The L WordCo-Stars Reveal the Cover For Their New Memoir And Recall Their First Meeting (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey in 2018; their upcoming book’s cover.Photo:Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic, St. Martin’s Press

Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic, St. Martin’s Press

The L Wordfans: there’s a new book on the way!

The upcoming book is a “love letter to a life-defining friendship over the decades and following Kate and Leisha’s unlikely and extremely entertaining journey stumbling from closeted queer kids to LGBTQ+ activists to successful actresses, podcasters and business owners,” according to a press release.

So Gay For Youpromises fans “never-before-shared glimpses into the making ofThe L Word,Kate and Leisha’s real-life loves and losses and their status as queer icons.” Readers can expect to learn more about Moennig and Hailey’s journey of connecting and becoming one another’s chosen family.

Already excited forSo Gay For You? Read an exclusive excerpt below about when Moennig and Hailey first met.

‘SO GAY FOR YOU: Friendship, Found Family, & The Show That Started It All’ book cover.St. Martin’s Press

St. Martin’s Press

KATE

“Are you comfortable with nudity?” my manager asked.

Huh, I’d never been asked that question. The role required it and I had to decide before I even went through the trouble of auditioning.

“Sure?” I said. Who was I to turn down anything at this point?

My manager sent me the sides for a character named Shane McCutcheon. I’ll never forget the character description breakdown. It’s usually no more than two sentences long, just enough to give you a broad idea of who you’re dealing with.

This is what I saw:

A womanizing serial monogamist

First of all, what was a monogamist? I looked it up in a dictionary, but still didn’t quite get it. I even called my mom and asked her, “What’s a monogamist?” The description made no sense. How could you be a womanizer but also a serial monogamist at the same time? I ruminated on that nonsensical Shane description. The local lothario, serial monogamist. How was I supposed to play that?

I was told they were under the gun to cast this Shane part, so I was asked to audition on a Saturday afternoon. The New York office building was empty, so it was just the casting director in the room, which was actually comforting, since usually there would be a hundred other people that looked like me waiting their turn.

After we read through it once, the casting director looked me dead in the eye and said, “You know, you could do this part. You’d be good for it.”

I thanked her and took off. I was so used to not getting the job that I didn’t allow her compliment to overshadow reality. I knew my chances were slim and they were casting out of LA, so I figured they had a laundry list of girls up for the role.

A few days later, to my surprise, I got a call that they wanted me to test for the executives in LA. “I don’t know what your chances are,” my manager said, “but I do know that you’re going to be testing with a lot of girls who are reading for another part, Jenny Schecter. There’s one other girl reading for Shane. I don’t know who it is. Do you want me to find out?”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (C), with “The L Word” Producer Ilene Chaiken (far right) and actresses Leisha Hailey (second from right), Katherine Moennig (second left) and Jennifer Beals (far left), speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2023.Jim WATSON/AFP/Getty

LEISHA

I had never done an audition like this before. My only other professional acting job was on a lesbian independent film calledAll Over Me. Well, that and the Yoplait commercials. This was different. I had to go in there and put it all on the line.

I went through my wardrobe and curated what I thought was the perfect look for a hip, strong, sexy powerhouse hairstylist. To top it off, I put a comb in my back pocket that I could whip out as needed. I was so proud of my prop. My plan was to use it like the Fonz. A comb, I thought, that’ll be my thing. That’ll be my Shane thing.

The elevator soared up to the Showtime floor. When the doors opened, I waded into a pool of Jennys, all frail-looking women with long brown hair. An assistant greeted me. “Hi, we’re so happy to have you. The producers are gathering, we’ll bring you in soon. In the meantime, I have your contract, if you could just sign.”

“Oh,” I said, caught off guard.

With a smile, the assistant reminded me that I couldn’t audition until the contract was executed. I scanned the fat packet of legal jargon. Understanding almost nothing, and having no reps to call, I flipped to the last page, shrugged my shoulders and signed my name.

As I waited my turn, a drop-dead gorgeous creature with the plumpest cherry red lips sat down next to me. She looked like Mick Jagger. I thought, “Well, there’s Shane.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer , from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Showtime flew me to LA, and put me up in a hotel in Century City, across the street from their corporate office. A friend of mine from drama school in New York was also flown out to LA to test for the role of Jenny. We walked over to the audition together, having no clue that nobody walks in LA.

We rode the elevator up to the 14th floor, walked through some frosty double glass doors, and into a crowded scene that reminded me of the cattle calls during my short-lived modeling days. A handler came over to my friend and me. “Jennys to the left, Shanes to the right,” she said, ushering us to different parts of the waiting room. My friend disappeared into the sea of Jennys and I walked over to the quiet Shane section. There was one lone person already sitting there — Leisha.Hey,I thought,kind of excited, it’s the girl from the Yoplait yogurt commercials.

Leisha had a wispy weed whacker-looking haircut, which I would liken to J.C. Chasez from N’SYNC. She was wearing a red corduroy blazer with an embroidered tiger leaping across the chest, Levi jeans with patches all over them and combat boots. Was this how people in LA dressed?I wondered.

It was clear that the handler could spot the two major homos that looked like Shanes, so they stuck us in a corner while they plowed through all the Jennys of the day, none of whom would be hired. I was sure I wouldn’t either. Not only had Leisha done the yogurt commercial, but she’d recently been in the indie lesbian filmAll Over Me. She had name recognitionandshe sold probiotics. She had Shane in the bag.

When Leisha stood up and walked into the room, I looked at her butt and I saw a little comb peeking out of her back pocket. Goddamnit. I never would have thought of that. As the door shut, I heard the handler say, “Hi everyone, this is Leisha Hailey.”I’m done,I thought.

So Gay For You: Friendship, Found Family, & The Show That Started it Allis available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.

source: people.com