Dan Levy and Rashida Jones on a Possible Schitt's Creek Movie and Post-Pandemic Plans
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Dan Levy and Rashida Jones have a lot in common. Both starred in critically acclaimed, hit comedy series (Schitt's Creek and Parks and Recreation), both are writers and directors, as well as actors, and both grew up with famous parents (Eugene Levy for Dan, Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton for Rashida). It makes sense, then, that the two multi-hyphenates also happen to be friends.
T&C virtually sat down with Levy and Jones through their partnership with the Citi Custom Cash Card. Unsurprisingly, the pair have an instant, electric rapport, and are just as funny as they appear on screen. In our conversation, Levy and Jones discussed their future plans, the importance of taking breaks, literal tree-hugging, and, yes, the possibility of a Schitt's Creek movie.
Read the full conversation below:
T&C: Dan, I wanted to start off with you—I saw that Annie Murphy hinted at a Schitt’s Creek movie. Is there any possibility of that?
Dan Levy: That pesky woman! No, not right now. I hope eventually. Listen, I love everybody so much. I love Annie, even for hinting at that. We had such a great time making the show and I think if the idea is right, I would love to explore what a movie could look like. But, I don't have that idea yet. I'm still searching for it. So, my fingers are crossed, but I also think you need to give people a little time to miss you. So, I'm taking some time and we'll see what happens in the next couple of years, but my fingers are tightly crossed.
I wanted to ask you both, what is the next project you’re each working on that you’re excited about?
Rashida Jones: You tell me. I don't know. What is my next project? I don't even know. Is that so lame? I really don’t know.
It’s not lame! You’re living life spontaneously.
RJ: Exactly. I am exactly that. That is my newest project—to very slowly crawl back into post-pandemic life and learn how to socialize again, and, hopefully, how to work again. You know, my project is me.
DL: That's a great project.
RJ: Thank you.
DL: And you’ve done such great work on that project.
RJ: Thank you!
DL: I love that project.
DL: I've been doing something really similar. I think when you walk away from something that people seem to really like, the first instinct is to feel that pressure to do something immediately after it. I think there was such a freedom in saying to myself, take some time; take time to develop things; take time to think about what you want to say next, and not be pressured by an industry that makes people feel like, if they if they take six months off, they'll become irrelevant. And, really bet on yourself.
So, for me, I've been developing a few things quietly. I don't love to talk about things before they're ready, because there's so much uncertainty in this industry that I would hate to jinx anything. But, I have been taking a lot of time to figure out what's next and exploring everything from animation to drama and everything in between. So, I'm excited to see what comes out of that process, but, until that happens, [I've been] been making the conscious choice to just focus on what [I] want to say and how [I] want to feel, and if you're in a good headspace, I think you can do good work. So, I'm also spending time on me.
In talking about new projects, you’re both multi-hyphenates of sorts. You write, direct, and act. Going forward, is there a component of entertainment you’re trying to steer yourselves towards?
RJ: I'm going to focus on my dance career. [laughs] No, I'm just kidding. But I just love the catchall of entertainment, because when I think of that, I think of hookers, like people who are actual entertainers who get out there and entertain the crap out of you. You know? I feel like what I do is more, I don't know, public-facing self-effacing or something. I feel it's very lucky that I get to balance and move between different things: writing, acting, producing, directing. And I think I will maintain that search for balance. I don't want to pick one thing if I don't have to, so we'll see how it goes.
DL: It's an interesting thing, because I think each project speaks to you in different ways and it's about figuring out what I'm right for and what I'm capable of. Almost to a fault, I always want to make sure that I'm the right person for the job. Sometimes when you are somebody that can do a bunch of things, people automatically assume that you can do them all, and that your skills will lend themselves in all areas to a project. One of the big questions that I ask myself when things come along is, "Is this something that I feel like I would feel confident directing? Is this something that I would feel confident writing?" Sometimes, it's a project that I would love to act in, but I don't think I'm the best person for the job when it comes to directing.
So, for me, [choosing projects is] being realistic with myself in terms of what I can offer something, and making thoughtful choices that hopefully will benefit whatever the idea is. But at the same time, to what Rashida said, there's such a nice balance in being able to do a bunch of things, in being able to offset an acting experience with something like sitting down and starting to write, or to write something, and then to figure out a directing component, and all of those sorts of incredible things that offer the brain a whole lot more to think about. Finding that balance and the comfort in what's next and what part of myself do I want to bring to the table.
What are you most excited about as the world starts to open up again?
RJ: Definitely travel. Actually, truly walking through a store and browsing. Browsing feels luxurious, because I haven't done it very much. Just happening upon things. Everything has been so contracted and insular, and so when you do leave your house, and you do do something, there's testing and fear and all this stuff. So, the idea of meandering and happening upon something sounds really nice. That's very vague, isn't it? Incredibly vague.
DL: I think the exploration of what life used to be like. I think all of us have come through this experience realizing there was a lot that we took for granted. Simply walking down the street, for example. In the early days of travel, I took a trip to Big Sur from Los Angeles about a month and a half ago and even something as simple as getting in the car and going somewhere else—going to the forest. Over the whole course of this pandemic, I had just this incredible urge to, quite literally, hug the earth, to re-connect with the planet. And so, I drove to the to the Redwoods and just hugged a tree for an afternoon.
RJ: That is so sweet!
DL: I felt so disconnected from life and I felt like our planet was in such a strange, tumultuous place that to physically connect with the earth felt very important to reset and restore. So, I think even the idea of travel—I'm someone that always loves to plan trips to look forward to. I learn so much when I travel. I get so inspired when I travel. But also realizing that those kind of inspirational travel opportunities, within the confines of our own limitations right now, can be something like driving outside of your city and looking at a mountain or looking at a tree. There's something so rejuvenating about getting outside of your everyday experience. And that is something that I think, in all of this, a lot of us forget that we have the ability to get on a bus or get in a car or get on—not on a train or maybe not on a bus—I don't know, depending on where you're living. Or even walking somewhere that is new, to just remind yourself that things are going to be okay.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
You Might Also Like
