The What’s Your Number? actress played Cindy Campbell in the first four movies in the horror spoof series.

Asked if she would like to return to the franchise, Faris told Digital Spy: “Yeah, I would. I feel like I got such an education making those movies.

“I loved playing Cindy. She’s so dumb. She couldn’t be less intelligent, that girl. It’s really fun for me to play that role.”

On whether she had been approached by producers to appear in the sequel, she added: “No, not yet. I know that there’s the rumor out there, but I don’t know what’s going to happen with that.”

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“We would love to have kids someday,” the What’s Your Number star, 34, told PEOPLE recently as her husband, who plays Andy on Parks and Recreation, 32, stood at her side and nodded in agreement.

“We want a family for sure. Chris wants a big family.”

Even though Faris says her and Pratt’s desire to have kids is “mutual,” it isn’t really possible at the moment.

“It’s timing,” she says. “It’s so hard in this industry.”

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Brett Berk: Anna! I’m so happy to talk to you again. I’m dying to see your new movie, What’s Your Number? If I remember correctly from our last conversation, in this movie you play a woman who’s unemployed, promiscuous, and drinks too much. Was there ever a time in your life when you fell into all of those categories simultaneously?

I think I’m still in that period! Wait. [Answers a knock on her hotel-room door.] Sorry. I just got room service. Want to know what I got? Chicken fingers. I always order off the kids’ menu because I totally am a child.

So the pop-psychology conceit of this movie is that if a woman has more than 20 partners—that’s the “Number” of the title—she’s unlikely to ever get married. I don’t want to be so crass as to ask what your number is, personally, but is it in the double or triple digits?

I think it’s five.

Five?!?

I know. Don’t you think that’s low?

Um, yes. You’re a beautiful, talented Hollywood star. You’re ruining the world’s fantasies!

Here’s the thing. I was a super-late bloomer. And I had headgear. I didn’t lose my virginity until I was 17. And then I was in two really serious relationships. Then I had a one-night stand. Then I was in a marriage. Now I’m in another marriage.

But in between the marriages, there must have been something?

Nope. I tried. I’m just . . . I don’t have a good understanding of my own sexuality. I can’t believe I’m admitting that to a journalist. Is that going to be the headline? I think it’s more that my parents were very conservative—very liberal in their political beliefs, but very conservative in everything else.

Was it religious?

No. The weird thing is, they’re both kind of atheists. I think they just didn’t want me to grow up too fast. I’m telling you, if you do not want your daughter to lose her virginity, you just get her some headgear.

So is Chris Evans a nice guy or a total vain asshole?

He’s the best. I adore him so much, and we became really good friends. But then, what was incredibly annoying was that Chris Pratt—my husband—and Chris Evans became, like, best buddies.

Ew! Not fair. You don’t want to be triangulated out of that.

Exactly. It was the most frustrating thing. I had the fantasy that they would fight over me. I wanted my husband to be like, “Back off, man.” And Chris Evans to be like, “Dude, she’s funny. She’s fucking cool as shit. You need to appreciate her.” Instead, they were going out clubbing together in Boston, while I was shooting and having to get up at, like, five in the morning.

What? There are no clubs in Boston!

There are, but you do not want to go to them.

Well, you’ll just have to think of another project that you can work on with Chris Evans. Maybe a romantic comedy?

I agree. But I would end up stuck in the annoying best-friend role. Because it would be, like, Megan Fox and Chris Evans.

You could play Megan Fox’s mom! I mean, she looks like she’d be the offspring of, like, a truck-stop prostitute who had her when she was 13.

You know, I’ve always had a fantasy about playing a hooker.

You’ve never played a hooker?

You sound so surprised. I want to play a meth-head hooker. That was essentially the original pitch for House Bunny. I was like, I want to play this totally damaged, ex–Playboy Bunny who’s addicted to meth and has to move back to her Christian town and live with her abusive father. I pitched that to the writers, and they were like . . . Or maybe you’re hot and you go to a sorority.

We need to pitch Meth-Head Hooker, stat! Last question. I noticed that Blythe Danner plays your mom in this movie. When you were doing a scene with her, did you ever get the feeling that she was watching you and thinking, That’s not how Gwyneth would have done that?

No, I didn’t. But now I do! But years ago, I was being interviewed for something, and they asked, What comedic actresses do you admire? And I always change it up, but this particular time, I said, Blythe Danner. And apparently she read that. And she said that she doesn’t take a lot of projects anymore, but that she wanted to take this movie because I said that about her.

Who knew that these interviews had such power? Well, let’s lay the groundwork here. Who else do you want to work with?

Can we go for, like, a Judi Dench? I just worked with Sir Ben Kingsley on The Dictator—the new Sacha Baron Cohen movie—and he’s so formal. Lovely, but completely intimidating. And he was always like [affects British accent], “My leading lady. How are you?” And I was always like, “I’m a leading lady? You really think so?

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A young woman panics after reading a magazine article claiming people who’ve had 20 or more unsuccessful relationships have an almost zero chance at finding true love.

Anna Faris stars as a woman who is stunned to learn she’s been way more sexually active than any of her friends.

“I thought guys were the only ones who got together and say ‘this is what I did,’” said Chris Evans. “Girls do that just as much. Girls share just as many details and they are just as raunchy.”

“Yeah you don’t want to know what goes on sometimes,” said Faris.

Evans co-stars as a neighbor who volunteers to help with the quest to find all her old exes to see if one may have been the one that got away.

“If you were dating someone I’d never ask what their number is, that was then and this is now,” said Evans. “How many times have you been in love? How many times have you been in a relationship? I would not ask, I might want to know, but I wouldn’t ask how many people you’ve slept with.”

The film’s sexual subject matter did make for interesting conversations on the set.

“We were all very open,” said Faris.

“I don’t think there was any subject not breached,” said Evans. “We got along and it was a fun cast.”

The film’s R rating also let the cast enjoy a freedom that comes with pushing the ratings envelope.

“I don’t think you want to be gratuitous, you don’t want to swear for no reason,” said Faris. “But I think, especially as a woman, it gives you a lot more room.”

Faris’ real life husband, Chris Pratt, plays one of her former boyfriends. And you’ll also see Blythe Danner and Ed Begley Jr. as her parents.

The film is in theaters on Friday.

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PHOTOS: Fall movie preview

“I quit acting in college,” she revealed on The Late Show with David Letterman Tuesday. “I just didn’t think it was practical.”

“Well, it’s not practical,” the 64-year-old host agreed. “For a few lucky folks, it is quite lucrative, but not practical.”

Faris decided to give acting one more shot after realizing she lacked sufficient typing skills. “I don’t really know how to do anything with computers,” the What’s Your Number? actress laughed. “I had no other options career-wise!”

Luckily, Faris’ parents encouraged her to pursue her dream of becoming a movie star.

“I don’t know why they were so supportive, but they were. Although I don’t think they wanted me to go into spoof comedy,” the Scary Movie actress laughed. “My mom wanted me to be like Amelia Earhart or Joan of Arc. Lofty! Instead I’m queen of spoof comedies.”

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If she were a candy, Anna Faris would be a SweeTart.

She appears angelic, batting those wide chocolaty eyes and reverting to a faux-breathy, beatific voice to discuss whether she made her husband, actor Chris Pratt, audition to play one of her exes in the comedy What’s Your Number? That’s when her caustic side kicks in.

“Of course I did,” she quips, pausing for effect. “In the bedroom.”

Faris, 34, has managed to make bawdy endearing and adorable — and sweetly absurd. And she plays to her comedy strengths in this Friday’s Number, which she executive-produced. Faris is a single girl who panics that she might have bedded too many guys and, with the help of her skirt-chasing neighbor (Chris Evans), sets out to reconnect with her former paramours.

Like Ally in Number, Faris seems unaware of her own charms. “She’s completely oblivious to her own talent,” Evans says. “She’s the first person to make fun of herself. She doesn’t know how pretty she is, how funny she is or how smart she is. If she doesn’t know by now, she never will.”

When told of Evans’ praise, Faris covers her face with mock humility. “OK, come on, tell me more,” she purrs.

Faris says she was drawn to Ally because she’ll always go for the underdog. “She felt like a loser. I loved the idea of someone who was sloppy and a bit of a mess,” Faris says.

To her, they’re more interesting and relatable than the typical impeccably coiffed but inexplicably single overachievers you see in films.

“I feel that we don’t see enough (losers) in Hollywood. It’s always this woman who, if she gets drunk, it’s by accident. Maybe she’s clumsy in high heels,” Faris says. “I’m also not that girl. I have a cat that poops on my bath mats every day. And sometimes I clean it up.”

Faris taps you on the arm for effect. “Are you looking for a cat? She’s 20. She’s a catress. She’s from Stuart Little.”

She adopted the elderly cat so the feline could have pleasant, peaceful final days. And that, Pratt says, is typical of his wife.

“She had a very late growth spurt and for a long time was gangly and awkward. She had to develop a sense of humor. She’s so beautiful and talented and funny and has a heart and empathizes for the underdog.”

If anything, Faris would prefer to camouflage her physical attributes on-screen. She just spent the summer in Manhattan shooting Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedy The Dictator.

“I grew out my armpit hair all summer. Have you ever grown out your armpit hair? I hadn’t either. So when they asked me, I said sure. I figured it would be cute and maybe a little wispy and a little blond.

“I don’t know why I thought that — I bleach my hair. It was dark and 3 inches long and super curly. It was so disgusting. I would show it at parties, and people would be too polite to tell me how disgusting that looks. That was the summer of armpit hair.”

Pratt didn’t, ahem, bristle at Faris’ fleece. “It was a huge turn-on — and not because I’m attracted to armpit hair. It’s because she’s willing to go so hard for a joke. That, to me, was really sexy. She was willing to spend the entire summer in shirts that were at least half-sleeve in length — all for one gag. That shows focus and dedication.”

In the wake of this spring’s Bridesmaids, which earned a staggering $169 million domestically without a single male lead, studios are more open to raunchier female comedies, which are Faris’ passion.

“It’s exciting that things are shifting,” she says.

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Anna guests with “Jersey Shore” star Vinny in this talk show dedicated to all things ex. So what has Anna learned about love from watching the MTV reality show? “I think alcohol is a wonderful tool for romance,” she joked. “And if you call something smooshing, it sounds so innocuous.”

“What does that mean?” a confused Vinny asked. “I don’t know what innocuous means.” Looks like Vinny should stow away Merriam and Webster on his next trip to Seaside!

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What’s the most awkward run-in you’ve ever had with an ex?
When I was in college I stalked a recent ex. Just normal stuff like memorizing his whole class schedule and standing outside the classroom and pretending that it was a coincidence… like everyday.

Since becoming famous, have any of your exes come crawling out of the woodwork?
What are you talking about? I ran into a boyfriend from middle school recently and I gushed over him but he had no idea who I was.

Your husband plays a character named “Disgusting Donald.” Does Chris have any gross habits we should know about?
I’m the gross one. The dental floss never actually makes it all the way into the trash-can.

What’s Your Number is in theaters Friday, September 30th.

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This week, Faris stars in adult-oriented comedy “What’s Your Number?” She plays Ally Darling, a single woman on a quest to marry, but having slept with 19 men she feels like one more would make her “unmarriageable.” Soon, Ally learns marriage is not about numbers and love is closer than she thought.

Faris, 34, spoke with Reuters about the film, working in adult-oriented comedies, and co-starring with her real-life husband, Chris Pratt.

Q: Ally feels like one more guy in her bed means no ring on her finger. Is 20 too high or too low?

A: “When this script was at another studio, they thought 20 was too high. They wanted to make it 16. To me, I don’t know if 20 is high enough! Don’t you feel like it should be 70 or something? (laughs)”

Q: Hmmm, what are you saying? Or, more importantly, what are you implying about yourself?

A: “(Laughs) I didn’t get out into the world early enough. Plus I had (orthodontic) head gear. If you want your child to stay a virgin, put them in headgear. That’s guaranteed to keep your number down! (Laughs)”

Q: Your real-life husband, Chris Pratt, who is on TV’s “Parks and Recreation” is also in the film as one of your past lovers. How was it working with him?

A: “We worked on ‘Take Me Home Tonight’ a few years back and then we worked again on this. He plays Disgusting Donald, who is sort of the catalyst to my character’s journey. It was a blast working with him. He makes me laugh all the time. But it’s also scary. I felt a little more vulnerable doing our scenes together because I’m always concerned about what he thinks. When it’s somebody who’s really close to you, you care about their opinion a little bit more.”

Q: Out of all your character’s past boyfriends, Ally’s storyline with Disgusting Donald was the most chaste.

A: “Yeah. He’s the one engaged to a really hot girl! (laughs) I’m like, ‘Wait, you guys are going to kiss, again?’”

Q: Ah, but Ally has plenty of bedroom scenes with numerous men. How does your husband feel about you shooting those?

A: “He’s really supportive and so proud. As actors, we don’t show up on the days when the other is supposed to be intimate with another person. I wouldn’t want my husband sitting behind the cameras while I’m in bed with Zach Quinto or Joel McHale. Chris is so great about that.”

Q: You executive produced this movie. What did that entail, other than being able to cast your husband?

A: “It means I also get to pick out what kind of donuts the crew is going to eat. (Laughs) It was a really collaborative process. I was always asked my opinion. They asked me about my choice of directors, actors, wardrobe — everything. I have a lot of trust in people who are more experienced than I am.”

Q: “What’s Your Number” is rated R in the United States. After successes with other R-rated, adult-oriented, female comedies this past summer like “Bridesmaids” with Kristen Wiig and “Bad Teacher” with Cameron Diaz, are you feeling pressure to keep that streak going?

A: “It’s always terrifying. Kristin Wiig and I are friends, and I’m so proud of her. I’m so excited that there’s now this gang of female comediennes. Conventional wisdom in Hollywood was that women (moviegoers) wanted to see something specific out of women. What this summer has done is flip that on it’s head. You can’t define a gender’s sense of humor.”

Q: When you were shooting “What’s Your Number?” did you know there would be this wave or R-rated, woman comedies?

A: “When we shot this last summer, the R-rated female comedy was still dangerous territory. In the past when I’ve pitched comedies, the first question from the studio was always, ‘What’s it rated? It’s got to be PG-13.’ Now the conversation is completely changing.”

Q: Ironically, the movie that put you on the map over 10 years ago was the R-rated “Scary Movie.” Are you comfortable in this niche or do you long to break out of it?

A: “Quick — somebody put me in a biopic, please! (laughs) It was really hard for me to break out of the ‘Scary Movie’ genre, and I used to feel like I needed to do something dramatic or some weird, dark independent film to be taken seriously. But I really love comedy and weirdly enough, I love how my journey has ended up. I get to laugh all day long.”

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Your husband, Chris Pratt, plays an ex who thinks your character is stalking him.
I love working with my husband, although it’s terrifying. Like, if I don’t impress him with my acting skills, he’s going to fall out of love with me.

So it’s all over now?
No, thank God. He’s still with me.

You fell for Chris while making your last movie, Take Me Home Tonight. But you weren’t the only person he dated on that set?
I was proud of myself for being like, “Hey, I’m cool. I’m one of the guys. I can help you get some action!” Our friendship sort of grew, so when the movie came to an end, I really missed him.

That seems healthy.
Yes, but there are certain people we don’t bring up: the little redhead, or the really hot camera girl. But I remember them! Maybe six or seven months into dating—I don’t know—I asked Chris, “Hey, how many people have you slept with?” And he looks at me like, “That’s the dumbest question.” I was like, Oh, yeah. It is. To this day, he hasn’t told me.

Did you tell him yours?
My number is five and I was immature enough to be like, “Aren’t you happy that you’re with practically-a-virgin?” He said, “I’m not sure what you’re doing.”

Because if his number’s anything greater, he might look bad.
With guys it’s different. I think he could’ve slept with 300 women—maybe he has, and maybe I would think that’s kind of cool. Like, he accomplished a lot and I’m proud of him.

Do you think your character’s obsession with her number is absurd?
Completely. In L.A., twenty doesn’t seem high and the question itself is very old-fashioned, that this number is defining who you are and your morals. It’s not something I believe, although my mom probably does. She once said, “You will be a virgin until you are married.” I’m a very disappointing daughter.

The Jonas Brothers would agree with her.
Yeah, but we did some European press, and they were like, “What is this American obsession with numbers? We don’t care!”

Do you think Bridesmaids will let women be raunchier in films?
I think there was an idea that what women wanted out of a comedy was different from what men wanted. If I pitch an R-rated comedy, we’d have to revise it to a PG-13. Maybe I’m being optimistic, but I feel like there has been an audience shift that studios are terrified of.

Is it true that as a kid, you played some R-rated games with Barbies?
Yes. First there was Barbie Murder Mystery—lots of death, lots of ketchup. Then we graduated to Barbie Whorehouse. Just a lot of plastic rubbing together.

Did G.I. Joe come by?
Just Ken. G.I. Joe is smaller. We didn’t want to mess with that!

So it wasn’t anything kinky, just a regular Barbie whorehouse.
Yes. They should make a Trucker Ken or something, to serve just this purpose. With a beer belly. I can’t be the only one—I think all American girls and maybe some boys graduate on to Barbie Whorehouse.

Well, every toy is getting its movie, so maybe that’s your big franchise.
We might not be ready for that one yet.

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Faris explained, “I’m very intrigued by playing women who are much more like men: messy and sloppy. Young men that I know that I went to college with, they kind of were losers, I think the reaction to that was a lot of type-A women: the perfect shoes, the perfect job, the baby, the husband, just driven, driven, driven. Not allowed to screw up. I just want to see the women that screw up.”

Anna Faris can next be seen on the big screen, when she appears in the Mark Mylod comedy What’s Your Number, alongside Chris Evans, Martin Freeman and Zachary Quinto. What’s Your Number is set to hit the US theatres and the UK cinemas on September 30.

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One of the great virtues of the article is its rundown of the behind-the-scenes considerations involved in getting a Hollywood movie made, from the purely numbers-driven (e.g., Faris is less popular with international audiences than is Reese Witherspoon, which is why studios are inclined to meet her higher pay rate) to the politico-social: what Tad calls “the almighty Laws of Date Night,” which include such terms as “Men rule,” “Women don’t have to be funny,” and “Also, women aren’t funny.” Tad speaks with Nicholas Stoller, who directed “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek,” who says, “There’s a misogyny in audiences, a much higher bar of required likability for women stars.”

Here’s where the margins grow mighty: what Hollywood studios can, or dare, to do is necessarily dependent on producers’ sense of widely held attitudes; what independent filmmakers can do depends mainly on a filmmaker’s sense of what makes for a good movie. And when a movie connects with a crucial niche audience, the fast filtration (thanks to the world of the Internet) from the margin to the mainstream may well effect changes in popular attitudes—not because of any political persuasion or underlying social change, but purely because of the artistic equivalent of fashion and style—that would otherwise have arrived only very slowly and very gradually. I hope that Tad’s piece inspires women filmmakers to do all that the studios say they can’t—and the fact that Lena Dunham’s inspired “Tiny Furniture” has been brought under the aegis of Judd Apatow’s production company (as Rebecca Mead reported here last year) is a sign that it may actually be happening.

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“If you saw me right now, you might have a different opinion,” she says. “I’m in sweats with a baseball cap on. My hair is embarrassing. I don’t even want my husband to see it.”

He will be allowed to see “Take Me Home Tonight,” where an aimless college grad (Topher Grace) goes after his dream girl at a wild Labor Day party while also dealing with his twin sister (Faris).

“Topher brought this to me, which was hugely flattering,” Faris says. “It was a nice change, too, because I never get to play the smart, brassy character.”

Q. Just because you were the “House Bunny,” does that mean those smarter characters elude you?
A. It’s true that I get a lot of offers to play that girl. With this movie, I’ve got brains enough to spar with Topher. She’s a little sarcastic but also has a sadness to her. It was amazing to play a woman who is really frustrated in her life. She doesn’t know where to go and how to make herself a happier person.

Q. This film is set in the ’80s. What are your memories of this time? Big hair? Shoulder pads?
A. I was a young adolescent during the ’80s and had my bigger moments in the early ’90s. I was excited to wear the ’80s clothing in this movie and do the hair. But the shoulder pads were mystifying. I kept thinking, What fashion logic brought shoulder pads into our lives? Was it to make your waist look smaller or maybe it was to make your hair look smaller because it was so big in the ’80s.”

Q. What fashion statement did you make as a teen?
A. In the late ’80s when I was 11 or 12, I’d wake up an hour and a half before school started so I could devote 40 whole minutes to hairspray and curling my bangs under. I had tsunami bangs, which went so well with my big, frizzy perm.

Q. Who was your ’80s crush?
A. I have to dip into the ’90s and go with Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block. Oh, I just said this out loud and my husband [Chris Pratt of NBC’s “Parks and Recreation”] just got mad at me. Everyone loved him, honey!

Q. What’s next for you?
A. I am doing a romantic comedy called “What’s Your Number?” It’s about a woman who looks back at 20 past loves and wonders which one was The One. It’s my first rom-com and I’m excited about it, because the character is close to me.

Q. And is it true that you’ll be in “Ghostbusters III”?
A. That’s such a weird rumor. So bizarre. I feel embarrassed, because everyone asks me about it. I don’t know who posted this on IMDb, but it’s not true. That said, I’d love to be part of it.

Q. Any wisdom on how to navigate this business?
A. It’s such a crapshoot. I go home to a great husband, two awesome pugs and have an amazing family. That’s what really matters.

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“We met making this movie and we fell in love during that time,” Faris, 34, told OnTheRedCarpet.com.

“And now we’re married,” Pratt, 31, continued. “So this is a pretty spectacular moment for us, to be able to come to this movie that we met on and fell in love making, so it’s kinda neat.”

Of course Faris had to poke fun at her new hubby and asked, “What do you mean love-making?”

“Fell in love, comma, making,” Pratt clarified. “I don’t even know if it’s appropriate to put a comma there. We didn’t fall into love-making. You always do this!”

The movie follows Matt Franklin (Topher Grace) an MIT grad who chose to forgo high-paying lab job in favor of a position as a video clerk. His smart sister Wendy (Faris) is marrying her vapid boyfriend (Pratt), his best friend (Dan Fogler) just got fired from his job and his high school crush Tori Frederking (Teresa Palmer) is back in town. Franklin has one night to make things right.

Faris and Pratt also discuss why the decade lends itself to comedy and Pratt brought up the fact that the ’80s aren’t exactly fit for any genre besides comedy.

“It’s a chance for us to sort of poke fun at ourselves as a society, it was pretty embarrassing when you look at what people were really committed to wearing and being in the ’80s, I mean, it’s automatically pretty funny. I think it would be hard to do a really gritty drama in the ’80s, with someone who shows up in, you know, peg jeans and big mall bangs. You know, it’s automatically funny.”

Faris, who is best known for starring in the “Scary Movie” franchise, “Just Friends,” and “The House Bunny,” was previously married in 2004 to her “Lovers Lane” horror movie co-star, Ben Indra. The couple’s divorce was finalized in 2008, the same year she became engaged to Pratt. Pratt and Faris got married in Bali on July 9, 2009.

“Take Me Home Tonight” hits theaters on March 4, 2011.

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Brett Berk: So are you on some sort of four-interviews-an-hour schedule in the lead-up to the release of this movie?

Anna Faris: No. You’re my second and final for today. But I have a radio tour tomorrow. Those are a little brutal, because there’s always the shock jocks. They get really personal, and want to know, like, What’s your favorite sexual position?

I’d ask if I didn’t already know it. You’re, like, my second-favorite actress, ever.

Thank you! That really makes my day. I don’t get that very often.

In my opinion, you should be starring in a movie like The House Bunny twice a year.

Are you funding it? Because I think I might need some financing. [Laughs.] But I do have some good stuff coming up. I’ve got an R-rated romantic comedy coming out in September. And I’m really excited about that, because the character I play is kind of refreshing for me. She’s pretty flawed. She sleeps with a lot of guys, she drinks a lot, she’s unemployed.

I love her already. What’s that called?

What’s Your Number?

I’m going to watch for that. That’s like a black-tie event for my friends and me. Speaking of, we believe that The Hot Chick should be on the syllabus of every queer-studies or feminist-film course. It’s such a complex and hilarious assault on gender normativity.

Whoa. You know, I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about this. And I am a little surprised that The Hot Chick has had any sort of resonance. But I guess it sort of speaks to the notion that we all may be a little bisexual. You know, there might just be a hint.

My husband just got very excited.

One more about you oeuvre, and then we’ll move on. Is it possible—or even advisable—to watch Smiley Face while not stoned? (I’ve never tried.)

You know, my parents saw it, and I was a little bit worried, because my mom somehow thinks that I’m supposed to be a “role model.” But to my delight, they loved it. And they weren’t stoned—that I knew of.

So Take Me Home Tonight is like an homage to 80s-youth romantic dramedies. It reminded me of Valley Girl, one of the best of the pack. Do you have a favorite movie from that time period?

This question is a little tricky, because my parents were very strict and didn’t let me watch any movies. So I kind of skipped that period. But I was able to see them later. And I think all the John Hughes movies are great. I think that they speak to a frustration that you have when you’re growing up. And I think 80s movies dealt with socioeconomic factors a little differently than we do now. The rich kids had all of the power. And the poor kids, you know, were the ones you rooted for. And I think in Take Me Home Tonight, we touch on that same conflict.

Why exactly was Take Me Home Tonight set in the 80s?

I think because Topher Grace—who was one of the producers—is obsessed with the 80s, in a way that’s…it’s actually a little crazy. He’s got a lot of Atari gear, a lot of Star Wars figurines. But it was really important for him to not mock anything, and to have this be a grounded movie. I think some of our characters are all eighties’d-out with their looks, but for the most part, he really wanted to honor the realism and not make a spoof out of it.

I appreciated that, having been an adolescent in the 80s. But I saw it with a friend in his 20s and he was like, “It should have been more 80s.”

I think he might not be alone in that. It was a conscious effort—we just didn’t want to overdo it. The poster, on the other hand, is a little bit embarrassing, because I look nothing like my character [Wendy]. I mean, my character is a really insecure person, even though she’s got a lot of sass.

Yeah. You often play seemingly ditzy and endearingly insecure characters whose underlying genius and insight is eventually revealed. But in this movie, you play a seemingly smart and endearingly secure character whose underlying lack of insight is eventually revealed.

I think because I’m really an insecure person, I think that I love to hide behind characters, and I feel like a lot of the characters I play tend to hide behind character as well.

That is so fucking meta.

[Laughs.] Yeah. But I think playing Wendy for me was a really nice change—to feel like I could be a little quieter and a little more grounded. Wendy is a bit of an observer in the movie, and that was a nice switch.

Last question: You’re well known for your spoofs in the Scary Movie franchise. If you could spoof one of the roles that was up for an Oscar this year, which would you choose?

I think it would be amazingly fun to do Natalie Portman, because I’d love to, like, pick my skin off up to my elbows. But do you have another suggestion for me?

I’d love to see you do Jesse Eisenberg from The Social Network. But even better would be James Franco from 127 Hours. If you like picking your arm, you could have even more fun sawing your arm off.

That would be awesome. You’re so right. I wasn’t really thinking male. I should have had an open mind.

Source

Name a song that you’ve listened to in the past 24 hours?
Best Coast’s “Boyfriend.” Isn’t [Bethany Cosentino] supposed to be the coolest person in the world right now?

What’s the first album you bought with your own money?
Whitney Houston. My first concert was supposed to be Whitney in Seattle, but I was doing a play that night. I was Scout in a production of To Kill a Mockingbird. That was probably my last dramatic role.

If you were to portray someone in a rock biopic, who would it be?
Karen O. I love the way she writhes onstage. Amy Winehouse would also be a blast and could lean towards the comedic.

What was the last concert you attended?
Grizzly Bear and Phoenix at the Hollywood Bowl.

Take Me Home Tonight is named after Eddie Money’s hit and set in the ’80s. What’s your favorite song from that decade?
Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.” I must have been about eight or nine when I first heard “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” but this became my ballad. Romance, heartbreak — I knew it was all waiting for me down the line after “Time After Time.”

Is there a song that you associate with your first kiss?
I was embarrassingly old, like late 16, and I remember being enthralled with U2′s “With or Without You.” My first kiss ended up becoming my first relationship. Now this song reminds me of what an idiot I was. I blame it for those three years.

Do you recall what you were listening to the first time you smoked pot?
Freshman year of college I would hole up in my friend’s dorm room and get really stoned to early 311 albums. One afternoon, we got stuck in the elevator for, like, an hour, and the floor buttons lit up on three and 11. We freaked out. We thought for sure it was some kind of sign. I’m shocked that I graduated.

Name an album that’s guaranteed to get a person laid.
When I was falling for my husband, I was listening nonstop to Peter Bjorn and John’s Writer’s Block. It’s not necessarily a sexy album, but it was to me.

What song would you be happy never to hear again?
“Hotel California.” It goes on forever.

Whose music do you want played at your funeral?
Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens. They’re a very infectious African band that inevitably gets played at Thanksgiving and Christmas when my family’s had too much wine. Suddenly, we’re pulling back the rug and dancing. I would like to think my funeral would be a celebration, although I don’t know how people could have a good time without me.

Source

Anna dishes that she and her husband used to “sexy text” each other on Wednesdays. But one time, she mistakenly sent one of the messages to her father!

“I wrote, ‘I can’t wait to see you in bed tonight,’” Anna recalls.

When she adds that she hopes her father knew it was a mistake, a shocked Ellen replies: “What do you mean, you hope so? You’re just clearing this up now?… When did this happen?”

“I guess about a year ago. I’m sorry, Dad,” Anna says.

The actress, whose movie ‘Yogi Bear’ hits theaters Dec. 17, reveals that she put a stop to the sexy texts after a similar “close call” involving her husband’s nephew, “who’s like nine years old.”

“Now this is really going to embarrass my mom that I told you that story,” Anna tells Ellen.

Source

An interview with Anna Faris, who plays Rachel in Yogi Bear:

1. Getting involved
2. Her character
3. Mayor and the Chief of Staff
4. What audiences will see

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