A Moving Conversation With Anna Faris On Beauty, Comedy And Inner Growth

Forbes

11-04-2025

It has been more than two decades since actress Anna Faris' breakout performance in Scary Movie left audiences eager for more. Ever since, her prolific film career has defied stereotypes around women in comedy; forever disproving the notion that beautiful women are not funny, or able to laugh at themselves.
'Being in the world of comedy, you're forced to make an ass out of yourself all the time,' Faris tells me on a video call. 'That's the only way to do comedy [is] with sincerity. It has given me liberation in my identity as a female.'
In spite of her fame, there is an easy relatability to Faris. One element of her comedic charm stems from the fact that she is disaffected by conventional perceptions of femininity. Still, she is undeniably beautiful.
In films like The Hot Chick and The House Bunny, her sex appeal is intentionally juxtaposed with her goofy and self-deprecating humor. Her caricature-like depictions of blonde bombshells and sorority girls poke fun at the demeaning stereotypes and labels ascribed to women. In a word, it's satire.
She is also quite humble—particularly when it comes to her looks. Though she admits she was not a 'tom boy' growing up, she reacts in absolute shock when I ask her whether she is a girly-girl.
'No, not at all. I think I'm [definitely] not a girly girl,' Faris says emphatically.
But she is a 'girl's girl' in that she champions and uplifts other women. This is obvious in the warm way that she speaks of her castmates, actresses Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher and Michelle Buteau, in her current project, Spa Weekend.
The actual beauty of Anna Faris is multi-layered and paradoxical. Her performances bring levity and laughs, yet she is deeply introspective. She describes herself as always having been 'serious and quiet.'
Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
FilmMagic
She is adamant that the poised and put-together feminine archetype is not one that she identifies with. Instead, Faris she compares her own bathroom to a sorority house's—a cluttered mess of beauty products competing for counter space.
'As an adult, I'm one of the sloppiest, messiest people. I'm the kind of person whose stuff is everywhere. I have globs of toothpaste and foundation in the sink,' she tells me. She then jokes that she 'sometimes' flushes the toilet.
The sorority reference brings to mind her role as the good-hearted Shelley Darlingson in The House Bunny. In the film, she teams up with campus outcasts to help topple the social hierarchy of Greek Life.
'One of my most joyous [film] experiences was definitely The House Bunny. That was such a labor of love,' Faris reflects fondly. 'When you're playing someone whose intentions are so good and who has such generosity of spirit, it can't help but infiltrate who you are a bit.'
I bring up a scene from the movie in which her character—a playmate— repeats names in a deep, overtly masculine voice to the shock of her onscreen sorority sisters, including the actress Emma Stone.
I realize a moment too late that I have just engaged in one of the most cliché exchanges between a celebrity and fan. Faris, a seasoned professional, not only knows the exact scene I am referencing, but performs it for me, telling me, 'Oh, well, nice to meet you, Jessica,' in the same voice she used in the film.
On the surface, the scene might seem like a simple moment of surreal humor to elicit laughs. But the film, like many of her roles, highlights the absurdity of such divisive social dynamics. Faris' warmth and kindness could not be further from a person that buys in to this type of pretense. Even her confession of her untidy bathroom eschews the pedestal of celebrity.
Anna Faris partners with Scrubbing Bubbles Easy Clean.
Anna Faris
The irony is that our conversation is taking place thanks to her partnership with the bathroom cleaning brand, Scrubbing Bubbles. Not only is the A-lister not above cleaning the bathroom, it was one of her household chores growing up.
Jokingly describing her mother as a 'Debbie Downer, but in cleaning form,' Faris recalls spending her formative years painstakingly 'using an old toothbrush to scrub all the nooks and crannies of the bathroom.' As an adult, she went in the polar opposite direction. She calls her reactive sloppiness 'some kind of rebellion in me, I guess.'
Her partnership with the bathroom cleaning company thus has a humorous, personal connection. As she reflects on her experience working with the brand, I marvel at her ability to be so gracious when she is clearly so busy.
For one thing, she is multitasking. Faris is taking our call while away filming her latest movie. She describes how the close-knit cast of women have created a supportive environment on set, bonding over shared experiences like motherhood.
Photo by: Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images
Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images
This frenetic work schedule is also occurring in the wake of a personal tragedy. Faris tells me that she lost her home in the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. Just five days later, she was already back to work filming the promotional video for their collaboration.
Her sense of gratitude is touching as she tells me that she appreciates the partnership on 'multiple levels,' recalling the way that they relocated her into a hotel. In fact, her gratitude seems to trace back to her sense of wonder at where her career has taken her; in one moment, I sense past traces of imposter syndrome.
'For a long time, I never thought I could make money acting anyway. I didn't really understand why I was in the world of comedy because I was never a comedic person,' she says. 'But it's given me so much personal joy in the simple ability to be able to laugh at myself.'
It is almost as if personal tragedy has brought her sensitive heart has been brought to the surface. Faris' most touching insights come as she reflects on the personal growth she has found and cultivated through comedy itself.
'Comedy has helped me develop a better sense of myself. I know it seems a little unrelated, but I always had trouble laughing at myself. That feeling of being embarrassed was the worst feeling and cut to my sense of pride so deeply,' she explains. 'But being in the world of comedy, you're forced to take those risks'
Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images
GC Images
Through a process of repeated exposure and inundation, Faris confronted her deepest insecurity—and made an incredible career out of it. It touches on the very crux of what it means to be human and evolve.
'I'm really grateful that I could fall flat on my face at a red carpet and just be fine—I could be okay with that, I really could,' she comments. '[Although] I don't quite know how that wraps its head around the idea of what it's like to be feminine.'
Faris' inner beauty stems from the fact that as the world has witnessed her remarkable career trajectory from the outside, she was engaged in personal growth within. Even as a global celebrity she is not exempt from the human experience, whether falling victim to a community-wide tragedy or doing inner work.
Too often, conversations with stars barely scratch the surface. Yet Faris bravely and authentically shows up as herself. In providing this glimpse of what is typically kept hidden from the world, she revealed her most beautiful role yet. Generosity of spirit, indeed.