‘How to Make It in America’ star Lake Bell discusses comedy cliques, directing + moving to New York with Vulture

Lake Bell is a woman of many talents. After having starred in TV shows like How to Make It in America, The Practice, ER and New Girl, as well as a number of movies including Pride and Glory and No Strings Attached, the beautiful New Yorker has recently turned to directing, heading behind the camera for a few episodes of Rob Corddry‘s hilarious Childrens Hospital, which she also frequently stars in. Ticking another box, Bell is also a budding journalist. And she used to model — truly a woman of many talents.

Catching up with Vulture, the 33-year-old recently discussed her new role as a director, being a comedienne, and moving to New York.

Shedding some light on her approach to directing, the multi-talented actress explained her techniques. She said of her directions and instructions to actors:

“Sometimes ‘less poop’ sometimes ‘more poop.’ Sometimes ‘less farting.’ Just kidding. It’s easy. I’m working with the funniest people I know. So just setting up shots and making sure that people feel good, and moving quickly and efficiently. And once you’re in the scene, there’s an allowance, after you get a few good takes, for a mini-improvisation. You let it happen and if it’s too silly then you’re like, ‘Okay, we don’t have time for that shit, so let’s get going.’”

Having teamed up with the likes of Corddry, Ken Marino, David Wain and Jonathan Stern on Childrens Hospital, Bell became one of the latest inductees of the comedy clique. Explaining how she infiltrated the crew’s inner circle, she said:

“I came from fuckin’ drama school conservatory training in London. I was doing dramas and shit like that. I did some comedy, but that’s not what I was trained to do. I enjoyed it almost like a hobby. And I did mostly dramas when I first came out to Hollywood. But I did Miss Match with Alicia Silverstone, which is a Darren Star show, which is the first comedy that I got cast in. And I just enjoyed going to work every day and exercising the muscle of silliness. It just felt right to me. But yes, I do think [the comedy world] is very cliquey, and initially I found it quite intimidating. But when Corddry asked me to be part of Childrens Hospital I thought it would be a safe, nonjudgmental forum to work out that comedy muscle.”

Click here to read Bell’s full interview.