Conversations with Gillian Jacobs of LOVE

Q&A with Gillian Jacobs of LOVE. Moderated by Mark Peikert, Backstage Magazine.

A natural talent, with a striking presence and undeniable energy, Gillian Jacobs is one of Hollywood's most vibrant young actresses. Jacobs can currently be seen in the new Judd Apatow television comedy series Love, starring opposite Paul Rust. Love follows Mickey (Jacobs) and Gus (Rust) as they navigate the exhilaration and humiliations of intimacy, commitment, and other things they are hoping to avoid.The series has been picked up for two seasons and will be released on Netflix. Love is currently in production on Season 2.

Upcoming, Jacobs will be seen in the new Mike Birbiglia dramatic comedy, Don't Think Twice, starring alongside Keegan-Michael Key and Kate Micucci. Don't Think Twice revolves around an improv group that loses its lease on its home theater at the same time that one of its cast-members gets chosen for the biggest sketch-comedy show on television. Additionally, she was seen in the comedy Dean, directed and starring comedian Demetri Martin. Dean follows Dean (Martin) who impulsively leaves his home and recently bereaved father (Kevin Kline) and meets quirky, free-spirited Nicky (Jacobs). The film premiered to great acclaim at Tribeca 2016 and went on to win the festival’s Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature.

Jacobs was also seen in the fourth season of the HBO hit series Girls as fan-favorite Mimi Rose Howard, the multimedia artist who doesn’t agree with Hannah’s (Lena Dunham) interpretations about art and challenges her ideas.

Jacobs made her directorial debut with The Queen of Code, a documentary short film about Grace Hopper, the computer scientist and high-ranking naval officer. The short premiered on Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight website on January 28, 2015 as part of the Signals docuseries, where filmmakers use data analytics to explore stories across political, economic, science, lifestyle and sports domains.

Previously, Jacobs starred in the critically acclaimed comedy Community, which just finished its sixth season. She was nominated for a Broadcast Television Journalists Association award in the category of "Best Comedy Supporting Actress" on behalf of her performance as “Britta.” Additionally, the show won a Broadcast Television Journalists Association award in the category of "Best Comedy Series" in 2012.

Jacobs’ previous film credits include Mike Bender’s Black or White, which debuted at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival, as well as Steve Pink’s Hot Tub Time Machine 2, which she starred in opposite Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Adam Scott and Chevy Chase.

Making its debut at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, Jacobs starred in the film Life Partners opposite Leighton Meester and Adam Brody. The film follows a co-dependent friendship between two very different girls - type-A Paige (Jacobs) and lesbian slacker Sasha (Meester) who have made a pact that Paige won't get married until Sasha has the same legal right. All is fine until Paige meets Tim (Brody), a young and charming doctor and as this relationship heats up, Paige and Sasha have to learn how to work Tim into their friendship.Magnolia Pictures released the film on iTunes/VOD on November 6, 2014 and in theaters December 5, 2014.

She was seen in the Blumhouse Production thriller, Visions opposite Isla Fisher and Anson Mount, as well as Brothers in Law which is produced by Lorne Michaels, starring opposite Taran Killam and Rita Wilson. Jacobs was seen in the film, No Way Jose, a coming-of-middle-age comedy directed by Adam Goldberg.

Her other film credits include The Lookalike, Walk of Shame, The Big Ask, Bad Milo!, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Seeking a Friends for the End of the World, Helena from the Wedding, Richard Kelly's The Box, Choke, which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and won a Special Jury Prize for "Best Ensemble Cast" and Gardens of The. Additional credits include the Yahoo! webseries Tiny Commando created by Ed Helms and co-starring Zachary Levi and Tim and Eric's Bedside Stories.

Her theater credits include Phillip Seymour Hoffman's The Little Flower East of Orange opposite Ellen Burstyn and Michael Shannon at the Public Theater, A Feminine Ending at the Playwrights Theater and Adam Rapp's Cagelove at the Rattlestick Theater.

Jacobs received her Bachelor of Fine Arts at The Julliard School.