are always wondering about my sexuality because I've been very open about how my first love was a woman.

The English teacher that you mentioned in your presentation tonight?
Yes, the English teacher. I know, I know, it's such a cliché!

Most of the time it's a gym teacher.
For some it's the gym teacher, for others it's the English teacher (laughing). I did think I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I was a typical teenager in love (laughing). I haven't had very many relationships in my life, but the few times I do fall in love, I fall hard and she was obviously one of those people. I often tried to reconnect, but it’s different now. It's life.

It reminds me The L Word when Alice was talking about love and she said that she falls in love with a person not the gender.
Yes, for me it's that way too. I love the person or I don't. It's the individual, male or female.

Does it start with the physical? Because when you first meet a person and don't talk to them you wouldn't know if you like them.
I've never been attracted to a person solely on a physical level.

So it basically means it takes you longer to get close to a person because you need to know their character and not their physicality?
Always. I mean, a lot of people are like that. I think a lot of actresses are like that too. Maybe because we're constantly trying to change our physicality in order to inhabit a character. I don't know. Cate Blanchett once said she couldn’t understand attraction based purely on the physical. I know that instant animal body attraction exists, but it’s never been that way for me.

You know, sometimes I feel like I’m judging all the pretty people, thinking that maybe they are too conceited or something.
It’s lovely to see a beautiful person. I'm all about truth and beauty, beauty and truth.

source: http://www.l-word.com/news/clunie_gill_powerup_interviews.php

If you missed the radio interview its up as a podcast!
go to http://www.latalkradio.com/Sheena.php
scroll down..... Enjoy!!!

Thank you so much for posting this for us. I just downloaded it. I can't wait to listen.

There is also a Pic up on Thea's FB page!

Thank you so much for letting me know about the picture. I do appreciate all your help Thank you

Thank you so much for sharing all those lovely things.. info and interviews with us...I cant wait to watch.. listen and read it...

"Thea will be doing an interview on Monday on the Sheen Metal show. Any one can listen via the internet!!
It's at 6pm PST here is the link

http://www.latalkradio.com/Sheena.php"

A special thank you to Gina Glass for letting us know about the interview

I personally cannot wait to listen the interview

Thea will be playing Deputy Kane in the upcoming TV Drama "Her Mother's Secret." She is excited to be reunited with The Boy She Met Online's Executive Producer, Pierre David & Director, Curtis Crawford. Filming starts later this month.



Photo: Bjoern Kommerell

source: Thea's FB page

Thea will add another hat to her list of many talents...Producer! With the inception of Wonky Girl Productions, Thea and her business partner, Gina Glass will encompass all forms of entertainment. First up is the new Indie film "Spitfire". Based on the novel of the same name. It will be directed and produced by Jane Clark (The Touch, Elena Undone) and will star Cathy DeBuono (Out At The Wedding, We Have To Stop Now) in the title role. Stay tuned for more updates & surprises. Be sure to check out these talented ladies sites!
http://www.filmmcqueen.com/
http://cathydebuono.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Spitfire-Gina-Glass/dp/1440108463


With gina glass, Cathy DeBuono & Jane Clark.
Photo by the nice waiter.
Copyright 2011 Wonky Girl Productions/All Rights Reserved



With the lovely & talented Jane Clark
Photo by gina glass/Wonky Girl Productions
Copyright 2011/All Rights Reserved.