Here's why Busy Philipps hasn't acted much in the last few years
Hey, TV and movie execs, are you listening? Busy Philipps is still available for the right project.
The Freaks and Geeks alum explained Monday on social media that, while she’s only done a handful of projects in the last few years, she’s willing to go in front of the camera again under the right circumstances.
“I’ve been saying I’m retired from acting which is pretty much true except it’s also basically a lie, similar to what I told people after Birdie was born (and for years after) that I was ‘ONE AND DONE,’” Philipps wrote. “But the TRUTH IS. I am now just a CONDITIONS MUST BE PERFECT actor.”
She outlined the kind of work that meets that standard, explaining that they come as a request from someone she loves or admires; require only a day or two away from her daughters, 11-year-old Birdie and 6-year-old Cricket; and do not require her to work with “a**holes.” “In rare instances, a stupid amount of money could cancel out” the other requirements, she added cheekily.
While Philipps loves her craft, she said, the business of being an actor “wears on your heart and soul and it is never ending.”
“The network and studio system doesn’t really work for everyone,” she continued. “Cause it’s kind of a lot of people trying to justify their jobs so many times (obviously not always!), artists and writers and creators and actors see their stuff taken away from them and made into something that wasn’t the vision. Or aren't even given a shot to begin with!!! Anyway. You know. Tough Business blah blah blah.”
In May, Philipps wrapped up her own late-night talk show, Busy Tonight, on E!, after having launched it in October 2018. Acting has been less frequent for the Dawson’s Creek alum, though she did appear on the shows Camping, Drunk History, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and in the movie I Feel Pretty during that time.
She said in her post that she’s grateful that social media has allowed her to take such a stance. Philipps, who has two million followers on Instagram, is known for her funny, candid posts on the platform.
“I love the power that social media has given back to artists. I really do. It’s incredible to have a direct line and dialogue with the people you want to make stuff for,” Philipps wrote. “And in that respect, conditions are ALWAYS perfect, and so for me, it’s turned into the purest expression of all. And being able to monetize that has given me the ability to be a CONDITIONS MUST BE PERFECT actor AND simultaneously let me figure out how much I love being myself and feeling stories that way and so THEN the trick becomes how do I get to do THAT without having to be at the mercy of a system that doesn’t work for me!”
Actresses, including Kat Dennings and Hannah Simone, were among those who praised Philipps for the message she shared.
“I love this so much,” Dennings wrote.
Simone commented, “All of this.”
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