“The L Word” Star Jennifer Beals Reveals Secret Skill with New Book (Exclusive)

Jennifer Beals is revealing a secret passion that she's actually been pursuing for 40 years: photography.

On April 15, The L Word star will release The L Word: A Photographic Journal, a coffee table book filled with memorabilia from her time on the groundbreaking Showtime series. The book features behind-the-scenes and candid photos she captured over six seasons, along with interviews with the cast and crew reflecting on their experiences working on the groundbreaking drama.

Beals, 61, tells PEOPLE that, at first, she decided to make the book "as a personal remembrance" before later gifting it to cast and crew. It wasn't until she attended a fan event with her former costars that she had the idea to share it with the public.

"My costars Kate [Moennig] and Leisha [Hailey] invited me to, well, they insisted, that I go to an L Word fan convention because I had never gone to one. I'm pretty shy, but they were like, 'You have to go, it's an amazing experience.' And so I went and the fans were incredible," the Flashdance star shares.

"They were so interested in every aspect of the show. They were really kind and excited," Beals continues. "And I thought, 'Oh, I think they would probably be interested in something like this."

She made the book available on-demand for a while, but eventually stopped printing copies.

"Then, on my social media feeds, I would keep hearing from people who asked me to bring the book back. So, I found a publisher," the actress says. "I expanded on it a little bit, and Kara Swisher wrote the preface, which was really kind of her."

Related: The L Word Co-Stars Reveal the Cover For Their New Memoir And Recall Their First Meeting (Exclusive)

Beals says that looking back at all of the images reminded her just how important the show was at the time.

"There's an emotional layer of memory that the photos bring back," she says. "But for other people experiencing the book, they may remember where they were at that time and what the show meant to them."

The series, which aired on Showtime from 2004-2009, explored the friendships, romances and careers of a group of bisexual and lesbian women living in Los Angeles. Beals starred as Bette Porter, an ambitious art gallery director.

The Golden Globe-nominated actress reprised her role in the reboot series, The L Word: Generation Q, alongside original cast members Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey.

Beals, who also served as an executive producer of the sequel series, says her friendships with her costars are just as strong as they were when they filmed the series.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer , from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

"We've had this lived experience that was so profound and everybody still cares for each other and wants to support one another," she says.

At the time, The Book of Eli star knew that being on the first show created by and about lesbians in L.A. would be important.

"When I first signed up to do the show, I really had hoped that it would reach some girl in the middle of nowhere, some young queer girl who just didn't have access to her community, who might be isolated. And I wanted to introduce her to her community, however fictitious it may have been," she tells PEOPLE.

"So to see how groundbreaking the show was for queer representation was incredibly gratifying," she continues. "It's very rare that you get to be part of a show that, even though it's a piece of pop culture, has been so meaningful to so many people."

Related: 'The L Word' Cast Visits White House for Lesbian Visibility Week: 'We See You'

She adds, "I feel really proud to have been part of that experience. As a straight cis woman, I feel really proud to be accepted as an ally."

She's also proud that people will finally get to see her talent as a photographer, a skill she's been honing since high school.

"When I'm photographing, I just fall in love with the world over and over again," she says. "Even on its worst day, the world is so beautiful."

The L Word: A Photographic Journal is available for pre-order and in stores April 15.

Read the original article on People