DORÉ

You may know Jenny Slate from her career in comedy with her starring role in Obvious Child, which seems more relevant today than ever. Or maybe you recognize her voice from animated classics like Zootopia or The Secret Life of Pets. She’s an Atelier Doré favorite!

I recently met up with Jenny at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles. She was promoting her latest movie, Gifted, which comes out tomorrow, April 7th. She’s incredibly articulate, engaged, warm and just as funny as you’d expect her to be. Let’s catch up with Jenny…

[podcast_episode episode=”250673″ ]

On what her close friends call her…
Most of the people in my life call me Jerry. I love a nickname. It’s such a sign of intimacy and inclusion.

On what she wishes her name really was…
My name is Jenny and it does suit me because it’s always reminded me of like a bouncing rubber ball, very energetic. I talk about it in my stand up, but I love the name Susan and have always felt that my name should be Susan and I look like a Susan. So I feel like a secret Susan.

On her dad identifying as a poet even when he wasn’t writing…
It actually really helped me because it made me feel this feeling that’s like, you are an artist all the time if that is what is within you, even if you’re not doing your art right then. That it is always waiting to be activated in one way or another.

On not avoiding mistakes…
My parents exposed me to a really interesting variety of films. Usually films where it was a woman and she was up against a challenge but she used her intellect and freedom to make the mistakes that she needed to make in order to get what she wanted. Mistakes never seemed like something to avoid. It just seemed like being active was the most important thing and you’ll make mistakes, but restriction, repression, those are the things that lead to you to make mistakes that are harder to recover from.

On the movie Gifted…
It’s nice to slip into something that’s a little bit more traditional. When I think about some of the literature I read in college, the things I loved the most were the pieces that were in a traditional form, but breaking them a bit. That is my zone. It’s that Yeats, T.S. Elliot zone. We’re so aware of the traditional forms, but we’re breaking the rhythm and introducing new imagery because that’s how you create life, you break the soil, you break upwards. That’s how I felt about being in this movie.

On balancing a public and private life…
It’s so hard. Because isn’t it delightful to talk about the ways in which our hearts are set aflame?! It’s so exciting! When I was a little girl, I wanted to be an actress and to be in love. That’s all I wanted. I was one of those little girls that saw people french kissing and stared at them like a crazy person!

On making lasting friendships with people on Gifted…
Obviously Chris because he and I dated for a while, and we were friends for months before we dated, and we’ve made a really beautiful friendship. And Octavia and I, as well. I hardly call anyone on the phone, and I call Octavia on the phone and she also calls, she’s good on the phone.