Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/555596
SAGAFTRA.org | Summer 2015 | SAG-AFTRA 19 RIDING HIGH WITH LEA DeLARIA F resh off of the release of her highly anticipated album House of David: DeLaria + Bowie = Jazz, SAG Award-recipient Lea DeLaria sat down with SAG-AFTRA to discuss Orange Is the New Black, the recent Supreme Court decision on marriage equality, and her two-decade career as an actor, comedian and recording artist. SAG-AFTRA: You joined SAG-AFTRA at the NYC Pride March on June 28 following the Supreme Court decision. How was it? LEA DeLARIA: It was such a historic Pride, it was awesome that SAG-AFTRA was there. I've been a member for over 20 years and I'm a big supporter of the organization. For the first time in a very long time gay pride had something to celebrate that was amazing … and it was just the most marvelous gay pride. Ever. SA: As a 22-year veteran in the industry, how does it feel to have the success you're having now with Orange Is the New Black? LD: I've been on American television for that entire 22 years, I was on One Life to Live. I do a lot of Broadway and off-Broadway musicals, theater and of course I'm a standup comic and a singer, so I was having what I thought of as a charmed life. So, suddenly, to have this sort of success at the age of 57, and looking like me and being the kind of person that I am — to find this kind of success, it absolutely blows me away. SA: Do you credit the diversity of your experiences and your vast history as a multifaceted performer (actor, comedian, singer) with your success and longevity in the industry? LD: If you look like me and you talk like me and you refuse to be invisible like me, you have to do everything really, really good for anyone to take you seriously. So do I credit that? You bet! SA: As a big union supporter, what did it mean to you to win a SAG Award from your fellow union members? LD: It is so great to be honored by your peers. It was very eye-opening for me to have their acceptance and their vote. What can I say? It's overwhelming. Every day I look at that SAG Award and go, "I can't believe I'm looking at a SAG Award and my name's on it." SA: You said SAG was the first union you joined; how did you become a member? LD: I actually was the first openly gay comic to perform on television in America, and that performance was on the Arsenio Hall Show in 1993, and I had to be a member of SAG. SA: How did joining the union change your career? LD: At that time, in the early '90s, if you were a successful standup [comedian] you got hired to do all of the sitcoms. Once I got that SAG card, that's what I did! When I got [the card], it was awesome. And the insurance. How exciting it was when I became eligible for insurance! Let me tell you something, I got my insurance card and I went and had a checkup. That's when I found out I was diabetic. If I hadn't had my insurance, I don't know what I would've done. I also think one of the benefits of having a union is being strong; that strength in numbers is important. I carry my SAG-AFTRA card in my wallet. Wherever I go, SAG-AFTRA goes with me. SA: So let's talk about diversity. Shows like Empire and Orange Is the New Black, are showing that diversity can be successful in the mainstream. Do you think this is a new dawn for diversity in programming? LD: I think you can see, especially with Orange Is the New Black, it has changed the face of television. There are so many more women's shows and shows with three-dimensional gay characters. I think with the Supreme Court decision, politically, right now the majority of people in America don't like hate and they don't like haters. You can't ignore it; you gotta change with the times, honey! SA: In your own career, have you ever experienced any discrimination because of your sexual orientation? LD: Of course I have. When I first got my card, all I did was play P.E. teachers and police lieutenants, and the lesbian who inappropriately hits on straight women. So now here we are, 22 years later, and I'm playing this three-dimensional, real, lovable character. That's amazing and that's a huge change. Huge. SA: What advice would you give to others who are LGBT and pursuing a career in entertainment? LD: Grow very thick skin. I'd say that to anybody, whoever you are if you're going into this industry. Believe in who you are and what you do. Times have changed, the roles are more plentiful. It couldn't be a better time to be in the industry. Orange Is the New Black star Lea DeLaria and her fiancee Chelsea Fairless led more than 60 SAG-AFTRA members down 5th Avenue in New York's LGBT Pride March on June 28, just two days after the Supreme Court's historic ruling on marriage equality. Scene Around CLICK HERE for more photos.