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Forbes
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
A Moving Conversation With Anna Faris On Beauty, Comedy And Inner Growth
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.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michelle Buteau Reveals The 1 Reason She Doesn't Want To Go Back To Australia — And It's Hilarious
Michelle Buteau isn't too eager to return to Australia, where the wildlife doesn't just look dangerous, it auditions for the role. The 'Survival of the Thickest' star recently wrapped up seven weeks of filming in Australia for her upcoming comedy film, 'Spa Weekend,' and she realized her trip was less about rest and relaxation, but more about running for her life. 'I'm good on it. It was nice for what it was,' Buteau jokingly said of her time Down Under, during a March 28 appearance on 'The Late Show.' 'I didn't know, when you go there you're just like in a Safari.' Host Stephen Colbert comedically added, 'Everything there wants you dead.' But the real shock came when Buteau had a 'little visitor' make an unexpected cameo in her trailer. Colbert then held up a photo of the spider Buteau encountered — though it was far from the likes of which Americans were used to encountering. 'I was getting dressed, and I said, 'Wardrobe lady, is that a bat?'' she recalled. Her assistant, ever the calm voice of reason, reassured the comedian that it is in fact a 'little spider.' But, given the spider's sheer magnitude, roughly the size of a tax-paying citizen, Buteau responded, 'What's a big spider, sis?' She admitted avoiding her trailer for the remainder of the day and joked that they 'had to walk it out on a leash' due to its stature. 'That spider was so big, it was like everything you own in the box to the left,' she said, paying homage to Beyoncé's hit song 'Irreplacable.' Still haunted by the encounter, Buteau likened the arachnid to something with its own political agenda. 'I'm a Democrat, but that spider was independent,' she confidently stated. 'I named it Jill Stein. I'm like, 'Where did you come from out of nowhere?'' Michelle Buteau Calls Out Dave Chappelle's Anti-Trans Jokes Michelle Buteau's New Show Redefines The Rom-Com Heroine's Journey Stephen Colbert Gleefully Burns Elon Musk With 'Terrible News' About His Influence
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Anna Faris Talks ‘Spa Weekend,' Life After Palisades Fire and New Scrubbing Bubbles Ad
Anna Faris — currently Down Under, where she's close to wrapping production on the Jon Lucas and Scott Moore-directed Spa Weekend — took a break from filming to talk to The Hollywood Reporter about a side hustle for Scrubbing Bubbles. The actress appears in a new ad for the multipurpose cleaner that finds Faris undercover in a red wig and glasses while interviewing unsuspecting candidates for 'the easiest job in the world.' Below, Faris talks about the challenges of such a gig (her voice is always a dead giveaway), why Spa Weekend is one of her favorite jobs ever (she loves her co-stars) and what it was like to lose everything in the Palisades Fire (she calls it a day-by-day process). More from The Hollywood Reporter Mel Gibson Slams Mayor Bass' Firing of LAFD Chief as "Pathetic" and "Despicable" Where L.A.'s Wealthiest Evacuees Are Fleeing After the Fires Lady Gaga Performs Touching Tribute, Nirvana Reunites and Music's Biggest Stars Catch Up Backstage at L.A. FireAid Benefit Concert There are so many funny lines in this Scrubbing Bubbles ad. Improv or scripted? Some of it was improv. Probably the most nerve-wracking line — I wish I could take credit for it but I couldn't — was the line, 'Have you ever used a bathroom?' Every time I said that line, I was filled with so much terror. I would feel my body start to kind of shake, like, 'Just stay on target, Faris, don't move.' It is so ridiculous. I'm one of those actors who has a hard time tricking people in real life. Even playing poker, I'm not great at that because I feel like I'm so transparent. But with this campaign, it's all done with so much love. I can handle it if I'm making fun of myself — I don't mind that at all. I've built my career off being a fool, so it was a blast in that regard. Around the 20-30-second mark, I could see the recognition set in on people's faces as they realized, something is weird about this woman. Speaking of the disguise, tell me about the red wig. Was it your choice? We had agreed that I would wear a wig, and I liked the idea that it had, I guess, a little more corporate look to it. In fact, they let me keep the wig. But truly, I know how recognizable my voice is, and I've tried [in the past] to do vocal exercises to help me blend in a little more. My voice has always been the dead giveaway. I feel like as soon as I start talking, people are like, wait a minute. Then it can be so embarrassing when they say, 'What have you been in?' I have to list my credits. It's so funny they sent you home with that wig. I hope that they also sent you home with a lot of Scrubbing Bubbles Easy Clean. That leads me to my next question: Does Anna Faris clean her own bathroom? If so, what's your favorite and least favorite place to clean? I do clean my own bathroom. I do it about once every four months. I am a mess. Growing up, cleaning bathrooms was one of my household chores. My brother took out the garbage and I cleaned the toilets. During the campaign, the participants would always say, 'Wow, OK, this does work. I like this product.' I would say, 'I know, it's great.' I'm a huge fan of Scrubbing Bubbles Easy Clean. I'm finishing shooting this movie in Australia called Spa Weekend, and I have a bunch of Scrubbing Bubbles products with me that I've been giving out by telling people, 'You've got to use this.' Maybe they can send you some extra for wrap gifts. Speaking of , I saw the cute photo you posted on Instagram. Tell me how it's going and who do you play in the story? This has been one of my most favorite jobs. I love my cast. I am acting with Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher and Michelle Buteau, and it's just been a dream. It's going to be really annoying doing press for this because journalists are going to hear us say things like, 'We're all best friends.' It really feels like it. We're all moms in real life and we play moms who are looking to get away for a relaxing birthday weekend only to have that one friend we didn't want to invite show up anyway and crash the weekend. It causes massive chaos and turns out to not be the relaxing weekend that we had all been hoping for. In fact, it's potentially life-ruining. But shooting has been such a joy. I know it wouldn't feel quite the same as if we were all in our early 20s because we're at places in life when we really cherish each other and have had similar life experiences. Not necessarily to the extent that our characters do over the course of the movie, but we've been through stuff. We're very considerate and caring for one another. We crack each other up all the time. I will be pretty emotional later today when some of our cast is wrapping up and we're going our separate ways for a minute. It's been one of my most favorite projects by far. I love that. It's nice that you've had a soft place to land for work after such a challenging time personally with losing your home in the Palisades Fire. I recently who lost her home in the 1993 Malibu fire. We talked about how she had been changed personally and professionally by what happened, and I'm curious what the impact has been on you and where you see yourself going from here? It really does force a day-by-day mentality. I'm really grateful for so much support. Sometimes I get pangs of emotion when I remember that I lost a specific thing that I really loved but I try to remember that it's just a thing. My heart really goes out to a lot of my older neighbors. I'm lucky for a whole lot of reasons. I'm really lucky that my step-kids and my son have handled it like champs. They really have been incredibly strong, and they just want their gaming systems replaced. I'm learning that it's a learning curve. I'm still digesting it all. There's things that I lost, like my grandfather's paintings or House Bunny memorabilia, that had sentimental value. But at the same time, it's stuff that I didn't look at all that much. That may sound trite but it's not. I would love some advice from Ali because I do think in a year from now I will feel differently, especially when people have moved on and started to forget while we're still dealing with rebuilding or toxic soil or whatever the issues may be. That might get pretty tricky, too. People will have moved on while we're stuck in the minutiae of the [practicalities and logistics]. I'm going to reflect more on this but what I can say is that it remains a day-by-day digestion for me. Best of The Hollywood Reporter From 'Lady in the Lake' to 'It Ends With Us': 29 New and Upcoming Book Adaptations in 2024 Meet the Superstars Who Glam Up Hollywood's A-List Rosie O'Donnell on Ellen, Madonna, Trump and 40 Years in the Queer Spotlight
