+ SUI\4MTR/[ARLY*24FALL 2012 BYJULIE JACOBS

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RASHIDAJONTS ONHTR SUNDANCT FAVTCELESTE ANDJESSE FOREVER

t's no big secretthat the accessoryto their male counterparts. be like,it IQuincy jones and actressPeggy tipton. complex female charactersto the big is dynamic and interesting. The star of NBC'shit show "Parks& screen. Look, I've gotten great opportunities. Recreation"recently put pen to paper MM chatted with the actress-turned- I've been very lucky and worked with with co-writer Will McCormackfor scribeabout her decisionto don a new the funniest people and incredible the Sundancefavorite CelesteandJesse hat, her creativeprocess and how be- directors.But to be able to put myself Forever,which follows the efforts of a ing an actressimpacts her writing. front and center is a chanceI don't divorcing couple (playedby Jonesand know I would have gotten otherwise. I "Saturday Night Live" star Andy Sam- JULIEJAC0BS (MM): Was the decisionto don't think that if somebodyelse had berg) to remain friends. write Celesleand JesseEorever alight written this movie they would have In a recent interview with The Los bulb momentfor Aou,or wasit a desire offered me this part. Angeles?imes, Jones lamented the dif- that hadbeen simmeringfor awhile? ficulty of flnding "female leads that are R4$fll0Al0Nf;$ (fiJ)r You know, I thinl< MM:Whu do uousau that? flawed and interesting and dynamic," when I looked at the women who were ft| BecauseI think at this point in charactersthat don't just serveas an interesting to me and who I wanted to my career you get known for being a

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RashidaJones joins a growingiist of ac- tresseswho haveturned to screenwriting ,,THE asa meansto land more meafy,meaning- LIFEl]F AN ACTRESS fu1,memorable roles. Olher actresseswho tIS]StI SPECIFIC.'' havejumped on the bandwagon? certain kind of thing. It's not an indict- RJ,I did tell them,and they read , , , ,q,IslaFisher, , ment, it's just the way it is. People the first draft and were very support- .who dd,rrron- ',,.,' think of you and want to cast that ive.My dad hasbeen begging me to :'strttedhar'fun', thing. write for such a long time, so he was ,nySid-e to gr.eat I'm dependable,likable, affable.I'm thrilled. acclaimwjth,.,.,, somebody'sbest friend or girlfriend. her unforgetta- I'm kind of like the consistent,stable lltll Whg tacklegour f.rst script with a ble portrayaloJ force. SoI wrote this part where I'm writing partner insteadof goingit alone? the sex.eraze.",', pathologicallyobsessed with perfec- RJ:Will and I have been friends for +dunger,rsist€rin tion and being right and controlling yearsand had beentalking aboul Wedding'Craslt-', and maybenot that likable. Also,there writing for years,but neither of us had ers.,She:looJrs are some dramatic turns in the movie, the confidenceto write a script. I had 1o..db,'so,.a$a.in,., and I'm not sure people associateme my own insecurities,having so many w,ith 6irou?iee,,. with that. friends who were on TheHarvard Lam- co-writtenwith Amy Poehler;the pair is poon and anointed comedicwriters, alsosel [o executiveproduce and star in MlVl:So gou were looking 1.o break gour and feeling intimidated by them. But I the film. which is in development. ownmold? reallylike our partnership.It's ever- RJ,Totally. I thinl

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of them. We also wanted to explore ..THE that more. the modern version of WhenHarrg Met BE$TWRffEAS Now that we have more confidence Sallg...and, for us, it was "Canyou be and we know we can get a movie best friends with your er?" LETACTIIRS FI]II} A made-even though it took years and WAYT(l MAKE THE blood, sweat and tears-bringing that MM:How doesbeingj an actressaffict to the creativeprocess wili be helpful. gour writin{? W0RU$THEIR 0Wl'1." $!. Well, I will say I've been on a MM:Is thereang advicegou'd offir to gazillion auditions,and sometimesyou otheractresses interested in writing their wonder if people have ever read the where we did improv through entire own scripts? scenealoud, becauseit's not the way scenes.If it's funny and works, it stays, RLOneof the things I Iearnedafter peopletall<. I havea deepapprecia- and that's all that really matters. And grinding it out for three months is tion for stylizedwriting, but I think by the way, it's so much more satisfy- that there's no shortcut. There have sometimespeople don't listen to what ing that way. been times when maybeI wasn't so it sounds like out loud. I thinl< being That being said,most of this movie preparedas an actressand I winged an actresshelps with that, becauseyou is the script, becausepeople did tend it and, by sheerluck, I didn't tank. can translate the words in a wav that to be comfortablewith the dialogue. There'sno version of that with writing. feelsright. We did change and rewrite things on The work is the work is the work, and the spot, though. rewriting is even harder. You can't let MM:Did Aougive actorslibertg to the fear paralyzeyou. You have to let it changjeg our words?.-., MM,Will uou write again? propel you forward. ff,[ We wanted the script to work for ft[Yes, but we want to write other the person sayingthe dialogue.I think kinds of movies. We don't want to MM:Havin$ successfullgcome through the best writers let actors find a way become the go-to people for romantic thisfrst experience,is there angthingi to make the words their own. I come comedies.Family is very interesting to gou'Ilchange in howgou g;o about making from improv, and I've done movies me and to Will, and we want to explore moviesin lhefuture?

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RJ:I would deflnitely have more money! (laughs)And I would have an editor on set from day one. That was really challenging,to come out of the fllm and try to interpret it afterward.I would also have more time, but that's obviouslytied to money. That being said,it was a really greatwork experience. I hopepeople see the movie, and I hope they like it. r'ru

Lee TotandKrieger's Celeste andJesse Forever, written by RashidaJones and Will McCormack,is in theatersnow.

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