After stints as a recurring character on “Parks Recreation” and a guest star on “House of Lies,” Jenny Slate gets top billing with the Sundance hit “Obvious Child.”
“I’m lucky enough Gillian (Robespierre, who also directed) wrote this movie for me,” the Milton native said, while on a promotional tour in Boston.
Slate plays Donna Stern, an erstwhile stand-up comedian who finds herself dumped by her boyfriend and fired from her job.
“She’s been passive,” said Slate, 32. “She feels everything bad happening to her is because of other people and it’s the last hurrah of her excuses before she has to take control.”
When Donna discovers she’s pregnant after a drunken one-night romp with Max (Jake Lacy) she becomes closer with her parents (Richard Kind, Polly Draper) and no-nonsense roommate (Gaby Hoffmann). Unlike other unplanned pregnancy romantic comedies, “Obvious Child” addresses abortion.
Is Slate playing a version of herself?
“I get why at first blush people think I am Donna,” she said. “I am a comedian and we share a sense of humor.
“But it’s a piece of fiction. In general I wish I could be as confident as Donna, I think there’s a bit more of a meekness to me that I try to hide. Donna is never meek in any way.”
But she is vulnerable, crawling into bed to cuddle with her mom at one point.
“That’s why the part was so attractive: You get to see her being confident and destructive, which takes quite a bit of strength — and weakness — all at once. But you don’t often get to see funny women portrayed onscreen as also really sensitive.”
Slate always knew she was destined to act.
“I’m a middle child and grew right into it,” she said with a laugh.
“I’ve always had the performance bug. Early on, I liked to use humor to get attention and make people happy. I’m sure I was spastic and annoying but my parents were very encouraging.”
Donna can’t help bringing her personal life into her stand-up; not so for Slate’s life with husband Dean Fleischer-Camp.
“I have no problems talking about my body and personal feelings, but there’s nothing about my husband that feels like it belongs onstage. It’s nice to have very few limits up there.”
(“Obvious Child” opens Friday.)
Article source: http://bostonherald.com/entertainment/movies/movie_news/2014/06/milton_native_jenny_slate_brings_her_sense_of_humor_to_role