Not even in Hollywood can anyone escape the pressure to be a perfect mother.
Actresses Kathryn Hahn and Annie Mumolo dropped by The Huffington Post to talk about their new movie “Bad Moms,” which focuses on three women who have had enough with the societal pressure that is put on mothers to be perfect but effortless.
“There are so many expectations, and there’s so much pressure to wear all these different hats and to do everything perfectly. It’s just impossible,” said Mumolo.
“The pressure I put on myself is hard enough,” said Hahn, “but then to see like these images and ideals of what it’s supposed to look and feel like, it’s impossible.”
The actresses commented on how different things are now than when they were kids, as playing outside has been swapped for a constant stream of soccer practice and Mandarin lessons.
“Childhood has to breathe. There’s something about being bored that can be the greatest gift you give to your kids, to be able to fight through that and find your own resources of creativity,” said Hahn.
Though their characters in the film take it to the extreme — the trailer shows a PTA meeting that quickly turns into a full-on rager — Hahn and Mumolo admit to some “Bad Mom” moments of their own.
Mumolo explained her “horrible” mom moment, when she misread the time of her daughter’s talent show and was so concerned with French-braiding her hair that they missed her violin performance.
“I felt so awful, I was like, ‘I scarred her for life!’” said Mumolo. “She forgot about it pretty quickly.”
“I’ve told my children that they have the wrong birthday because I was going to be out of town,” said Hahn.
As for being moms in Hollywood, the two agreed there are certain pressures, like missing their kid’s birthday for work, but the perks alleviate some of the stress of having both a job and a family.
“I feel lucky. We do get to break away and have this sort of adventure, like we come to [New York] for the weekend,” said Hahn. “There are pressures, but it’s different. It’s different from getting up and doing a 9-to-5 grind, and there’s a great respect for people that are doing that.”
See the trailer below and catch “Bad Moms” in theaters Friday, July 29.
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