Last Monday April 29th Jennifer-Beals.com took part on a press conference call with Jennifer and Troian to discuss their second season of the WIGS series ‘Lauren’ which premieres on Youtube this Friday May 2nd with 12 new episodes.
If you followed the first season you will know that ‘Lauren’ deals with sexual assault in the military and both Jennifer and Troian want to make sure these stories don’t go unheard and although fictionalised, ‘Lauren’ is a brutally honest portrayal of the endless red tape and cold bureaucracy that many victims of sexual assault experience while serving in the military.

The series is directed by WIGS co-creator  Jon Avnet (“Black Swan,” “Fried Green Tomatoes,” “Risky Business”) and written by Writers Guild of America Award nominee Jay Rodan and Avnet. It also stars Bradley Whitford (“The West Wing”), Raymond Cruz (“Major Crimes”), Sean Harmon (“NCIS”), Mykelti Williamson (“Justified,” “24,” “Forrest Gump”) and Justine Ezarik (YouTube channel iJustine), as well as Sarah Jones (“Vegas,” “Alcatraz”), who will be reprising her self-titled role as a military veteran from WIGS series KENDRA.

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The long awaited season two of the WIGS web series “Lauren” with Jennifer Beals and Troian Bellisario will premiere on May 3rd (9:00 AM ET/6:00 AM PT) with four new episodes. Four additional episodes will be available on Friday, May 10 (9:00 AM ET/6:00 AM PT), and the final four episodes will debut Friday, May 17 (9:00 AM ET/6:00 AM PT).
“Before working on LAUREN, I was oblivious to the struggle of those sexually assaulted while serving our country,” explained Bellisario. “There are thousands of young women and men who are harassed or assaulted by their fellow soldiers and forced to keep their pain a secret – or worse, if they bravely come forward, they can be punished for seeking justice. Lauren’s story represents a powerful and important issue, an issue to which attention must be paid. If we truly do ‘support our troops,’ we must put an end to this.”

Jennifer Beals as Major Stone

“I wanted to be involved with the series because I want to be involved with stories that can make a difference – where a narrative might be able to move the cultural paradigm, even just a little bit, toward a collective awareness of one another’s experiences,” added Beals. “The creative experience of making the invisible visible enriches me. Working with Jon and Troian, I always feel like I’m learning something new and vital.”
“It was a pleasure to direct Jay Rodan’s script of LAUREN, with Troian and Jennifer reprising their starring roles,” said Avnet. “Their commitment to this story, about the issue of rape in the armed services, and the failure of many in the military to address it, is very meaningful. The addition of actors Brad Whitford, Raymond Cruz, Mykelti Williamson and Sarah Jones is a big bonus and allows us to explore the consequences of a sexual assault and the damage and suffering that it causes.”

LAUREN won a Silver Medal for Drama at the 2013 New York Festivals International Television & Film Awards, and Bellisario took home a Gold Award for Best Performances by an actress.

Catch up with season 1 of “Lauren” here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKYfdO5LFDs

Season 2 trailer:

Season Two of LAUREN is scheduled to return with 12 new episodes in spring of 2013 and will continue to explore the consequences of dealing with sexual assault in the military.

Troian Bellisario and Jennifer Beals will return as “Lauren” and  “Major Jo Stone” respectively. The series also features Bradley Whitford (THE WEST WING), Raymond Cruz (LOS AMERICANS), Sean Harmon (NCIS), Mykelti Williamson (JUSTIFIED, 24, Forrest Gump), Justine Ezarik (YouTube channel iJustine) and Sarah Jones (VEGAS, ALCATRAZ) who will be reprising her self-titled role as a military veteran from WIGS series Kendra.

WIGS co-creator Jon Avnet (Black Swan, Fried Green Tomatoes, Risky Business) directed the 12 new episodes of the series, which is written by Writers Guild of America award nominee Jay Rodan.

Via Press release

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Jennifer and Troian Bellisario have started filming more episodes of “Lauren”, the youtube WIGS series that premiered last summer. Jennifer plays commanding officer Jo Stone and Troian plays a soldier victim of sexual assault. “Lauren” is directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.
Jennifer posted on twitter three pictures on set while Troian also tweeted: “She’s back! Filming more “Lauren” for wigs with jenniferbeals. Somebody pinch me http://instagram.com/p/U1361Emr4r/ “
You can catch the first episodes of “Lauren” on Youtube:
Episode 1 ; Episode 2 and Episode 3

These are the three pictures that Jennifer tweeted: