Thursday, December 10, 2009

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A longtime queer icon, Sharon Gless says her new role is not “payback” for a community’s loyalty.

Finally, Truly a Lesbian Turn

Sharon Gless plays a woman denied the right to visit her ailing female partner

Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 12:39 PM CST
BY GARY M. KRAMER 
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Sharon Gless, who plays the free-spirited lesbian title character in the poignant drama “Hannah Free,” resists being called a “queer icon.” However, her roles on TV’s “Cagney & Lacey” and “Queer As Folk” –– and now in this film –– have cemented that reputation.

“I’m very flattered by the term, but I get embarrassed,” she said in a recent phone interview. “I’ve been very lucky I’ve gotten these roles. The gay community has kept me in business. ‘Cagney and Lacey’ was not a gay show, but it gave the lesbian community pleasure.” She paused, then observed, “The men all wrote Tyne, and the women all wrote me.”

Her candor is heartfelt and infectious –– and exactly what viewers would expect from an actress who excels at playing tough, feisty, independent women.

In “Hannah Free,” Gless stars as an elderly, bedridden lesbian waiting out her days in a nursing home. She is hoping to see her lover Rachel, who is lying in a coma, before she dies. However, Rachel’s adult daughter forbids the reunion. Flashbacks reveal the on again/ off again relationship between the women. Rachel opted for marriage and a family in Michigan, while Hannah gives in to her wanderlust, traveling to far-flung places like Alaska, absences that disappoint her lover.

Gless described her character as someone who “was trapped in the bed and wheelchair, and also, ironically, emotionally trapped because the woman she loves can’t speak to her. I understood her frustration.” Yet she explained she did not base her portrayal on anyone she knew.

The actress may have found Hannah appealing because she has always wanted to play a lesbian. “Years ago, I thought it would be fascinating to play a lesbian character on a dramatic series because it hadn’t been done before,” she explained. “I couldn’t get a network interested in it.” She added that “Hannah Free” is not “payback” to the queer community for their support over her career, but that it “was an honor to play this character.” The part was written by her “dear friend” Claudia Allen, a lesbian playwright.

Her producer’s credit on the film, she insisted, is in name only. “They gave me the credit because they weren’t giving me any money,” Gless said, with her distinctive laugh.

The actress threw herself into the character even down to overseeing her physical aging. “The makeup artist put this old age makeup on me, and I smiled and it all fell on the floor,” she recalled. “It may work on stage, but the camera is going close on me. I told them to take the lines I have and make them darker, and dye my hair white, and put liver spots on me.”

But Hannah comes to life because of Gless’ ability to act “from the waist up.” Her character has been injured in a fall and must express herself mostly through vocal inflections and facial gestures. Not surprisingly, the best scenes in the film feature Hannah’s monologues in which she reflects back on her life.

The actress initially found the restrictions of playing Hannah “inhibiting,” but quickly grew comfortable during the film’s 18-day shoot. “My voice was husky for the part, and I got laryngitis right before [shooting]. The doctor told me not to speak, but I had to –– the cameras were rolling.” Gless said, with characteristic flintiness.

What attracts the actress to the parts she plays is the combination of grit and vulnerability. While she enjoys doing meaty roles in films, Gless confessed that she prefers to work in television. “What I like about TV is that it is faster, and you have to be just as good,” she said. “TV –– if you have the luxury of longevity, you get to go to the same family everyday and really develop the character. I prefer TV series. Let me quantify that, hit TV series.”

She has, of course, fond memories of playing Detective Sergeant Christine Cagney. “The show was ahead of its time –– but it still represented women being strong and having a say, but also being fragile,” Gless said. “‘Cagney and Lacey’ showed women fighting for equality. They were heroes on a TV show who were tough on the streets, but had feelings about their work and their private life, and they talked about it.” The actress admitted that she was not a feminist when she signed on to “Cagney and Lacey,” but became one during the show’s six years.

Likewise, when she took on her role as Debbie Novotny on “Queer As Folk,” she acknowledged, she “didn’t know much about the gay community.” Gless then joked, “I know how much fun you have! But I wasn’t consciously aware of the issues. Like ‘Cagney and Lacey,’ it’s about equality.”

As for “Hannah Free,” Gless hopes that this film –– which addresses the rights same-sex partners have relative to those of biological families –– changes attitudes about how queer couples are treated by society.

“That would be nice,” she said, and then added, “I didn’t think of that when I was doing it. I can’t think of the end result of my work. I just try to make the character real.”

Complete Information:

HANNAH FREE

Directed by Wendy Jo Carlton

Ripe Fruit Films

Opens Dec. 11

Quad Cinema

34 W. 13th St.

quadcinema.com


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