Anna Faris is opening up about her complicated feelings on her career in the past year — and how her sobriety has shifted her mindset.
“I really started to notice and appreciate if and when people recognize me, they would usually smile thinking about something f***ing stupid I did onscreen,” Faris, 49, said on the Thursday, August 20, episode of the “Dear Chelsea” podcast. “I really started to notice that and absorb that.”
The comment led host Chelsea Handler to ask, “Do you think that has to do with not drinking? Because I know you stopped drinking. Maybe that lit that up a little bit.”
Faris confirmed she did feel that way, sharing that it was “one of the many gifts” of being sober.
“Turns out there’s a correlation between drinking and depression, for me for sure. I had to take a step back and not self-sabotage,” she said, adding that hormone patches also helped her.
Two months prior, Faris got candid about the reason behind her surprising exit from the sitcom Mom in 2020.
“I do think the intensity, towards the end, I think I started to lose my focus,” Faris shared on an episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast in June. “I never had a job — I mean, besides waitressing — for over three months before.”
The series aired from 2013 to 2021 and centered around mother Bonnie Plunkett (Allison Janney) and daughter Christy Plunkett (Faris), who are recovering addicts. One year before the show ended, Faris made her departure.
“It was a complicated time,” Faris said. “I think I should work it out, probably on more podcasts. … I’m always hesitant to really chew into my experience on Mom because seven years is a huge chunk of time. And filled with any chunk of time that seven years gives. And being a part of an intense, amazing project.”
She continued, “I have people that come up to me … and I feel really moved that I have touched lives.”
At the time, fans were surprised when Faris announced her exit. The season 8 premiere showed her character receiving a “full scholarship” to Georgetown Law in Washington D.C., far from her home base in California.
“The past seven years on Mom have been some of the most fulfilling and rewarding of my career,” Faris said in a statement to Us at the time. “I’m so thankful to Chuck [Lorre], the writers and my amazing castmates for creating a truly wonderful work experience. While my journey as Christy has come to an end, allowing me to pursue new opportunities, I’ll be watching next season and rooting for my TV family.”
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