by Chicki

Kate French was born in Flemington, New Jersey, but moved to Long Island where she was raised with her three siblings. Kate was born into a fashion family with both her parents working as models, and her step father a fashion photographer. She studied at the University of California and initially pursued a modeling career before switching to acting later on. She appeared in the 2006 comedy film Accepted before taking on the role of Brooke Crawford in Wicked Wicked Games, appearing in 50 episodes. She also appeared in three episodes of South of Nowhere. There’s not much advance publicity regarding Kate and her role on The L Word. There was a very quick shot of her on one of the Season5 promo’s where she was involved in the Turkish oil wrestling.

When you were offered the role of Nikki on The L Word, what was the first thing that crossed your mind?
Just being on The L Word was the most fantastic thing ever. I was jumping up and down because I never did anything of that caliber. I mean, working with actresses on The L Word of that caliber…I was just so excited. I called my parents (giggling) and just kept jumping up and down. I was so excited.

Tell us a little bit about the character.
She is a young Hollywood lesbian…an up and coming movie star and sex symbol. She is still in closet and struggles with coming out or not because she tries to keep up with the Hollywood image. She is being pressured by a lot of people because she is so young. She is in an environment where there is a lot of chaos, a lot going on. She likes to have a good time, and party, but she is a caring person too. She does get into a little bit of trouble

Trouble?
Yeah, not really bad stuff though. Nothing malicious. Just young stuff.

Did you have any apprehension whatsoever about playing a lesbian character?
Actually I didn’t. Girls are close anyway in every day relationships, so I didn’t think it would be much of a stretch to play off of it. It just seemed to come rather naturally. It wasn’t hard at all.

As an actress who has traditionally played in straight roles, how did you prepare yourself so you could develop your character’s identity? Well, I actually talked to one of the directors quite a bit about the gay community…who they knew, and stuff like that. They helped me understand so much about the lifestyle. But really, relationships are the same pretty much if you are hetero or gay. There are still problems that exist, and they are the same either way.

How comfortable were you acting out intimate scenes?
Um…very. (giggling) Also working with another actress who knows her craft, well we had a good relationship so I ended up feeling very comfortable. It came natural for both of us I think.

How did your partner feel about you accepting the role?
We’ve been together for 4 years, so he was happy I got the role. He’s not a dude that was like ‘yeah great you’re gonna be with a girl.’ I kind of thought he was going to like it. I was like “honey you get to watch me make out with girls,” and he was like “I’m not into that.” (giggling) He did say that it was better than me making out with a guy.

What was it like to be one of the new cast members on the set?
Everyone was so great. They are amazing actresses, and they made me feel so comfortable. I wasn’t sure what to expect where the whole cast is primarily women.

One of the promo’s looks like you and Jenny may be having a romance.
My character has a romance with Jenny, yes.

Which actress did you work the most with on The L Word? And what are your thoughts or impression on said actress?
Mia Kirshner. First I was very intimidated, because she is such a great actress. Coming into this, with an all female cast, it was definitely a little intimidating. I was pretty nervous, but we clicked. She is a brilliant actress and most talented in her craft. Ya know, coming into an all female cast was a little intimidating. I was pretty nervous, but we clicked very well. The way she thinks, her mind, it must makes the scenes better. We were able to do a lot of improv, which keeps it so fresh and real.

Was it fun filming the scene where you participate in the Turkish Oil Wrestling?
That was like one of those days you wake up and think, this is my job? (giggling) It was the most fun, and wasn’t choreographed at all. We had one take to do it. One take, covered in oil. So all of us were just like, okay well, we have one shot to do this, and we just got in there and did it. The first wrestling scene was with Alicia, she plays Cindy, Dawn’s lover. She kicked ass. It was so hard because we all kept cracking up and could not keep a straight face.

Spoilers indicate that your character will be involved in opening a rival venue to the Planet. Can you elaborate a little further about this storyline?
That is actually Dawn’s character. She does that…not Nikki. The stuff that is out there, they had gotten it all wrong.

Wrong information out there, go figure.
(Giggles) I know. I was like, that’s not true.

How comfortable are you becoming a sex symbol in the lesbian community?
I’m all for it! (giggling) Why not? That’s how I look at it. It was so much fun working with everyone. I ended up becoming good friends with some of the writer’s and directors, including the cast members.

Were there any interesting moments behind the scenes that you would like to share?
Oh gosh, (giggles) A lot of the stuff that was really fun and hilarious happened with the camera’s weren’t filming. There was one time we all stayed in this hotel in Vancouver, and we were eating cheese and drinking wine, and all we did was laugh and laugh (giggling). There’s a video of it, and hopefully it doesn’t get out (giggling). But yeah, we had a lot of fun. Another thing was when we were filming this bike ride, and ended up getting stuck in a hail storm. We were lucking we had our helmets on. (giggling) I don’t think they are going to use the footage of the hail. Good thing we had our helmets.

How many episodes can we expect to see you in for Season 5?
I am actually in 9 out of 12. You will see Nikki come in on episode 4, and remain until the last one.

Do you anticipate that your character will be written into Season 6?
Yeah, I think so. The ending is left quite open, so yeah I definitely think she will be back. She caused a lot of drama for everyone.

Drama? In what way?
(Giggling) You’ll have to wait and see.

In addition to your acting career, you are also known as an aspiring writer. Is there anything in the near future which we might expect to see from you?
I hope so. It’s kind of been a little struggle for me, from being busy. I don’t have much time. I’ve been working on stories here and there. It’s one of my goals to get something out there.

How close did you get to work with Jennifer Beals and Laurel Holloman?
I had group scenes with Bette and Tina, but not any one on one scenes. But it was amazing to watch them do their scenes. I tended to hang around and watch them.

Certainly it would be a lovely thing to see a lesbian couple represented in a long term relationship, and Bette and Tina certainly have the right chemistry to make that happen.
Yes, they really do.

Can we assume that we might see Bette and Tina making a romantic return?
(giggling nervously, she started to stammer) “Uh, I can’t say if they are together….uhm…there is a lot of conflict. (hesitation)…I can’t say too much really, but what happens this season is amazing, with them, because their relationship goes so far back.

In closing, I know it’s a shot in the dark but I have to ask. Can you tell us something juicy that we can expect to see in Season 5?
You already know about the oil wrestling and that is certainly juicy. (giggling) What you will find, is that there is going to be some changes in terms of some friendships go, so yeah, interesting turns, especially where the older friendships are concerned. That’s about it.

Kate, it was a delight speaking with you. I appreciate you taking a moment to answer these questions, and I am sure I speak on behalf of all the members of Lword.com, when I say thank you for being so generous with your time. It has certainly helped to have a better understanding of this new character that you will bring to life in Season 5.
Thanks, this was lot of fun. Thank you.

This interview was a complete pleasure to take on. Kate was a lovely woman, who I found extremely happy and gracious to provide as much info as she could, within certain limits of course. For the many TiBetter’s on the site, I did my best to walk the fine line I was advised to, about the spoilers and such, and I think what she offered was enough to keep hopes alive on that end.

I’m really looking forward to the appearance of this new character that Kate will bring us in January.

Until then…

Happy Holidays, and may the New Year bring everyone much Happiness, Peace, and Love.

Chicki