Office Ladies - Jenny Slate

Episode Date: September 30, 2026

This week on Office Ladies 6.0, Jenna and Angela are joined by the hilarious actress, comedian, author, and podcaster Jenny Slate! The ladies kick things off with a passionate chit-chat question about home organization and the household hills they are willing to die on. Then Jenny chats about voicing her character in her new film Forgotten Island, her iconic roles in Parks and Recreation and Obvious Child, her book Lifeform, and how rewatching The Office provided essential comfort and joy during the early days of parenthood. Along the way, Jenny shares memories of her early audition days, working with green screens, and the magical origins of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. So, pull up a chair, organize your junk drawer, and enjoy! Office Ladies Website - Submit a fan question for Around the Town, Chit Chat, and Second Drink favorite moment: https://officeladies.com/submitaquestion Follow Us on Instagram: OfficeLadiesPodFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on TikTok 

I'm Jenna Fisher and I'm Angela Kinsey. We were on The Office together and we're best friends. And now we're doing the ultimate Office Lovers podcast just for you. Each week we will dive deeper into the world of the office with exclusive interviews behind the scenes details and lots of BFF stories. We're the Office Lady 6.0. Hi everybody. Hi there.

You guys, we have a super talented, hilarious woman on the podcast today. Mm-hmm. We're really excited because we're big fans. It's Jenny Slate. Jenny Slate. Ah! She's a brilliant comedian, actor, writer, New York Times bestselling author, and now a podcaster, too, with her show. I need you guys.

And you might know her from her work in film and TV. I loved her as Mona Lisa in Parks and Rec. So much. So good. She also co-created Marcel the Shell with shoes, which I loved. There was all of these short films and a book series, and she got nominated for an Academy Award for the movie. for the movie version. Okay, so that's how I became a fan of hers,

so I was trying not to geek out when I was talking to her. I know. I mean, I was the same. I remember discovering Jenny from watching the movie Obvious Child that she starred in with one of our The Office alumni, Jake Lacey. And in our interview, she talks about that film being a really pivotal moment in her career. But everyone, she is also an incredible voice actress. She has voiced characters in movies like The Lorax, Zootopia, Dispicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets, the Lego Batman movie, and Bob's Burgers.

Yeah. And now she has a new animated movie in theaters right now from DreamWorks animation called Forgotten Island. I am so excited about this movie. We're going to talk about it. But if that isn't enough, Jenny Slate is also an author, and we have a really great conversation with her about her new book, Life Form. and also a book called Notes to New Mothers. We end up getting in a really thoughtful conversation about motherhood. But hey, let's get to it.

Yeah, this is our conversation with Jenny Slate. Jenny, hi. Hello, Lady. Welcome to the podcast. Thank you. How many people come on this show and are like freaking out that they get to talk to you in the way that I am? Oh, that's very nice. I don't ever feel that because we just think we're just, you know, two kind of dorky gals that like to hang out.

So thank you for saying that. We're so thrilled to meet you. We're such big fans. I really am a big fan of yours. This is, I've always hoped that one of these many sort of like industry events that I would maybe cross past with you. And I never have. But I really am just, I admire you so much. And so this is exciting.

Same here. Your work has brought me so much joy. And again, like I wonder. I'm like, did everybody just say the same things? because you're just so significant to a large group of people. But truly, this is a frickin' trip, man. It really is for me. Well, we can't wait to talk to you.

And we kick off our show with a chit-chat suggestion from an Office Ladies fan. And we have one today from H. Let's hear from her. Hi, Office Ladies. A longtime listener here, big fan of the podcast. I have a chit-chat question for you. My husband and I just celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary. We bought our home just a couple months before we got married.

So we've been nesting here for just over a year now. And when we moved in, I had the honor and privilege of deciding where all of the items in our kitchen belonged and found their home in place. It was a wonderful task that I thoroughly enjoyed getting to do. However, has caused some points of contention between my husband and I. in terms of where some items truly belong. An example of this has to do with the potato peeler. Now, I place items based on function. So the potato peeler for me goes in what I call the kitchen gadget or utility drawer.

So this drawer houses items such as some measuring cups, my immersion blender. It has my lemon squeezer to squeeze out. the lemon juice, and other various items as such, kitchen utilities. Well, my husband likes to organize items based on, I guess, the material that they're made out of. And because a potato peeler has a blade, he likes to put it in the cutlery drawer where we house some of our knives. And every time I see it put there, I just have to take a deep breath and I move it just slightly back into the kitchen utility drawer. And so my question for you all is, what are some items in your house where it is a hill that you will die on in terms of where they are properly stored and organized in

your home? Whether it's another item in your kitchen or perhaps a different place inside your house, what are some items that is a strong hill for you? And perhaps maybe you've been challenged by either a spouse or a child in terms of where that item truly belongs. If I get a dinner rant out of this, that is a huge cherry on top, as I love hearing those from her, but I'm just looking forward to hearing your answers here. All right. Take care. Love you. Bye. That was such a detailed, thoughtful question. Very thorough. Very thorough. Yeah. Haley, it did make my blood boil several times. So you are correct. It brought some

things up for me personally, but I'll let you guys go first. I mean, Jenny, you're our guest. You get to go. How do you feel about where things are placed in the kitchen? Or home. Our home. Yeah, we can open this up. First of all, I really understand the predicament and the ongoing back and forth. And I'm the person that I love unpacking as well and I love moving. I know some people think that's freakish, but I really enjoy it. And I unpacked our whole kitchen when my family moved last, fall. And I get insecure about feeling controlling, but I cook every day. I cook a lot. I've been asked by family members to bake less. And I kind of feel like, I don't know, it's like if the person who unpacked it and placed it there kind of feels like that should sort of be where it lies. But the

other thing I'll say is like, I don't really understand putting a potato peeler with blades. because I feel like it's just sort of a general utensil. I would just put it with the can opener is what I would say. Like utility, like she was saying. Yeah. Yeah. But I also don't really, I mean, this isn't a criticism of Haley, but I put all the baking things in one place.

But that's because I really need them to be separate because I use them a lot. But you know what mine is? For me, it's the screen door, which I know is not necessarily an object or item that you might think of, but it's like, I need that to be shut. And it's not getting shut. Yeah. Yeah. It's crazy to me.

I don't understand why you would leave it open when the whole point of it is to shut it so that you don't get bugs in the house. Yeah. It kills me. Yeah. I love that. I mean, here's the thing. Jenna knows this. Jenny, I am not the cook in my house.

My husband's a baker and a chef. And he bakes a ton. So he has his baking area. The kitchen really makes sense to him. It's like, you know, that scene in Goodwill hunting where there's all the equations on the chalkboard. And he's like, I just see it. I just see it. I just see it.

That's how Josh is about the kitchen. I'm like, I don't get it. I don't understand why the seasoning needs to go here. And he's like, how can you not? So I'm probably the wrong person to ask this question because I'll just be like, if you want the forks to go there and that's important for you, the forks will go there, damn it. But for me, it's he doesn't shut a single cabinet.

You got to shut those. No cabinets. No, I'm like, I just walked through like Vana White. I'm just shutting things all day. I'm like, why? The dishwasher this morning, he just left it open. He left it open. I'm like, I don't get it. Someone's going to fall and like chip a tooth. It's like there's a ghost. That's how it feels to me when the cabinets are open. It's like a ghost came in and they were like, I just need you to know I'm still here. And so they left like a cabin open. Shut it, man. Just shut it already. All right, Jenna, what about you? Okay, I know what mine is. So in our kitchen, by our back door, we have, it's called the junk drawer, but I don't like it to be called that because to me, it is our highly organized miscellaneous drawer. And so I need three things to be in this drawer. And my husband and I only agree about one of them. And this is a sort of thing, like when I open this drawer and one of my items, one of my three essentials is not in the drawer, I have to take

deep breaths and like remind myself that he's a good man and he does so many wonderful things. And he loves me very much. So that I don't, you know, go off. Here's what I need in that drawer. I need band-aids because it's the first step. Like if you're outside and you skin a knee, this is as soon as you walk in the house, this is the closest drawer to that skinned knee. So I need band-aids in there. We agree on this. Band-Aids live there. Here are the other two things I need in there. I need a measuring tape. My husband thinks the measuring tape goes in the garage. The garage is not attached to our house.

It's far. It's not. That's too far. I like to measure things. I measure things more often than maybe you would think. I'm constantly wondering like, oh, could we put this picture here or could we move a chair here and I measure? I'm a pre-measure. I don't just move stuff.

So I need my measuring tape there. I didn't know any of this about her, Jenny. We've been friends a long time. I didn't know band-aids and measuring tape go in the same drawer. Okay, go. The other thing that I need in there is packing tape. Again, my husband is always putting the measuring tape and the packing tape out in the garage. But you know what he puts in the drawer?

This is the thing where I feel like I look at him and I'm like, I don't know who you are. I don't understand you. He has like seven different screwdrivers and two. They don't go in the garage? Two needle nose plates. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you.

Two needle nose pliers. I just cleaned out the drawer again. And I said, babe, do we need both needle nose pliers in here? Like, when's the last time you were like, oh, I need some needle nose pliers and I need them quick? I need them to be really close, like in the kitchen. I mean, when did you use these last? And double. Did you have one in each hand?

Exactly. They're the same size. One wasn't tinier than the other. And all the screwdrivers, I said similarly, like, how many of these screwdrivers are we using on a weekly basis? Zero. Yeah. I think that tools can be out in the garage, but the packing tape that I use on almost every other day and the measuring tape, because I love to measure, and the band-aids, we need those in the drawer. I want to throw this out there to you.

I'm Haley. Haley and I get along. Yeah, I mean, this is so funny how this question, like, really fired me up. I really want the things in my kitchen to stay where they are. I just want them to stay right where they are, especially the sponge. Oh, that's the other one. Is your sponge moving around? It's moving around.

It's not getting squeezed out. I hate it when people leave it in the sink. I'm like, no. It's gross. Don't do that. Wait, always our sound engineer Sam and our producer Matt weigh in on this too. So Sam, what do you got? Nothing.

I'm completely malleable. Move me. What? Sam. Wow. Nicasa, sukasa, yeah. Not attached to where things live. Nope.

Okay. All right. Sounds healthy. It does. It sounds really zen. Matt Beagle. I grew up in a. a house where we put cups and glasses in a drawer. And people think that's really weird, but it's

just what I'm used to. So I like cups in a drawer, but that's unpopular, I think. Cups in a drawer is surprising because you don't think they're going to be there. Sometimes that's just what I'm used to this from childhood. I don't feel super strongly about it. It's just sort of like, I'm just got to use to it. I'm going to throw this out there. One more thing. I didn't really tell passionate I am about this stuff, especially since I'm someone who doesn't really care about kitchen things. But when the kids were little and we were like encouraging them to like help at dinner time set the table, we had these lower drawers in the kitchen that we put plates and cups in that were plastic. And they could then set their place at the table. And they got really excited about that.

And now they're in high school. They're driving. They're teenagers. But they still want those cups and plates in the lower drawer because they use them for like, they grab them for snacks, like apple slices or. M&Ms or peanuts. And I know someday the lower drawer won't be full of the plastic cups in place. And I'm already like sad about it. I'm sorry, I have kids that are now seniors and Jenny, all this stuff is coming up. I'm like, someday there's not going to be the drawer. But lady, then you're going to be a grandma and it's going to be filled with all those.

Oh gosh. Not for a bit. Don't worry. Okay. Just keep them there. Yeah. All right. Well, Haley, thank you so much for sending in your question. You got a lot of strong feelings from a lot of people. Yeah, that was fun. All right. Well, listen, why don't we take a break? And then we're going to come back and we're going to talk more with Jenny. Yay! All right, you guys, we are back with Jenny Slate. And Jenny, you have a new animated movie coming out. It's called Forgotten Island.

It's in theaters now. Yes. Yes. It is. My character is, she's a spirit. And maybe not, you can't really tell. She good or bad. We will see.

And somehow I'm always in that. I get put in that zone a lot of like playing the problematic person. The baddie. Same, same, Jenny. Right, of course. It's very opposite of how I see myself. Like, maybe the first time it happened was on the Kroll show, where Nick Kroll and I were playing these kind of, like, silly women who are both named Liz.

You're like idiots. But then they, like, ratcheted it up on Parks and Rec with Mona Lisa, who's described as the worst person in the world. Oh, my gosh. That is one of my favorite characters, Mona Lisa. You and Ben Schwartz together. It's so cool. I love it.

But anyway, in Forgotten Island, the character I play Batiba, she's very cute and sweet and lonely. And in general, the movie is really funny and quite beautiful. I'm like a big animation fan, so it's, I don't know. It's very magical. Like there's these two best friends and they fall through this portal and they get stuck on this forgotten island. And it's visually just beautiful and so colorful. And the creatures they encounter are otherworldly and really cool looking. Yeah.

It's a total trip, not just into like the imagination, but it's a very interesting metaphor for what it's like to move from your teenage years into like the world at large and like adulthood. And will you hold on to your childhood relationships? And these are things that I'm constantly fascinated by. And also like, and my character, as I said, is like she's really lonely and afraid to go outside. And I don't know why I became this way. but I've always been really concerned with like, how do you make those things,

not something we laugh at, but something that can make us laugh so we can kind of get enough relief so that we can like find better options for how to deal with it. Yeah, yeah, or have empathy, right? And be like, oh, I remember a time like that in my life too. Yeah. Yeah.

I'm really excited to see this movie with my daughter. She's starting middle school. And similar to this movie, I mean, the characters are a little older in this movie, that one of them is going off to college. But like, my daughter's entering middle school and there's a lot of new friendships that are formed and friend groups shift and, you know, who was your best friend from kindergarten might not actually end up being your best friend when you graduate as a senior. And so I think that's a really

cool part of this movie is just how friendships move and transition. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like I watch a lot of animated stuff with my daughter and she's five. And I think it won't be too. scary for her to see. But I also think like my nieces and nephews who are older, like their high schoolers, I think they'll really enjoy it. That's like kind of a score for me that I can take them to a movie that I'm in. Oh, huge. Yeah. Yeah. Have you shown your daughter any of the other animated films that you have voiced a character for? I have. She appears to find Zootopia to be too scary, which I understand. At five, I get that. Yeah. She's like it's scared of like conflict, which don't we all, you know. And she's a little bit afraid of the secret life of pets because the dogs don't get

along at first. And she thinks that's too tough. But like, weirdly, she's into inside out. Like, when is someone in an emotional struggle, she's like, I can understand, I'll plug in. But when it's someone just being like, I don't want you to be here, she hurts her feelings too much, which I'm kind of like, that's great. But she has seen the Lorax. I was the mom in the Lorax, also starring your co-star, Ed Helms. Yes. Ed Helms, who is one of my dear friends and comes for Thanksgiving every year. I love that. My kids actually were, well, listen, they're teenagers now and they're very excited that I'm meeting you because they think you're cool, right? And I don't, I'm not cool, but you're cool.

But they did say, you know, they obviously know a lot of your credits because they're older now, but they're like one movie that was on repeat because we had the DVD of it. And we had the minivan with like the fold down little movie that you'd put the DVD in on road trips. They watched Alvin and the Chipmunks chip wrecked over and over. And so they were like, oh my gosh, will you tell her we loved her and Alvin and the Chipmunks Chipprect. And so I promised him I would tell you that. Well, then I said thank you. That was, I think, my first movie I was ever in.

And again, you're like the baddie. I know. It's just like weird. Maybe it says that is, I forgot, honestly. That movie is wild. Like, I don't exactly remember the plot. but I kind of feel like I'm spoofing Tom Hanks and castaway. Yes, you are.

My memory of making that movie is like, I'd never made a movie before from what I. Yeah, I think it was my first. And I had like been fired from SNL. I was like, how am I going to get a job? And then there's this movie, Elvin and the Chitmunks, I'm like, cool, great. And then I'd never also worked with like a green screen or any special effects. And like the Chimunks aren't there. Right.

For that, they're not real. And it already was like, a sensitive time in my life because I was like, you know, like, am I ever going to act again? Like, what happened? And then I just like, making the movie was genuinely very fun. And it was a lot of me in like a studio in Vancouver talking to like a tennis ball on a stick.

I hope that doesn't show in the performance. No, not at all. You totally sell it. And then we had like a few weeks in Hawaii. And my parents came to visit just to make sure that I was like, okay. Well, you got a free trip out of Hawaii. out of it, which is always fun when a movie or a project takes you somewhere cool. I know.

Oh, yeah. God, that's such a plus. It's all a dream. Like, I don't know what your experience of being in the entertainment industry is, but like, for me, it just has not worn off. It just hasn't worn off that I'm like, this is so cool. Yeah. Yeah.

Well, you've done so many things, Jenny. I mean, you are an actress, but you're also a comedian, but you've also written books, but you also are now a podcaster. I'm very curious. Take me back to the beginning. Like, where did you grow up? And at what point did you realize I want to be an entertainer?

Well, I'm from Milton, Massachusetts, which is six miles south of Boston. And that's where my family is from. And I have two sisters. My parents are both artists. My mom is a potter and my dad is a poet. And we would like rent movies from the library. You know, like one of my dad's friends

got us a VCR. And we rented movies from the library. And I really can't remember a time that I didn't want to be an actor. I really, really wanted to. And a lot of that was based off of watching, Judy Garland and Gene Kelly, but also Sesame Street movies, like, follow that bird. If anyone remembers that movie was so good. And like Shirley Temple, which I'm not sure those films have aged well, and I'm not sure I could recommend them. Maybe not the most sensitive, appropriate films anymore. But at the time it was like, mostly I just liked that she was a little girl and she had tap shoes and she like had a big lollipop. And I just, yeah, I always wanted to be a performer. But my parents, they were like, you can do that in school. Like you can be in the plays and stuff.

And I did speech team. I was on our speech and debate team. But they were just like, you're not going to do that until you go to college. It was kind of understood. And I didn't really realize like that there were tracks, you know, like this person is a comedian or this person does dramatic acting. I kind of thought you could just do everything because there also were actors that did that, like Carol Burnett, for example. Yeah. Like I just like I really loved her so much. And for me, like her playing Miss Hannigan and Annie was like really scary.

Yeah. I'm really dramatic. And yeah, I never occurred to me that you might have to separate it out. And one of my life's dreams was to be on Saturday Night Live. I watched like all the tapes of Gilda Radner and I was obsessed with Gilda Radner. and I went to Columbia. I graduated and started doing stand-up with my best friend, Gabe Leidman. And that's, like, kind of how my career started.

Like, I got a manager who helped me get commercials. What was one of your earliest commercials? Because that was my route. I did tons of commercials. And so I love seeing people in old commercials. First of all, I didn't book a lot. Did you ever book those that were called, like, industrial? Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah. I did one. Like a lot of that. Yeah. I did one for, like, I think. think it was for Ford. And I had to talk about like the, I don't know, it was something in the engine. And it was like, oh, I was so bad. It was really bad. Yeah. I mean, I feel like commercials are genuinely very hard. And you have to be like so normal often about something that's not very

exciting. You know, like it's one thing if you're like, you're you as you endorsing a toothbrush that you actually use, which I have done. And I'm like, I love this toothbrush. I really like it for my teeth as Jenny. But like, I remember doing a cascade commercial. That's the one I really remember. And that for reasons that I'll never understand, they gave me super long extensions. And also, I didn't have a dishwasher. You know, like, I was like a tiny apartment in Brooklyn. I didn't have a dishwasher. And like, the one I had used was like my parents dishwasher. Like, that was very old. And I didn't, like, I'd never used like a pod before. I just, I remember the whole day being like, I am so busted. I don't know how to do this.

That's amazing. Yeah, but it was a good way to make money while I was doing stand-up. And my first audition for anything, I believe that I got was the show Bored to Death, which starred Jason Schwartzman and Ted Danson and Zach Galfinacus. And that was like my first job. Wow.

Yeah. So at that time, like Jason Schwartzman and Ted Danson were Ted Danson and Jason Schwartson, but Zach Galefenakis was still kind of coming up, right? Yeah, I believe it was the year before the Hangover one came out. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm just curious, I've worked with a few of those guys, and they're so talented, and you walk on the set, like, what was that like?

Do you remember? I would definitely remember because, first of all, my best friend is married to Zach, and I didn't tell them that I was auditioning for the show because I was, I just felt embarrassed. First of all, I don't really like asking for favors, I guess. I just, and I don't know, like, what if I was bad? And then I'm not sure they could have helped me get on the show, but I just like, I was like, oh, I got this part. Now I actually have to tell them weirdly that I'm like showing up at Zach's job. And it was like, it was supposed to be only like I was going to play this cashier and it was a smaller part. And then they made it bigger because it actually

was so fun and went very well, which is like kind of at every actor's dream. But I just remember like, you know, I was a huge Jason fan. And I'm from Boston. Like Ted Danson, cheers. I mean, yeah. It's just crazy. And I just remember being like, just don't say anything.

Just don't do anything. Don't say anything. Just do your lines and like, just don't be weird, you know? And that plan, which is like a terrible plan. I don't even know what that says about what I thought of myself. But what ended up happening was like,

I was so, so, so, so nervous. But the second I started talking to Jason, who's very kind and friendly, the nervousness changed to total excitement that, like, I was actually there. You know, I kind of expected someone to be like, get out. Like, fan on the field, you know, just like, get her out of here.

Like, why is this person here? And I just remember, like, having the real dreamy feeling, like, wow, I've actually crossed through the curtain into the dreamscape. and I'm one of the actors on the show. And, like, nobody knows that I don't know any of the lingo. Like, someone was like, so this is your mark? Like, I didn't know that people in a scene on TV

don't just walk around wherever they want. I never been on camera other than, like, a cascade commercial in a studio where they just put me in front of the dishwasher and I just opened it. You know, like, I genuinely had no idea what I was doing. I didn't know what my mark was. And I didn't know what coverage was. I didn't know, like,

okay, like this is your side of the conversation, the camera's on you. You have to do your, like, you can't interrupt necessarily if they're not looking for cross talk. Like, I did not know what I was doing. And everybody was really, really nice to me. And it was a real high. Like, it just felt crazy. I kind of couldn't believe it. And honestly, when I think back on it now, I still feel like it's just a great stroke of luck, you know? I mean, so much of it feels that way, right? I mean, it's like just being in the right place at the right time. But also, you had done the work. Like, it's not by chance, but it is. Do you know what I mean? It's kind of hard to describe because like all the things line up. You have to show up. You have to do a good job. But

I always think about that, especially coming up and improv and performing with just so many amazingly talented people who never got that lineup of all the things lining up and they're so talented, you know? There's just no short bets at all. Like I could have done all of that and it just maybe didn't go my way. And I feel very aware. of that still. I didn't have like a five-year plan coming out of college, but maybe I should have looking back. I know. I didn't have a backup plan. I think sometimes that's maybe a good thing. Do you know what I mean? I do. Yeah. I think not having a safety net can be good when you're pursuing an artistic life. Was there a risk that you took early in your career that particularly

paid off? Ooh. Yeah. I think so. I mean, everything is risk. Like at the, I, I'm everything like still is risk. You know, there's a, I think it's kind of embarrassing to look back on the ways that I was like, I'll just put on this wig and get out there and like, just so unselfconscious. But I think the risk that had like the most effect was probably doing the movie obvious child, which was like one of the first films I was in, maybe it was like the third. And it was a real indie, like a real indie indie, indie. Like we are filming in the producer's house.

I'm wearing the director's clothes. are just very, very little money. And I mean, now it's even a, I think like the conversation is incredibly different because reproductive justice and abortion rights are so restricted. But at the time, it was like, I still was like, oh, this is a movie about a comedian who gets an abortion and it's not joking about abortion. It's taking women's health seriously, but it's still really funny. And I just felt like, whoa, like, who knows what this will be like and who knows what these,

who these people are that I'm working with. And it just was so small. I genuinely did it because I wanted to do dramatic work. And it came to me, I had done the short film of it, which I don't feel like it was a big risk. That was just kind of like, it's fun and it's normal and it's small. But I didn't really know what I was doing. I didn't know how to do a dramatic scene.

I didn't go to like acting school. And I, yeah, I think like the biggest risk for me was like, I've always thought I could do this. What if I get there and I find out that I was completely wrong? You know, like that seems that it could happen. And instead it, you know, the people that I made that film with, they became my best friends. They've directed and produced all of my comedy specials and I've worked with them many times over. And Liz who produced that film and she also produced Marcel the Shell Shoes on the movie.

And it just paid off in so many social and professional ways for sure. Well, that is the movie that put you on my radar. Oh, really? Yes. Yes. I absolutely loved that movie. And you definitely delivered. You won a Critics Choice Award for it.

That's true. Best actress in a comedy. Yeah. Jenna, I do remember you getting in touch with me about it, I think. Maybe it was on Instagram or like maybe we had an exchange. But I actually do remember being like, I think that she likes our movie. I might have slid into your DMs.

You know, Jake Lacey from the office is in that movie. Yeah. And he had told me about it. And I was like, I got to see this movie. It sounds so interesting. And it is. And it's all the things you said. It's a really grounded, cool conversation.

But then also really, really funny. And you gave the character just, oh, God, she was just so real. I love that movie. Yeah. I'm glad. You just saw such humanity, you know, in your performance. You were so honest. And it was really beautiful.

And when we knew you were going to come on the podcast, both Jenna and Matt were like, and you have to see Obvious Child. And I was like, okay, that's the one I hadn't seen. And it is really wonderful. It's the best movie ever. It's so, I really just one of my favorites. Yeah. I'm so glad.

I love that movie. You're great at it. We gosh. Thank you. I do want to take us back, though, to 2010 because how I first got to know you was Marcel, the Shelf, the Shoes on. And I watched all of them. I mean, my friends and I would like, like send them.

Like, there was a line. Oh, it's something. Do you want to know how I put my skis on top of my car? And you're like, with a hair. I don't know. You guys, I'm doing horrible. I'm like doing you to you. This is so embarrassing.

No, no, no. There were so many, like, I love like, do you want to guess? Like, all the like ways, I don't know. I just thought that was brilliant. And then I thought it was so cool that it became a movie. And it got nominated for an Academy Award. That's just like that, like as someone that was a fan of it from the very beginning.

I was like, amazing. Thank you. That's also a good example of a thing that you do. It actually didn't feel like a risk because it was something that my ex-husband and I just did for like fun, you know? And there was like a small comedy show that asked him to make a video. So like he was like, maybe I'll do that for that. But we were not.

I mean, this was really like we didn't, I didn't even know what like Vimeo was then. And I think it was pre- Instagram. It was. Yeah. So it was like, you know, the idea of like a content creator, like that kind of, that just wasn't, nobody would know what that was. That wasn't a term. And or at least not one that was like so in the zeitgeist or had the function that it has now. And like we just did it for fun. And I think there are so many questions in it because we were like trying to find out who this character is. And then we realized it was just such a funny game to describe his life because he's so small. And the way that he has to live his life is like he's made to be in. inventive he has to in order to survive. And it's just like a pure thing that we did. And it is astounding that it just sort of kept developing. And it also took a long time. Like the movie took us seven years to make. And I think it came out probably a decade, even more than a decade after we made the first short. Well, the weight definitely paid off. It's so great. Well, ladies,

how about if we take a break? But then we'll come back and we'll chat more. Yeah. Well, I mean, my gosh, there's just so much, Jenny, what you've created is just really astounding. It's really amazing because you're like a multi-hyphenate, right? I always tell Jenna, I want to be a multi-hyphenate on Wikipedia. You're a multi-hyphenate. And you have this book that you just wrote called Lifeform. Do you want to share with us about that? Yeah, sure.

Lifeform is my second book. It's a book of small pieces that describe the, a five-year period in my life between like when I was single, right, like at the edge of my final single moments right before I met my now has been Ben and all the way through like pregnancy and having a baby and being with a baby and then like ongoing. I think I started to write little pieces while I was pregnant and I don't know if this is a common feeling, but maybe a common fear that like, will this be all I am and do? Like, is this going to be the thing that people ask me about the most, like being pregnant or being a mother. And I think because of that,

I wanted to see just a greater arc of what my experience was so that I could prove to myself, like, of course, everything is connected. And of course, we have things that stand out or the moments that are the most impactful, but it is all connected and you stay you while you also change. And I think that's, like, in a sort of playful way, what the book represents. But that said, then I was like, I should have done more pregnancy writing, you know, like I still want to reflect on it. And one of the things I'm really excited about right now is my friends, Rebecca's Dinerstein and Julie Bunton, who are these incredible novelists, put together an anthology called Notes to New Mothers, which is just a beautiful book of all different contributors, all of these different people who are experiencing

motherhood. And I've recently contributed to that. Oh, nice. Yeah, it's out now. But it is something that, like if you have any listeners that are new mothers are about to be mothers or have a mother that they want to get to know. It's like an encyclopedia of experiences and so many different voices and so many different forms. Do you know what that's bringing up in me? I'm getting a little emotional as you talk about this. It's how as a child, I think maybe you don't see your mom as a whole person. You really just see your mom as your mom. But your mom is a whole person. And then for me, as a mom, everything you just said, like, I'm still a whole person with other thoughts and ideas and aspirations. And so I love the idea of this book of essays that sort of put into context that

idea. Am I making sense? It's like... Completely. Yeah. Absolutely. Mothers are, you can kind of be made flat or like you're just defined in one way. But actually, I mean, at least in my experience, like the experience is deeply personal, even though if you become a parent, you're part of a really, really vast collective, of course. But the personal parts of it are the ones that can make you sometimes feel really isolated. They're sometimes really hard to describe. And they're also the things that are really, really unique that you might seek to present.

your own perceptions as a parent and as like a human being. And I think the reason why my own book life form and this new collection that I added pieces to, which is notes to new mother, it's like for me, I just like, I feel like it's so important to have as many different styles and as many different examples as possible, not just so that like more of us can connect, but that like you can get out of your own rut of personal definition. Yeah. Like I always want to be offered different ways to define myself and to not get stuck in an old definition that maybe I put on myself because I'm hard on myself or I'm critical or

I know, whatever. But yeah, I guess I just didn't realize that my view of my own mom would change so much once I became a parent. Yeah, exactly. Jesus Christ, you worked so hard. I called my mom the other day and I said to her, I was like, mom, did you used to go at the beginning of the school year and weed out all the clothes that were stained and didn't fit me anymore and then put my back to school shopping clothes like in my drawer for me because I didn't do it.

And I thought of it because I had just done it for my own kids. And I was like, oh my God, I did not see her do this. had no awareness. But like, I also didn't have a dresser filled with 18 years of clothes. So someone did it. I know my dad didn't do it. But I just wanted to say, I'm really deeply moved by your book. So I'm glad.

I am really excited about these books. And I think. Well, we'll definitely share them with our listeners and put little swipe ups on where people can get them. And, you know, a mother's journey never ends. I was just home with my mom, who's 88. and we were doing some laundry. And I said,

Mom, do you remember that one time? Because my mom's pretty even-kill. And I was like, you remember that one time? You were so frustrated. And you just started throwing everyone's laundry down the hallway. And we both just started laughing. And we don't even remember what it was, but I'm sure none of us were doing our laundry

and it was all piling up. And so she just had it. But you just see them as just such, just real people, you know. And I think as she's getting older, all those moments of us just like laughing our butts off about some moment, you know, it's just like pile the treasures and keep them close, you know? Oh my God. My mom is somebody who like, I don't think she's not like a big comedy fan. Like she doesn't like need that. It's just like not her deal.

Like I'm not offended by it at all. It's just that's not what she goes towards. She's just, you know, she doesn't even really watch TV at all actually. Or like she'll watch like masterpiece theater. But to get my mom to laugh, it's just rare. It's just so rare. And I've tried directly to like make her laugh and maybe that won't do it. But my sisters and I were talking about like I ended up at a very expensive dollhouse store with my daughter recently.

And it like blew my mind and I felt like very upset about it. That it was just so expensive. And I just was like, this is not how much this stuff costs. Like it doesn't. It just it doesn't. I'm looking on Etsy. It doesn't cost this much. And I felt very upset about it.

I was telling my sister's like, man, it was just. like crazy. And all I said was, I remember one time when we went with Nana and Papa to the dollhouse store on the Cape and I really wanted this miniature glazed Thanksgiving turkey. And my mom, she did a spit take. Like she's spit out. She was like drinking sangria. I mean, maybe that's why it happened. But like to make her laugh, it was so gratifying. And now generally I just, I'm like, I just want to do nice things for my mom. I didn't. understand how much pressure she was under at all. I definitely didn't understand. Yeah. We were going to ask you like some questions if like you watched the office if there was a

character you identified with. I just have something that I really need you to know. And I've said this to Ed Helms, but you know, like I watched the office when it was on TV. I always loved it. It always was perfect to me. There was one point where I auditioned for it and I didn't get it. What role? It was like, do you remember Dwight? He has an intern. But I don't remember, I don't remember what the name of the part. I just remember being like, oh my God, this is a huge deal. And then not getting it like, but I, yeah, always loved it. Always.

I'm always the person like watching it like on a plane. You know, like, I'm just like, I know all the episodes and I'm still watching it. But it had a complete renaissance, a complete new meaning, like complete new power for me and my husband. because when I had my daughter, which was December of 2020. So I was pregnant for the whole start of the pandemic. Like I gave birth in a mask. My family was there. Like I, you know, we were really, really by ourselves.

But every day at like 4.45, we would be like, and the walking part of the day is over. We're done. We're getting in bed. And we would like order takeout. and we would watch the office. And it was, like, many new parents just like, I was so tired. I was so anxious.

I was really happy to be doing what I was doing. But, like, it was a lot. And to be able to laugh that hard and, like, we craved the show. Like, we were just looking at the clock being like, it was 4.30. Can we get in bed? And we watched season after season.

We would watch so many episodes tonight. We would watch it until, like, like, one of us just put the baby in her little, snoo thing. And like, and we like, just, it soothed us to sleep. But then if we fell asleep, we would go back and we would watch the episode that we fell asleep. But it was the most comforting, rejuvenating thing.

And like it truly gave our family so much joy. And I really like thinking that my daughter, when she was like first in this world, heard me and my husband laugh so much. And it is because of the show. And I know that's so cheesy, but it's really true, really true. And it just means. so much to meet your work and the show. And I love it so much.

And thank you. Thank you. My gosh. That's so wonderful. It's really real. Do you have a favorite episode or character that you particularly gravitated toward? Oh, my God. I mean, I have like a niche secret favorite.

You know Mark Prosh, like him in the warehouse, like when he's just like, that character is just like really. kills me, but I mean, I don't know if people say this. It's really, really, really, really, really hard to pick a fave. But, I mean, I'm like a big Michael fan, even though he often makes me feel really upset and uncomfortable. I also love, like, the episode where he and Toby, like, Toby sort of tricks him into doing, like, kid therapy. Yeah. You know that's like, he's like, I forget that that Michael's stepdad's name, but like Michael's like, my mom, like she spent a lot of time with Jeff. Jeff.

Yeah, it's Jeff. Oh, who's Jeff? And they're like playing a board game and it's like, Jeff's, I mean, he's okay. Like, it's just so funny. I mean, I don't know. They're all, they're, the CPR episode where Kelly starts dancing. That is such a funny joke. The episode where Andy says beer, beer me a water.

Well, you do have an office connection through Mike Scher because you, you know, we're on Parks and Rec. Can we talk about Parks and Rec for a hot second before we let you go? I love Mona Lisa. Money, money, money, money. Money, please. Mona Lisa. And just, I mean, I know so many people have talked to you about that. Don't be suspicious.

Don't be. But I, you know, like, there's some things that come on. You're just like, I'm going to watch that. And I've watched it a gazillion times, but I'm going to watch it again. because it makes me laugh every time. If I am scrolling anywhere and that comes up, I'm like, like it makes me so happy every time. Oh, I'm really glad.

That part was written for me by my friend Joe Mandy. He was like, I wrote a weird part where you come and do it. Like I never certainly didn't expect that to be a thing at all. And I really enjoyed it. And like I am sure they have like 20 million hours of just garbage like stuff that hit the cutting room floor because Ben and I would not shut up. Like, we just couldn't stop. Also, I didn't even get to like the Angela and Pam of my favorites, especially like Angela's

trists like her uptight trists with Dwight. Like those moments are just, especially just because physically you're so tiny and he's so tall. Yeah. You know? Also, there are so many funny Pam moments, but like the episode where you go across the Coles, which is more of a dramatic one, like, this. that makes me cry so much.

And like when you tell Jim that like you used to be best friends and you're not anymore and then it ends in the kiss, that is one of the best episodes of TV. Just to say, I love it so much. God damn. We were very lucky. We were really lucky.

When like Michael has a lot of pairings, you know, that like offset him. You know, like there's Michael and Dwight and there's, you know, like, and Michael and and Holly and like the Michael and Pam of just. Pam, like just really having to take it in and often having to do things that are just so inane. It's so satisfying. Like that just takes an insane amount of nuance and talent. And anyway, I could like truly talk to you guys about this forever. Well, thank you so much for saying all of that.

I really related to something you said at the top, which is like, I never saw myself as the bitch. I always am like, hey, guys, what's going on? Hi, hi, y'all. And so when I got cast to that, it was so surprising. My mom says I either play the bitch or the weirdo. She's like very eager for me to play someone like, I guess. I don't know, whatever. But, you know, Jenny, you can come back anytime.

Anything you want to talk about, come back. Because this is so fun. Thank you so much for having me. It's like really, really a highlight of my experience here on Earth that I got to do this. Well, thanks so much, Jenny. Jenny, thank you so much. Oh, my God. I really, really appreciate everything.

Thank you for having me. Yes. Hugs, hugs, hugs. And we'll share all the things. Okay. Okay. Cool. Bye.

Bye. Well, that was just so fun. Yeah. Everyone, please be sure to check out Jenny's new movie Forgotten Island in theaters now. It really is a lovely story about friendship. I loved also, by the way, how she said her character might be considered a baddie. but I love how she approached the role with such heart and thoughtfulness. And you know what, you guys?

We'll be sure and share about it in our Insta Stories. And I'll also share where you can get Jenny's new book, Life Form, and the book of essays about, Notes to New Mothers. I'm going to remember that book this coming Mother's Day. That is a great idea, lady. Mm-hmm. All right, everyone. Thanks for joining us, and we'll see you next week.

See you then. Thank you for listening to Office Ladies. Office Ladies is a presentation of Odyssey, and is produced by Jenna Fisher. and Angela Kinsey. Our senior producer is Matt Beagle, and our audio engineer is Sam Kiefer. Odyssey's executive producer is Leah Reese Dennis.

Office Ladies was mixed and mastered by Bill Shultz. Our theme song is Rupertree by Creed Bratton. Things are about to heat up. Southern heat, crispy, crunchy, chicken sandwich. No, sushi. Saddle up for something spicy. Introducing the Nashville hot chicken sushi roll by Bento. Find it in a grocery store near you.