Ten years after breaking barriers for the LGBTQ+ community on the HBO series Looking, Weedman recently debuted her one-woman comedy show, Blows, which takes on what it means to be a woman in the second half of her life.
Lauren Weedman on Aging in Hollywood & New Show Blows
"I tend to bring anything that's going on that feels overwhelming or confusing and entertaining at the same time to the stage," she tells Sonia Baghdady of Advocate Now.
After appearances on The Daily Show, Abbott Elementary, and Hacks, Weedman says she was excited to "get back out there" with her own comedy show. While much of the show is scripted, it also heavily relies on improv. This serves to shake things up, or as Weedman says, find a "different truth."
"It feels like a different truth, even if what was scripted is true. It just feels so different to me when it's live," she says. "So, I like the idea that there are all these points in the show that are completely different every night. And I want to think I'm going to learn something every night in addition."
It's been nearly a decade since Weedman appeared on Looking, and while much has changed since then, the actor believes some things have remained the same. While LGBTQ+ shows were not as prevalent ten years ago as they are now, Looking still brought audiences the same positive example they need today.
"It was small in scope," she explains, continuing, "These are boys looking for love in San Francisco. To me, that's so nice and so comforting for somebody in Iowa still closeted. And now that we're back to that feeling of being scared, being able to just watch people live their lives out there, and think there's a place where you could have just friends who are gay ... that it seems like it's important. Again."
For more interviews like these, watch Advocate Now on The Advocate Channel.
