Alison Brie Talks ’Happiest Season,’ ’Promising Young Woman,’ and Making Art that Matters [The Fourth Wall #26]

As we entered 2020, there was arguably no actor poised to have as monumental of a year as Alison Brie. With an already diverse body of work ranging from period dramas to comedies, animation, video games, indie darlings, and more, this year especially feels like a snapshot of everything she's strived for her entire career thus far. She has four acting credits across such films as "Horse Girl," "The Rental," "Happiest Season," and "Promising Young Woman" while also spending time behind the camera directing an episode of the Disney+ docuseries "Marvel 616" and producing and co-writing the script for "Horse Girl." Since her dueling breakout performances in "Mad Men" and "Community," we've always known Brie was someone who refused to be put into a box, and it's that exact drive that's made her such an excitingly unpredictable talent on screen and a force of versatility. However, simply being original and different isn't enough for the 37-year-old actress. At this point in her career, it's imperative that the projects she selects stand for something and helps spark a conversation that reaches as many people as possible while advocating for progress.

"I definitely feel like I want my work to be about something important," says Brie. "But at the same time, you want it to go down easy. I know I have a better time processing information often when it's also entertaining."

Brie's latest, "Happiest Season," definitely falls into that category being the first Holiday romantic comedy centered around a gay couple. The film follows Harper (Mackenzie Davis) and Abby (Kristen Stewart) as they venture to Harper's family home for the holidays. Along with meeting her partner's parents for the first time, Abby is planning to propose. However, complications arise when Abby discovers Harper's not only kept their relationship a secret but her sexuality as well. For all of it's Yuletide camp and charm, "Happiest Season" is a rather earnest exploration of family acceptance and being true to who you are, something that wasn't lost on Brie when joining the project.

While "Happiest Season" makes for essential festive viewing this time of year, Brie will close out 2020 with Emerald Fennell's bold and ferocious Oscar contender, "Promising Young Woman." As Brie puts it, "it's a Me Too revenge thriller, but it just has such a dark but fun sense of humor." Since its premiere at Sundance back in January, the film has been garnering a passionate response from audiences and is sure to lead the charge in having a larger conversation about the sexist culture that turns a blind eye to the mistreatment of women. It's a project that, as soon as I mentioned, Brie was visibly eager to discuss.

During my conversation with Alison Brie, we not only discuss "Happiest Season" and "Promising Young Woman," but also what Christmas with her family is like, the future of Netflix's "GLOW," and much more.

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