BUSY ACCEPTING HERSELF.
When her career changed, she changed her game.
It's unlikely that you would have ever considered Busy Philipps a "struggling" actor. But when a New Yorker profile on the actress, mom, and not-so-casual baker, came out at the end of 2017, it painted the very colorful Busy in a new light. Namely, that she's been struggling with roles and her career as an actress. "Frustrated with her career in Hollywood, the actor turned her life into a sitcom,' the headline read. She's no longer interested in waiting around, asking for someone else to give her a job. Like many women who are fed up, she's taking matters into her own very capable hands.
Though she says she's always felt like a bit of an outsider, Busy has willingly taken us inside her life. As a result she's gaining traction and attention on Instagram Stories. People tune in because there's no actress facade. Just a woman, mother, wife, and actress (OK and badass baker) learning to lump the ups and downs and love herself in the process.
More from Busy below.
Name: Busy Philipps
Instagram Handle: @BusyPhilipps
We see this in your IG stories. Everyone talks about how they want to be your BFF. Why do you think it's so hard for people to be themselves?
I don't know, really. I guess fear is probably the over arc-ing thing, right? People are afraid that if they show who they truly are, they won't be accepted, I guess? I've obviously found the opposite to be true. I think the more I've been truly myself publicly, the more I've felt accepted. Sometimes the response to my stories or all of the comments about wanting to be my best friend feel overwhelming but its also incredibly heartening and lovely. Because I do allow myself to be vulnerable on social media, and truly those are the things that people respond to the most.
And at what point did you decide f*ck, it. This is me.
I've always kind of been this way. My whole life. My mom was always quoting Shakespeare to us(my sister and me) "This above all, to thine own self be true" and granted, the character who says it, Polonius is kind of an idiot blowhard but that particular sentiment is amazing. So privately, I've always been this person. And social media, both Twitter and Instagram have allowed my public persona to follow suit in that I have a direct line to fans and friends. Before, I was just relying on journalists with like 200 word articles about me to convey all of my beliefs and thoughts and feelings and the complexities of who I am as a human. And so what you would get would be an incredibly reductive version of my personality like "SHE'S BUBBLY AND FUN!" It's impossible to understand the scope of who someone is when that's all you have to work with. When people tell me they watch my instagram stories like its a tv show, I totally get it. It's why I've always loved being on TV. You have an ability to build characters slowly with nuance and depth in a way that movies have a hard time accomplishing. So now people really feel like they know me. And they do for sure know a lot about me but you know, as with everything, there are obviously some things that I don't share.
Speaking of being "you," you were very outspoken about Brett Ratner and the allegations about him. Is there a reason that accusation in particular drove you to Twitter? (Also, sidebar, "Garbage Human" is one of my favorite things to call men who suck.)
Oh. I guess I just had read the bullshit statement his lawyer put out and it enraged me. I've know Olivia Munn for a long time, and I knew the story of the initial assault and I've known how horrible he was to her and the lies he told about her and it was just like ENOUGH. And then to read this guy has a 450 MILLION dollar deal at Warner Brothers? His movies suck and he's a sexual predator?! The SYSTEM sucks. I don't know. I'm here for everyone coming forward with all the stories, not just in Hollywood but all industries. There's a movement happening and it's important and I hope that it makes a real difference to my daughter's generation. But after the election last year, I know for myself and for a lot of women that I am friends with, there was a real moment of like, Oh. There are so many people who HATE women. I guess I always kind of knew that on some level but it really became apparent how prevalent and deep the misogyny runs in this country after the election. There's a direct link to Trump being elected and women nally feeling like they can speak up and out and loudly about this.
"I read the bullshit statement his lawyer put out and it enraged me."
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What movie/TV trope garbage are you done seeing?
ugh. I deeply hate the uptight type A tiger mom thing in comedy. So annoying to me and it's always SO ARCH. I've played it and I still hate it. It sucks. Do better.
What's a narrative that you'd love to see explored?
I really loved Lady Bird and I love that it's a coming of age story about a girl and the complexities of her relationship with her mom. Truthfully, I don't know- Lovely and Amazing comes to mind (which I LOVE) but I am interested in more realistic takes on the complexities of mother/daughter/sister relationships.
You've been in the biz a long time. Do you think this post-Weinstein era is a real reckoning? And how will it affect the younger generations of actors and actresses?
I hope it is. I've never seen anything like it and I AM HERE FOR IT. I mean, there are some parts of this job that can get confusing, right? Like so much of being an actress is predicated on the objectification of women. So, especially as a young actress, who wants to work, there's a tendency to sort of resign yourself to 'it is what it is'. You don't question when you get a call from your agents that for your callback, they need you to dress sexier or you got the part but you need to lose 15 pounds. You HAVE TO BE FUCKABLE! Or you know, for instance, in the early 2000's I REALLY didn't want to pose for a men's magazine but I was told by a head of casting that he gets the hot 100 lists earmarked from executives with the actresses they want to be brought in for projects. Which was totally gross and also convinced me I had to do it. So, I hope that we start to see more women in positions of power, more female agents, more women behind the camera, more women writing the stories. That's where we will really succeed for younger generations. That the women are not just there to look good next to the shlub who gets all the funny lines(maybe you get one).
"I hope that we start to see more women in positions of power, more female agents, more women behind the camera, more women writing the stories."
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What is your biggest pet peeve?
Sometimes loud chewing makes me want to die.
What's something you'd like people to know about your job that they probably don’t?
That every actor feels like the job they currently have is probably the last job they will ever have. That not getting jobs sometimes feels so heartbreaking, you're not sure if you can continue but then you read something and know that you have to try.
What about your career makes you feel the most complete?
I suppose when people deeply love something I've been in, when it means something special to them, it feels like I'm doing the right thing.
If you had to trade jobs with anyone else in the world, who would it be and why?
Can it be Julia Roberts?
At what point in your career did you nd the con dence to really take charge and become the woman you are today?
A year ago.
What's the best advice you've ever been given? Or your favorite piece of #realtalk?
I already said it. From Shakespeare via my mom Barb Philipps "And this above all to thine own self be true" Also, from Hello, Dolly! "Money is like manure, it should be spread around encouraging young things to grow." Fuck saving all that money- I don't need trust fund kids, I need kids who've had wild experiences and I need my Gucci purse.
What song do you sing in the shower when you’ve had a bad day?
Anything by Tori Amos
When you come up against a dead end, how do you find new roads?
Sometimes taking a step back and giving myself a break works. Sometimes working through it works. I think it's important to be exible and open and to try everything. You don't know where those new roads are! You have to be open to seeing them and if you're hyper focused, it can be di cult. I guess I'm saying, sometimes you have to un focus? That sounds like terrible advice. I don't know. I'm just making this all up as I go along. As we all are. (shrug emoji)
Photo Credit: @davisfactor
Hair & Makeup: @SmashboxCosmetics @TheGlamApp @TheOuai
