Anna Faris spoke to us about her favorite Chris, her beautiful child, and “The Emoji Movie”
“We’re kindred spirits though. You know I feel it.” And that was the moment I fell in love with Anna Faris. This was after we bonded over having the same name (though pronounced differently) and before we discussed the significance of our names — she was named after her great-grandmother, who immigrated to the U.S. from Germany. She used to hate her name — “I’ve gotten so much shit all of my life for pronouncing it On-A instead of An-A. I’m like, ‘Mom and Dad, why the fuck did you have to name me that?’” — but now loves it.
Alas, Anna and I were not connected to simply talk about the origins of the name Anna (though that would be amazing). We were connected to talk about The Emoji Movie, which premieres July 28th, and in which Anna plays a character named Jailbreak. More on that now…
HelloGiggles (HG): What made you want to be a part of The Emoji Movie?
AF: Well, I really love doing voiceover work. I love being a part of animated movies. Partly because I get to use my voice as a tool, and also because I now have an almost five-year-old kid who now gets to see some movies that I do. That’s very rewarding.
HG: Everyone in our office, we love your son. He is the most adorable child on this earth.
AF: Those glasses went a long way…When he first got glasses, because he was two months premature…which is apparently pretty common in premature kids that they have visual problems. He would bury his head in his hands and he’d be like, “Oh,” because people would say, “Oh my god, there’s a kid with glasses.” Now, he is so proud of them and it makes me so…It just makes my heart swell with pride. I’m just like, “Oh, I love that he’s proud, that he’s owning it. He’s my boy.”
HG: Has he seen any of your other movies or your husband’s movies?
AF: Oh, he’s seen all of Chris’s movies…Which sometimes, I’m like, “Honey you can’t show a four-year-old Jurassic World.” But because Jack gets to go on set and pet fake dinosaurs, he completely gets it. He’s not scared at all.
[I then told Anna that I’d like to pet fake dinosaurs, and she said she’ll help me out. I died on the spot.]
HG: I’m wondering if you could choose one emoji for yourself and one for each of your family members, what emojis would you pick?
AF: Well, there’s a little owl that I love for myself. I would pick the eagle that’s about to land for my husband, and I would pick the little octopus for my son.
HG: Your character Jailbreak is an intelligent badass. I’m curious, are there any specific character traits you look for in the roles you take on? Or any character traits you’d like to see more of — especially in the world of comedy?
AF: I love playing, like on a broader picture, I love playing slightly crazy. But I love Jailbreak for her independence and her ferociousness because that’s not something that I get cast in very often. Usually, it’s for the friendly blonde who’s like, “Oh.” So I love those things. But I love just playing a variety of characters.
[I then complimented Anna, and she said we’re having a love affair. Chris — watch out.]
HG: Your Mom costar Allison Janney was nominated for an Emmy, which is amazing. Why do you think she deserves this honor?
AF: Because she’s so fucking brilliant…She’s so brilliant. I love…I’m so fortunate that I get to act with her…My husband told me, he’s like, “Every job that you do you need to learn something from one person.” She is that person for me. I’m so, so happy for her. I just love her so much and also she let me play with her Emmys. I mean, that sounds weird, but she did.
HG: Do you have any projects currently in the works that you want to talk about?
AF: I mean, I just always want to promote my podcast, which is of such huge importance to me. It’s sort of about like my attempt to reach out to people…We’ve got Eva Longoria [coming up] and who else do we have? Hannibal Buress.
HG: My last question is a bit silly. In our office, we have this ongoing poll asking everyone who their favorite Chris is. Like Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pine, Chris Evans, and of course, Chris Pratt. We have to ask: Who is your favorite Chris and why?
AF: My favorite Chris is Chris Pratt. Why? Because he’s my brilliant husband.
HG: That is a great answer, and he won our poll in the office. So we’re all on the same page.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPdz-7uBiHH
AF: He’s worthy of it.
And Anna Faris is worthy of it all.
