Anna Faris revealed that she “stopped drinking” while discussing a recent change in how she views her career and the people who recognize her.
The actress spoke about her sobriety during a Thursday appearance on Chelsea Handler’s “Dear Chelsea” podcast, as reported by Page Six.
The “Mom” alum said she stopped feeling “ungracious” about her career as a comedic actress “only in the last year.” Faris explained that she has begun noticing and appreciating the reactions she receives from people who recognize her.
She said those people would usually smile while thinking about something ridiculous she had done onscreen. Her observation prompted Handler to ask whether the change in her outlook could be connected to her decision to stop drinking.
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“Do you think that has to do with not drinking?” Handler asked. She continued, “Because I know you stopped drinking. Maybe that lit that a little bit.”
Faris, 49, agreed with Handler and described her changed mindset as “one of the many gifts” of sobriety. She also said that, for her, there was a correlation between drinking and depression.
The “Scary Movie” star explained that she needed to step back from drinking so she would not sabotage herself. However, she did not provide more details about her sobriety or identify exactly when she began abstaining from alcohol.
Faris also credited hormone patches with helping her mental health, saying they “made a huge difference.” Her representative did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment about her remarks.
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Although Faris has not previously discussed her drinking in interviews, she portrayed a newly sober single mother on the CBS series “Mom.” She appeared on the show from 2013 to 2020 before leaving one season ahead of its conclusion.
During a June appearance on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Faris said she departed because of the show’s “intensity.” She acknowledged that her ability to remain focused had started to change during what she described as a difficult period.
“I started to lose my focus,” Faris recalled during that interview. She added, “I never had a job besides waitressing for over three months before. … It was a complicated time.”
Faris did not discuss the award-winning series during Thursday’s conversation with Handler. Instead, she offered rare comments about her two divorces and characterized her marriage to Michael Barrett as “third time is a charm.”
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Reflecting on her previous marriages to Ben Indra and Chris Pratt, Faris said she needed to better understand how she wanted to receive love. “As lame as it sounds, I needed to understand how I wanted to be loved, how I received love. I don’t think I did that very well,” she said.
The actress also shared details about Jack, the 13-year-old son she shares with Pratt. Faris described him as “solid as a tugboat emotionally” and said he is not “easily jarred.”
Faris said Jack is religious and has asked her to accept Jesus Christ. She told him she would do anything for him, including that, while making clear that the subject would require many more conversations between them.
“He is religious. He’s asked me to accept Jesus Christ. I told him I would do anything for him, including this, but it’s going to take a whole lot of conversations. He’s impressive,” Faris said.
She also said she challenges Jack by asking him questions about his beliefs and religious figures. Faris expressed appreciation that he is examining religion and beginning to recognize what she characterized as hypocrisy.
“We’re getting there. I’m appreciative that he’s examining religion the way he is in terms of starting to recognize hypocrisy,” she explained.
Faris gave birth to Jack in 2012 and split from Pratt five years later. Pratt has since welcomed three more children with his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger: daughter Lyla, 6, daughter Eloise, 4, and son Ford, 1.
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