Funny or not, Faris is enjoying the ride
In truth, Anna Faris is still a little flabbergasted that people find her funny.
She was a serious kid. Dramatic and creative, perhaps, but never the class clown,` never one to crack a joke or sling witty comebacks.
“I think all my friends and family are just shocked that I ended up doing comedy,” says Faris, who stars opposite Seth Rogen in the raunchy new “Observe and Report.”
Raised in Seattle, the 32-year-old had been acting since elementary school, but when she landed “Scary Movie,” the 2000 film that made her career, her first thought was: “Ohhh, man. I’m gonna get fired. I’m not funny.”
Faris showed up on the set with the intention of being eager, if nothing else. She thinks that’s the root of her success in comedy.
“Initially, I think it came from a place of willingness – like, I am just gonna have to be brave, and suck it up, and do this humiliating thing on camera,” she recalls.
“My approach to comedy is just the same as it would be to drama: I think it’s about playing a character sincerely.”
But after making “Scary Movie” and its three sequels, Faris found that Hollywood wanted her to play the ditzy, hot, hilarious chick.
“I felt sort of stuck in the comedy world, trying to get out,” she says.
It was “The House Bunny” that changed her mind. After several years of not getting the kind of roles she wanted, Faris conceived the story about a Playboy Bunny who has been booted out of Hugh Hefner’s mansion.
“That whole experience was so rewarding,” Faris says. “Now I’ve come to a place where it’s like, ‘No, you know, I love doing comedy. Why would I try to do something else?’ ”.
“This is great. I just get to laugh all day at my job and play appalling characters. And I don’t want to feel apologetic for it.”
Like other Rogen movies, “Observe and Report” pushes the envelope of crudeness. There are parts of it, including a sex scene in which her character is all but passed out, that even Faris can’t believe are allowed on screen.
She’s aware that audiences will loathe her character, but that’s part of the appeal.
“So often in comedies or dramas, to win the audience over, especially as a woman, you have to get the audience to fall in love with you,” she says.
“But for me it was also a blast to play a character that’s so awful. You don’t get to do that very often as a girl.”
Her goal is to produce films and help cultivate young comedic talent, especially in women.
“In an industry where you feel like you have no control over so many things, it’s nice to feel like there are a few things that you can control – well, not very many actually,” she says. “But at least I can sort of pitch these characters and crazy ideas and – who knows? – maybe somebody’ll bite.”
The birthday bunch
Musician Herbie Hancock is 69. Actor Ed O’Neill (“Married…With Children”) is 63. Talk host David Letterman is 62. Singer-actor David Cassidy is 59. Actor Andy Garcia is 53. Singer Vince Gill is 52. Actor Nicholas Brendon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) is 38. Actress Shannen Doherty is 38. Actress Claire Danes is 30.