Finding out you’re pregnant while high on psilocybin mushrooms sounds like a nightmare — but (spoiler alert!) Ilana Glazer puts a hilarious spin on the chaotic scenario in her new film, Babes.
In the comedy, Glazer’s Eden is enjoying life as a single woman in New York City alongside her married childhood best friend Dawn (Michelle Buteau) when she learns she is expecting a child — during a really inconvenient time — following a one-night stand.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Glazer admitted it’s not easy to portray someone who is on drugs, despite what those who are watching may think. “I find pretending to be high and pretending to trip is really hard actually, and we were going for a classic LOL version of it,” the actress, 37, shared, noting the scene conveys “pretty much the worst trip I could imagine.”
“I’ve had bad trips, [but] learning [you are pregnant] on mushrooms, that’s bad,” Glazer continued. “It was helpful that we were doing a broad ‘just go for it, just be nuts’ [vibe] because it felt nuts to go there.”
Glazer tells Us she and cowriter Josh Rabinowitz penned the script after their manager Susie Fox, who is also a producer, had a “vision” of Glazer and her best friend having children. (At the time, the Broad City alum was pregnant with her now 2-year-old daughter, who she shares with husband David Rooklin, and Rabinowitz’s wife was expecting as well.)
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“This idea came to her of me getting knocked up and we couldn’t believe that the story hadn’t been told before,” Glazer explained. “Between the three of us, we had so many ideas and different angles on this experience, and it was really cracking us up.”
“The hard comedy” that goes along with being pregnant also served as inspiration for Glazer. “I couldn’t believe how slow you are and swollen and sick and the boobs,” she shared. “It was just so funny to me and Josh as sort of that feeling of helplessness with your partner just growing a human inside of you.”
In addition to hilarious moments, Babes also highlights how friendships can change when one person is entering the next chapter in their life. “We’ve all kind of been on the Eden side of it: Your friend is having kids and your friendship is tested and you don’t get to see them as much,” she said. “But then when you become the parent and you need your friends more, that really was the thread for us.”
Glazer learned a few things about motherhood, too – with one scene involving her character undergoing an amniocentesis test showing the actress’ genuine reaction. “I hadn’t had an amnio,” she shared, “and when they brought it out [for the film], I was like, ‘This is the needle?’”
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Ultimately, Glazer hopes the film brings awareness to the many realities women face while expecting. “Throughout my pregnancy and giving birth, there were so many things that were shocking,” she shared. “You can’t believe that this happens and that it’s not at the forefront of American discourse all the time.”
“It is a shocking experience having a kid,” she added, “only because we’re kept from knowing about it.”
Babes is in theaters now.
