Jennifer Beals is taking a step back — but not away — with her leading role as Bette Porter in The L Word: Generation Q.
During the Showtime series’ latest episode, which aired Sunday night, the actress behind the long-time L Word favorite chose love over ambition and agreed to go to Toronto with her ex-wife, and the love of her life, Tina Kennard (Laurel Holloman).
In a recent interview with UPI, the actress shared that it was a character decision driven by Bette’s evolution, which took place mostly offscreen following a time jump — and a retreat visit — in the season three premiere.
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For the actress, it was also an opportunity to let her original L Word co-stars Leisha Haley and Katherine Moennig — along with the rest of Generation Q‘s ensemble — take a bigger role in the current series. “I am making space for other stories,” she explained. “The whole point of The L Word: Generation Q was to tell these new stories.”
The plot turn raised questions about how the series would handle Bette’s big move and how much fans could expect to see their favorite throughout the rest of season three. (A source familiar with the situation confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the season regular and executive producer will remain attached to the series and is slated to appear in additional episodes.)
In a separate interview with The Daily Beast, Generation Q showrunner Marja-Lewis Ryan expressed that Bette and Tina’s love story wasn’t over. “There is a huge event coming for them,” she stressed. “They are not gone, and their story continues this season.”
Beal said that Bette’s growth — from Tina’s confession in the premiere that her ex-wife’s behavior was “not how you love someone” to the seedlings of what she learned during that retreat now to her ultimate willingness to leave Los Angeles in the name of love — was necessary to see on screen.
“That running down the street is the beginning of ‘What are you willing to do to have the love that you have wanted for so long?’” she said.
Now that the choice has been made, the actress and EP wants to see proof that the change is real. “I want to see them earn what they’re aspiring towards,” Beals said. “Obviously, we head off to Toronto, but I want to see them earn it and I love watching them trying to figure out how to parent.”
