Get Out! GAY Magazine – Issue 463

I think that’s what enabled me to go to
New York when I was 19 and didn’t know
anybody. I just thought well this is what
I’m supposed to do. When my boys went
back to college and they both went back
East now I think “oh my god what my
mother must’ve been going through.”
In those days you didn’t just pick up the
phone or use FaceTime. You placed a
long-distance person to person call and
ask for yourself so
that your family
would know that
you were safe.
Nobody could
afford to call
people. But we all
got through it.
Was there A
moment that
you recall the
change the
trajectory of
your whole life?
It may have
been being cast
in “Grease”
because I was
nominated for a
Tony and Norman
Lear eventually
found me
because of that
and brought me
to LA and started
me on a television career. That would be
one turn around I would say. There was
another one a little later on that probably
changed the trajectory of my career. I’ll
never know but I made a decision to
leave a very large and a very successful
agency and go to a different one. Had I
stayed where I was my career might’ve
been very different. But I’ll never know
and I had my reasons for leaving and I
would do it all again I think.
You were also in AJ and the Queen
with RuPal recently? I had an interview
with Josh Segarra.
I was really fascinated with the
performance of Josh Segarra. He was
so good. I was so pleased to be doing
that show. In terms of the LGBTQ
audience, not too many people know
this but I believe that I played the first
lesbian on television. I did a movie of
the week called “Someone is Watching
Me.” John Carpenter directed it. Lauren
Hutton starred and David Birney and this
would’ve been back
in 1978. It probably
aired in late 78. I think
that was the first time
we’ve ever had a gay
woman character on
screen. It was one of
the reasons I took
the script. It was one
of the things that I
thought John handled
so beautifully. I was
really proud of that
years later. I realize
later that it was
groundbreaking.
It’s like the universe.
What’s meant to
happen happens.
If you could help
me ask you any
question on the
planet what would
that be?
Probably what’s the
most important thing in your life? The
most important thing in my life are my
children and my family and my friends.
The career comes second....or third or
fourth...or someplace down there. I am
very proud of the fact that I’ve been able
to support myself my entire life doing
something I love to do. I don’t know if
proud is the right word, but I am very
aware that that is a gift. I was able to
do what I set out to do, be an actress. I
wanted to earn a living as an actress. I’ve
been able to do that, but what’s most
important are my kids.
Watch the “For The Love Of Jessee” Trailer here:
https://youtu.be/_JSYDn582Tk