14 ▼ January 1 0 , 1 0 0 0 ▼ Just out
INTERVIEW
s its title implies, NBC’s sensationally
successful Thursday night sitcom
Friends revolves around the series’ six
principal young stars: Jennifer Aniston,
Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt
LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer.
But from day one, two supporting actors have been
instrumental in securing the show’s considerable
gay following: Jane Sibbett (who plays Carol, former
wife of Schwimmer’s character, Ross) and Jessica
Hecht (who plays Susan, Carol’s current life part­
ner).
In the Friends pilot, we learned that Carol left
Ross for Susan. In the series’ second episode, the
couple announced Carol’s pregnancy. At the end of
last season, baby Ben was bom. Since the show,
now in its second season, boasts millions o f loyal
fans, Carol, Susan, Ross, Ben and the entire Friends
gang make up one o f the most visible nontraditional
families in television history.
While Sibbett and Hecht’s interpretation of Carol
and Susan has been lauded by many (and has earned
Friends a 1995 Media Award from the Gay and
Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination), co-ex­
ecutive producer David Crane— the only gay mem­
ber of the Friends creative team— maintains that
there was no hidden agenda behind the characters’
creation.
“I don’t think we did it because we felt it was
important, believe it or not,” Crane says. “We didn’t
do it for political reasons. We did it because they
seemed like two really interesting, fresh characters.
We were looking for a really unusual and interesting
situation for Ross to be in vis-à-vis his ex-wife. This
presented the most exciting dynamic.”
Things have progressed nicely for Carol and
Susan in the 15 months they’ve been together. On
the Jan. 18,1996, episode of Friends , the couple had
acommitmentceremony at which guest star Candace
Gingrich officiated as minister.
“This seemed to be another wonderful step,”
says Crane of “The One with the Lesbian W ed­
ding,” written by Doty Abrams and directed by
Tommy Schiantine. “ It turned out to be a really
wonderful episode to do because, I mean, I say we
don’t have a political agenda— and we don’t— but
still, I think we all felt really good about telling the
story of these two women who love each other, and
showing that their relationship is as valid as any of
the heterosexual relationships on the show .... I’m
pretty proud o f it.”
As for Sibbett and Hecht, Crane has nothing but
high praise.
“We are so fortunate to have actresses as tal­
ented as Jane and Jessica,” he says. “They’re just
wonderful.... Everybody loves them, and they seem
to love doing the show.”
Although the rest o f this year’s episodes remain
unwritten, Crane promises we will see Carol and
Susan at least twice more before season’s end.
During an hour-long three-way conference call,
Sibbett and Hecht— who have become very close
thanks to their work on Friends — revealed what it’s
been like to play a same-sex couple on one of
television’s most popular sitcoms.
M ore
A
From left: Jessica Hecht, Candace Gingrich and Jane Sibbett
Vaillancourt: Why don’t you start by sharing
your feelings about the creation of the wedding
episode?
M e n ’ s D
e s ig n e r
Sibbett: It was great fun to do. We cried, we
laughed, we had a great time. It was just like a
normal wedding.
Hecht: That was the coolest thing about it. All
• CONSIGN
C l o t h in g
Ttte tt COMiiftt tfOWl tuq&-t*d.
F r e s h j u i c e and f o o d bar
■
J a c u * *'
4
11
1 r
4 \ r
Tanning
„ P e r s o n ««»1
al Training
Massage
4
1 t
4 ' I
')
[ t
_
CaU C a rm e n o r Nikki
2 4 5 - 3 3 2 9 o r 2 2 9 - 9 2 4 4 (p a# e r)
Gay & L esbian facility
All sizes a n d ages w elcom e
:i
;i
F riends
Friends co-stars Jane Sibbett and Jessica Hecht tell what it’s like
to portray the hottest lesbian couple on TV
BUY • T R A D E
I t ’s New!
I t’s H ot! E x p e n s iv e , it’s Not!
than
¿9* C&)A
Well * Suited
2 4 1 5 NE B r o a d w a y
❖
284-5939
B e r n a d e t t e B reu
A n t iq u e s & o r n a m e n t
2 14 S W Stark Street
Portland, O R 97204
M o n - Sat
I lam — 6pm
(503) 294-1SI 2
PARKING AVAILABLE
the feelings we had just brought up our own wed­
dings. The whole setup was pretty traditional once
we came down to it; the way the actual ceremony
took place, the reception. It was just really very