While the first season of Looking may not have been a runaway hit for HBO, it did manage to win fans over the course of eight episodes by focusing on its characters. The gay guy trio--Patrick, Dom, and Agustin--may have been the initial attraction, but it was Doris (played by Lauren Weedman) who stole the show with each scene that she was in.
As Dom's best friend and roommate, Doris supported him when when he couldn't support himself. Maybe it was because we all wish we had a friend like her, but the relationship between Doris and Dom turned out to be the most grounded and reliable of the series.
Weedman, a growing name in Hollywood, has had several small roles in everything from The Five-Year Engagement (starring Jason Segel and Emily Blunt) to Date Night. You may also remember her as Horny Patty on HBO's Hung as well as an episode of Arrested Development. (Blink once, and you may have missed her).
On Looking, Weedman's making her mark as the show's only female character, proving that not having a penis doesn't mean she can't be liked.
Most of Doris's scenes in the first two episodes were improvised.
Weedman told Out she improvised most of her lines because she didn't initially have that many. As the season went on, there was less room for her to go off-script. "It just depends on the director," she said. Lucky for Weedman, the role grew as the season went on and she delivered one of the best lines of the season.
It was a powerful gesture that proved just how much she supported Dom in his effort to grow up and be happy.
Doris was originally a series regular.
When Weedman auditioned for the role, she initially thought she was up for a larger role. However, it wasn't until she got cast that they broke the news to her.
"I have some good news and bad news for you," Weedman's agent told her. "You got the part, but it's no longer a series regular."
While not the thing an actor wants to hear, Weedman still took the role and was bumped up to series regular for Season 2.
Lauren refused to watch Weekend before auditioning.
"I wasn't going to watch this movie for four lines," Weedman told us of the auditioning process, which required her to watch Looking producer Andrew Haigh's critically acclaimed film. Thankfully, it didn't stop Weedman from landing the part.
Lauren frightened Scott Bakula.
After Scott Bakula's first table read, Weedman introduced herself to the actor. It was during their first conversation that Weedman brought up all the sex scenes he was going to have to do on the show. The conversation was cut short, however, after Bakula became visibly nervous.
"'You're scaring Scott Bakula,' the producers told me after they pulled me away from him," Weedman explained. Luckily, she didn't scare him off the set.
Fans weren't the only ones dying to see Bakula and Murray Bartlett kiss.
When shooting the final episode, Weedman's character Doris was instructed to back away from Dom and Lynn.
"I was supposed to head into the kitchen and then disappear," Weedman recalled. The actress did as she was told but still really wanted to see the two actors finally kiss.
"So I got down on my hands and knees and was peeking underneath the kitchen door, so I could watch," Weedman said. Talk about a fan, that's some dedication.
Lauren identifies most with Patrick.
When asked about watching the show, Weedman admitted that she related to gay, male characters.
"I see myself as Patrick," she admitted. She also puts her girlfriends in place of the other main characters. How she views the show is how she thinks other women will as well: "The characters are so real."
"I don't see my gay friends as them because they're all so different," Weedman said of her gay male friends. "They are a lot meaner."
