busy philipps in conversation with jen tullock

Two of our favorite ladies and best buddies, Busy Philipps and Jen Tullock, sat down for a bite and a convo which they share below. Scroll down for that and our photo diary of Busy wearing outfits she put together from her own wardrobe, Cure Thrift and stylist Mindy Saad. Busy can be seen in “Mean Girls” at a theatre near you or soon streaming on Paramount plus. Also check her podcast and her instagram which never ceases to amuse and enlighten in a provocative, honest, touching way. We can look forward to seeing the multi-talented Jen Tullock starring in “Severence” which has just resumed filming in NYC. Listen in to these two incredibly gifted and beautiful artists as they get bare and renew our faith in the incomparable bond of friendship.

Jen Tullock: I'm just gonna hop in with a big, existential one: What are you most proud of?

Busy Philipps: Oh god. Well, I suppose my children? It's not easy being a mother! My kids are really exceptional and interesting works in progress- as am I. Mark and I try to cultivate that. We give them the space and the freedom to be weirdos and explore what they want to explore. In some ways I wonder if I should implement more structure in their lives in terms of their interests- but we've kept both of their after school and weekends open and follow their lead in terms of what they want to do. They're just very different kids and have gravitated towards different types of things.

JT: Moving right along, what is your favorite memory from the Mean Girls set?

BP: It was a hard time for me, personally. In my press I haven't talked about this obviously, because that's not fun. But it's real. It was a really, really difficult week in my life as it was the week that my friend Kate found her cancer and went into the hospital. And it was the week that Birdie [Busy’s daughter] had her first seizure. Both of those things happened while I was on set. So often when I think about filming that movie, I don't think about filming that movie. But I felt so endlessly grateful to be around Eric Gurian, and Jeff Richmon, and Tina Fey who have become such champions of mine and have seen something in me that I had hoped somebody would see in me my entire life.

I felt so inspired to be around such young, fresh, brilliant, intuitive talent. To see these kids of this next generation, Birdie’s generation- and how they were navigating this and enjoying each other was inspiring. I've been in this business longer than the age of most of the cast. Renee just turned 24 last week! So when I was a young actor, I remember being around other young actors who didn't have the same kind of self assurance and level of gratefulness for the job. I really had such an amazing time working with them.

JT: Which leads me to my next question, while on set, did you learn any Gen Z specific lingo you care to impart upon?

BP: The biggest thing is I now know that when I posted for the movie on Instagram it was apparently too long and sentimental. Birdie asked me, “What are you explaining all this for?”, And then I looked at Rene's post and the caption is literally just, “MG”.

Necklace: Alexis Bittar Top: Mr Larkin Pants: Cure Thrift Mascara: Busy’s own by Thrive

JT: Your podcast Busy Philipps is Doing Her Best is hugely popular. How do you and Caissie keep it fresh and come up with new ideas?

BP: Well, when we first started the podcast we definitely had an agenda of what we were going to talk about. But as it went on, we realized that the best episodes were the more organic ones. We weren't doing a pop culture podcast, we were doing a podcast about all of the personal work that I do. Which is asking what it means to be a woman right now in this moment, of this generation, at this age. Once we start there then every week is a new fresh hell!

JT: Other than me and Taylor Swift, who inspires you most?

BP: Literally everyone.

JT: This is actually a great way to include one of my other questions, which is about your advocacy work. When you're working in an advocacy and activism space as a celebrity, does that involve a certain type of pressure that you wouldn't have to navigate otherwise?

BP: I would say my friendship with Caissie has been really important in terms of navigating these things. She's an incredibly thoughtful person who has lived many lives like you and me. Especially in the activism space she’ll say, “I actually don't know the answer to that- but let's do a little research and find some people who might”. Very early on in the abortion work, I had always donated to Planned Parenthood, The Center for Repro Rights, and HCLU, but I hadn't ever been out there front and center with my own story. When it felt like it was absolutely necessary to share, I so appreciated Caissie saying “100%” and also “Let's be super thoughtful about it and talk to this activist, and this person, and you should call Sarah Sophie Flicker, an activist and an organizer.” That conversation alone really gave me the tools to remember to not always center myself. Which, let's not forget, I am an actress, and also a white lady.

Dress: BATSHEVA Belt: stylists own. Sweater: Cure Thrift

JT: Double whammy.

BP: Double fucking whammy! We were just talking about this in therapy today. I move so fast and, in early 2019, as these extreme abortion bills were being passed across the country I knew I needed to talk about my abortion on the talk show in light of them. I was like, “We’ll do it tonight!”, and Caissie suggested I pump the breaks- let’s see, we don't know if there’s a coordinated response that an organization wants to have with others, we just don’t know. At that point we don't know what's going on in the activist space. My work with her inspires me. Michelle Williams, who's my best friend. Caren Spruch from Planned Parenthood, I'm obsessed with her. I really respect the people who are in the fight every single day, and are able to then disseminate information. I've been able to get in touch with people like Renee Bracey Sherman who started We Testify, which really highlights the voices of marginalized people telling their stories about their access to care.

JT: In addition to being an activist and an advocate, you're the author of a New York Times Bestseller. What have you read this year, though?

BP: My God. Miranda July's new book, All Fours. I literally have annotated it. I feel that book very deeply for a number of reasons. It deals with a woman who's on the precipice of perimenopause- and in the last year, especially, I've really struggled with my age in a way that I never have before. And being terrified about that precipice and the fall to the other side of, especially because I'm no longer married. Being in the world as a person who wants to be seen, not as an actor, but as a woman.