Rashida Jones, welcome to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
(chuckles) The Daily "Show-cial" Distancing Show?
-Is that what we're calling it? -The Daily Social
-Distancing Show. -Oh, I think it should be called
The Daily "Show-cial" Distancing.
In the United Shtates-Shtates of America.
(both laugh)
Well, I-- You know what, I can call it anything now.
You-- I can name it what-- We can call it--
For this, it can even be like, "Welcome to The Rashida Jones
Daily Show Social Distancing Show."
-"Show-sil" distance. -Social, "show-sil,"
sho-- social on the shore.
Welcome to-- Either way, welcome to the show.
Thank you. (chuckles)
Uh, I'm surprised you even have time to do this, to be honest.
You-you are easily one of the most active people
I have ever come across in my life.
It'll be like, I turn on Netflix.
Oh, Rashida Jones is in blackAF.
I'm like, "Oh, that's cool." Then it's like,
oh, Rashida's also gonna be directing episodes of blackAF.
Then you're like, "Wait, she's directing?
Isn't she directing other things?"
They're like, "Yeah, sometimes director--
"She's directing, like-- whether it's ads
or movies or other TV shows."
And then it's like, oh, she's writing other--
So for somebody like you who's always doing something,
how have you handled doing so much nothing
during the pandemic?
Well, the weird thing about me is,
although I like to do things,
it's not like I have to be with other people.
And, in fact, I sort of prefer being with less people.
I'm not... I'm not like a... I'm not an extrovert.
I might pose as an extrovert sometimes,
-but I really like time alone, so... -I see.
I miss dancing with my friends, I have to say.
-Right. -I miss, like, an occasional, like,
just, like, an epic night out.
But, you know, most nights aren't epic.
They're just, like, weird, perfunctory, social,
-uh, sometimes work-related. -(laughs)
So, I'm happy to eliminate that level of going out.
You know, I just miss, like, hugging my friends
and dancing, mainly.
I think one of the things that people have always loved
about you is, um, the roles that you play.
It always feels like there's a little bit of Rashida in them,
but you've you got... you've got...
You know, you've got a range of characters
and a range of personalities.
But one thing people have always loved about you
and your repertoire is-is your comedy,
you know, whether it was Parks and Recreation,
or whether it was, like, Angie Tribeca, it's like
you know, you've always... you've always had that charisma
in the world of comedy. It's... You're a natural.
That's-that's what you are.
You've got a new movie coming out now, um,
with Bill Murray,
one of the comedy legends of all time.
And, um, it's interesting because, in this movie,
you're playing more of a straight role.
Was that easier or harder for you,
especially when you're in scenes with Bill Murray?
Well, I do tend to play the straight role.
Like, that's been... that has been my cross to bear
for better or for worse for the past, you know,
15 years of my career.
I get to be the kind of sane, thoughtful, pragmatic friend
or wife or girlfriend or daughter now
of, like, the kind of zany person.
-You know, I'm the voice of reason. -Right. Right.
But, you know, and I do feel like
there's a certain skill set to that, but this is, yeah.
This is the very, very pared down version
of the straight man, because I...
You know, Bill plays my father, who is this larger than life,
very charismatic figure who has a lot of opinions
about men and women and relationships
and monogamy and sex, and I just listen.
I just take it in, and I listen, and sometimes disagree with him,
but it's no more than, like, you know,
an eye roll or a head nod.
Um, but it's great.
I mean, who doesn't want to sit and listen
to Bill Murray theorize all day?
I mean, that's just a joy as a human being, let alone an actor.
It's a... it's a great premise, as well.
I love the idea of this daughter and-and father
who are on this journey to try and catch the husband
who they believe is cheating.
Um, it's-it's an interesting way to connect.
Like, it's an interesting bond to form
between a daughter and her father.
What did you... what did you like about the project?
Well, I love Sofia Coppola,
and, um, and I just think she's such a... a force.
She has such a unique aesthetic
and perspective as a filmmaker,
and I've always wanted to work with her,
and have worked with her a little bit.
So, you know, anything that she's doing I'm interested in.
But, you know, I...
You also don't see movies like this very often.
You don't see movies about adult women and their fathers.
Like, that's just, like, a weirdly unexplored territory.
I just loved this idea of, like, you know, that-that bond,
and being a daddy's girl myself, exploring, like,
how that bond can sometimes be a bit of a hindrance
in terms of, like, your personal development.
Like, I think this character has to learn
-how to not listen to her dad. -Right.
After all these years of respecting him
and listening to him,
she's got to be, like, "You know what?
I got it from here. It's my life."
So, and I love that, 'cause I've never seen that before.
Another thing we don't see often anymore is
human beings, um, socializing like crazy in New York City.
And I'm not gonna lie. It was triggering for me.
I feel like you should put a warning out before the movie.
Because I started watching it, and I was like,
"Oh, On the Rocks. This is gonna be fantastic.
Bill Murray, Rashida Jones. Here we go. This is fun."
-And then all I saw was New York pre-pandemic. -I know.
And for the first, like, 20 minutes of the movie,
I'm like, "Why are these people hugging each other?
Why are people...? What-what are these people doing?"
-It's weird. -Is it weird when you watch it back now?
-Yes. -It's a different world.
It's a different world. Like, I-I...
Anytime I watch anything now, I'm like,
"Don't touch. Where's your mask? I mean, wash your hands."
But especially, like, with this movie,
because we filmed it right before
you probably couldn't really film anymore.
I mean, we finished in July. It feels instantly nostalgic.
Um, we're just... We're kind of, like...
didn't know how carefree we were actually... actually being
by, like, you know, traipsing the streets of New York City.
Um, but, yeah, it is strange to watch.
And there was a couple of things, actually,
that we had to talk about afterwards,
because Bill had this whole thing
about how people wash their hands too much,
and immediately, it felt dated
where, you know, we just couldn't just say that anymore.
-Right. Right. -You know, in this new era.
So, yeah, it's weird. It's very strange.
Before I let you go, there is one thing
I have been meaning to ask you for a very long time,
and I just haven't had the opportunity.
It is about an episode of Black Mirror
that you wrote-- "Nosedive."
And now I know a lot of people don't know episodes
by the title, but it was an episode about a woman who lived
in a society based around people judging other people
and determining their success or failure in life.
I remember watching it going, "Huh.
"Of all the Black Mirror episodes,
this one is the least realistic."
I enjoyed it, but I was like, "This is the least realistic."
I was like, "This won't happen. I think it's more likely
"that you're gonna have, like, the robot bees killing people.
Ah, this seems a little bit crazy to me."
And then, social media really kicked into gear,
and now we do live in a world where you're one tweet away
from your career being taken away,
you're one moment away on Facebook
from your family canceling...
It's-it's become so extreme.
Did you prophesize this based on things you were seeing,
or did you just think to yourself,
"This would be crazy," and then it happened?
Well, I can't take any credit for that,
because Charlie Brooker, who created Black Mirror,
is an island of genius, and I don't use that word lightly.
So, he really come...
I mean, he's the... he's the hub of all of these horrible,
but very realistic prophecies, because so much
-of what he's written about has come true, sadly. -Right.
Um, but I did, you know...
I begged him to work on the show,
and he brought this idea to me and-and Mike Schur,
who created Parks and Recreation and The Good Place,
and I, you know, I asked Mike to write it with-with me.
And the truth is, I relate to this so much, and felt like
I could bring some perspective to this because,
as somebody who lives a little bit in the public eye,
-you sort of are in that world anyway. -Right. Right.
I mean, you are depending on somebody's feeling about you
to have a career in some sense.
But-but also, while we were writing it,
uh, Charlie and Annabel, our producer,
were sending us articles
about how they were already doing this rating system
-in other places in the world. -Oh, yes, yes.
Which I won't name, but-but that was already happening
while we were writing it.
We were, like, "Is it too...?"
"Is it not going to be futuristic enough
by the time it comes out?"
But, yeah, now it really feels
like we're so tied to people's perception of us in a social way
that's going to actually impact our finances
and our ability to move in the world.
It's-it's messed up.
But I do feel like people are now starting
to really understand
that they're stuck-stuck in that cycle
in a way they didn't before.
Well, I-I watched the episode again, and I was like,
"Man, this is, um, a little too real for comfort."
I feel like I owe this-this episode an apologize.
Yeah, I owe it an apology, and I owe Rashida an apology,
but I also owe Rashida gratitude.
Thank you so much for joining me on The Rashida Jones
Daily Shocial... Shocial Distancing Show.
Shocial. Shocial Distancing Show.
And, uh, I hope to see you again soon.
-Thank you so much. Nice to see you. -Take care.