Abbi Abrams and Ilana Wexler are a pot-smoking best friend duo in New York City, who lack stable careers. In contrast, Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, the actresses who portray them in real life, are writing, directing, producing and starring in their hit television series, “Broad City.” On Saturday, the two sat down with Marie Claire editor-in-chief Anne Fulenwider to discuss their outside projects, sense of style and guest stars. In case you missed it, here are the top five things you should know from the interview.
By Selah Maya Zighelboim
They still find time to work on outside projects.
Despite spending about 11 months of the year on “Broad City,” the pair still find time to work on other shows and publish books. Glazer is working on new three-part miniseries called “Time Traveling Bong,” which will premier April 20. Glazer says the show is about two cousins who travel through time. They see how “anybody who’s not a white dude can’t time travel and have a pleasant experience.” Meanwhile, Jacobson has been publishing adult coloring books, though she reassured the audience that “adult coloring book” is a misnomer. The coloring books are family-friendly.
Everyone wants to know how much pot the girls actually smoke.
Fulenwider says that, when she asked people what questions they would most like to ask Jacobson and Glazer, how much weed they actually smoke was a popular response. The girls didn’t hesitate to answer. Glazer says she smokes every day, while Jacobson says she does not smoke that often, as she needs to work a lot and smoking makes her unproductive.
Their characters’ wardrobes are exaggerations of their real styles.
Glazer’s wardrobe on the show tends to be completely over-the-top, featuring pieces like a dog sweatshirt. Jacobson says her wardrobe is very simple in comparison. In fact, a lot of it is made of pieces from her old wardrobe. “Because we are amplified versions, Ilana’s character is so wild, and mine tends to go more pure,” Jacobson says.
This season has some pretty interesting guest stars.
Names like Vanessa Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and Hillary Clinton join the season 3 cast. Williams plays Glazer’s new boss, while Goldberg has just a brief cameo this season dressed in a habit. Clinton has a larger speaking role portraying herself. The “Broad City” girls say that to get Clinton to come on their show, they simply called her. “We had come up with this idea that Ilana’s character would find the Hillary campaign in some way and be a part of it,” Jacobson says. “That didn’t even require Hillary. It was just her working at the campaign in some capacity, but we were like, ‘Let’s just go with the idea.’”
They didn’t set out to make a feminist show.
Glazer acted surprised when Fulenwider asked about the feminist message of “Broad City,” saying this was the first time she had ever heard the show described that way, though she was pleased with that description. “Because we are feminists, everything we do smells like it,” Glazer says. “It’s like, yas, but we don’t have to really think about it.”