Community stars Gillian Jacobs and Alison Brie seem to be just as close in real life as they are on their NBC show. Both women are happy to hear that they have a lesbian fanbase, especially after tweeting a photo of themselves kissing on set and following the release of a recent bondage-themed photoshoot for GQ.
“We really wanted it to be kind of tongue-in-cheek but still kind of sexy and it really was fun,” Alison said of the GQ shoot. “And I think both Gillian and I like to surprise ourselves, like ‘Oh, we’re comfortable with this! This is really fun!'”
And while they had a good time shooting together, Alison said it was also hard work. She told me:
The next day, I called Gillian a little embarrassed, and I said “Are you sore from the shoot yesterday?” And she said “Yes! I feel like we were at a pilates class or something!” Because you don’t realize, for a shoot like that, it is fun and put aside your inhibitions and realize “We’re both in our underwear, our crotches are closer to each other’s crotches than they’ve ever been before.” And in that way it’s fun and bonding. But then it gets very specific, where they’re like “Just lower your chest a couple of inches.” We’d crack up and we recompose – and the whole time you’re thinking. “I hope my body looks OK!” and tensing. It’s a very comical situation.
Gillian said that she is flattered that women love her as much as men do.
“I hope my character feels relatable, like she seems smart and funny but also flawed, like a unique, individual person,” she said. “I feel like that’s sometimes a rarity on TV, to see a woman who is three-dimensional, and so I really enjoy that about the character.”
Last season, Gillian was the focus of an episode about befriending a girl she thought was a lesbian, scoring her points for being accepting and having a diverse friendship circle. In the end, she found out the girl was, in fact, not a lesbian, but thought Gillian was one.
“Annie’s a very open character,” Gillian said. “It’s a great show and they wanted to create a show in which there was sexual tension and possibilities between all of the characters and I feel like they have done that.”
In fact, Alison said she has an idea for the end of this season and she has her fingers crossed that it’s going to happen.
“I’m pitching a Britta and Annie kiss for the Season 3 finale,” she said. “I’m working on it.”
And if that doesn’t happen, Gillian said she at least hopes to continue the tradition of their characters Annie and Britta wrestling one another in some sort of substance.
“I certainly wrestled Alison for two seasons in a row, so we always joke about what substances are going to be next,” Gillian said. “Because we’ve already done bubbles and oil, so maybe jello? Maybe it’ll be a recurring theme.”
Community premieres its third season on Sept. 22 on NBC.
