Alison Brie Reveals The One Role Of Hers That Her Family Absolutely Hated
Alison Brie's family is not a fan of one of her most recent roles.
After rising to prominence in cult comedy Community and prestige drama Mad Men, Brie has become one of Hollywood's most sought-after actresses, from her leading role in Netflix's (sadly canceled) wrestling series GLOW to her voice acting in the streaming service's dark animated comedy BoJack Horseman. 2020 proved to be an unexpectedly busy year for Brie, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the actress appeared in multiple buzzy movies — including Hulu's Happiest Season, Netflix's Horse Girl (which Brie also co-wrote), and the Golden Globe-nominated drama Promising Young Woman.
However, according to a recent interview, Brie's family had some pretty strong reactions to her role in Happiest Season, where Brie plays the overbearing, competitive Sloane Caldwell, who is unnecessarily vindictive and cruel to her closeted younger sister Harper (Mackenzie Davis). Here's why Alison Brie's family absolutely hated watching her play Sloane in Happiest Season.
Alison Brie's role in Happiest Season was unpopular with her family
In an exclusive with Digital Spy, Brie always tries to find the basic humanity in her characters... but unfortunately, her family couldn't find anything likeable about Happiest Season's Sloane.
"You have to start with what's on the page," Brie said. "Whoever is casting me in the role, that's their vision. That's their story that they're telling. So it's always going to start with my core, basic, acting character work, you know, in terms of like: who is this character? Who is this writer and director saying that this character is? And from there, how do I find a through-line to myself and to how I can sort of relate to this character, and empathise with them, and not judge them?"
However, Brie's family apparently didn't see any good in Sloane. As Brie revealed, "The character in Happiest Season I think is a great example, because so [many] people watch that movie – like family members of mine – and they're like, 'Wow, you're such a bitch!' And I'm like, 'I don't see her that way! Look at the way that her parents treat her. Look at this marriage she's in.'
"I feel like I definitely do a lot of my own work to try to understand the women that I play, and why they are the way that they are," the actress concluded.
Brie is certainly a talented performer, and her difficult, extremely flawed characters in both Happiest Season and Promising Young Woman prove her range... even if her family hates her darker side. Happiest Season is streaming on Hulu now.