What You Should Be Watching
March 11, 2009 by Sarah
Already missing The L Word? Hungry for lesbian images? Believe it or not, you should be watching a soap. And no, we’re not talking about All My Children, with the tumultuous love between Bianca and Reese. We’re talking about CBS’ long-running Guiding Light.
For weeks, sparks have flown between Olivia and Natalia, but they are now officially a couple — and setting the soap world ablaze.
The Advocate held a great interview with the two actresses portraying “Otalia” (yes, there’s a fan name for the couple). Be sure to read the full story here, but we liked these excerpts:
Have there been challenges, as an actress, as opposed to when you are in a heterosexual relationship story line?
Crystal Chappell: No. I have approached this as a basic simple love story. I think it’s really non-gender-specific in my world as an actress. My character has found she’s falling for another woman. It’s still what I have always done in terms of my work and the approach to it. I did feel, however, that we needed to take it slowly and not sensationalize it. If you think about how long we have taken to get to this point; it was intended to create a long-term bond between these two characters. We take baby steps at times to create a love story that the audience can invest in.
Jessica Leccia: It may have been a bit easier because we did not play that we were in love. Maybe it seemed a bit banal, but we were literally folding laundry in one scene and moments came out of that. Our relationship developed slowly and it was sometimes ugly and sometimes pretty and normal … which is what friendships are.What about the first time you two kissed on-screen? Was it nerve-racking?
Crystal: I am always a little nervous when I kiss somebody. Your heart flutters and you think, Did I brush my teeth?
Jessica: In the first kiss you think, Is my lip too high? Did I make a scowly face?
Crystal: And you want it to look pretty!
Jessica: It was really nice. Good times.
Guiding Light airs weekdays on CBS. Check local listings for air times.
Thanks for blogging about the Otalia storyline, Sarah. I stopped watching this show after 20 years about 4 years ago and this story line is what brought we back. Crystal and Jessica have layered these characters with such depth and texture and I give kudos to them, everyone at Guiding Light, CBS and Procter & Gamble for not hyping this story line for ratings (even though they could use all the viewers they can get). They have spent over a year slowly building a bond between these two women that is beautiful to watch develop and unfold.
It’s definitely worth watching and it’s made the rest of the story lines on this show start rising to the same level. Guiding Light has one this old-time viewer back for good.
wonderful blurb about the advocate interview with crystal chappell and jessica leccia. i’ve been on the otalia train since early january and am amazed on a daily basis by how right this story is being written and portrayed. finally, a relationship on television that reflects our community that is allowed to mature and grow in a natural way. their story reflects many of our stories.
i am overwhelmed by the unsensationalized normalcy of it all. olivia and natalia aren’t just being treated like any other soap couple. they are being treated better. and i can’t wait for this supercouple to take on the rest of springfield. together.
[...] we reported less than a month ago, Olivia (Crystal Chappell) and Natasha (Jessica Leccia) were just at the [...]
About this Guiding Light thing: I need to cop to being a classist, elitist ponce, habitually disseminating dismissive opinions on topics about which I know nothing.
Out of shame — and because it will benefit no one!, I’ve just erased a couple of paragraphs about all the nonsense I have believed all my life about soap operas and the people who watch them.
In late January, quite by accident, I happened upon this television show and it was — and is — nothing short of a revelation. I can NOT describe how extraordinary this story is — or its capacity to transform the lives of people who watch it. I haven’t felt this way since I saw Angels in America on Broadway.
If any of you share my recently-rescinded assumptions about most tv shows and esp. “daytime drama” being a waste of time — and yet you’ve read this far down in this story–PLEASE do yourself one of the greatest favors you’ll ever do as a consumer of art and go to CBS.com to watch Guiding Light.
As a primer, go to youtube, type in Otalia, and dance around the hundreds of posted backstory clips, current clips, and an overwhelming assortment of homage montage fan vids.
WE’VE BEEN WAITING TO BE REPRESENTED IN A WAY THAT REFLECTS THE DIGNITY OF OUR CHARACTER AND THE UNSENSATIONALIZED EROTICISM IF OUR LIVES. FINALLY, IN THIS MAGIFICENT STORY, WE ARE BEING REFLECTED AS WE DESERVE TO BE REFLECTED.