Why did Erin Daniels leave the L Word? Did she quit, or was she fired?
So I just found out that Erin Daniels (actress of character Dana Fairbanks) ends up dying in the L Word. Usually when characters die it's because the actor was fired or quit anyway, so they want the character to go out with a bang. But I can't seem to find it anywhere on the internet so I'm just going to ask: was Daniels fired or did she quit? Whichever it was, why? And if it was neither, could someone explain to me the situation? Did the writers just think it would be a good idea to kill of Dana Fairbanks?
Thanks in advanced.
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No, it was the sole decision of Ilene Chaiken. It made Erin Daniels, who really didn't want to leave, and all the other actors really upset. The fans sent Chaiken death threats over it. People still hate her to this day over killing Dana. There doesn't seem to have been a good reason other than it would be "shocking" and "hurt" because she was such a fan favorite, and cuz people in real life die.
As the only person (probably) to not like Dana very much, I still did not want to see her "die". I have to say the minute that Lara found that lump I knew Dana's days were numbered. What would have made a stronger show and given hope to a lot of women going through breast cancer and it's treatment, would have been had she lived and gone on to rebuild the muscle to make a come back on the circuit. But Ilene Chaiken chose the cop out way. Sad really.
I am now waiting to see what happens with Shane and Carmen or if that will be another cop out. Maybe I look at this show differently being male and gay but I have to say that every day I wieigh Sims or L word, Sims or L word. Usually I go for L word. LOL!
Erin Daniels
I have just recently started watching The L Word, I'm completely shocked that killed off a fave character. To find out for no apparent reason is also shocking...I've cheated to see how the series is going to end and I'm not looking forward to it from what I've read. To me this was a bad move on the directors part to kill off Dana. She was so naïve to being a lesbian and brought so much joy and humor to the screen.
I wouldn t say it was for no apparent reason. She had said that having Dana s character go through cancer and die from it would affect viewers more because more people related to Dana than any of the characters. So I guess shock value was her main priority but I believe she also mentioned that it was more true to life if she had died from the breast cancer. She had said that once the cast had expressed their anger towards Dana dying she tried to change the script but it was already too late. It would have to go through the producers and higher ups and it was just way too hard to try and change it.