(Cammermeyer was eventually reinstated after taking the issue to court).
GRETHE CAMMERMEYER:I was approached probably six or eight months before my book came out.
I got a call from Barwood Studios.
Credit: Columbia Pictures/Getty Images
I didnt have a clue what that was.
The lady said, Im calling on behalf ofBarbra Streisandand she would like to meet with you.
And I said, not particularly.
Walter McBride/Corbis via Getty Images
It was a matter of my being reserved.
This was a time when gays and lesbians were not yet people.
We didnt have a life.
Columbia Pictures/Getty Images
We were just sex objects.
So to have this disclosure to the world, it was awkward to say the least.
The only concern we had was that this was Hollywood, and we had a legal case going.
We wanted to ensure that nothing would be contrary or might influence the case moving forward.
GLENN CLOSE:I came on as a producer.
I was betweenSunset Boulevardin L.A. andSunset Boulevardin New York City.
I was very much in the trenches, developing the script about this lesbian of heroic proportions.
When you are doing something that breaks ground, you think about how its going to affect your career.
There was a growing conservative sentiment in the country at the time.
It was one of those occasions where I said to myself, Whats the alternative?
Not to do it because you are a coward?
She met people from the gay community.
This was going to be the first time there was a positive depiction of the life of a lesbian.
Usually they are murderers or they commit suicide, do bad things [on TV].
The community wanted to double-check Alison, who wasnt gay, got it.
And so they talked with her and then she talked to Chris Fisher, my co-writer on my book.
Then they sent us a script.
This is how it would happen in real life.
We sent all of the corrections and of course they proceeded without them!
For me it was recognizing that this was not my story.
It was a collective story of the lives of lesbians who had been serving in the military.
The backdrop was mine.
We were extremely pleased with the end product and so were my kids.
CLOSE:Grethe and I had a very good relationship.
We were very respectful of one another.
I dont think she ever came in and said, Youre doing this wrong.
I felt like she was a real collaborator in my performance.
It took very little time to help her because she is so talented.
Diane and I drove up to see where the filming was taking place.
We stayed out of the way of the director.
Then we saw there was a trailer that said Diane and one that said Grethe.
And I thought, well that was sweet of them.
And of course it had nothing to do with us.
It had to do with Judy Davis and Glenn Close.
It was just bizarre.
CLOSE:Judy and I had a fantastic time.
There was a moment when [Davis and her] kissed.
There were choices not to make it overtly sexual, just because it was new territory for audiences.
But we wanted to have enough of it in there to make it believable to lesbians, frankly.
It was a big deal for us.
You put up a wall.
Once that is down, there is an openness that occurs for everyone.
CLOSE:Both Grethe and I got unbelievable letters from people who said they were contemplating suicide.
After seeing the movie, they realized there was a place for them in the world.
It gives me a big lump in my throat, just talking about it right now.
It hasnt lost any of its potency as a story.
I come in afterwards and do a Q & A.
It was tough enough to live through and then to have to relive it every time you see it.
Its just too painful.
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