Entertainment

THR's 'Comedy Round Table' Ladies Get Really Real

by Caitlyn Callegari

What happens when you get a group of incredibly powerful, talented, and funny women in a room? Well, quite frankly, you get what you asked for. Unbridled, candid, and unabashed honesty that can only be described in one word: Awesome. So, it should not come as a surprise that The Hollywood Reporter's article, "Comedy Actress A-List in Raunchy, R-Rated Roundtable," featuring Lena Dunham, Amy Schumer, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kate McKinnon, Gina Rodriguez, and Ellie Kemper, lives up to its excitable name and gives us more than a few funny lady quotes to live by along with some serious truth bombs.

If there's one thing to expect in this amazing piece, it's the unexpected. These comediennes and actresses made a point of not only discussing how they've managed to rise above the obstacles put in their way as ambitious women, but, also, leaking little nuggets of insight, both good and bad, into the entertainment business, including things that most likely never even crossed your mind. After all, these truth bombs are just that: shocking revelations that may or may not just rock your notions of "the biz" as you know it.

Though this entire round table is worth reading and reviewing over and over again, these particular truths manage to stand out among the rest of the engaging conversation.

What Would They Never Do For A Laugh?

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Schumer: "I would never suck a d**k for a laugh."

Dunham:"I would never f— someone."

What About For A Role?

Rodriguez: "I'm a brown girl, so I have to cross all the lines. I did just recently give birth onscreen... The actress playing my OB-GYN, Julie, was in right between my legs. I have Spanx on, this big belly, legs spread wide open. I probably should've showered that morning."

Dunham: "I stopped wearing the nude patch after the first season of Girls. There's not one guy who works on that show who hasn't seen the inside of my vagina."

Side note: According to Dunham, the men of Girls wear penis bags during sex scenes and are totally cool with her bare vagina. Now that's cast camaraderie.

About That Chris Rock That Says There Are No "Substantial Roles" for Black Women...

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Ross: There aren't many [roles in film]. That's why I say no to all the offers! (Laughs.) Working on a film is one job where you look at a casting breakdown and I'll think, "That's me!" But she's not supposed to be black.

Rodriguez: One hundred percent.

[...]

Schumer: "I never thought how bad it could be for you guys until I had a TV show and we had to do auditions. Many black women who auditioned thought that we wanted them to be 'sassy.'... We're like, 'No, just be yourself.' I thought: That sucks. It meant they'd been in a lot of rooms where they were like, 'Uh, can you be more like (snaps her finger).'"

What's The Worst Thing Someone Has Ever Said To You?

Dunham: "Rape threats. Death threats."

Schumer: "Wishing me to get ovarian cancer."

Have They Ever Fought For More Money?

Schumer:"Yeah. I'm like, 'These people are only going to be there because of me, so I'm not crazy.'"

Kemper: "I once heard an exec say, 'If you don't ask for it, we can't give it to you.' We can't go through our lives just being grateful for everything."

Schumer: "I noticed when I had a suggestion for Judd Apatow on set, I would say, 'Um, sorry but …' I started all my sentences with 'sorry.' I've made an effort to not do that now."

Ross (note: she is Diana Ross' daughter): "I was raised by a woman who has high standards for what she's worth, which has been called 'diva behavior.' I have witnessed flagrant, disgusting behavior, and that is not my mother. There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate."

Dunham: "When it was leaked how much I was getting for my book, there were 39,000 articles asking, 'Is she worth it?' Then it came out what Aziz Ansari was making on his book. No one says a goddamn word."

And on that note, let's get to work, ladies. (Wine is allowed and encouraged.)

Image: Getty Images (2); Giphy