Actress Jillian Bell Talks 'I'm Totally Fine'

Moviefone speaks with Jillian Bell about 'I'm Totally Fine.' "I loved the script and that it's about how none of us are in control in this moment."

Opening in theaters, on demand, and digital beginning November 4th is the new comedy ‘I’m Totally Fine,’ which was directed by Brandon Dermer (‘Flatbush Misdemeanors’).

The movie stars Jillian Bell as Venessa, who goes on a solo vacation after her best friend Jennifer (Natalie Morales) suddenly dies. However, Vanessa is shocked when she finds Jennifer alive and claiming to be an extraterrestrial.

In addition to Bell and Morales, the film also features Blake Anderson (‘Dope’), Kyle Newacheck (‘Murder Mystery’) and Harvey Guillen (‘What We Do in the Shadows’).

Actress Jillian Bell began her career with roles on popular TV shows like ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ ‘Workaholics,’ and ‘Eastbound & Down,’ but has gone on to appear in such successful movies as ‘Bridesmaids,’ The Master,’ ’22 Jump Street,’ ‘Inherent Vice,’ ‘Bill & Ted Face the Music,’ and ‘Godmothered.’

However, she is probably best remembered for her acclaimed performance in the comedy ‘Brittany Runs a Marathon.’

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with actress Jillian Bell about her work on ‘I’m Totally Fine,’ how she got involved in the project, helping to cast Natalie Morales, switching roles, the idea of having an extra day with a deceased loved one, phone acting, working with director Brandon Dermer, and her love for the rock band Papa Roach.

(L to R) Natalie Morales as Jennifer and Jillian Bell as Vanessa in the comedy 'I’m Totally Fine,' a Decal release. Photo courtesy of Decal.

You can read our full interview with Jillian Bell below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Bell and Harvey Guillen.

Moviefone: To begin with, how did you get involved with this project and what was your first reaction to the screenplay?

Jillian Bell: I loved the script. First, I heard about the idea from Kyle Newacheck, who's my buddy from ‘Workaholics,’ and even before that we were friends. He called me up and was like, "I'm trying to do this movie with Brandon Dermer who's the director. It’s about the fact that none of us are in control in this moment,” especially because the pandemic had just happened, and we were still in lockdown.

So, I said, "Yeah, what's your approach?" He told me the premise of the movie, which is so hard to say in one sentence. But it's amazing, fun, unique and different. I just said, "I would love to be in it, and let me call Natalie Morales. I feel like she would be a perfect buddy for this film." She was flawless, so I was so happy she would do it.

MF: So, you actually cast Natalie Morales in this film yourself, is that correct?

JB: Well, I had the idea of her and they were like, "Do you know her? Can you reach out to her?" I'm like, "Yeah, I'll just call her right now." So, I did, and she was painting her bathroom and I said, "Hold off on that for a minute. Just let me pitch you an idea."

I said, "Look, we are shooting this in 10 days. That's it. It will fly by, it will be emotional, crazy, messy and hopefully beautiful, and we'll get paid nothing. Do you want to do it?" She's was like, "Yes." So, she was just as wild as me.

MF: Vanessa is dealing with a lot of grief during the film, can you talk about your approach to playing the character and her range of emotions?

JB: Well, I unfortunately lost my dad 10 years ago. I was actually supposed to play the alien and Natalie was supposed to play my part, but when we were reading it, we both connected to the other one. So, we were like, "Can we pitch you an idea? Can we maybe play opposite roles?" Everybody was excited about it, thank goodness.

It just resonated with me on a deep level because I know what that grief feels like. I know what it looks like. I've experienced it firsthand, and I just felt like I'd never been able to do something like that in a movie before. So, it was a big challenge but also a very vulnerable side that I felt lucky enough to get to kind of explore and it was super therapeutic.

(L to R) Jillian Bell as Vanessa and Natalie Morales as Jennifer in the comedy 'I’m Totally Fine,' a Decal release. Photo courtesy of Decal.

MF: Has that ever happened to you before, where you switched roles with another actor right before you began filming?

JB: No, not usually. I mean, I was lucky enough to get an offer for a film, ‘Office Christmas Party.’ They wanted me to play an assistant, and I had just been doing ‘Workaholics’ playing an assistant, so I was like, "Is anyone playing the 60-year-old Russian male pimp?" They were like, "No." I said, "Can I play that role?" They're like, "Yeah." So, that's happened before luckily enough in my career, but never swapping the roles really, I don't think.

MF: The movie examines both the positive and negative effects of having the opportunity spend one more day with a deceased loved one. Can you talk about that and how Vanessa comes to terms with having to say goodbye to Jennifer for a second time?

JB: I mean the highlight is you get to spend two more days with a loved one. Who wouldn't want to do that? I think that was part of the reason I was into the premise because if someone said, "It won't be the exact same, but this person has your father's memories and looks like your father. Would you want to spend time with them?" I would be like, "Yes, in a heartbeat." I guess that's the positive.

The negative is sometimes some things are better left unsaid. I think that my character finds out things about her friend that were kept secret for a reason to protect the friendship. That's a part of a friendship. There will always be little moments where you choose to keep secrets to be kind or to protect the friendship.

I think that when you have, in this movie, it feels so weird to say but, an alien who's taking that form and is very blunt because she doesn't know how feelings and emotions work. Obviously, she finds out more than maybe my character would hope for it. The thing is realizing that not only am I saying goodbye again to my friend but to this new person or this new being that I grew to love.

MF: Can you talk about working with Natalie Morales and watching her create this unique alien character?

JB: Oh, it was fascinating. I really feel like it's such a fun choice she's making and also the arc of it is so beautiful because if you watch the movie, she starts to become more human. It's less alien and more human. I think that's such a cool choice. It's not just one thing throughout the whole movie. That's why someone like Natalie, I was like, I would love to see her take on this.

MF: What was it like reuniting with your ‘Workaholic’ co-stars Blake and Kyle on this movie?

JB: It was great. I mean, Blake had been cast and I was so excited for him to play that role, even though we didn't get to do one thing together. All our scenes are on a phone and I wasn't there when he shot it and he wasn't there for my stuff. So, we barely got to be together.

But Kyle wasn't supposed to be originally in it, we had a COVID scare on set and didn't want to bring any more people on. So, we were just like, who within this group? Obviously, Kyle would be fantastic to play this weird stranger that we meet on the road. So, it worked out for the best.

MF: Marlon Brando once said that acting on the phone is the hardest type of film acting. Did you find that to be true when shooting your phone scenes with Blake?

JB: Yeah, I actually agree with that. There is something that feels very disconnected about answering a phone and then having a big emotion. It feels so false because there's a dial tone or nothing on the other end. At least if you have someone in the other room calling and actually doing the scene with you, that could be very helpful. But it's rarely the case.

We had a scene in this movie where one of Natalie's friends called in and did the voice for her sister during the Papa Roach scene. That was a very emotional scene. So, it was really important to have someone on the other end of that phone. But if you don't, you can feel absolutely ridiculous.

MF: What was it like being directed by Brandon Dermer and watching him execute his vision for this project?

JB: It was beautiful. He is one of the loveliest humans I've met in my life. He could not be more supportive, making sure that everyone's getting what they need in the scene, he was emotionally present and answered any questions. I've never seen him flustered. He's always just got such a good attitude and really knows what he wants, and then leaves room for the creative to just flow.

He's also just behind the scenes very supportive of making sure he's connecting people with each other and making sure more opportunities come from everything, which I think is a really rare quality, especially in this industry. I don't think everyone thinks of that all the time in their off time.

MF: Finally, the band Papa Roach plays a big role in the movie. Are you a fan?

JB: Well, I will say I do love Papa Roach. I actually have a bathing suit that says, "Cut my life into pieces. This is my bathing suit." So, I love the band. I was such a geek when we got to meet them.