Especially to finally be able to make a movie that her parents can see. Hence her moody but modest female cartoonish stint in the high carb animated feature, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. Anna dropped by to spout all these sweet nothings in this NYC candy store press encounter, including doing the newlywed thing, as well as more binging type of indulgences like chips, donuts and especially In-N-Out Burgers. And exactly what a salty savory kinda gal, not to mention geek reversal, may be.

ANNA FARIS: I hope you’re easy on me!

Oh, not to worry! And congratulations, didn’t you just get married this summer?

AF: Um…Yes, I did. And I’m super-happy. It’s been a great summer.

So what are your guilty pleasures when it comes to the candy all around us in this candy store?

AF: Oh, my indulgence, sweet-wise, like definitely donuts. But I’m definitely a little bit of a salty savory kinda gal. Chips. Chips are trouble! I raided the mini-bar last night at the hotel!

But at one point, when the cheeseburgers were falling from the sky, they got us In-N-Out Burgers. Because they wanted us to talk with our mouths full. And it was a great excuse to eat an In-N-Out Burger, I’ll tell ya!

So how did you get into character for animation?

AF: Um…They showed me a drawing of the character before I started recording, and that’s pretty much all I had. But it was amazing. We worked for about a year. And it was pretty incredible to see it all come to life.

But we all thought it was going to be easy, basically. And it is incredibly challenging. And when they asked me to do this movie, I was so excited. It was a book that I loved as a child. So I was really honored to be asked to do it.

I did some voice work early on in Seattle, when I was growing up. And I loved the idea of doing it again. And it’s finally a movie that I’ve done, that I think people can…see! I guess. My parents are happy!

Did you relate to this movie in terms of geek reversal, and bringing the geekiness out of you?

AF: Yeah, I was a geek in high school. I used to wear a Christmas tree sequined skirt as a cape. And now I’m…comfortable enough to talk about it! And I was really into bugs. I still do love bumblebees, and bees in general. Honeybees, not carnivorous bees!

But I managed to capture the queen bumblebee, when she was just leaving her nest in the winter. And they were a little drowsy at that point, so I was able to capture her. And I attempted to make a bumblebee hive. But she died. That’s pretty geeky, I think!

Bummer. How old were you?

AF: Probably a little too old! Like fourteen or fifteen.

This is a movie about food, so what is your relationship with food?

AF: As far as food goes, my mom is an incredible cook. And cooking is probably my most favorite hobby and pastime. And of course I love to try new things. If I wasn’t an actress, I would like to be a food critic, a restaurant critic. We’ll see how that goes!

How did you relate to your character Sam, and the theme of this movie, which is all about food?

AF: As far as my character, I think she suppresses her intelligence a little bit, because she feels pressured by society. Whether it’s through her work, or being a woman, to play an assertive role. And she finally sort of lets her guard down, and is accepted for, you know, who she really is.

I do think there’s also a really interesting idea of excessiveness, and that what we wish for in indulgence and excessiveness, can be quite harmful. Which I think is kind of appropriate for this time.

How did you first get started in show business?

AF: I was nine. And I did an Arthur Miller play called Danger Memory, in the Seattle Repertory Theater. And I got paid two hundred fifty dollars, I think. Which was huge. I felt like I was rolling in the dough. I think I’m still living off that! And I went out and bought a piano phone.

What’s that?

AF: A phone where the keys were..you know! But it was pretty awesome, and cool. Yeah.

What was it like doing Comi-Con?

AF: I had never been to Comi-Con before, and I had a fantastic time. And what surprised me about it, is how happy everybody is there. I mean, they’ve been looking forward to this all year.

And so you’re in an environment that is for the most part really supportive, and joyous. And I can relate to the idea of escaping through a character. So that was really cool, to see all these people doing the same thing.

From Newsblaze

How did you develop your character? Did you get a chance to go back in and do more voiceover work once you saw the renderings?
They showed us a drawing of our character before we started recording, and that was all we had. They wrote pretty specific characters, so it wasn’t a huge search [to find her]. We worked for about a year and went back in to tweak all the animation. It was pretty incredible to see it all come to life.

What do you find appealing about voice acting that is different than being in front of the camera?
It is incredibly challenging. They asked me to do this movie, and I was so excited because it was a book that I grew up with. I felt really honored to be asked to do what I love doing. I did some voice work early on in Seattle when I was growing up, and I loved the idea of doing it again. It’s finally a movie that I’ve done that people under 10 can see. My parents are happy.

Do you recall your first acting job?
I was nine and did an Arthur Miller play called Danger: Memory! at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. I got paid $250, which was huge. I was rolling in the dough. I think I’m still living off of that. Then I went out and bought a piano phone. It was pretty awesome.

What was Comic-Con like this past summer?
I had never been to Comic-Con before, and I had a fantastic time. I mean, it’s a show. What surprised me was how happy everybody is there. They’re looking forward to this all year, so you’re in an environment that for the most part is really supportive and really joyous. I can relate to the idea of escaping through a character, so it was really cool to see all of these people doing the same thing.

What message did you get from making this film, and what message do you want the audience to get from seeing it?
For me, there are a number of themes and messages in the movie. As far as my character, she suppresses her intelligence a little bit because she feels pressure by society, whether it’s through her work or being a woman, to play a certain kind of role. Through meeting Flint [Lockwood] she finally lets her guard down and is accepted for who she really is. I also think there’s a really entertaining idea about excessiveness and what we wish for, how indulgence and excessiveness can be quite harmful, which I think is appropriate for this time.

What is your relationship with food like?
My mom is an incredible cook, and cooking is probably my favorite hobby and pastime. I love to try new things. If I wasn’t an actress I would like to be a restaurant critic. We’ll see how that goes.

The protagonist of this movie is an inventor. Have you ever attempted to invent something?
I wasn’t too mechanical – I’m still not – but I was really into bugs, and I still do love bumblebees and bees in general. Honey bees, not carnivorous bees. I managed to capture the queen bumblebee when she just left her nest in the winter. They’re a little drowsy at that point, so I was able to capture her and attempted to make a bumblebee hive, but she died. That’s pretty geeky, I think. I was 14 or 15 years old.

As we’re doing a junket in a candy store, what are your favorite sweets?
My indulgence sweet-wise is definitely donuts. I’m definitely a bit of a salty, savory kind of gal. Chips are trouble. I raided the mini-bar in my hotel.

Did any dialogue from this film stick with you?
We did a session together for when the cheeseburgers were falling [out of the sky], and they actually got us In-N-Out burgers. They wanted us to talk with our mouths full, and it was a great excuse to eat an In-N-Out burger.

Your role is a reversal of a lot of Hollywood stereotypes where the geeky girl is transformed into somebody more chic. Did you relate to the idea of bringing your geekiness out?
Bill [Hader] and I talked a little bit about this. We were both geeks in high school. I used to wear a Christmas tree skirt as a cape. [laughs] Now I’m comfortable enough to talk about it.

From Attention Deficit Delirium

During the film’s press day, I had the opportunity to interview co-stars Anna Faris and Bill Hader about the making of the film.

Q: Did either of you read the book before or after the film?

Anna Faris: Yes, as kids. It was really great to see it come to life like this.

Bill Hader: Yeah, before the movie. We were big fans growing up.

Q: We asked the directors why they had selected you to play the roles?

Anna: Hey! What are you saying? (laughter)

Bill: We were the cheapest actors. Everyone else was too expensive.

Q: During the film, how much ad-libbing were you allowed to do?

Anna: We talked about this. We really didn’t do a ton. You’re saying one line over and over again. Actually, you’re pretty constricted in some ways in terms of ad-libbing.

Bill: It’s not like you do a full scene. It’s like you say “Hey guys, what’s going on? HEY guys, what’s going on? Hey GUYS, what’s going on?” You know what I mean?

Q: How do you get your inspiration because you guys are doing it by yourselves, right?

Anna: It’s hard. We were lucky enough to have meetings (with the directors). That gave us a good sense on how we were playing the roles. We’d have to be told “She’s really frustrated right now.” or “This is the scene where she goes into anaphalactic shock and there’s a peanut brittle cave and you lower a licorice rope” (laughter)

Q: Does it get really exhausting?

Anna: That was the most surprising element.

Bill: We were both not prepared for that at all.

Q: Which is harder for you, voice acting or motion pictures?

Bill: Voice acting is really tough, because your whole performance is channelled into your voice. I would do something and add all this physicality to it and they would go “It looks great what you’re doing in front of us, but the voice is not…. could you put that energy you used in your body into your voice. So, that was difficult.

Anna: I think the exact same thing. They would film us doing it and use our gestures and whatever we put into the characters movement, they used. You’re giving a full performance, but you’re alone for the most part. So, you have nothing to react to.

Q: Were you in the sound booth with Mr. T or Bruce Campbell?

Bill: No. Anna got to meet Mr. T.

Anna: It was one of the highlights. He was coming in as i was leaving. You could hear him from a mile away. Someone introduced me to Mr. T and he grabbed me and bear hugged me and picked me up and said “This is so awesome. Isn’t this awesome?” I said “Yes, Mr. T. This is awesome.” I’ve never met anyone more enthusiastic in my life and it was just incredible.

Q: The role that Sam plays, how do you think it’ll inspire young girls who see this film?

Anna: Oh, I hope that it does. it’s interesting how girls go from nerd to ‘cool’ and ‘hot’, and this is a flip of that and I think she’s adorable both ways. it would be awesome some girls let their inner nerd out. When i was a kid, I was really into bugs and wanted to get into biology. But it wasn’t one of the ‘coolest’ things.

Bill: If the biologists knew you were into biology, or you could’ve been a biologist, they’d be so ticked off and go “Aww man”.

Q: What do you guys have coming up?

Anna: I have “Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel”.

Bill: I just finished a movie called “Paul” and we’re going to do the new season of “SNL” coming up.

From the Examiner

Faris is starring in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, in theaters September 18, an animated spectacle based on the beloved children’s book by Judi and Ron Barrett.

Meatballs also stars SNL’s Bill Hader as an inventor who seeks to create a device that turns water into food for his island-town that is surviving only on sardines. Faris’ weather reporter arrives on the island for another story and explosively becomes part of the food falling from the sky story.

Faris is widely known for her priceless comic timing in the Scary Movie films, The House Bunny and starring opposite some of Hollywood’s hottest funnymen including Ryan Reynolds in Just Friends and Seth Rogan in April’s Observe and Report.

The Cloudy with a Chance of Meatball star recently wed sweetheart Chris Pratt July 9 and with her star ever-rising, the forecast for Faris is blindingly sunny.
Anna FarisFaris’ firsts

SheKnows: First of all, congratulations on your wedding.

Anna Faris: Oh, thank you!

SheKnows: When actors discover they want to act very young as you did, what was it about performing that first appealed to you?

Anna Faris: When I was six, my mom enrolled me in an acting class. I loved it. Most kids were into swimming or soccer and I just loved acting. There never was any pressure to do it. See, I was really short! It was my identity that I was the short girl. I think out of that I needed to find a way to express myself. Also, in many ways too I was terrible at public speaking — but, through escaping in a character…

SheKnows: …that gave you more confidence to do it.

Anna Faris: Totally! Plus, I worked with adult actors. That was really big for me to be surrounded by adults hearing them complain about, I don’t know, adult things (laughs). It was really fun for me. I didn’t have too many friends. I really cherish those memories.

SheKnows: You have the most impeccable comic timing…

Anna Faris: Oh my God, thank you.

SheKnows: You do, like a Lucile Ball for the modern era.

Anna Faris: That is so nice of you…

Anna gets animated

SheKnows: Now in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, how was it difficult to perform in your usual manner without having the benefit of utilizing your physical frame?

Anna Faris and Bill Hader in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Anna Faris: It was hard. My character isn’t really that funny in this one. I wanted to make her frustrated. The voice acting job is so much harder. It was so difficult. I’d come home every night exhausted. I figured, it’s a voice-over gig, it’ll be easy. I would do another one in a minute, but I would go into it knowing it’s difficult. It’s work.

SheKnows: Did I see you are in the Chipmunks Squeakquel?

Anna Faris: Yes!

SheKnows: It’s the perfect name…

Anna Faris: I laugh every time I see it. I don’t know what I’m going to do at the junket for that one.

SheKnows: Are you live action or animated on that?

Anna Faris: I’m a Chipette with Amy Poehler and Christina Applegate — it’s the best!

SheKnows: The best Chipettes ever!

Anna Faris: Thank you!

SheKnows: Was the Squeakquel challenging, but in a different way than Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs?

Anna Faris: Yes! Because you have to record your voice really slow because they speed it up. (Slowly) You have to be very persistent in your speech. You have to say everything mor slowly, but at the same time you have to be in a character that is hyper. It is very difficult. What I’ve seen so far looks incredible and witty too.

Faris films instant classics

Faris in BrokebackSheKnows: I wanted to ask about a couple of directors you’ve worked with, first, Ang Lee with Brokeback Mountain. What was it like to be a part of that masterpiece?

Anna Faris: That was amazing. That was also terrifying (laughs). I auditioned for the Anne Hathaway role.

SheKnows: No kidding…

Anna Faris: Yeah, and then they offered me the other role. I’d do anything to work with Ang Lee. I flew up to Calgary and the first shot, we started with me. I’m with Jake Gyllenhaal and Ang started with my coverage. We just have done the line about 15 times. I thought, “I’m doing this all wrong. Oh my God I’m ruining the movie.” (Laughs) Jake just told me that is how Ang does it. It was really a special film to be a part of.

SheKnows: Now what about working with Sophia Coppola on Lost in Translation.

Faris in Lost in TranslationAnna Faris: I was thrilled. I couldn’t believe I got that role. I auditioned for it six months before I got it. Meanwhile, all my friends had auditioned for it. I’m like, “hello?!” But, I got it (laughs). Sophia’s a very focused director. Where Sophia was incredibly soft spoken, Ang Lee was much more vocal. It’s interesting. Those are two great directors to compare (laughs).
Meatballs mania

SheKnows: Well, thank you. Now, speaking of directors, Chris Miller and Phil Lord from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, those two seem like a zany pair to work with, especially on an animated film.

Anna Faris: I’ve never really know what to expect from directors. They’re so funny – so witty. Working with them was awesome. You can tell that they’ve worked in comedy TV (How I Met Your Mother) in how they are so on with their timing.

SheKnows: Before the screening, I saw Jason Siegel outside the theater waiting to say hi and I think that speaks volumes about the people Phil and Chris are that their former star dropped by to support their directorial debut.

Anna Faris: He did! That’s so cool. Yeah, they are just a joy because they’ve love for what they do is so transparent. You get excited about what you’re doing just being around them.

SheKnows: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is such a fun film…

Anna Faris: Isn’t it so quirky? I just love it. I really admire Chris and Phil for the vision that they have to maintain to create a film like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Anna Faris at Comic-Con in July

SheKnows: We saw it at the 3-D IMAX premiere and I have to say it is like watching art. Visually, stunning.

Anna Faris: That’s so cool! Thank you for saying that.
Anna’s expectations

SheKnows: I really did! Now, your character is quite smart but has to dumb herself down because of her job as a “bubbly” weather reporter. Now, have you experienced that yourself here in Hollywood?

Anna Faris: You know, I have. But, I think it’s fun to have people underestimate you (laughs). I’ve kind of had that my whole life — I’d say, it’s an advantage. People may have certain opinions about you by looking at you or from their perception of you, but the act of surprising them with intelligence, talent and wit is quite fun.

From She Knows

You can watch the entire interview below!