Magazines: Velvet

An interview from the June issue of Velvet, an Italian magazine.
SCANS:

INTERVIEW:

Velvet | People
Rashida Jones
by Manuela Cerri Goren, photos by David Slijper

In the upcoming comedy film of the year, "I Love You Man", she plays the brilliant bride-to-be. With a childhood featuring John Travolta and Michael Jackson, and a passion for food, shopping and civic engagement... meet the latest It-Girl (and daughter of the legendary Quincy).[transl.]

Read the article here (in Italian)

A roughly translated version:
Rashida had a busy morning before the interview; she did some exercising, went shopping and had brunch on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, California, a strip that winds from the freeway to the sea, with a range of shops and restaurants of a decidedly bohemian flavor. The weekend is sacred to her, after a working week where each day is spent between home in the West Hollywood hills and the studio where television series "Parks and Recreation" is filmed. ... Alongside Amy Poehler's character - so enthusiastic, so obtuse - Rashida plays the 'shoulder' she leans on, the intelligent and down to earth one, a young nurse trying to help her fellow citizens and improve the local community. She identifies with her character and thinks there is something very relatable about her. She says "I also believe strongly in social responsibility and there is no better time than this in America to try to participate in positive change."

She has a BA in philosophy and religion, an unusual background for a Hollywood actress, and especially one best-known for her work in comedies. "I love to entertain people and am proud to be part of things that make people laugh," she says. "For actresses of my age, the parts are often limited to being 'the wife', 'the friend', 'the girlfriend'. But I'm not complaining, since the roles that allow an actress to really show her dramatic talents usually arrive when you are older and more experienced. This is why I bypassed the problem by writing (and successfully selling) my own starring role in a film. It is set in New York, my favorite city. Filming there also means I can enjoy my apartment in the West Village."

Born and raised in Los Angeles in a house where dinner with Michael Jackson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar was normal, Rashida says her heroes are her Mom, Dad and Oprah Winfrey. Although she has had famous boyfriends such as DJ and music producer Mark Ronson and actor Tobey Maguire, she values someone who loves their work and family. "We are a close knit bunch," she says of her own family. "My mother taught me to identify and empathize with the feelings of others and my father to make decisions based on love and not fear. My parents are very proud of me; Dad even carries around the latest articles and press clippings about me to show everyone. People think my sister Kidada and I grew up in luxury, but while we did have a wonderful childhood, the focus was on being good people and getting a good education. I must confess that most of the time we preferred to play with our dolls rather than sit in the living room with the 'grown-ups'. The only time we were left speechless was meeting John Travolta. We were both hardcore fans of "Grease" and he was our idol... Even today, when we meet, John continues to tease me for that childhood crush."

An excellent singer and actress (who would not exclude a Broadway musical in the future), she is never without her blue iPod currently loaded with Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Kelly Clarkson, Radiohead, punk rock and opera. "Being the daughter of ... one might expect I only listened to R&B or jazz, but I have eclectic taste. For a good time I sometimes go to Little Branch in NY: they have good live music and good cocktails." Some other favorite places downtown: for brunch she likes Dell'Anima, for dinner Momofuku Noodle Bar, and for clothes Mick Margo and Steven Alan, boutiques which sell designer lines from Europe and America that aren't too well-known (or too expensive) such as Alexander Wang, VPL, Rachel Comey and Isabel Marant. If she decides to spend more she likes Stella McCartney and Derek Lam. Often photographed by magazines, Rashida knows her body and its limits (she's only 1.63 meters tall). She appreciates rich fabrics, intricate details and impeccably tailored clothes, evident today in her jeans, Converse All Stars, cashmere sweater and blazer.

"It took me 13 years to get where I am," she confesses. "But that's not to say my career is confined to just film and television. In the future there might be political activism or perhaps a return to school for a Master's degree. I love writing and could attempt more of that. I am also part of the board of an organization called Peace Games that teaches kids tolerance and rejection of violence. I feel a responsibility towards others and therefore, because people know my name and my face, it is my job to use that fame well. "Yes we can," said Obama. It is a great truth. We can all at least try to live by it."
(Posted on 08 June 2009)
Scans from the June 2009 issue via jedroot.com
Read more...

Magazines: Anthem

Here's the Anthem cover story from earlier this year. She was interviewed by her Parks and Recreation co-star Aziz Ansari and photographed at the Richard Neutra VDL Research House in LA.

QUOTABLE
Her dating horror story:
R.J.: I went on a date with this guy and then, before I knew it, he started masturbating.
A.A.: No! He was masturbating on the date?
R.J.: We were making out, and he was masturbating.
A.A.: Oh, so not, like, at a restaurant and his right hand disappears. So what did you do at that moment when you realized he was masturbating?
R.J.: I felt very violated. I disengaged and it literally became me watching him.
A.A.: So he just kept going even after you stopped making out? So you were just like, 'I'm not down for this,' and he just kept going? That's insane. That's like a worse-case scenario.

On Freaks and Geeks:
R.J.: That was a lot of fun because I got to wear a Journey iron-on T-shirt that was actually from 1980 that had never been worn. My name was Karen Scarfoli, and I was kind of a fat-ass bully.

On her younger self:
A.A.: I'm 25. What were you like when you were 25?
R.J.: I was annoying. I had a little bit of success. I was in Boston Public. I was dating a DJ. I went out a lot. Now I like quiet nights at home reading. Like a 90-year-old person.

Scans are from the Spring 2009 (#38) issue via rashida-jones.net.
Original preview post here.
Thanks to Natalie for the heads up :)

Magazines: Boston Common

Rashida on the cover of Boston Common magazine

Love Jones
From her Harvard Hasty Pudding days to NBC's Parks and Recreation, the savvy and fashionable Rashida Jones earns raves.

A true Hollywood royal, Rashida Jones has had opportunities galore to take the easy way out. Trade on her great looks. Use her parents' celebrity. Traipse through tabloids. But Rashida–daughter of Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton and sister of Kidada Jones and five half-siblings—simply isn't wired that way. This Harvard-educated actor is as disarming as the girl next door. She has also excelled as a writer, singer, songwriter, model (Triple 5 Soul, Gap), stage performer and comedian on both big and small screens.

Jones played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public and appeared in a series of indie projects before joining the cast of The Office in 2006. As Karen, John Krasinski's love interest for a season, she inherited The Office's vast fan base. In the years since she's cameoed in a number of genuinely hilarious Web series, cowritten and sold a screenplay, coproduced and cameoed in The Ten, landed her big-screen breakout role in I Love You, Man and traded laughs with Amy Poehler on NBC's new series Parks and Recreation.

And get this–she's even cooler in person.

BOSTON COMMON: Your career is full of so many smart choices.
RASHIDA JONES: There are a lot of actors who say, "I'm going to be this kind of actor." I don't want to do that. I've already found that it's so easy to be stuck in a box. I keep playing the straight guy and voice of reason, but I hope I can shake it up if different roles become available to me.

BC: You star alongside Amy Poehler on Parks and Recreation. That must be inspiring.
RJ: Amy is one of the coolest people I've ever met—the most giving, sane, unconditional friend and work partner. On top of that she's wildly talented. Not enough people give her credit for the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre, an improv theater in New York and LA she started with a few other dudes. Now many of the funniest people in the business are trained at her school.

BC: What kind of pressure has your cast felt, given the show's ties to The Office?
RJ: It's been great in one respect, while in another we want to distinguish ourselves. With TV it takes time for audiences to feel connected. Because of The Office, I think we're being given the chance.

BC: What did I Love You, Man do for you, recognition-wise?
RJ: That was a breakthrough role for me. What's crazy is when other famous people come up and mention it. Eric Bana just came up to me at the Funny People premiere and said, "I was just watching you on the plane!" In my head I'm like, You're the Hulk! You're Munich!

BC: Your costar, Paul Rudd, is getting the mainstream attention that he deserves.
RJ: There's nobody more adorable than Paul Rudd. I've known him for 12 years, which makes me feel old and awesome.

BC: Looking back, how do you remember your Harvard years?
RJ: I loved college. Cambridge is pretty damn big, especially when you're in school, but it also feels like a college town. Some people assumed I'd be a part of certain groups because of my dad, but I have nothing in common with blue-blood legacy kids. I grew up in LA and had never been in a building built before 1940 prior to studying at Harvard. Even my dorm—I'd never seen anything with that much history. Everyone else was really relaxed about it, but I was tripped out. I'd be like, "You guys, T.S. Eliot ate lunch here!"

BC: Were you an overachiever?
RJ: Honestly I wish I had taken further advantage of the activities and things on the academic side, but I dicked around for the first two years. I got there at 17, after all! Once junior year started it hit me: "Right, I'm at Harvard..."

BC: But you were in Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatricals and the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club, which is impressive.
RJ: Hasty Pudding was a great experience. My roommate, Amy Brown, and I were the first women to write the music for the Hasty Pudding in the show's 165-year history. I also loved being in an a cappella group. It's kind of geeky, but there's nothing like standing in a circle and doing eight-part harmony.

BC: There's nothing wrong with geeky.
RJ: I was actually a raver sophomore year. The Wonderland Greyhound Park would get rented out for raves, so my friends and I, we'd get 20 people together and dance all weekend.

BC: So you weren't all geek! Tell me, how does someone as beautiful, successful and intelligent as you stay so pleasant and cool?
RJ: That's sweet! I've been around famous people since I was a kid and something happens to people as they become famous, they feel like it's OK to shut down their world and become assholes. They stop accepting any dissent and hear only "You're awesome." I would like to be an exception to the rule.

BC: You seem to be, so far.
RJ: Being involved in lots of things helps. And good parenting has a lot to do with it—actually it has everything to do with it.

BC: You're often praised for being very fashion-forward. Do you follow it closely?
RJ: I'm a big fan of fashion. I love what people can do with clothes. I'm most comfortable in designers like Phillip Lim, Isabel Marant and A.P.C. But I'll supplement it with some gorgeous, fancy pieces. There's a Dolce & Gabbana skirt I love, and this Proenza Schouler jacket that's amazing.

BC: So clothes really have a lot of significance in your life.
RJ: I have an existential fashion meltdown about five times a year. I'm in constant conflict—one day I want to look like a Parisian coquette, the next a Japanese architect and the next I want to be effortlessly rock 'n' roll. There are so many options and I, of course, tend to intellectualize all of it. BC

By Andrew Creighton Stone
Excerpt from the Fall Preview 2009 Issue
Source: Boston Common

Misc: The Word XIII

Not much to post lately! According to Knope Knows, filming of Parks and Recreation Season 2 has started and besides that she's been laying low.

VIDEO
I Love You, Man came out on DVD and Blu-Ray this past week. Somebody has posted the gag reel on YouTube...

"Harsh frickin toke, dude"
Part 2 is here

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INTERVIEW
She did an interview with IGN to promote the release:
Jones on Being in Love
IGN: Judging by the gag reel on this DVD, you guys look like you had a good time on the set.

Jones: Yeah, it kind of set the bar pretty high for a standard of fun while working. Which, I guess, is a good thing. Maybe it's not a good thing in the long run, but at the time it's literally the most fun I've ever had on a shoot ever. There were days when I wasn't working when I would go to set to hang out.
...
IGN: It does seem you're doing a lot of straight-women roles these days.

Jones: Yeah. Parks and Recreation is my third consecutive job like that. The first being The Office and then I Love You, Man. But the nice thing is that I do truly believe there's got to be a certain equilibrium in comedy. And if you're watching a movie and you're responding to the outlandish character, you're really seeing the movie through the eyes of the straight person. So hopefully, if I'm doing my job correctly, everybody's laughing. And maybe people aren't necessarily thinking I'm the funniest one, which is totally fine. But I do think there's a certain essential need to have that person. ... And listen, it's nice for me because it's very close to who I am. I have a lot of funny friends and I get to participate in the comedy with them, but I'm not over-the-top or whatever. One day it might be nice to do something where I'm just balls to the wall, just crazy.

Read the rest here
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BLOGS
8/11: Beans & Mango
Rashida guest-blogged on Beans and Mango, the personal blog of Katie Fine, an LA based Interior Designer and friend of hers. She recommends these products:

Read her entry "the art of basil" here

with Katie Fine in the Glamour feature about her LA home
See the other scans here (original post: 2/27)

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SIGHTINGS
8/14: Filming Parks and Recreation

Haircut! Accidental Sexiness has 8 more photos of her on the set

8/12: The 11th Annual Day of Indulgence
...Hollywood producer Jennifer Klein's Day of Indulgence party, where guests make the annual pilgrimage to Klein's Brentwood home for an afternoon of shopping, snacking and girl talk...

Kate Walsh and Rashida Jones

Even though I'm barefoot right now, I'm obsessed with shoes...and purses!" admitted Kate Walsh (in a Dries Van Noten wrap). "This is a great kind of lady orgy!" Parks and Recreation star Rashida Jones (in Stella McCartney) indulged her passion for beauty products with a touch-up by CoverGirl makeup artist Molly Stern and left with a gift bag full of goodies from brands like Jurlique, NARS and Yes to Carrots.

8/14: Celebrity hairstylist’s newest salon already star-studded
A brief mention as a client of "celebrity hairstylist" Ted Gibson. I guess he did her new look?

By Jeff Dufour and Kiki Ryan (Washington Examiner)
He only opened his newest salon [in Chevy Chase] a few months ago, but already Ted Gibson is living up to the “celebrity” part of his “celebrity hairstylist” tag.
...
Speaking of the White House, another celeb who has some familiarity with 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is actress Rashida Jones. She, too, has trusted her hair to Gibson’s shears, no doubt when she’s the plus-one to chief speechwriter Jon Favreau, whose arm she’s frequently been spotted clutching.
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TV ALERT
8/17: Her appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (see below) will re-air on Monday night