Busy Philipps interview: ‘Girls5eva’
There are so many jokes per minute on “Girls5eva” that it’s easy to forget about them — even when they’re on your body. In the second episode of Season 2, Summer (Busy Philipps) finally — and publicly — splits from her husband Kev (Andrew Rannells), which also meant she had to tweak her lower back tattoo. “Summer hearts Kev” became “Summer hearts Kevin Bacon‘s Filmography.”
“I forgot they put that tattoo on me and I went to get a massage and the lady was freaking out because as soon as she put the massage lotion on me, it started rubbing off, and she’s like, ‘Oh, no! Something is happening! Is this a new tattoo?’” Philipps tells Gold Derby (watch the exclusive video interview above). “And I was like, ‘Oh! Oh, my God, oh, my God.’ How do you explain? How do you explain?”
While the tattoo made for a hilariously awkward moment (no shame in stanning Kevin Bacon’s filmography though), on the show it marked a major turning point for Summer. The “hot one” of Girls5eva known for her feminasty phrases, Summer is finally learning to be independent and look out for herself after being neglected for years by Kev in their long-distance marriage. Season 2 also introduced Summer’s super religious parents, Kris (Amy Sedaris) and Chris (Neil Flynn), who want their daughter to take a chastity vow until her second marriage. Summer bails on the chastity ceremony at the last second, not wanting to be put in a box.
“One thing that Meredith [Scardino, the creator] and I talked about starting in Season 1 was that I kinda came in with the idea of doing the affected voice that we all know. And we started to discuss in the second season, now that she’s realized that maybe things don’t have to be the way that they’ve been, do we lose it at times? How do we play with that? That’s been part of the process as well,” Philipps explains. “I love to see Summer take ownership of her life and stand up for herself because I think that she’s a person, a character, who has had a really hard time doing that her entire life. Even when you meet her parents, you see how tough it is. You know those grown women who when their parents come around are like, ‘Mommy, daddy.’ And you’re like, ‘I’m sorry, you’re 40.’”
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After being compliant with Kev’s wishes last season, Summer stands up to him multiple times in Season 2, including in the finale. When Kev tells Summer she can’t go on tour because he, a weekend dad, doesn’t know how to care for their daughter Stevia (Penelope Richmond), she puts her foot down and tells him he needs to step up, showing him how to make the only meal she knows how to make, a salad.
“What I think is so great about this show is… there’s been a real trajectory for all of the characters, for all of these women. It’s not just that they’re sort of stuck in their comedy character shtick and we just find them in new situations behaving the exact same way,” Philipps says.” That was always kind of the idea too that a lot of what was holding Summer back was there’s that theory that people can sometimes get stuck at the age they became famous at. They’re sort of a little bit stunted in that way in their growth. That was part of what I thought the journey for Summer could be on the show and I think that was also in line with what Mere and all of the writers thought as well.”
And now that Girls5eva is on tour, who knows what kind of hijinks a newly single and independent Summer could get into. Philipps is game for anything, and while that aforementioned tattoo was not real, the actress did offer to get a real thread lift for the fifth episode that sees Summer get stuck to the recording studio wall after having the procedure done.
“I said, like, ‘I’ll do it. It’s not permanent. I’ll try it.’ I don’t think it’s a permanent thing and I have thick skin. This is too much information. But I was like, ‘Look, I’m never gonna be Christian Bale. I’m not ever gonna be ‘The Machinist’ or whatever, like losing 110 pounds for a part. I would try to get those strings put in my face if that was something that we felt like I needed to do,'” she recalls. “Anyway, the joke is funnier the way we did it, I think, because we used very old-fashioned movie star tape, which is an old Hollywood movie star trick. It’s this tape you put on the side of your face and then it ties back behind your head. Between that and the makeup… we really were able to give it that look of like, having something done to my face.
