People have a sense of humor, even if it's not a good one, and everybody has stakes.

I don't think I've ever signed onto anything as quickly as I did The Hollars, because I come from a really loving, well-connected family, where we see each other all the time. And when I was done with this script, I was like, "Oh my god, that's my family!" This is obviously a very dysfunctional family, but there was something about it that was sort of universal. And I think that in this day and age in today's world - there's a lot of drama out there. It's nice to tell stories about things as simple and powerful as family.

We live in a very modern age and the dynamic of raising kids and being a professional are intersecting a lot more - especially for women.

Let's be honest, you and I have probably seen a whole lot of family films - you have to do something special. Jim Strouse has the ability to write this hairpin turn between emotion and comedy that is very real. In real life, you don't have time to prepare for the bad stuff and you don't have time to prepare for the good stuff, it just sort of happens.

I grew up with the Boston vibe and the Catholic vibe. I don't want to put anybody out.

It's a big thing to feel like you're doing something that's actually affecting people.

Always trying new things is always more fun, and it can be scary, but it's always more fun in the end.