Yahoo Finance Queer as Folk 's Juliette Lewis on being the coolest mom on TV: 'Everybody needs a Judy in their life'
Among the gays, a "Judy" is a good friend, a stalwart, someone you can always depend on, so named after perennial gay icon Judy Garland.
So Queer as Folk creator Stephen Dunn clearly knew what he was doing when choosing a name for the mother of non-binary teen-turned-drag queen Mingus (Fin Argus). Played by perennial gay icon Juliette Lewis, Judy is a fountain of unconditional love... and occasional embarrassment — no one's mother should ever talk to their friends about gloryholes and poppers. That should just be an unspoken rule.
EW caught up with the Oscar nominee (for 1991's Martin Scorsese-directed Cape Fear, and don't you forget it) to chat about Queer as Folk, how Scorsese was her Judy, her love and respect for her young, queer co-stars, and her hopes for more scenes with fellow QaF mom/perennial gay icon Kim Cattrall.
Peacock Juliette Lewis in 'Queer as Folk'
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I loved Judy, she reminded me of my best friend's mom when I was in high school — just that very cool adult that you feel very comfortable talking to. She was the first adult I came out to.
JULIETTE LEWIS: Are you serious?! You had a Judy in your life?
I did, I really did! So what drew you to that character and this show?
Well, exactly what you're telling me. Everybody needs a Judy in their life at some point. As a young queer person, or even like myself and my own life, my version of someone to make me feel seen or encourage me. I had it in the business — people didn't like what I had to do when I was a kid in TV shows, they didn't like naturalism, they wanted like really broad, arch acting and then I worked with Scorsese and I always say he gave me my creative wings, so to speak. So to parlay that into real life, [into the] even bigger existence of childhood ... this is so deep on so many levels.
Stephen Dunn, the show creator, he loosely based this relationship on him and his mother, who I got to meet, and there are so many things he wanted to do within this show he hadn't seen yet. Even how they show HIV, that diagnosis, that you can live a life, it's not a death sentence. So there are, like, really beautiful moments in this show and one of them is this mother and child relationship that is, yes, a friend, and is parental, and they both survived hardships together, but ultimately she believes in Mingus' creativity and their artistic self, but also is a nurturer.
I just got a little DM from a lady who was like, "Hi, I'm a mother of a queer child and that reminded me of our relationship." And it, like, literally tickled me. She saw herself. Because even mothers of queer children sometimes have it hard with what they have to stand up to with prejudice, etc.
Peacock
That final scene where Mingus comes out to Judy as being HIV-positive, it broke my heart. Because they were so afraid and suddenly she's laughing. She's laughing because she was afraid it was something so much worse.
I have to see how that plays because … I have goosebumps … did I pull it off?
You did.
I hope so. [laughs] Stephen wrote — okay, this show, I want to say another thing about the people in this show. I'm hoping, we're hoping, we're seeing it in little bits — I hope there's a revolution in this industry of where people just take care of the individual just a little bit more than they have in the past. This particular set was so fueled by benevolent energy. They just felt it was important, the stories they were telling, [that] the New Orleans-centric, diverse, queer culture was important.
But anyway, that scene, Stephen called me, "I had a dream in the middle of the night." That's rare, that a show creator talks to you like a passionate, creative peer. And he said he wrote this scene and that her reaction was laughter. And for me, I was like, "Ooof, I've never seen that". And it was a challenge of how do I pull that off? Because she thought it was much worse. I don't know if I pulled it off — you're saying I did, so it worked out! [laughs]
Peacock
I also interviewed Fin, and they said that you were so cool and so fun to act with, that they learned so much from your acting style, and that you inspired them to branch out and try things. Was it mutual, did you feel inspired by working with them as well?
Yesss. I think it's just this little love/respect vibration. Fin is such a, oh my God, so natural. All I ever want to see is naturalism, honesty, and you cannot, you can't force that kind of presence. I'm happy that I'm known for this now, 30 years in [laughs], for naturalism, but Fin is also so musical. The dance sequences, that blew me away. The performances at the end and the beginning. I gave them a text just giving them so much love … Fin is exorcizing demons and trying to express themself through these performances, and also showing growth and transformation, all through dance and lip sync and drag — it's really a testament to Fin's phenomenal showmanship. There's a whole thing, there's a whole enchilada — I don't know the metaphor — but we talked about music, too. Because Fin not only acts but is also extremely musical, I was surprised by their physicality, everything about it was really … we had an easy dynamic. It was fun. Yeah.
Peacock
Now, the entire series revolves around this shooting that takes place in the pilot episode. How do you feel about the show dropping now in the climate of all these mass shootings and the conversation about gun control, once again.
On a visceral [level], it just creeps closer and closer and closer. Nobody's immune, nobody's like, "It's not gonna reach me." It does reach you, it's your family, it's your kids, it's your community, your culture. So the point that that was in it as the centerpiece and how to deal with trauma and people's reaction to PTSD was profound and what makes the show more important, I think, on a human scale. It's not just cute or like a soap opera, but it's actually…
Grounded in reality.
To quote Stephen, "We hate that it's relevant." We hate that it's not just commenting on a thing that happened back there but that it's relevant and that it will, God forbid, still be happening. We're a violent bunch, all these psychopaths on planet Earth. Somewhere we lean on each other, we support each other, and we get on. And there's an energy of that in the show.
Peacock
Where do you see Judy's story going if the show gets a second season?
Well, I mean, I picked a song out that I want to hit the stage to!
Ho-ho! What song is that?
I don't want to give it away! I don't want them to take it. But I just will say that ABBA, a member of ABBA, did a solo record in the '80s and there are some amazing songs on there. But, no, what do I hope for? Oof, all my cast, we were talking about having some drama, fireworks, you know, you'll have territorial struggles of a mother, or someone owning their club, um, and then, I'd love a performance. I'd definitely do a Fin/Juliette, Mingus/Judy double bill. I want to see that. Someone had mentioned that. That could be fun! Oh, and Kim, hello! My co-woman of the screen, Ms. Cattrall. Oh, that's right, they left it on some fun stuff. I think her and I might bond in an unusual, special way through these characters. Yeah, I want more scenes with Kim. I really love her a lot. As a talent and as a person.
Peacock
What do you hope viewers take away from this show?
I hope people see themselves and some of their interesting relationships. I hope that they're able to recognize the goodness in themselves, even if they're sometimes messy, complicated, or destructive. I hope it also helps people get closer to each other so it's not Us and Them — I dunno, I just hope it makes people feel connected more to each other and themselves. And also be entertained and delighted by the phenomenal cast. I mean, good Lord! Oh my God, just that each individual is so dreamy! As a talent and as a force!
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
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