September 2002

This time just simple responses I think.

No, I will not be able to attend the Trevor Project this year.

My favorite poet of the moment is Sharron Olds.

I was asked why I am drawn to play emotionally frail women. Scully was used as an example along with other characters I have played. First of all, I do not consider Scully to have been an emotionally frail character by any stretch. I find the mix of strength and weakness to be a truth that we all have experience with. Often scripts show weakness for women through emotion only and other subtler shades of vulnerability are not used to show facets of a character. I am interested in duality though. In the struggle between ones "good" strong side and ones darker side that may be strong as well but can obliterate the other. It interests me because such duality has always been at the forefront of my life and something I have witnessed in others.

There were many questions about my political opinions. I have to say that I have made a choice over the last couple of months to separate myself from all of it. Things are now escalating and I may start paying attention soon. But first I was appalled at the media's sensationalized take on 9/11 and then I was sickened by the way that it was handled by our government. I have spoken a few times with Gloria Steinam about many aspects of what's going on and listened to Madeline Albright speak in someone's home about what possibly could be done by women to transform our governments' attack mode but it has gotten so out of hand that it's even impossible for the great minds of our time to ask questions let alone state opinions without being branded a traitor. I know that there are a lot of people working very hard to instigate a shift in how it is all being handled but I am afraid the ego that is running the ship is just too narrow-minded to allow any alternative suggestions about anything including the environment and alternative fuel sources let alone the current warzone. All I know that if Colin Powell could be president and Madeline (except she's Polish by birth) vice-president, the world would be a very different place.

That's it for now.

Thanks for asking.

Gillian.