Fans might recall Bonilla cozying up to Elizabeth Keener in the sexy lesbian-themed short Getting to Know You or perhaps as the actress who made the Klingon look smokin' hot as Bu'Kah on Enterprise. But Bonilla's impressive resume boasts appearances on Law and Order and recently on the James Woods' vehicle Shark as well as countless other television gigs.
This lovely Latina and Los Angeles native who says she loves to cook, especially when her Aztec roots kick in, has also joined some Hollywood heavy-hitters in films including The Rich Man's Wife, Trial and Error, and Homegrown. She made a splash at last year's Dinah Shore Weekend and again, The L Word's creators have nabbed the chestnut-haired beauty to model some of the "L"ements of style—of which 10 percent of the proceeds go to breast cancer awareness research. It's for a great cause and all but imagine peering above your mini-umbrella drink garnish poolside at the Dinah and spotting Bonilla. Now that's one way to get in good with the fans.
Despite her obvious appeal for the lesbian community, Bonilla remains mightily humble. She insists she's just a regular gal who likes to work. And being "out," well, that's just who she is. LesbiaNation chatted with Bonilla about her career, being openly gay in Hollywood, The Dinah Shore Weekend, and her obsession with Meryl Streep. Oh, and we did it all even after a dropped call. Damn those cell phones.
LN: I saw adorable pics of you with Laurel Holloman at the Dinah Shore Weekend last year. Did you have a good time?
MB: It was so much fun!
LN: You're slated to runway model some of the "L"ements of Style pieces. Do you know what you'll be wearing?
MB: I never know what's going to get thrown at me.
LN: Well, have you heard that Honey Labrador's designed a line of jeans around based on some of the characters. Maybe you'll be sporting some of those.
MB: I had not heard. Great.
LN: You've been on ER now playing a paramedic longer than most of the central characters on the show since Laura Innes left. How long have you been on?
MB: I started my tenth year.
LN: The show's had so much turn over. Is it hard to watch
co-workers and beloved characters leave?
MB: I'm not too hugely upset, especially because we're all such good friends. It's a tight-knit group. And Laura's not that far away.
LN: Who was the toughest to say goodbye to on the ER set?
MB: Noah Wylie.
LN: You've modeled the L Word fashions. Are you gunning for a part on the show?
MB: I have never been asked. And I've never asked them. I could do the L Word thing. Maybe they'll give me a little role.
LN: That would make your fans very happy.
MB: My friend Rose Rollins just got cast. I'm really happy for her.
LN: Oh yeah. She's Tasha of course. She's so good… and hot.
MB: We were in the same acting class. She's very real. I love her.
LN: I'm not going to ask your age since that's considered rude but you have this impressive resume and you look so young.
MB: In late 1993 I began my professional acting career.
LN: (The phone gets cut off after about five minutes…) Hi Michelle. I'm on my cell near the beach. I lost you. Sorry.
MB: Just when I was getting rolling talking about myself. Click. (laughs) That's the shit ya know.
LN: When your career started to take off, did you make a conscious political decision to be an openly lesbian actress?
MB: It really wasn't. I was a late bloomer, coming out in my late twenties. And I was so career focused. I had other things to concentrate on.
LN: It says in your bio that you were quite the little star when you were a kid, singing Crystal Gayle and Linda Rondstadt songs into a pretend mic. Have you thought about fulfilling that singing dream?
MB: I haven't had an opportunity to but I've been thinking about it.
LN: What was one of your hit songs on your homemade mic. When you were a kid?
MB: "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue"
LN: I love Crystal Gayle. And that song is perfect for you with those big browns. Since you haven't kicked off your music career just yet, what are some of your projects besides ER?
MB: A short called It Ain't Easy Being Dead, which I was really happy to do. It's about an actor who wakes up and sees that he's dead. A dark comedy. I play his neighbor who's basically like… "It's not that kind of neighborhood."
LN: You mean having a dead guy hanging around?
MB: Yeah.
LN: You were in another short that's popular with the lesbian contingent, the film fest darling Getting to Know You with Elizabeth Keener. I haven't seen it in ages. Remind me of the role you played.
MB: I played a fantasy date to Liz Keener's character. Twins. It's a case of mistaken identity.
LN: Now I remember. How did you enjoy that experience?
MB: Certainly it was a grassroots effort. Every knows their jobs to get it shot in a short amount of time. It was really fun.
LN: Not only are you openly gay but your having been in the lesbian-themed Getting to Know You really speaks to your fans. Do you feel a responsibility to act as a representative for the lesbian community?
MB: I don't feel that pressure. I love my fans. Whatever I do I want to do to the best of my ability but I'm not going to do a gay-themed film just to do something gay-themed. It's about staying truthful to myself.
LN: I know you're really humble about it but you are an inspiration to your lesbian fans.
MB: The Advocate did my profile and mentioned that. I had no idea. I just thought. I'm Michelle. I'm an actor. I'm trying to make it. I once got a fan letter from a woman in Sri Lanka who's not allowed to be gay. She has to hide.
LN: And that's exactly what appeals to your fans, that you're yourself. But you're also a representative for the Latina community. What do you think of Papi on The L Word? Many Latina's are really pissed off that they didn't hire a Latina for the role.
MB: I have my feelings on that. For one thing, I think everyone's too frickin' pretty. And Papi's not representative of who we are and that's upsetting. And that's no reflection on the actress playing her.
LN: Don't you think people might say that you're too frickin' pretty?
MB: It's so interesting though. I always get cast as moms. I've never been on Desperate Housewives. I'm not the Hollywood ideal. But thank you. I will accept that compliment.
LN: Your welcome.
MB: But as far as the L Word, good kudos to Cybill Shepherd whose never had her face altered. She's such a survivor and has shown such resilience. I loved her on Moonlighting. People like her are the people I look up to. Like Meryl, nominated for a frivolous part but she's brilliant. Her level of subtly is exquisite. She's real.
LN: So with this great line-up of actresses nominated for Best Actress, who's your pick?
MB: I'm going for Meryl.
LN: Even though Helen Mirren's a shoo-in? Meryl was amazing though.
MB: She's Meryl Streep. I just love her. The humility when she won the Golden Globe. She even thought she was done.
LN: It's a good year though since three of the Best Actress nominees are over 50 and Helen's likely to win. There hasn't been a Best Actress winner over 40 since Jessica Tandy won in 1990. That's not the same case with Best Actor.
MB: That pisses me off! Being the person that I am. I'll just be happy to do work. That's good information though.
LN: Yeah, like you need to hear Oscar trivia. I'm a complete nerd.
MB: No it's great info. That's good.
LN: So what's your plan to keep working well into the years Hollywood puts most actresses out to pasture?
MB: I'm actually working on developing a pilot for myself.
LN: This way you have control of the types of roles available.
MB: I know what's out there. Shit. I'll just write it myself.
LN: How's the writing process for you?
MB: It's very challenging. I get a lot of ideas when I'm talking to my mother and my little sister who'll be 18 in June. So it's collaborative. That's how I do work. I'm very much a family girl.
LN: You have a girlfriend of a few years now right?
MB: Yes, and my mother loves my partner. My aunt brought her a Christmas gift this year. It's all a family affair.
LN: Not to press an issue but I have to tell you that despite your insistence on being just a regular gal, you're like lesbian catnip. You're openly gay, you've played gay and you played in Enterprise. Lesbians love Science Fiction. So you've got like the tri-fecta of lesbian attract-ability.
MB: You are hysterical.
LN: No it's true. You know we do a monthly column called Women We Love and fans can vote for who they love. Xena's been off the air for like a decade and the fans still beg for Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor to be on our list.
MB: Oh, submit me as in my Klingon costume as my Enterprise character Bu'Kah.
For more on Bonilla, visit www.michellecbonilla.com.