-She told the audience at DragonCon that her most difficult scenes to film are the make-outs between Nicole and Waverly because she knows how important those moments are to us, the fans. And while many of those smooches are incredibly HAUGHT, I think Kat realizes how little LGBTQ representation there is out there and as a result, understands the significance of each touch, every kiss. She wants us to believe in the love, passion, and emotions between these two characters, but more than that, I think she wants us to see this kind of connection in the small town of Purgatory and believe it is possible anywhere for ourselves. The positive representation Wayhaught provides in every episode is something I am incredibly proud of and grateful for as a lesbian and something I wish I could have seen on TV when I was first coming out at 16. I appreciate that she takes these moments so seriously and does her best to make sure we see our own possibility for love, acceptance, and true connection.
-She stood up for herself and the other actors on the show by reminding audiences at DragonCon that actors are NOT their characters, they did NOT commit any of their actions in real life, and that they have little to NO control over where the writers take their stories. This is huge, not to mention incredibly brave. I believe we Earpers have an AMAZING fandom, but their are people in every fandom that can take things too far and its dangerous and unfair. The idea that anyone would attack or judge a performer based on situations that take place in the fiction that they deliver is absurd. Did we love that Nicole hid the DNA results from Waverly? No. Did we approve of Waverly cheating on Nicole with Rosita in a hot tub? Most people would say no. Were we happy to find out Nicole had a secret wife? Not so much. BUT! Did Kat or Dom actually do any of those things or have anything to do with the writing or plot twists? NOOOOOOOOOO! Come on, people. We’re adults. We should be able to distinguish between a television show we love and the private lives of the people who play characters we love.Do not attack the actors. Do not associate fiction with reality. Just don’t. And while we’re at it, let us not SHIP the actors being together. I LOVE how close Kat and Dom are and appreciate their friendship and how genuinely proud they are to work with one another on such a special project, but can we just leave it at that? They both have private lives and loves and experiences and we can’t turn every real life arm rub, back pat, or forehead touch into OMG THEY’RE SO IN LOVE JUST DATE ALREADY. Because that’s not fair, and again, it’s us projecting our love for the fictional relationship of Wayhaught onto the performers. Not fair, not cool.
I could take many moments for Kat Barrell to appreciate all the amazing work she does, but for now, I leave you with this: keep loving the show, keep shipping Wayhaught, keep commenting on how wonderful Kat and Dom’s friendship is, but most importantly, keep our fandom respectful, because we are lucky to have this show and a cast who cares so deeply about our investment in their characters.
-On her Twitter page, she explained to fans that while she TOTALLY supports their right to crop/edit images whenever, but that on her on her personal page, she wants to make sure that she’s including the originals of any photographs she shares so that no fans are left out/removed from what happened. Again, she understands that our fandom is a family and how incredibly special those autographs and/or photo shoots are for the fans. That is amazing and rare and so sweet. I think Kat Barrell is one of a kind. Treat her right!
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