Interview: Laura Benanti on the 'Joy' of Filming a 'Raunchy Comedy' Like NO HARD FEELINGS

Laura Benanti is hitting the big screen in one of this summer's raunchiest comedies.

No Hard Feelings, the new film starring Broadway alum Andrew Barth Feldman and Jennifer Lawrence, debuts in theaters this Friday, June 23.

In the film, Maddie (Lawrence) discovers an intriguing job listing: parents looking for someone to "date" their introverted 19-year-old son, Percy (Feldman), before he leaves for college. To her surprise, Maddie soon discovers the awkward Percy is no sure thing.

Benanti teams up with Matthew Broderick to play Percy's wealthy helicopter parents in the film.

BroadwayWorld caught up with Benanti to discuss what drew her to the film and her "full circle" moment with Feldman. Plus, the Tony winner teases the upcoming season of The Gilded Age and her Sondheim dream role.

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Starting off, what initially drew you to this film?

You know, I love Jennifer Lawrence. I love, obviously, Andrew Feldman and Matthew Broderick. It was a really funny script. You know, it's like a '90s raunchy comedy, which is something I've never done before. Any chance to sort of be in a comedy is a good one and to have like a important role or an integral role in a very big-budget movie is exciting and not something I get to do every day.

I feel like a lot of the online conversations surrounding the movie is people saying, "Finally a movie for the summer that we can go see in theaters and just have fun and enjoy it and laugh with no high emotional stakes." What is it like to let loose and film a movie like this?

I mean, it's a joy. It's like what I got into this business to do. I've played a lot of sad moms and that's hard, because you got to go into work and just cry. To go into work and laugh and make each other laugh, it really doesn't get better than that, at least in my estimation. That's what I like to do. So yeah, I was just like so happy to be a part of it.

You mentioned Andrew Barth Feldman playing your son. What was it like working with a fellow Broadway vet?

He won the Jimmy Award which is like, you know, the Tonys for high school kids around the country. I hosted that the year that he won! I've known that he is a gem for a very long time. So I was just excited. It felt kind of like a full circle moment. Here he is in advance of like this basically like huge undertaking for him. You know, he's like starring in a movie with Jennifer Lawrence. That's a huge deal. So to be a part of two really big life-defining moments for him has been really nice and it made me actually feel like his mom.

I love that full circle moment. Did you have any advice for him? Or do you just kind of let him do his thing?

I don't give people advice unless they specifically beg for my advice. You know, I think in general we are an advice-giving culture and I just feel like the people will ask if the people want to know.

I remember being a young person and having everybody and their mother give me advice and not listening because I didn't want it. So I try not to do that. Although, I likely should have listened to most of them.

It's been a joy to see you on screen these past. I love seeing you with Amy Schumer, it's fun on The Colbert Show. What do you enjoy most about your film and TV work as opposed to being on the stage?

You know, being on stage is my great love but my great love means I only get to put my children to bed once a week. So that has been a challenge for me. You know, and if the right thing came along, it would be a discussion I have with my husband and it's asking a lot of my family. So for me, getting a chance to use my brain in a different way, to use a different set of acting skills and to be with my family on weekends is really worth it.

You're also going to be in the new season of The Gilded Age. Can you tell us anything? What was it like filming the new season?

It was it was a really fun experience, you know, obviously I walked onto that set and there's you know, one million of my friends. So for that alone, it was a really amazing experience.

You also reunited with Matthew Broderick on Love Letters a couple weeks ago. What was it like working with him again and this time on the stage?

I feel like I've known him for a hundred years. I don't know why. He's just one of those people where I'm like, you and I must have known each other in a past life. He's just so easy to be around. He makes me laugh so hard. He's such a dummy in the best possible way. I think he's a really wonderful actor and a very easy person to be around, which as I get, you know, older, is more and more important to me. I don't wanna work with jerks.

Speaking of what you would want to work on in the future, I know you spoke a little bit about the challenges of being on stage and what would bring you back. Is there something you have in mind? I know there are rumors of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

You know, eventually I would love to do A Little Night Music. I love Sondheim and that's a role that I've always wanted to play. Maybe in a few years. Although I do think shows are getting younger and younger, so who knows? I feel like every time I see a cast, I'm like, "Oh, wow, they're so young." So I would like to do a Sondheim show. It's always a reason to come back for me. I also love to do straight plays. So if there was a straight play with people I admire and who are nice.

For me, it's really about a more limited run. My daughter is six now, she goes to school and I live in New Jersey. So I would really only see her in the morning, which is not enough for me. That's not to disparage anyone who makes that choice in any way, let me be clear. Just for myself, I would want to just do a shorter run of the show if I did it.

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Watch the trailer for No Hard Feelings here:

Photo: Jenny Anderson

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