Jennifer Beals will appear Saturday and Sunday at Fan Expo Boston.
Jennifer Beals will appear Saturday and Sunday at Fan Expo Boston.Fan Expo
While she doesn’t get to visit Boston often these days, Jennifer Beals has many cherished memories of the city, particularly of seeing the Celtics play at the old Garden.
Ahead of appearances Saturday and Sunday at this weekend’s Fan Expo Boston event, “The L Word” and “Flashdance” actress told the Globe in a phone interview that she still owns a piece of the beloved arena. Beals also said she was “indoctrinated” into becoming a Celtics fan in the ‘90s by her ex-husband, filmmaker and Cambridge native Alexandre Rockwell.
“I used to come to Boston a lot then,” said Beals, 61, noting how she witnessed Larry Bird’s 1993 retirement ceremony, where stars like Magic Johnson appeared to honor the Celtics legend. Beals was so adamant about attending the event that, while working on a film in Italy, she made sure her lawyer included language in her contract that allowed her to return to Boston for a few days.
“They’re like, ‘What are you, Jack Nicholson?’ I said, ‘Please, just ask to see what happens,’” Beals said. “And they actually let me out for four days.”
Jennifer Beals in "Flashdance."
Jennifer Beals in "Flashdance."Paramount Pictures
Before falling in love with the Celtics, Beals planted some New England roots while studying at Yale University in the ‘80s. Beals fondly recalled her “magical time” in New Haven, often spending many hours in her favorite spots on campus like the Yale School of Art’s darkroom and the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
In addition to her Yale classes, Beals would frequently take the train to New York for acting lessons. The Big Apple is where she first auditioned for the lead role in the 1983 box office hit “Flashdance,” deferring a term at Yale after landing the gig.
Although the film was a breakout moment for Beals’s career, she opted to continue her studies at Yale while taking the occasional acting role, including 1985’s “The Bride.” Crediting her mother for instilling her passion for academics, Beals said it wasn’t a hardship juggling college with her budding acting career. She has always loved learning, she said.
Yale “was literally a haven because that was what I had always known how to do,” said Beals. “Like, acting was relatively new, but I knew how to parse different subjects. … And I was excited to learn more.”
From left: Laurel Halloway and Jennifer Beals in "The L Word."
From left: Laurel Halloway and Jennifer Beals in "The L Word."The Boston Globe - David Gray
Since Yale, Beals has carved out a career on the big and small screens, starring in the groundbreaking Showtime series “The L Word,” which revolves around the lives of lesbian friends living in Los Angeles. Earlier this year, Beals released “The L Word: A Photographic Journal,” her new book featuring photos and interviews with cast and crew members, taking a behind-the-scenes look at the original show’s six seasons (Beals later returned to the franchise for its short-lived sequel series, “The L Word: Generation Q,” which aired from 2019 to 2023).
Beals originally conceived of the book as a gift for cast and crew after “The L Word” ended in 2009, but was inspired to release it widely after getting coaxed into attending an event several years ago with fans of the show. Beals was hesitant to go to the festivities. She’s very shy, she said, and big crowds are often challenging. Costars Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey convinced her to attend. She’s glad she did.
“It just was extraordinary, like the love and care that the fans had for the show, the way they shared how much it meant to them in their lives personally,” Beals said. “And I realized, ‘Oh, maybe the fans would be interested in this book.’”
“It’s a remembrance for me, it’s a remembrance for the cast and crew, but it’s also a remembrance for them,” she said.
And with growing hostilities in today’s political climate, Beals believes projects like her book play a role in making sure that queer stories aren’t forgotten.
“I think, particularly in this time in history, when our government is looking to erase large swaths of people and erase their contributions to culture, that to have something that causes you to remember a show that is steeped in joy and community is really important,” she said.
Jennifer Beals (center) in a scene from "The Book of Boba Fett."
Jennifer Beals (center) in a scene from "The Book of Boba Fett."© 2021 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.
Beals wants to continue telling “all kinds” of tales and recently teamed up with “The L Word” co-creator Ilene Chaiken and executive Pamela Drucker Mann to start Run-A-Muck Media, which aims to create “bold, culturally disruptive stories,” according to its website.
On the acting side, Beals hasn’t slowed down over the years, and even recently made her Star Wars debut in “The Book of Boba Fett” show opposite “Chief of War” star Temuera Morrison, who’s also slated to appear at Fan Expo Boston this weekend.
“I cannot tell you how tickled I am to be in the Star Wars universe,” Beals said. “It makes me so happy.”
And while she’s unsure about the legacy she wants to leave as an artist, Beals hopes to keep doing impactful work.
“I’ve been thinking about this idea of legacy and this thing of what you leave behind, and I’m not sure what that is,” said Beals. “I know that I have delved into stories that deal with otherness. I would hope that the biggest remainder is love and compassion.”
Matt Juul can be reached at matthew.juul@globe.com.