Marcel the Shell' s Jenny Slate and Isabella Rossellini Bonded While Filming on Italian Star's Farm

getty (2)

Isabella Rossellini admits she didn't know much about Jenny Slate's Marcel the Shell character before signing on to voice his grandma in the new movie based on the popular YouTube series.

"When I was asked to do it, I was not familiar with the YouTube phenomena," Rossellini, 70, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue. "But it was interesting to see that something that started so small on YouTube could find a way to be a feature film. And then I mentioned to my children I was asked to work on Marcel the Shell, they went berserk. They knew it very well. They said, 'You got to do it.'"

For more Jenny Slate and Isabella Rossellini, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

So she did. Rossellini grew more familiar with Marcel and his Nana Connie as work on the film progressed. The Blue Velvet actress also got to know Slate, 40, who originated and voices the beloved character.

a24

"When we started to do this, we were totally strangers," ­Slate, who recently welcomed daughter Ida, says. "There's not as much sitting around as you have on a movie set. We really recorded all day. But when you spend time with someone like that, you get to learn little bits about their lives and their backstory. And that was really a nice thing to be able to do; kind of a blend of work and building a personal relationship."

RELATED: 'Our Sweet Gal!' Jenny Slate Welcomes Daughter Ida Lupine: 'Being a Mother Is Such a Joy

Working on Rossellini's farm on Long Island, N.Y. brought the two even closer. In fact, Slate calls it "one of my favorite parts of the production."

"In the movie, we tried really hard to use natural sound. So if we were in the bathroom, we'd record in the bathroom, and when we were in Nana Connie's garden, Isabella was really kind to us to let us come and record on her farm and let us see that special place," Slate explains. "To be able to be invited to someone's precious space that they have to keep doing this art was really meaningful."

RELATED VIDEO: Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling Rollerblade in Neon at Venice Beach While Filming Barbie Movie

Slate also received a crash course in farm life when she encountered a boar whose tooth needed to be filed. "It was the biggest pig I have ever, ever seen," she recalls.

The Italian actress explains that boar need to have their tusks filed in order to keep them from puncturing their eyes or cheeks. "The vets will come and give them the injection so they go to sleep and then you saw the tooth," Rossellini says. "It doesn't hurt them, but it is a big to do."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Still, Rossellini appreciates life in her intimate Long Island community. "I discovered that I felt less lonely in a small community than in town, because in town you can go to party, you can go to dinners, you can do all that, but the everyday relationship is anonymous," the Emmy nominee says. "You don't know your neighbor. There is a kindness. It's wonderful."

Slate, who lives in Massachusetts with her husband Ben Shattuck and their daughter, agrees.

Samantha Burkardt/Getty

"My husband owns the general store in our town and I know most of the people that shop there. I've never really had anything like that before, and it makes me feel so cared for," she says. "The feeling of neighbors, this idea that you all live close to each other, that you find beauty in the same places, that you get your food from the same places and know each other's dogs — I have found that to be the biggest treasure."

RELATED: Jenny Slate Says She Accidentally Invited a Complete Stranger to Her Wedding: It's 'So Awkward'

The Saturday Night Live alum enjoys her family's regular walks along the beach, especially watching her daughter discover the water. "It's so sweet, because she's so small and mighty, and she runs with her tongue out," Slate shares. "She just loves having this space. That's been a real joy."

Rossellini spends time with her family on the farm in Brookhaven, N.Y. "My daughter is now running the farm, so this has become really a nice way to be together," she says. "And the moment we are the most busy is Fridays and Saturdays, when New Yorkers come to the weekend. So that's our ritual."

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is in theaters now.