"ER" Star Makes Surprise Confession About Her Character's Lesbian
RelationshipExclusive GayHealth.com Interview Tackles Gay Rights, Coming Out, Lesbian Love and More
Updated 10:30 AM ET May 1, 2001
NEW YORK, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Emmy-nominated actress, Laura Innes, who plays "ER"'s no-nonsense and fiercely private chief of emergency medicine, Dr. Kerry Weaver, confesses to GayHealth.com that her character is indeed "in love" with lesbian character, Dr. Legaspi.
"Her attraction to Dr. Legaspi is very strong," Innes admits.
This confession comes as a pleasant surprise to fans of the show, who've witnessed Dr. Weaver's slow struggle with coming out and identity issues. "The coming out process for somebody Dr. Weaver's age is incredibly slow," Innes explains. "There's enthusiasm, a sort of adolescent excitement, and then self-recrimination and pulling back."
Despite Dr. Weaver's strides toward self-discovery, "my gut feeling is that she's trying really hard not to be gay," Innes says. "She puts all this energy into pushing these feelings down and turning them into something else. But she just keeps coming back to it."
Good news for fans of Dr. Weaver: she'll be "coming back to it" in a big way at the end of this season. Dr. Legaspi is returning for the end-of-the-year episodes, and "there's gonna be some good stuff between us," promises Innes.
Promoting tolerance is an important function of "ER," adds Innes, and "tolerance toward gay people" in particular "is a big one."
"We're saying that homosexuality is not something you need to feel afraid of. Some people happen to be gay, that's all. It really shouldn't be an issue," says Innes.
Showing tolerance is not about politics, Innes insists. "It has to do with the fact that people should be able to live their lives freely," she says.
"It's ironic that there are so many people who feel more conservatively, who are so into libertarian thinking, yet these are the same people who tell gay people, 'Oh no, you can't do that,'" adds Innes. "A straight man would never be able to even imagine somebody telling him, 'No, you're not allowed to marry that woman who you love.' But this is the reality for millions of gay people."
GayHealth.com was founded in 1999 by the nation's top lesbian and gay medical professionals to serve the healthcare needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities worldwide.
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