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The new comedyBabeswas born in the shower. Stay with us here. Executive producer Susie Fox reportedly had a vision while showering. She saw Ilana Glazer, the genius behindBroad City,starring in an offbeatfemale-driven buddy comedy. The story would involve two best friends, both in the throes of motherhood. Glazer loved the idea so much that she and Fox brought it to co-writer Josh Rabinowitz (Ramy), with whom Glazer worked with on her hit seriesBroad City.All they needed was a director who understood how to make an irreverent comedy celebrating female friendships and motherhood.
Enter:Pamela Adlon. The award-winningBetter Thingscreator, who also starred inCalifornication,was ready to take on a new project when the script landed in her hands. But not just any project. She wanted one that was fiercely funny and, most of all, emotionally messy.
Babesis all that and more. Glazer costars alongside Michelle Buteau (of TV’sSurvival of the ThickestandFirst Wives Club) in a salacious romp that follows lifelong pals Eden (Glazer) and Dawn (Buteau) as they both move through differentstages of motherhood– Dawn entering Round Two; Eden going at it alone after getting pregnant from a one-night stand. In this exclusive MovieWeb interview, Adlon tells us whyBabeshad all the winning ingredients for a great comedy and chats up her return toKing of the Hill,voicing the character of Bobby. Read on or watch the interview above.
If you appreciatethe raunchy humorin hit movies likeBridesmaids, Bad Moms,andTrainwreck, Babeswill grab you.Adlon delivers a wildly entertaining in-your-face comedyabout female friendships, motherhood, and, in turn, friending and mothering. And all the calamity that comes with it. When asked what made her say yes toBabes,Adlon said:
“It was perfect timing because I was in post on the final season ofBetter Things. I read the script, and I knew who Ilana was, obviously.The script had all the elements of all the things I like to play with in comedy… like body dysmorphia, the women friendships, the dark, hairy, raw, gross stuff,and the love, and the heart. And to put it all in New York City, and I get to infuse the way I see things into New York City as a character.”
The way Adlon sees things is unique, in fact. While working onLouie,the FX seriesshe starred in and wrote for,she nabbed four Emmy Award nominations for the comedy and landed two Writers Guild of America Awards.Better Things,another FX outing, showed us a broader view of Adlon – this time as the independent woman, the mother, the fiercely creative voiceover talent (in the show), something which mirrored her own life.
Adlon, who has three daughters in real life, co-created that series and wrote, produced, and directed many of its episodes. Brilliantly funny,Better Thingsalso ran deep. Adlon receivedtwo Emmy nominationsfor Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy, and the show won the coveted Peabody Award. Long before that, Adlon had been voicing the character ofBobby on the animated seriesKing of the Hill, a role for which she garnered an Emmy Award. (More onKing of the Hillin a moment.)All that filtered into how Adlon wanted to shapeBabes.
Ilana Glazer’s Script for Babes Was Real and Raw
Much like she did with Los Angeles inBetter Things –spotlighting the city in such a way that it became a character within the show–Adlon says she was “able toshoot New Yorkfor New York." She adds how she appreciated working “with these acrobatically talented comedy magicians” to “harness that energy and be there for them, do my thing, and bring them down to a place… to tell these kinds of stories that I didn’t have when I had my first kid or my second or my third.”
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Another reason she took on the project was because of “how important it is when women tell the truth to each other, and to be able to guide everybody in this film. To do that was really an incredible opportunity for me.” Ilana Glazer’s script was also an opportunity to bravely open the box on subjects and candidlydiscuss women’s bodies, emotions, and distinctly original journeys as females. Adlon tells us:
“[Babes] opens the box – literally. I think about my career as an actor and then now, my career as a director, a producer, writer, and it really matters that it’s not just a ‘thing’ [when taking on projects] … that people forget what a show or a movie is about; that it has an impact.I want it to be evergreen; things that people will revisit over and over again.This is something you really hope [for]… that heart. Scary andedgy kind of comedywith teeth and grit that’s unafraid because it is so loving, and it earns all of that, so it can be the norm.”
On Returning to the King of the Hill Reboot
Calling allKing of the Hillfans. Thelong-running animated comedyfrom creators Greg Daniels and Mike Judge ran from 1997 to 2009. Four additional episodes aired in syndication in 2010. The story revolved around Arlen (Judge), a strait-laced propane salesman in Texas who deals with the wild antics of his family and friends. He’s also trying to keep his son in line.
King of the Hill: The Funniest Episodes, Ranked
Well, dag-gone, man, I’ll tell you what. King of the Hill has some of the funniest animated television episodes of all time.
That would be Bobby,who was voiced by Adlon for 258 episodes. After many years of speculation, Hulu announced last year that another iteration ofKing of the Hillis on the way, arriving some time in 2025. To which Adlon shared:
“We’re in the second season [creating] the reboot, andBobby is 21. He’s a chef in a fusion restaurant in Dallas. And it’s been incredible. It’s just been really fun. I think it’s been freakier for Mike and Greg to think about Bobby going from 12 to being 21 and having a relationship and being a person. But don’t we all go through that with our kids and our friends' kids? It is shocking when I see my friends' kids and they’re all grown up. And I’m like, ‘Wait a second, what just happened?’ So, it’s just a little bit of a mess.”
But “messes” are good. Stay tuned forKing of the Hillupdates. Look forBabesin theaters May 17. Watch the trailer below.
