How does your collaboration work in terms of writing the characters and story?

Jennifer Westfeldt: We do everything together - improvise as actors, sometimes I'd write a few scenes, then Heather would write a few, then we'd edit each other's work. We also had different strengths, sometimes I'd be like, "I can't do that, you have to do it" and vice-versa - it was very much a collaboration.

How did you find switching from writer/producer to actor during filming?

JW: That was the easy part - we were so bleary from trying to be producers, trying to raise money and re-writing for budget drafts, that being an actress was the only thing we knew how to do!
Heather Juergensen: Yes, very easy - also the writing process was very dynamic, so sometimes when we were writing, we were acting, so it flowed quite easily.

How did the collaboration with your director work, given that it was also his first film?

HJ: A lot of stiff drinks!
JW: Yeah, a lot of cocktails at the end of the day. We brought Charlie [Herman-Wurmfeld] on board to support our vision. He said, "I wanna be the midwife to your baby," so it was great to have another set of eyes and someone to lighten the load. We were looking to retain our creative control but Charlie was our partner in crime who got us through the shoot.

Would you call your film a lesbian comedy or just a romantic comedy with a twist?

JW: The latter - it wouldn't be fair to lesbians to call it a lesbian comedy, and it wouldn't be fair to other people - it's just about two individuals who find themselves connecting, and chaos ensues.

A phrase in the film, "Sexy Ugly", caused quite a few laughs in the cinema - how did this phrase come about?

JW: It's a total Heather, credit where credit's due! She likes ugly men...
HJ: Yes, but they 'have' to be sexy. Jennifer is good at isolating things that worked in the script, and she said, "Let's keep that one."

"Kissing Jessica Stein" opens in UK cinemas on Friday 21st June 2002.