Lucy Liu

Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu. © Paul Marotta/Getty Images

Lucy Liu is an American actress who became famous for her role as Ling Woo on the 1990s television show Ally McBeal. She later turned a lot of lesbians on in her role as Alex, one of the angels in Charlie's Angels (2000) alongside Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz. She continues to act both on television and on Broadway and has won numerous awards for her acting. 

Background

Back in 2003 when Lucy Liu insinuated that she liked kissing girls, it was actually news. Today, so many celebrities have admitted to same-sex attraction that it's hard to keep up. Lucy Liu has never come out as lesbian or bisexual, or straight, for that matter. She keeps her private life pretty private, although news magazines have linked her romantically to various men including Noam Gottesman, actor Will McCormack, and writer-film director Zach Helm. 

More About Lucy Liu

Lucy's first acting role was the lead in Alice in Wonderland, her senior year of college. The role, she says, changed her life. "I realized you can be anything you want in the world," she told Newsday. She is also an accomplished visual artist. She creates work in collage and is a photographer and painter. She often donates the proceeds from her artwork to charity.

Lucy Liu has a son, Rockwell Lloyd Liu, born via gestational surrogate in 2015. Of being a parent she said, "So I have one person that helps me on a regular basis.  And I have a team of people that I’ve been working with since my initiation into this business 20 plus years ago who I trust and rely on.  But, you know, my schedule even without him has been crazy....It’s never going to be easy.  And if I acknowledge that, I’m aware of what I’m doing."

Television

She had a brief role as a waitress on Beverly Hills, 90210 and appeared on NYPD Blue and ER. She locked lips with Calista Flockhart on Ally McBeal in 1999. She's been on many TV shows including Cashmere Mafia, Ugly Betty and Dirty Sexy Money.

Movies

Lucy's films include Charlie's Angels (2000), Chicago (2002), Party Monster (2003), and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003). She starred in Kill Bill directed by Quentin Tarantino and has done some voice work for animated films.

Lesbian? Bisexual?

So what did Lucy Liu say that caused a fervor of speculation about her sexual orientation? She had an interview with the now defunct Jane magazinein which she talked about kissing women and having pictures of nude women on her walls in college. Back then it was shocking. Now? Well, decide for yourself. Here are the things she said: 

Lesbian Quote #1

According to Jane Magazine in college Lucy had pictures of nude women on her walls. Lucy says, "So my friends would come into my room and look at my wall in shock. I'm like, 'What? Just because there are naked women on the wall doesn't mean I'm a lesbian."

On Kissing Calista Flockhart

"For me, it felt really familiar. It was just very sensual, but not sexual. There's a difference between the two. When something is sexual, you feel it deep down. And if it's sensual, you let it sort of pour over you," Lucy was quoted in Jane Magazine

The Big Lesbian Quote

Lucy Liu said in Jane Magazine, "I think people sometimes get the wrong impression when they're like, 'Oh, well, so-and-so was straight and then she was gay, and now she's straight again,' you know? But it's like, how many times do I have to kiss a woman before I'm gay? Everybody wants to label people. Sometimes you just fall in love with somebody, and you're really not thinking about what gender or whatever they happen to be. I think that if I happen to fall in love with a woman, everyone's going to make a big deal out of it. But if I happen to fall in love with a man, nobody cares."