DRAFTING W/ JENNIFER BEALS & ILENE CHAIKEN
Ilene Chaiken and Jennifer Beals have been telling stories together for more than two decades — first as creator and actor, and now more as creative partners and friends.
Their relationship started back in 2004, when Chaiken cast Beals as Bette Porter in The L Word, a role that’s been iconic since its debut. By both of their accounts, this quickly became more than a long working relationship: it was a genuine friendship. Chaiken and Beals collaborated closely on character development across six seasons of The L Word and later reunited for The L Word: Generation Q.
That partnership has naturally evolved over time — the direct result of a “fever dream” Beals and Chaiken have been experiencing together for more than 20 years. It’s rare in entertainment to find a writer and actor whose collaboration has outlasted the media that made them both. But two decades after Bette first walked into a gallery, Chaiken and Beals are still building worlds together.
Earlier this month, Chaiken brought us back to The L Word again with her new short story, “Long Story” (Beals reads it, exclusively, below).
