Ally McBeal was four whole years of making sure I didn't shift my weight onto my left leg and put my hand on my hip.
Ellen's a great actress, a very, very versatile actress.
Everyone is their own kind of lesbian. To think there's a certain way to dress or present yourself in the world is just one more stereotype we have to fit into.
Francesca and I have very different backgrounds and interests, and there's a lot we had to kind of make work. But we had great respect and love for each other.
I actually was offered the role of the makeup artist in Gia. That was really early in my career, and I just couldn't imagine playing gay.
I came out to my mom three times. First at 16, when she found The Joy of Lesbian Sex under my bed. She was devastated.
I did a lot of fast talking as a youth; I was pretty good at it. I was never talked into it-I was always the one doing the talking.
I didn't choose the fact that I was gay, but I did choose whether to live my life as a gay woman-that was the terrifying thing for me. Especially being a gay actress.
I didn't really know what it was like to be a celebrity, and the only people I knew who had a similar experience were these women whom I worked with.
I don't even like watching sex scenes in movies. I have a slight prudish side to me.
I don't want to kiss somebody I don't want to kiss. It's just not worth it to me to feel compromised in that way.
I had a great relationship with Francesca. But I just kind of knew, deep down in my heart, that there was the possibility of something more. I think we really weren't suited for each other for a long period of time.
I had a hell of a time convincing people I was gay - which was so annoying!
I have to be asked, I guess, but I love the idea of marriage. I think it's beautiful. I'm such a romantic, and I always have been.
I justified it in so many ways. I had a very, very long and difficult struggle with my sexuality.
I knew that I was gay, I knew it. I just couldn't see myself as a gay woman, even though that's where my heart was.
I love being able to wear dresses and clothes that make me feel feminine and beautiful, and I love the fact that I don't have to all the time; I can wear a tank and jeans.
I love playing all different kinds of women, and the majority of women aren't gay, so the majority of characters aren't going to be gay.
I married him for a green card. We had a really great, caring relationship; it just obviously wasn't right for me.
I ran into Ellen at a photo shoot. She took my breath away. That had never happened to me in my life.
I really feel not alone for the first time in my life.
I really liked the effect it would have on macho Australian men when they'd hit on me at a bar. I'd turn around and say I was in law school, and they'd shrivel up and go away.
I really never stopped thinking about Ellen, because I just haven't felt that kind of energy with anyone in my life.
I saw Ellen and my knees were weak. It was amazing. And it was very hard for me to get her out of my mind after that. Then when I saw her that night, we started talking, and that's that.
I stumbled into acting and just loved it. I deferred law school-and I'm still deferred.
I think it's important to see gay men and women having big careers and very full, rich lives.
I thought, I'm out in my life, that doesn't involve my public life.
I try to be feminine, yet intellectual and smart at the same time. You don't see enough of that.
I used to play husbands and wives with all my best friends and see how far they'd take it with me-I'd always be the one to come home from work and my wife would have a martini for me.
I want the roles that are interesting and quirky like Lindsay Bluth. I like shows that are smart like that.
I want to exude strength and intelligence.
I want young people to see me and think you can be feminine and smart and successful, all at the same time.
I was very sexual from a very young age.
I would play gay. I have turned down gay roles in the past.
I wouldn't even drive down Santa Monica Boulevard in fear that someone would look in the car window and think I was gay.
I'm crying already, my God. Four minutes in, and I'm already crying.
I'm living by example by continuing on with my career and having a full, rich life, and I am incidentally gay.
I'm very, very happy. Everything is wonderful.
I've had my years of being not open, many years of it.
I've had so many interviews where the last question is, Are you gay? I had to find very creative ways to say that I was gay, but that I wasn't going to talk about it.
I've often wondered if I wasn't on that show if anorexia may not have happened.
If I told you I haven't really thought about it, you probably wouldn't believe me.
If I was 14 and knew some gay people, I wouldn't nearly have had the struggle I had. Our world is definitely changing.
If you've looked at all the glamour magazines lately, all the covers are actresses. If they are on those covers, they are going to try to emulate models. That's just the way it is.
In high school I had sex with girls quite a few times. They were straight women who I convinced to jump in the sack with me.
It sounds so trite, but my private life is mine.
It's a very respectful, very loving, peaceful relationship. We have a lot in common; we share the same outlook on life.
It's all about modeling, fashion, instead of acting. We need to get it back to acting and the actors, and not be so caught up in the fashion and model aspects.
It's hard living a life that's somewhat public, and hard when you put that life together with someone who is so famous and so loved and admired. It's also real exciting.
It's not a passion of mine to become political in any way.
Just look at all the awards shows now. It has turned into a catwalk. You have to be wearing a certain designer, a certain dress, and everyone's critiquing.
My feelings for Ellen overrode all of my fear about being out as a lesbian. I had to be with her, and I just figured I'd deal with the other stuff later.
My sexuality is a part of me that I really like. But it's not the totality of me.
People can really relate to these characters, and that's what I think truly makes the show groundbreaking.
People might find me attractive, but it's also my job to prove that I can be intelligent.
She was so courageous and so loud in '97, and now she is doing something that is more subliminal. She's changing the world, she really is, and it's exciting to be a part of that.
Supermodels are over, and the new picture girl has become the television actress.
Thanks so much, everybody, for making gay marriage legal, thank you for everything you've done-I'm just going to walk through that door.
The most important thing for me was to never, ever, ever deny it. But I didn't really have the courage to talk about it. I was thinking, The people who need to know I'm gay know.
The talk show isn't on in Australia, but my grand remembered Ellen's sitcom and just remembered her as a gay personality. First thing she said was, Well, this is a very bad day.
There's a lot I won't do. I don't feel comfortable with sex scenes, and I don't like being the girl. I don't like playing the sidekick to an action hero.
They thought, It's Portia; she's not a lesbian, so I can jump in the sack with her.
We just were kind of supposed to be together. That's my side of the story. I really, really hated all the pain I put Francesca through, but I just couldn't ignore the feelings I had for Ellen.
We must be able to inspire. That's my goal in acting.
When I left Australia, my grand said, I'd really like to meet her.
When I was 15, I changed my name legally. I think it was largely due to my struggle about being gay. Everything just didn't fit, and I was trying to find things I could identify myself with, and it started with my name.
When I was about 16, I was crazy about this girl. I had a certain amount of money in the bank where I could put a downpayment on a rental, and I went to her with sunflowers.
When I was anorexic it just seemed like I literally wanted to disappear. And now I would like to reappear.
When I watched Ellen come out in '97, my jaw was on the floor. I thought, There are some people who break the doors down, hold them open, and some people who walk right through.
When you have the paparazzi hiding in the bushes outside your home, the only thing you can control is how you respond publicly.
When you live in Australia, Europe is so far away and so fascinating, so stylish and cultured and sophisticated.
You live with the fear people might find out. Then you actually have the courage to tell people and they go, I don't think you are gay. It's enough to drive you crazy.
Portia appeared in all 53 episodes of the sitcom
In 2004 Portia was in the movie
In 2001 Portia was in the following movies:
In 1998 Portia was in the movie
In 1995 Portia was in the movie The Woman in the Moon.
Portia was involved in a car crash with girlfriend
Portia is 5' 8" (173 cm).
Portia has a pet dog named Bean.
Portia studied law in college, but went into acting and deferred law school.
Portia had ex-partner
Portia has no trace of an Australian accent, even though she was born and raised down under.
Portia admitted in an interview with The Advocate, most of her family and
Portia garnered international attention when she joined the main cast of
Portia is Australian, she was born in Melbourne, Victoria and grew up in Grovedale, a suburb of Geelong.
Portia got her role in the movie
Portia got married to Mel Metcalfe in 1996. They divorced in 1999 after just over two years.
Portia's birthname is Amanda Lee Rogers. She changed it when she was 15.
Portia is an openly gay actress.
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