Rashida Jones feels "very lucky" to be able to seamlessly switch between writing and acting jobs.
While the actress is best known for her on-screen roles in projects like Parks and Recreation and The Office U.S., she is also a writer, producer and director.
Reflecting on how she navigates between her different jobs, Jones explained that she is lucky to be able to pick and choose depending on her mood.
"It depends on my mood," she shared during a recent Q&A in London, attended by Cover Media. "Because you're on set 14 to 16 hours a day as an actor, sometimes it's nice to just like not do that and really develop something and write it for a long time and take time to get to know characters and watch movies and walk around and talk to people. So it just kind of depends what mood I am (in). I feel very lucky that I can satisfy different vibes."
Jones's writing credits include Toy Story 4, Celeste & Jesse Forever, and the 2023 TV miniseries The Other Black Girl. She also co-wrote Olivia Wilde's latest movie, The Invite, which stars Wilde, Seth Rogen, Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz.
The 50-year-old noted that actors have limited choices unless they are involved in putting projects together.
"As an actor, it's really just like what opportunities (come your way)," she continued. "I think everybody knows this by now, but actors don't have that much choice in what they do unless they're producing their own thing. Even people who have been doing the same thing for a long time, they are only going to get jobs that are like that thing. It's really hard to keep pushing and challenging and getting jobs that are different."
In addition to her writing credits, Jones also executive produced her 2024 TV series Sunny and directed the 2024 short A Swim Lesson and the 2018 documentary Quincy, about her late father Quincy Jones.
The star currently appears in the movie In the Blink of an Eye, which is now streaming on Disney+.