Interview: Gillian Jacobs Issue #44

She outwits Joel McHale and serves up great comedic Community service for all of us

By Caroline McKenzie
Published: September 1st, 2010 | 3:00am

Pay close attention to the recent film Solitary Man and you’ll spot Gillian Jacobs—who stars as the neurotic but well-meaning Britta on NBC’s quirky sitcom Community—sans her signature blonde locks. For one uncredited scene she chopped her hair off and dyed it black, all for the chance to work with acclaimed actors such as Michael Douglas and Susan Sarandon.

The move may sound extreme, but her risk-taking seems to be paying off—big time. Case in point: The Juilliard grad’s comedic turn in Community, in which she has proved she can hold her own alongside comedy heavyweight co-stars Joel McHale and Chevy Chase. “I always wanted to do comedy, but I had a hard time convincing people to give me a shot. Thank God Community came along and I don’t have to play prostitutes anymore,” she says with the same deadpan humor that has made Britta memorable.

And the challenges Community presents go beyond mere comedy versus drama differences. During the show’s successful first season, Jacobs undertook everything from tap dancing while dressed as a teapot to action sequences with a paintball gun in tow. “There’s an absurdity to the show,” she says. “We exist in a world in which anything can happen week to week, and that pushes me in so many ways.”

Jacobs’ up-for-anything attitude holds true in her burgeoning film career, as well. She’s racking up a slew of indie credits, with roles as varied as her Community high jinks. In the forthcoming Helena From the Wedding, a dark look at a floundering marriage, she plays the titular character, a British model—which she says was “a fun stretch,” noting that she’s “short and American.” Jacobs has a part as a Wisconsin waitress opposite The Pacific’s James Badge Dale in NoNAMES and stars as a troubled divorcee in Watching TV With the Red Chinese, due out later this year. “I enjoy different kinds of roles, especially if it’s something I’m not quite sure I can pull off,” she says.

In her rare downtime, Jacobs has been exploring her new hometown of Los Angeles (she relocated from New York)—hiking in Runyon Canyon, perusing Sunset Boulevard’s Book Soup, and expanding her live music horizons. “I definitely listen to a lot more country in L.A.,” she says, referring to the Merle Haggard show she recently saw at the Crystal Palace. California living has also, quite literally, influenced her taste. Inspired by ultra-healthy local cuisine, the kitchen rookie has taken up cooking for the first time. “I’m slowly getting into it,” she says. “I’ve fallen in love with quinoa, and I’m having an affair with kale.” Looks like her let’s-try-anything spirit shines through on and off the screen.