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There is a great article by Coveteur with Alison Brie that not only discusses the process for creating The Rental, but also talks about Alison’s latest projects, dealing with the global pandemic, and taking charge of her career. Check out an excerpt from the interview:
On quarantine, style, and fitness:
“Well, I’ve definitely been living in sweats, but right now I’m wearing my tightest jeans. This sounds so vain, but like, halfway through quarantine I was like, ‘I think I should start putting on a pair of jeans once a week just to make sure things aren’t getting too far away from me.’ I’ve been trying to keep up on my physical fitness and doing some sessions over FaceTime with my trainer. I’ve been cooking a lot, which can be healthy, but we’ve also been drinking a lot, which I don’t usually do, eating a lot of dessert, and things like that.
“What I have been doing stylewise is really buying a lot of new, cute tops because I feel like that’s the biggest difference, whereas maybe in the past I would probably buy more dresses or full outfits and really kind of think about putting it all together. Right now my sole focus is just on blouses and cute tops because everything is over Zoom. It’s been pointed out to me that a trend that I’m doing is a lot of puffed sleeves. I just bought a puffy-sleeved Ulla Johnson top and a puffy-sleeved ALC—I think I’m trying to buy shirts that are comfortable but still stylish.”
As you explore different paths such as writing and directing, has this shifted your feelings about what you want to do next?
“I think the biggest shift since I started writing a year ago is that it’s sort of calmed me down. It’s had a really calming and confidence-building effect to take control of my career in that way and sort of say, ‘Oh, I’ll write the role that I want to play,’ whereas maybe in the past I would get really anxious when I was between acting jobs. As you can imagine, it can be nerve-racking to feel like you’re sitting around waiting for a job to come your way or even to find something that I would find interesting and exciting to do. So it’s been a nice power shift. Of course, I still want to look for projects to act in that other people have written and are directing, but [writing] is more than just a distraction. It’s really nice to hold some of the power. It’s fun to sit with people who I am very close with and be like, ‘What do we want to do? What’s the next thing?’ And then create it.”
What is something that you can’t wait to get back to doing once this pandemic is all over?
“GLOW! Like top of my mind, total honesty, the first thing I was going to say is going to the gym because, while I am proud of myself for my at-home regimen, there’s a social aspect to being at the gym that I really miss. Even though I feel like I mostly am just competing against myself, it’s fun to be in a room with other people. My trainer, Jason Walsh, trains a lot of really strong women, and I often just feel inspired and I push myself harder when I’m in the same space with them, rather than seeing them in the background or on another’s person’s FaceTime. Also, obviously, just seeing my friends. I miss my friends. I’ve seen some of them recently for these social-distanced hangs, and I just want to hold them. I’m a real physical person—I like physical affection. I like to hug my friends and hold their faces in my hands, and I hope to be able to do that again someday.”